Two movies on the To-Do list over one weekend! What a grand way to ring in the new year, I say :-)
To be frank, I have always liked almost all the songs from this movie - from the lusty 'अब जो मिले है' , 'चढ़ती जवानी' & 'पिया तू अब तो आ जा' to the soulful 'दिलबर दिलसे प्यारे' to the cheery 'कितना प्यारा वादा है' & 'गोरिया कहा तेरा देस रे' to the downright funny 'दैया ये मै'. The sight of a long line of bullock carts forming the caravan (hence the movie name!) has always intrigued me about the possible plot - is it a romantic movie or a murder mystery? I decided to find my answers by parking myself in front of the TV at 6pm on 31st December.
When the movie begins we see a car that has gone totally out of control, careening across dangerous bends on a winding road with a steep ravine on the other side. At the wheel is a young woman called Sunita who is desperately trying to control the car with failed brakes. She loses the battle and the car plunges into the depths of the ravine, bouncing and rolling till it comes to a dead stop at the bottom. In the very next shot we see the cops investigating the accident and a young man in shock and grief. Sunita's voice-over informs us that he is Rajan, the man she had got married to only the day before. She is the only daughter of a wealthy mill owner, Mohandas, of Mumbai. Rajan is Mohandas's dead friend's son. He convinces Mohandas that the General Manager - Karamachand - who had served him faithfully for many years, and thus also become his trusted friend, has betrayed him. Mohandas falls for Rajan's tricks, sacks his friend and appoints Rajan in his place. But Rajan soon shows his true colors by taking 3 Lakhs from the 10 Lakhs that Mohandas had kept in the safe. When Mohandas confronts him with the truth Rajan throws him off the balcony before pocketing the letter that Mohandas had written to Karamchand. Sunita goes into shock upon learning of her father's death. When Karamchand comes to meet her she drives him away. Rajan lies to her saying that Mohandas wanted to marry her to him. Grief-stricken Sunita agrees to fulfill her father's last wish and also appoints Rajan as the beneficiary of all her wealth should something happen to her.
On the night of the marriage, Rajan takes Sunita to a hotel in Khandala to spend their wedding night. But when they enter the room, they see Monica who informs Sunita that Rajan has had a relationship with her over the years and has married Sunita only for her money. She also shows Sunita her father's letter to Karamchand and tells her that it was Rajan who had killed her dad and he won't hesitate to kill her too to get at her wealth. Terrified Sunita locks herself in a room and in the night, believing that Rajan is too drunk to notice, tries to flee in the car. It is quite later that she notices that Rajan has made the car's brakes useless. She manages to fling herself out of the car just before it plunges into the ravine. But the absence of her dead body convinced Rajan that she is alive.
Sunita knows that she has to reach Mumbai to get the letter from Monica. She chances upon a beaten-down van driven by Mohan, who is employed by the owner of a caravan to drive their stuff from one place to another. She pretends to be a village girl, Soni, and concocts a story that her uncle wants to marry her off to an old man and she needs to reach Mumbai to seek help from a relative. Mohan agrees to help her. But when Sunita goes to meet Monica she realizes that Monica is hand in glove with Rajan, the plot to confront her at Khandala had been hatched by both of them and that Rajan will marry Monica when Sunita is finished off. What's worse, Rajan spots her and knows for sure that she is alive.
Fleeing from Rajan and his henchmen, Sunita chances upon Mohan and his van again. She knows that Karamchand is staying in Bangalore and is due to return from Europe in 2 months. So she pleads with Mohan to take her along with the gypsy caravan that is headed for Bangalore anyways. And that's what starts her (and viewer's!) delightful journey with the caravan.
The story doesn't have much by way of twists and turns. It is made clear right at the start that Rajan is a bad guy. Anyone who has watched enough Hindi movies will guess the end, along with the fate of gypsy girl Nisha - who is in love with Mohan though he doesn't reciprocate it - with 100% accuracy. But it's the little incidents - be it Mohan's kid brother Montu swapping sumptuous food cooked by the wife of the caravan's boss with the burnt food that Mohan's friend prepared to help Soni or Soni and Mohan ending up on stage for an impromptu performance when Nisha refuses to dance or Soni getting drunk to prove her love for Mohan - that make this journey interesting.
Of course, you wonder why Mohandas has a photo of his friend Karamchand on his desk (I don't know anyone who has a photo of his or her friend on a desk, no matter how close the friendship!), why well-educated Sunita wills away all her wealth to Rajan, why she doesn't make a clean breast of things to Mohan sooner rather than waiting till the day of their marriage & how the cops end up (with all the gypsies!) at the precise spot where Rajan has taken Sunita and Mohan when Rajan has earlier claimed it to be a very remote one. The last shot of Sunita deciding to go with the caravan, all dressed up as a village girl, left me scratching my head and wondering about the fate of the mill and its workers ☺
Asha Parekh has essayed both roles - rich girl Sunita & village belle Soni - with aplomb. She really lets herself go in the goofy song 'दैया ये मै' with such gusto that even the famous Jumping Jack of Hindi movies pales in comparison. :-) Jeetendra is likeable as Mohan. Junior Mehmood looks adorable as the mischievous loving Montu. Aruna Irani sizzles as the gutsy fiery Nisha. Helen has portrayed the dancing vamp in far too many movies to get it wrong. Madan Puri surprises in his role of kind-hearted caravan chief Meethalal Tota.
All in all, I was glad to have been a part of this caravan journey. Perhaps you will like it as well!
To be frank, I have always liked almost all the songs from this movie - from the lusty 'अब जो मिले है' , 'चढ़ती जवानी' & 'पिया तू अब तो आ जा' to the soulful 'दिलबर दिलसे प्यारे' to the cheery 'कितना प्यारा वादा है' & 'गोरिया कहा तेरा देस रे' to the downright funny 'दैया ये मै'. The sight of a long line of bullock carts forming the caravan (hence the movie name!) has always intrigued me about the possible plot - is it a romantic movie or a murder mystery? I decided to find my answers by parking myself in front of the TV at 6pm on 31st December.
When the movie begins we see a car that has gone totally out of control, careening across dangerous bends on a winding road with a steep ravine on the other side. At the wheel is a young woman called Sunita who is desperately trying to control the car with failed brakes. She loses the battle and the car plunges into the depths of the ravine, bouncing and rolling till it comes to a dead stop at the bottom. In the very next shot we see the cops investigating the accident and a young man in shock and grief. Sunita's voice-over informs us that he is Rajan, the man she had got married to only the day before. She is the only daughter of a wealthy mill owner, Mohandas, of Mumbai. Rajan is Mohandas's dead friend's son. He convinces Mohandas that the General Manager - Karamachand - who had served him faithfully for many years, and thus also become his trusted friend, has betrayed him. Mohandas falls for Rajan's tricks, sacks his friend and appoints Rajan in his place. But Rajan soon shows his true colors by taking 3 Lakhs from the 10 Lakhs that Mohandas had kept in the safe. When Mohandas confronts him with the truth Rajan throws him off the balcony before pocketing the letter that Mohandas had written to Karamchand. Sunita goes into shock upon learning of her father's death. When Karamchand comes to meet her she drives him away. Rajan lies to her saying that Mohandas wanted to marry her to him. Grief-stricken Sunita agrees to fulfill her father's last wish and also appoints Rajan as the beneficiary of all her wealth should something happen to her.
On the night of the marriage, Rajan takes Sunita to a hotel in Khandala to spend their wedding night. But when they enter the room, they see Monica who informs Sunita that Rajan has had a relationship with her over the years and has married Sunita only for her money. She also shows Sunita her father's letter to Karamchand and tells her that it was Rajan who had killed her dad and he won't hesitate to kill her too to get at her wealth. Terrified Sunita locks herself in a room and in the night, believing that Rajan is too drunk to notice, tries to flee in the car. It is quite later that she notices that Rajan has made the car's brakes useless. She manages to fling herself out of the car just before it plunges into the ravine. But the absence of her dead body convinced Rajan that she is alive.
Sunita knows that she has to reach Mumbai to get the letter from Monica. She chances upon a beaten-down van driven by Mohan, who is employed by the owner of a caravan to drive their stuff from one place to another. She pretends to be a village girl, Soni, and concocts a story that her uncle wants to marry her off to an old man and she needs to reach Mumbai to seek help from a relative. Mohan agrees to help her. But when Sunita goes to meet Monica she realizes that Monica is hand in glove with Rajan, the plot to confront her at Khandala had been hatched by both of them and that Rajan will marry Monica when Sunita is finished off. What's worse, Rajan spots her and knows for sure that she is alive.
Fleeing from Rajan and his henchmen, Sunita chances upon Mohan and his van again. She knows that Karamchand is staying in Bangalore and is due to return from Europe in 2 months. So she pleads with Mohan to take her along with the gypsy caravan that is headed for Bangalore anyways. And that's what starts her (and viewer's!) delightful journey with the caravan.
The story doesn't have much by way of twists and turns. It is made clear right at the start that Rajan is a bad guy. Anyone who has watched enough Hindi movies will guess the end, along with the fate of gypsy girl Nisha - who is in love with Mohan though he doesn't reciprocate it - with 100% accuracy. But it's the little incidents - be it Mohan's kid brother Montu swapping sumptuous food cooked by the wife of the caravan's boss with the burnt food that Mohan's friend prepared to help Soni or Soni and Mohan ending up on stage for an impromptu performance when Nisha refuses to dance or Soni getting drunk to prove her love for Mohan - that make this journey interesting.
Of course, you wonder why Mohandas has a photo of his friend Karamchand on his desk (I don't know anyone who has a photo of his or her friend on a desk, no matter how close the friendship!), why well-educated Sunita wills away all her wealth to Rajan, why she doesn't make a clean breast of things to Mohan sooner rather than waiting till the day of their marriage & how the cops end up (with all the gypsies!) at the precise spot where Rajan has taken Sunita and Mohan when Rajan has earlier claimed it to be a very remote one. The last shot of Sunita deciding to go with the caravan, all dressed up as a village girl, left me scratching my head and wondering about the fate of the mill and its workers ☺
Asha Parekh has essayed both roles - rich girl Sunita & village belle Soni - with aplomb. She really lets herself go in the goofy song 'दैया ये मै' with such gusto that even the famous Jumping Jack of Hindi movies pales in comparison. :-) Jeetendra is likeable as Mohan. Junior Mehmood looks adorable as the mischievous loving Montu. Aruna Irani sizzles as the gutsy fiery Nisha. Helen has portrayed the dancing vamp in far too many movies to get it wrong. Madan Puri surprises in his role of kind-hearted caravan chief Meethalal Tota.
All in all, I was glad to have been a part of this caravan journey. Perhaps you will like it as well!
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