A couple of years ago Hollywood made a film with the intriguing title, "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers." The hero in "Main Shadi Karne Chala" is faced with a problem that is comparatively less intriguing - to find four husbands for four sisters, before he can marry the fifth who happens to be the youngest.
The problem might have daunted any man, but not I. S. Johar. Ably assisted by Rajendranath, he succeeds more by crook than by hook in securing the services of four eligible bachelors, only to find himself saddled, in the end, by a comedy of terrors with a girl different from the one he was in love with, and a widow in the bargain.
At this stage this reviewer would like to digress to pay a glowing tribute to our film producers. At a time when top Russian scientists are fumbling about with dead dogs, our producers have repeatedly and successfully brought dead men to life when they were most needed by the story's exigencies. (All scientific and medical journals, please copy). Just when the widow is about to put the noose in the form of a garland round befuddled Johar's neck, the dead husband makes his dramatic appearance, looking none the worse for having been dead, to reclaim his spouse and, acting no doubt under the superstition that dead men tell no tales, he does not even bother to give a lame or labored explanation as to when, where, why and how he was brought back to life.
There are no expensively brilliant marquee names in "Main Shadi Karne Chala," but nothing has been lost by their absence. Much has obviously been gained, for which the credit goes not only to Producer Wadia but to Roop K. Shorey, the director, for the skill with which he has brought out the best in each performer. Neither Johar nor Rajendranath are reduced to the level of mere buffoons; Rajendranath's is indeed a polished performance. Feroz, too, is exceptionally good and Sayeeda Khan livelier than usual. Badri Prasad and Durga Khote as the parents give the sort of performance that is expected of them, but Parveen Chowdhary has never been so well exploited as in this film, and Tabassum, Malika, Mumtaz and Manju also are more than adequate.
A story like this abounds in numerous possibilities of comedy in situation, character and dialogue. Shorey ferrets these out with sure skill and exploits them to the full. He maintains the brisk pace in direction needed for a comedy and, remarkably, he keeps the same pace even in the tragic sequences, which, it must be said, have unnecessarily compromised the film's integrity. The film does not appear to be 16 reels long, which it is.
Kashmir is the story's background. One has the feeling that it might have been exploited more imaginatively than has been done by Anant Wadadekar. Kashmir's beauty is surely like a woman's - it has a lot to offer, but only to him who can take a lot - the sort of beauty that calls for not only a competent photographer but a poet and a lover.
Chitragupta's music is happily subordinated to the ends of comedy. One song, with the various couples cavorting against flowers, trees and rivulets, gains immeasurably through the association of color.
"Main Shadi Karne Chala" is a well-acted. well-directed and, in the main, enjoyable comedy
