Jump to content

Armaan (1953 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arman
Directed byFali Mistry
Produced byFali Mistry
StarringDev Anand
Madhubala
Music byS. D. Burman
Production
company
Film Technician of India
Release date
  • 19 August 1953 (1953-08-19)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Arman (transl. "Desire") is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by Fali Mistry. The music is composed by S. D. Burman. Arman revolves around Radha (Madhubala), a peasant girl who is fostered by her dead father's loyal servant Ramdas (Jagirdar) so that she does not fall in clutches of her treacherous uncle Bahadur Singh (K. N. Singh). Dev Anand stars as Radha's love interest Madan.

Arman was theatrically released on 19 August 1953 and received mixed reviews from critics. Madhubala's and Jagirdar's performances were praised; but the music and Anand's performance were sharply criticised. Nevertheless, the film became a box office success. Since no print of the film is known to survive today, Arman is considered lost today.

Plot

[edit]

Ramdas, a poor noble soul (Jagirdar) rears up the only daughter of his dead master away from his own home so that she may not fall into the clutches of her treacherous uncle, Bahadur Singh (K. N. Singh). Baby Radha grows up to be a beautiful girl (Madhubala) and falls in love with the poet Madan (Dev Anand), who happens to visit her village. Fate separates them and Radha is taken over by her uncle and taught to outgrow her peasant upbringing to become a swell girl. But her love for her foster father, now a dispiriterd rickshaw puller, flames again leading up to a climax.

Cast

[edit]

Soundtrack

[edit]

All music was composed by S. D. Burman.

Song Singer
"Krodh Kapat Ke Andhiyare" Manna Dey
"Jadubhari Yeh Fizayen" Geeta Dutt
"Yeh Hansi, Yeh Khushi" Geeta Dutt
"Bharam Teri Wafaon Ka" Talat Mahmood
"Bol Na Bol Ae Janewale, Sun To Le Deewanon Ki" Talat Mahmood, Asha Bhosle
"Chahe Kitna Mujhe Tum" Asha Bhosle
"Main Pankh Lagake" Asha Bhosle
"Jab Duniya Badli Hai" Asha Bhosle

Release

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]

A review by The Indian Express in October 1953 appreciated the performances by Madhubala and Jagirdar and also the music,[1] in contrast to a review by Cineplot, which called it "too frequently hybrid".[2] Regarding Madhubala, the critic commented that she "puts her part over with an allure, charm and sensitivity which are astoundingly, good."[2] Cineplot concluded: "Armaan makes for pleasurable entertainment despite its lack of logical cohesion due to the haphazard development of the key roles and the illogical actions of the characters."[2] Thought was critical of the film's storyline, calling it a "sentimentalized rehash of a mediocre story", and Anand's performance, saying that he possesses "limited acting skills".[3]

Box office

[edit]

The Indian Express reported in October 1953 that the film is running to packed houses.[1] At the end of its theatrical run, Armaan grossed 2.9 million at the box office to emerge as the ninth most successful film of 1953.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Arman: Review. The Indian Express.
  2. ^ a b c "Arman – Review". Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  3. ^ Thought. Siddhartha Publications. 1953.
  4. ^ "Highest Grossing Hindi Movies of 1953". IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
[edit]