Gumrah (1963) :
Brief Review -
"Casablanca" (from a woman's point of view) multiplied by "Nadiyan Ke Paar" with some abrasive and interlocking conflicts in a love triangle. A romantic drama like Casablanca comes once in a century, and whatever is similar to it always gets down by the comparison. Rick makes a choice for both Elsa and her husband and becomes a cult character, but have we ever thought about the same ending from a woman's point of view? Maybe not because women's cultures are very different in foreign countries. However, that woman's point of view becomes very important in India because here, any woman having an extramarital affair is not acceptable. There is another memorable drama called Nadiyan Ke Paar, in which the woman is forced to marry her dead sister's husband because their kid is very fond of her. Gumrah came almost 2 decades before that film and 2 decades after Casablanca to find multiplication of both movies. Here, the girl is married to her brother-in-law, while NKP ends before that. Like Casablanca, the woman faces her boyfriend again and starts seeing him, keeping her husband in the dark. That's totally fair until the woman has decided what to do with her life. The interlocking of these two films fits perfectly, but the second half just doesn't fit well. Those conflicts are too dramatic and unacceptable. The woman can't make her mind up; she is totally confused, even after 2 years of marriage. I couldn't figure out why they didn't have a kid of their own by now, and most importantly, that blackmail part completely disturbed the momentum. At the end, instead of Rick, it's Elsa who makes her choice but is driven by Victor. That's forceful only to get that "happy ending" and "and they lived happily thereafter" correct. That's what sets Casablanca apart from any romantic drama or love triangle ever made in world cinema. Gumrah is more about getting an astray woman back on track than letting her know her mistakes. Somehow it ends with the Indian zone, and that's enough.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
"Casablanca" (from a woman's point of view) multiplied by "Nadiyan Ke Paar" with some abrasive and interlocking conflicts in a love triangle. A romantic drama like Casablanca comes once in a century, and whatever is similar to it always gets down by the comparison. Rick makes a choice for both Elsa and her husband and becomes a cult character, but have we ever thought about the same ending from a woman's point of view? Maybe not because women's cultures are very different in foreign countries. However, that woman's point of view becomes very important in India because here, any woman having an extramarital affair is not acceptable. There is another memorable drama called Nadiyan Ke Paar, in which the woman is forced to marry her dead sister's husband because their kid is very fond of her. Gumrah came almost 2 decades before that film and 2 decades after Casablanca to find multiplication of both movies. Here, the girl is married to her brother-in-law, while NKP ends before that. Like Casablanca, the woman faces her boyfriend again and starts seeing him, keeping her husband in the dark. That's totally fair until the woman has decided what to do with her life. The interlocking of these two films fits perfectly, but the second half just doesn't fit well. Those conflicts are too dramatic and unacceptable. The woman can't make her mind up; she is totally confused, even after 2 years of marriage. I couldn't figure out why they didn't have a kid of their own by now, and most importantly, that blackmail part completely disturbed the momentum. At the end, instead of Rick, it's Elsa who makes her choice but is driven by Victor. That's forceful only to get that "happy ending" and "and they lived happily thereafter" correct. That's what sets Casablanca apart from any romantic drama or love triangle ever made in world cinema. Gumrah is more about getting an astray woman back on track than letting her know her mistakes. Somehow it ends with the Indian zone, and that's enough.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.