Posts Tagged ‘Ferry’
This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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Today’s song is from a film with an unusual story-Ferry-1954.
The story of the film was written by Dhruv Chatterjee, dialogues were by Akhtar Ul Imaan and the screenplay was done by the Producer and Director of the film – Hemen Gupta. His entire family was involved in this film. Wife Ratna Gupta sang a song in the film and his daughter Baby Bula acted in the film. This Baby Bula became Archana, when she grew up to be a Heroine in her debut film Umang-70. Next film was Buddha Mil Gaya-71 and her third and last film was Anokha Daan-72. After this she left films, married her classmate Yogesh Motwani and settled in life. For some time, she was doing Fabric business also.
The lead pair of this film was Dev Anand and Geeta Bali. At this time, Dev was still uncertain as to what type of roles he fits into. His own wish was to be a Romantic Hero and from the film Munimji-55 onwards, his career really took off as a Romantic hero – an image he desperately (and later on pathetically) tried to preserve in his films. When others stopped giving him films,he started producing and directing his own films, acting in it the same way he did, when he was young.
Dev Anand acted in 116 films, directed 19 films, sang in 4 films and even wrote 2 songs in film ‘Mr. Prime Minister’-2005. Prior to film Ferry-54, his films were of a variety of subjects, from musical to comedy to serious types. In the film Zalzala-52, he died on screen for the first time. The last time he died on screen was in the film Guide-65. He never liked to die on screen. It did not fit into his scheme of future planning to become a Romantic Hero. Film Tamasha-52 was a sort of comedy film and Ferry -54 was still a different type of role.
The film was a story of a widower Zamindar, Vikas (Dev), who also worked as a Government officer in a village. He has a young child-Raju (Master Babu, who became Ritesh Kumar as a grown up actor and also married actress Maushumi Chatterjee. He was the son of Hemant Kumar), who is curious about his mother. His father has told him that she has gone beyond the river and lives in a big white palace. The child hopes that one day his mother will surely come back to him. So, he, along with his next door friend Minu (Baby Bula) goes to the River bank every day, expecting his mother to arrive in the Ferry some day.
Once when Vikas has gone to the city for work, a young girl is found in the river. She is unconscious. Villagers bring her to the nearest house of Vikas. Doctor is called. The girl survives. She is Juhi-a tawayaf’s daughter (Geeta Bali). She stays in that house. The boy Raju develops a bond with her and she too starts loving the boy. However the Chachi of Vikas, who looks after the household does not like it. When Vikas comes back, he learns everything. When she tells her story he understands that she was kidnapped as a baby and sold to the tawaif – Munnibai (Chand Burke). Munnibai tries to sell her to customers. To avoid further trouble, Juhi jumps into the river.
Due to the opposition of Chachi and the villagers, Juhi is asked to leave the house. She goes to the river to wait for the Ferry. Raju falls sick and Vikas too is uneasy. He has also developed an affinity for her. He takes Raju and rushes to the river in time to stop Juhi from boarding it . They come back to the house. Vikas finally decides to marry Juhi and Raju also gets his mother. Happy ending.
Film Ferry was released first in Bombay at the Swastik cinema on 8-10-1954 and it ran only for 7 weeks. The All India response was also lukewarm. When I saw this film in Hyderabad in late October, I had liked it, but felt that the end was too hastily wound up. Maybe the length was already too much. The film had music by Hemant kumar. Like all Bangla composers, Hemant also had a ” Maajhee” song in this film (they could never resist the temptation if a river is in the film). There was a child song ( another weak point of HK), by baby Bula and Master Babu. 2 solos by Geeta Dutt and 1 by Ratna Gupta. One 2 part Mujra song by Laxmi Shankar. In addition a record for Sitar and Sarod playing was also issued. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and his protege Nikhil Bannerjee had played them.
Director Hemen Gupta’s name will be remembered for a long time in Hindi film history for two films that he directed. One was the early era patriotic film “Anandmath”-52,based on the novel of Bankim babu,in which Hemen Gupta himself, Pradeep kumar and Hemant kumar made their debuts in Hindi films. The second film was Kabuliwala – 61, which won acclaim and a National Award too. This movie was a based on Gurudev Rabibdranath Tagore’s novel of the same name.
I was looking for information on Hemen Gupta ,but found it very difficult. As I have already said recently, getting information about southern and Bengali artistes in English, is a difficult task. When I was drawing a blank from all sources, Lady Luck smiled on me. Unexpectedly, one of my friends from the US, sent me a PDF of Hemen Gupta’s Biography and the Filmography, prepared by his own son Jayant Gupta. What a coincidence ! I was listening to a duet of Uma Devi and S.D.Batish for the film Taaksaal-56 and at the same time received most unexpectedly the authentic information on its director Hemen Gupta !!
Although the original PDF contains many pages, I have abridged and edited this Biography to suit this article. My sincere thanks to shri Jayant Guptaji and shri Salim Shah ji for this.
Hemen Gupta was born on 21-3-1912,in a middle class family in Rajasthan. His Grandfather shri Nabakumar Gupta was a big Zamindar in Dacca. Hemen’s early school and college education was done in Dacca. He joined an active political career in 1926 as a Congress worker and a freedom fighter. He was arrested in 1931 and was in jail till 1938. In the jail, he studied and completed his Master’s degree in History with Honours. He also read many books on film making and was interested in it. When he was released he joined New Theatres. He wanted to make Patriotic films but till 1946 he could not do so. He made the film Bhuli Nai in Bangla-a fiercely patriotic film which was rejected by the censors. After many obstacles it got released. He also made another patriotic film in Bangle ’42’. Both films gave him name and fame.
Shashadhar Mukherjee of Filmistan in Bombay called him with an attractive offer and Hemen came to Bombay. He wrote the screenplay and directed the film “Anandmath”-52. He took Pradeep Kumar as a Hero and Hemanta Kumar as MD- his old colleagues in Calcutta. For all the three it was a debut in Hindi films. In 1953 he started his own banner “Film trust of India”and made “Ferry”-54, a love story with Dev Anand and Geeta Bali. Again Hemanta Kumar was the MD. Hemant Kumar’s young son Ritesh played a small role in this film (Later Ritesh married the famous actress Maushami Chatterjee). Ratna Gupta,Hemen’s wife, sang songs in this film. His last film under Hemen Gupta Productions was Taaksaal-56. Meanwhile he directed Meenar in 1954.
He was a staunch nationalist and idealist who wanted to make artistic films,but the producers,distributors and the financiers did not allow him that freedom. He felt suffocated. He was fed up with the commercialism in film making and he had a difficulty in coping up with the market demands. In 1961 he directed “Kabuliwala”and won accolades and a National Award too. His last film was “Netaji Subhash chandra Bose””-1966 for producer B K Adarsha.
He wanted to resume making Bangla films. His film Ánamika’ was almost completed, when suddenly he died of brain Hemorrhage,on 1-7-1967.
He was the father of actress Archana( Buddha mil gaya-71).He directed the following films in Hindi-
Anandmath-52, Ferry-54, Meenar-54, Taaksaal-56, Raaj kamal-57, Insaaf kahan hai-59, Baabar-60, Kabuliwala-61, and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose-66.
You will also find an unusual and unknown name Chand Burke in the cast of the film. Very little is known about her. Chand Burke made her debut in Maheshwari Productions’ Kahan Gaye (1946), which Niranjan wrote and directed. They fell in love on the sets and got married in 1945. Thereafter, Chand appeared in a number of films made in Lahore, and was widely known as “the Dancing Lily of the Punjab.”
Partition and her subsequent migration to Bombay adversely affected her career. After “Hamari Manzil,” which was released in 1949, Chand Burke went into complete oblivion. It was Raj Kapoor who selected her for that important role as children’s tormentor in “Boot Polish-53,” over 200 other contestants, her screen-test convincing Raj Kapoor that she was a talented actress. Some of her well known films were Ferry-54, Basant Bahar-56, yahudi ki beti-56, Adalat-58 and Lajwanti-58.
Chand was the only one in a family of twelve brothers and sisters to have joined the films (her brother S. M. Burke, I.C.S., was a Minister to the Scandinavian countries for Pakistan). Chand obtained judicial separation by mutual consent from her husband, writer-director Niranjan in 1954.
She was later married to Sunder Singh Bhavnani- grandfather of superstar Ranveer Singh. She is also related to Suneeta Kapoor.
She acted in about 30 films. Her last film was Pehchan-72.
Today’s song is an exceptionally sweet song – Lori – sung by Geeta Dutt. I would rate this Lori amongst her best songs and one of the best Loris of HFM ever. I am sure all the listeners will also love it. In addition to Geeta’s Lori, there is also a small video where Hemant Kumar, Baby Bula and Geeta dutt sing one line each. Enjoy….
Audio (Geeta Dutt Solo)
Video (Hemant Kumar-Geeta Dutt- Baby Bula)
Song-Rangeeli rangeeli chaabeeli raani nindiya (Ferry)(1954) Singer-Geeta Dutt, Lyrics-Rajinder Krishan, MD-Hemant Kumar
Lyrics(audio version)
rangeeli rangeeli chhabeeli raani nindiya
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
rangeeli rangeeli chhabeeli raani nindiya
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
aaja ri lekar sapne suhaane ae
sukh ke zamaane ae
aaja ri lekar sapne suhaane ae
sukh ke zamaane
dheere se aana
kahin duniya na jaane
duniya na jaane
palkon ki duniya tu aa ke basa aa
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
rangeeli rangeeli chhabeeli raani nindiya
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
bikhar gayee mere maathhe ki bindiya aa
bikhar gayee mere maathhe ki bindiya
dard na jaane mere manwa ki nindiya
bikhar gayee mere maathhe ki bindiya
dard na jaane mere manwa ki nindiya
keh de chandaniya se
dil na jalaa aa
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
rangeeli rangeeli chhabeeli raani nindiya
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
rangeeli rangeeli chhabeeli raani nindiya
aa mere raaja ki ankhiyon mein aa
Naav badhaa le maajhi
Posted on: July 14, 2013
“Ferry” (1954) was a Film trust of India production. It was directed by Hemen Gupta. the movie had Dev Anand, Geeta Bali, Nand Kishore, Premlata, Ram Singh, Gulab, Jagdish Kanwal, Jankidas, Narbada Shanker, Chand Burque etc in it.
Read more on this topic…
Na ro ae rone waale
Posted on: February 12, 2011
My readers may have noticed that my posts for the last few days have dried up. It is because these days I find myself without internet connectivity because I find myself elsewhere for a few days. Hopefully I will be able to get back to my usual activity in three days time as I get back to my usual place of stay. Till then I will only be able to post sporadically.
Read more on this topic…
Yahi hai mere sapnon ka sansaar
Posted on: February 8, 2011
“Ferry” (1954) also titled as “Kishti” (1954) is a movie that had Dev Anand and Geeta Bali in lead roles. I have the VCD of this movie lying around with me , but I never bothered to watch the movie. I have just watched a few songs from this movie, and I think that I may yet get persuaded to watch the movie, if only for the songs.
Read more on this topic…
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