Mastana - 1954 - Motilal, Nigar Sultana

Описание: Mastana, 1954
Director: H.S. Rawail
Music Director: Madan Mohan
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Choreography: Surya Kumar
Playback: Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, Shamshad Begum, Sunder, Laxmi Shankar
Cast: Motilal, Nigar Sultana, Gope, Kuldip Kaur, Sunder, Master Romi, Chandrashekhar, Yashodhara Katju

No translation, sorry. The source was a VHS tape provided by Mrs. Anand by way of Mr. Surjit Singh. My sincere thanks to the both of them. The film source used for the tape was in bad shape. I could have put in six months and it would still look bad. So I did the usual amount of work and called it finished. I think this is an extremely rare film. As to whether or not it's any good, you be the judge. I do think Motilal is an outstanding actor and the other major cast members are also well known and highly thought of, so I think it's an 'A' film.

Mr. Sudhir Kapur, writing for the Atulmovies blog, provides a description of the film:

The storyline of Mastaanaa is actually a very touching and somewhat tragic tale of a simple and poor person (Motilal) who lives off the streets. He is a kind of a free spirit person, who works only when he feels he needs to, but is always ready to help all and sundry, whenever in need. He discovers an infant boy on the steps of a temple, and inadvertently gets into a situation, where in he takes this child under his protection and starts to bring him up. Nigar Sultana, Mukri etc. are his neighbors in the hutments where he lives, and they all get involved in the process of bringing up this infant. The infant grows to be a child, and there is a loving relationship that sets in between this set of people. Motilal learns the hard realities of family life without getting married or begetting children, through managing this foster family that comes together, just for taking care of this infant.

As fortune would have it, the storyline brings in circumstances where in the real parents of the child appear on the scene. They are repenting their earlier actions, (that is another sub plot of its own) and are now trying to locate the child. Eventually it is established that this child belongs to them, and with all reasonableness, the child is handed over the real parents, for the sake of his future. This handover has an emotional backlash on all parties concerned, but then the life moves on.

The theme has been very sensitively handled in the film. The part of the story where Motilal’s life is completely transformed, from being a vagabond, to becoming a responsible foster father, and handled with good humor as well as poingnancy. And then, when it seems that he is now set into this new role for life, fortune intervenes, and he is per force left alone once again. In a manner of speaking, the story reflects the tale of each one of us.

The film has some very good songs, viz. “Jhoom Jhoom Ke Do Deewaane”, “Mat Bhool Arre Insaan” etc.

TOOLS USED FOR THE FILM:
AviSynth for the video editing
Audacity for the audio work.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
The Indian copyright law:
http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/Cop...

INDIAN COPYRIGHT ACT, 1957 CHAPTER I Preliminary (f)
"cinematograph film" means any work of visual recording on any medium produced through a process from which a moving image may be produced by any means and includes a sound recording accompanying such visual recording and cinematograph shall be construed as including any work produced by any process analogous to cinematography including video films.”

"CHAPTER V Term of Copyright 26.Term of copyright in cinematograph films.
In the case of a cinematograph film, copyright shall subsist until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the film is published."

My words:
Indian film copyright (including video, dialog, music, lyrics, songs) lasts for sixty years and any film and its songs released more than sixty years ago is in the public domain. No extensions, no renewals, no exceptions. This film is no longer protected by copyright.