Ek Phool Do Mali (1969) :
Brief Review -
Marcel Pagnol's French classics Marius and Fanny merged together in a classic Indian emotional drama. Pagnol's legendary French trilogy has been adopted in French cinema with Marius (1931) and Fanny (1932), while the third film was a fresh script and therefore the weakest film in the trilogy. I'll begin by recommending those first two French films, and then you'll understand Ek Phool Do Mali much better than you would otherwise. Marius leaves for the sake of his sea fantasy, and Fanny doesn't stop him so that he can achieve his dreams. That feminine sacrifice makes that one classic, whereas EPDM has the death and return formula for the hero. However, the emotional touch in the Indian adaptation is far better than the French flick. It might be because it sums up two stories in one film, but I feel it was still better anyway. The standalone value is there, and that makes this Indian drama stand as a classic adaptation for itself. As always, our music is far superior to that of any other country in the world, so this film gets a boost from it. "Apne Ghar ka dipak dekar Roshan kare kisi ki aur ki duniya" and "Mere baad bhi iss duniya me, Zinda Mera naam rahega"-I mean, you can't find better lyrics and the tune they got to define the entire film. More than the biological, it's the parental father who's greater. We have it from Lord Krishna's tale, but the fatherhood story here is much more subtle and emotionally powerful. I cried watching this film in childhood, and I cried even today, when I am done with almost 8,000 films made across the globe. That means there is something in this film. That instant emotional connect has stood the test of time, and I testify to that myself over the period of 20 years-from my childhood to today, when I'm in my 30s. Giving half a star extra for that emotional boost and evergreen songs that have memorable lyrics! Two fathers fighting against their own salvation and sacrifices-dramas don't get better than this.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Marcel Pagnol's French classics Marius and Fanny merged together in a classic Indian emotional drama. Pagnol's legendary French trilogy has been adopted in French cinema with Marius (1931) and Fanny (1932), while the third film was a fresh script and therefore the weakest film in the trilogy. I'll begin by recommending those first two French films, and then you'll understand Ek Phool Do Mali much better than you would otherwise. Marius leaves for the sake of his sea fantasy, and Fanny doesn't stop him so that he can achieve his dreams. That feminine sacrifice makes that one classic, whereas EPDM has the death and return formula for the hero. However, the emotional touch in the Indian adaptation is far better than the French flick. It might be because it sums up two stories in one film, but I feel it was still better anyway. The standalone value is there, and that makes this Indian drama stand as a classic adaptation for itself. As always, our music is far superior to that of any other country in the world, so this film gets a boost from it. "Apne Ghar ka dipak dekar Roshan kare kisi ki aur ki duniya" and "Mere baad bhi iss duniya me, Zinda Mera naam rahega"-I mean, you can't find better lyrics and the tune they got to define the entire film. More than the biological, it's the parental father who's greater. We have it from Lord Krishna's tale, but the fatherhood story here is much more subtle and emotionally powerful. I cried watching this film in childhood, and I cried even today, when I am done with almost 8,000 films made across the globe. That means there is something in this film. That instant emotional connect has stood the test of time, and I testify to that myself over the period of 20 years-from my childhood to today, when I'm in my 30s. Giving half a star extra for that emotional boost and evergreen songs that have memorable lyrics! Two fathers fighting against their own salvation and sacrifices-dramas don't get better than this.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.