Phagun

Phagun is a musical romantic comedy directed by Late Bibhuti Mitra and stars Late Madhubala, Late Bharat Bhushan, Late Jeevan, Late Dhumal and Late Murad.

This movie is one time watch with some melodious music and predictable plot there will be wrong to expect much from the movie but still the movie will not disappoint you.

We have seen many films on similar plot and similar execution and similar and predictable climax and this movie is not any exception. In those major focus were given on the songs apart from the lead actors of the movie,

Acting is good and Madhubala steals the show with her usual charm and her unique style of dialogue delivery, Bharat Bhushan were also at par in terms of acting and we have seen him in many movies depicting similar roles. Jeevan and Dhumal were superb in their respective roles.

Screenplay of the movie is average and the movie slips in between and have few loopholes, the direction is average but the movie can we watched once.

It is an old movie with an old type of story-line ( coincidence! ). A man of high social status and power abandons his newborn daughter. She is found by a man of lower social status and power and he raises her as his daughter. Coincidentally a boy of high social status meets this girl and they decide to marry each other, but the boy's father shows the difference in their social status and stops them from executing their plan. The boy and the girl must cross some more hurdles before succeeding in their plan. So, ultimately the two persons of the same status get married. We are told that they died very soon. Their house is bought by another couple who, coincidentally, look similar to them.

The movie is for pure entertainment with no social or moral message. The music is good. Only one song "Ek pardesi mera dill..." became popular while others were forgotten. One song, "Tum rooth ke mat..." was based on Punjabi tappe. There is a sprinkle of silly comedy. In the end, there are some violent fight scenes as well. The story ends with a happy note. The actors have done their job well.

A couple enters the old mansion as its new residents. The servant of the mansion is taken aback by the striking resemblance of the new residents to the last occupants of the mansion, Banani and Bijan. He then tells the couple about the story of Banani, the Banjaaran girl, and Bijan, the Zamindar boy. The film revolves around the narration of Banani and Bijan's love story.

Madhubala's performance in this film is not exceptional. While her gypsy accent is effective and her comic timing is impressive, her acting shines particularly when the emotional aspects of the story are explored. However, there are too many sobbing scenes, which, for the first time, caused me to lose interest. On a positive note, her acting when she disguises herself as an astrologer is truly impressive. Bharat Bhushan's character and acting are unremarkable, except for his good chemistry with Madhubala. Nishi Kohli and Jeevan Dhar deliver decent performances as the negative characters, although they are forgettable. Dhumal does a good job of maintaining the film's entertainment value. Mehmood has a brief role, but it doesn't have a significant impact. Badri Prasad and Murad give their best performances in their respective roles. There is also a special appearance by Cukooo, but it doesn't leave a lasting impression on me.

This 1958 film is a rare one in that it doesn't feature a traditional Saas-Bahu drama. However, despite its uniqueness, the story is surprisingly dull. At first, the story seems promising, but as it unfolds, it devolves into a familiar tale of a wealthy boy and poor girl falling in love. The second half of the film is particularly tedious, with too many scenes of sobbing that made me lose interest. The story could have been developed more interestingly, rather than relying on the repetitive plot device of Banani and Bijan's struggles and then their eventual entrapment. Instead, it feels like a predictable and unengaging narrative that fails to capture the viewer's attention.

The cinematography is commendable, but the choreography of the songs could have been improved to better match the emotional tone of the songs.

The standout aspect of the film is its music, courtesy of O. P. Nayyar. While it may not be as versatile as his other works, Nayyar has managed to create a soundtrack that enhances the story. The soundtrack is primarily composed of slow, emotional songs, including the cabaret song, which is surprisingly slow and unengaging. However, the rest of the songs are instant mood lifters. It's remarkable how Nayyar used the tune of "Ek Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya" in many of the songs, making it a symbol of Banani and Bijan's love story. Nayyar's work, along with Asha Bhosle's vocals, has literally saved the film from being mediocre.

In conclusion, 'Phagun' is not a great film by any stretch, but it is an entertaining one with an average storyline and chart-busting music.

Phagun (1958) : Brief Review -

Nagin (1954) restored again in Madhubala's most memorable year ever. Madhubala became a huge star in this year, 1958, as she acted in a total of 6 films, and 4 of them were commercially successful. It wasn't about commercial success, but the kind of craze, the popularity she got, and the roles she played in those 4 films. Phagun was one of them, and she has the largest screen time in this film, overtaking the lead hero. She played the lead heroine in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and shared the screen with two Kumars. In the same year, she played the lead opposite Dev Anand in Kala Paani and then the leading lady opposite her CKNG co-star Ashok Kumar in Howrah Bridge. Some of the most evergreen songs were filmed on her in this film. Phagun has "Ek Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya" and that epic snake charming flute. Her chemistry with Bharat Bhushan fell flat, and I would blame Bharat for that, not Madhubala. She was great, and you can see that on the screen. It's Bharat who looks dull, gets boring dialogues, and mostly mute scenes. That's not romance. Maybe it was for the kind of culture those characters belong to, but definitely not for the audiences in the late 50s. Speaking of the story, you might remember Vyjayanthimala and Pradeep Kumar's Nagin (1954), right? Then Phagun is the same story again, with a nice touch of reincarnation and a few twists of memory loss. The screenplay drags due to the addition of too many songs that aren't really "hit numbers," except the one I mentioned above. Jeevan has played a very good role, and I'd like to take that "dhatura laga ke" with me forever. Nishi and Dhumal's characters add to a fun love story, but we don't know what happens to them later. Bibhuti Mitra's direction is okay. There are flaws, for sure. But there are some fascinating romantic segments and ideas too.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.