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Chhalia

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Not to be confused with Chhalia (1973 film).

Chhalia
Chhalia movie poster
Directed byManmohan Desai
Written byInder Raj Anand
Based on"White Nights"
(short story) by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Produced bySubhash Desai
Starring
CinematographyN. Satyen[1]
Music byKalyanji Anandji
Release date
  • 1960 (1960)
Running time
135 Minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Chhalia is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Manmohan Desai.[3] It stars Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Pran,[4] Rehman[5] and Shobhna Samarth. The story is loosely based on the 1848 short story "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but is focused on the issue of estranged wives and children in the aftermath of partition.[6][7][8][9] Chhalia was shot in black-and-white. Music by Kalyanji-Anandji, played a part in the film's box office success.[1]

Plot

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Shanti is married off to Kewal on the eve of partition. But while the two families move away to Delhi from Lahore, she inadvertently is left behind, and is forced to share a roof with the Afghan bandit Abdul Rehman, who has a sister of Shanti's age in India. When she returns to India five years later with her son, she is first welcomed by her husband, Kewal, with open arms but disowned when the child identifies himself as Anwar, and his father as Abdul Rehman. Even her own father refuses to give her shelter, though in the years she had lived with Abdul Rehman she hadn't even seen his face.

Physically and emotionally shattered, Shanti tries to commit suicide after leaving Anwar in a remand home, but is rescued by an outlaw, Chhalia who as time and events progress, flips for the lady. Rehman lands in Delhi to settle old scores with Chhalia and threatens to kidnap Shanti. The bloody fight that ensues between the two adversaries eventually ends in a truce. The hurried climax, set amidst Dussera festivities, has Chhalia bringing about a rapprochement between the estranged couple, Shanti and Kewal, and himself walking into infinity, while Rehman is reunited with his sister on the return train.

Cast

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Production

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Chhalia was the debut film of director Manmohan Desai.[11] Chhalia was amongst the first of the lost-and-found-formula films that Desai went on to chisel to perfection, the most popular being Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) (except perhaps his last two Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Toofan), Chhalia was also first amongst his 13 star-studded films out of a total of 20 that Desai churned out in a career spanning 29 years.[12] Laxmikant Pyarelal were the assistant music directors;[1] who went on to be music directors for most of Manmohan Desai's films.

Soundtrack

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Chhalia
Soundtrack album by
Kalyanji-Anandji
Released1960
Genrefilm soundtrack
Length28:31
LanguageHindi
LabelEMI
Kalyanji-Anandji chronology
Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere
(1960) 		Chhalia
(1960) 		Payaase Panchhi
(1961)

The soundtrack of Chhalia is composed by the duo Kalyanji-Anandji with lyrics by Qamar Jalalabadi. The initial vinyl ep release of the soundtrack by Angel Records consisted of 4 songs sung by singers Mukesh[13] and Lata Mangeshkar. The complete soundtrack was released by EMI with 3 new songs and an Instrumental added to the initial soundtrack. Chhalia is considered a landmark in the career of Kalyanji-Anandji.[14][15] The duo composed the kind of folksy, simple tunes that had come to be associated with Raj Kapoor's collaborations with Shankar-Jaikishan.[16] The songs "Dum Dum Diga Diga" and "Chhalia Mera Naam" are still popular today.[17]

All lyrics are written by Qamar Jalalabadi; all music is composed by Kalyanji-Anandji

Original vinyl track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Baje Payal Chhun Chhun"Lata Mangeshkar3:48
2."Chhalia Mera Naam"Mukesh3:51
3."Dum Dum Diga Diga"Mukesh3:14
4."Teri Rahon Mein Khade Hai"Lata Mangeshkar3:58
5."Meri Jaan Kuchh Bhi Kijiye"Mukesh & Lata Mangeshkar3:13
6."Mere Toote Huye Dil Se"Mukesh4:00
7."Gali Gali Sita Roye"Mohd. Rafi4:56
8."Title Music"Instrumental1:32
Total length:28:31

Release

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Chhalia was released in 1960 and was a moderate box office success.[18] Raj Kapoor and Nutan were nominated for 1961 Filmfare Awards in the category of Best Actor and Best Actress respectively.[citation needed] Chhalia was made available on DVD from the Indian distributor Shemaroo and the international firm Baba Digital.[2]

Awards and nominations

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8th Filmfare Awards (Nominations)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kohli, Suresh (9 May 2009). "Chhalia 1960". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Chhalia | Indian Cinema". uiowa.edu. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  3. ^ Elizabeth Sweeney, Ellen (2013). Partition and its legacies: a cross-cultural comparison of Irish, British and South Asian cinemas (PhD thesis). University of Iowa. p. 33. doi:10.17077/etd.em2gymk8.
  4. ^ "One of the most loved villains of Bollywood bids adieu: Pran Sahab". India TV. IANS. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. ^ Bokhari, Shoaib (3 June 2016). "Remembering the Muslim greats of Bollywood". The Nation. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Yesterday once more". The Times of India. 16 December 2007. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011.
  7. ^ Bali, Karan (13 August 2016). "The break in the script: How did Partition affect the film industry?". www.hindustantimes.com/. Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  8. ^ Daiya, Kavita (2008). Violent belongings: partition, gender, and national culture in Postcolonial India. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-59213-743-5. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  9. ^ Parmar, Prabhjot (5 August 2007). "Films and Partition: Trains of History". www.tribuneindia.com. The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  10. ^ "The unforgettables". Deccan Herald. 4 December 2010. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  11. ^ Pinto, Jerry (11 May 2013). "Tribute to a century of Bollywood: Part six 1964-1973". The National. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  12. ^ Kahlon, Sukhpreet. "'Jab insaan haiwaan nahin bana tha' – Impassioned plea for humanity in Manmohan Desai's debut film Chhalia (1960)". Cinestaan.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  13. ^ Mishra, Tulsidas (27 August 2014). "MAGIC OF THE MELLIFLUOUS MUKESH". Odisha Sun Times Editorial Desk. OdishaSunTimes.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ Holla, Anand (4 May 2016). "A trip down melody lane". Gulf-Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  15. ^ "बचपन से संगीतकार बनने का शौक का था कल्याणजी को - Death anniversary of Kalyanji". www.patrika.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  16. ^ Arunachalam, Param (25 June 2016). "Bollywood Retrospect: 'Yeh Mera Dil' from 'Don' and other gems by the underrated Kalyanji–Anandji". dna. Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  17. ^ "कड़े संघर्ष के बाद कल्याणजी-आनंदजी को मिली थी पहचान - Kalyanji-Anandji tasted success after hard struggle". www.patrika.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  18. ^ Manwani, Akshay (16 May 2016). "Manmohan Desai and Hindi cinema's secularism!". dna. Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
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