Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969)

With the forthcoming release of Yamla Pagla Deewana this friday which stars Dharmendra and his two sons, i thought i'd delve back into Papa Deol's film archives for the next few days. Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (Monsoon comes A-waltzing) is one of his famous hits from the 60's and one of my favourite Dharmendra films, he stars in this alongside Asha Parekh and i have to say both of them make an awesome jodi (couple)

Our story starts in uber melodramatic fashion, and right from the get go i knew i'd love this film

Maya's boss gets all drunk and sexual thoughts creep into his mind upon seeing this rather randy painting

He decides on taking out his randiness on Maya but she isn't so forthcoming, frustrated and eager to get rid of his randy mood he tries raping her , at which point Maya shoots him dead

In fact watch this hilariously dramatic scene all for yourself in the video below

Scared of ruining her son's future, or for him to be labelled as a murderer's son, Maya leaves him in a temple and then hands herself over to the cops (What a good citizen, na?)

Maya's son is adopted by a wealthy childless family Lala Jugal Kishore (Nasir Hussain) and Mrs Kishore (Dulari), he's given the name Jai Shankar. Jai Shankar is showered with lots of affection, the Kishore's later have a child of their own Seeta

Jai Shankar (Dharmendra) and Seeta (Bindu) grow up in love and very much protective of oneanother. Jai meets and falls for Aarti (Asha Parekh), and after months of dating he proposes marriage

They both pick the day of her Examination results to deliver the news to Aarti's father, unfortunately for Jai he runs down his would be father in law who had been on his way back from buying presents to celebrate Aarti's exam success

Jai goes down to Aarti's house and just when he's about to confess his deed, he keeps silent due to her brother's pledge to kill whoever murdered their father as a result he hides his deed from Aarti

Will Aarti ever find out that Jai was her father's murderer? How will it affect their relationship?

drama no. 2

Drama further ensues when Maya, Jai's biological mother falls into the arms of her son Jai Shankar when he takes her home to nurse her following an accident

While recovering in Jai's mansion she notices his childhood pictures and realises he's none other than the son she had given up at the temple years ago. She approaches Jugal kishore who confirms that Jai was indeed adopted from a temple but he pleads with her not to reveal the truth as it may taint their family honour when word gets out his biological mother had done time in jail for murder, Maya agrees but how long will she be able to do this for

drama no. 3

Yet another drama ensues when Rajesh (Ravinder Kapoor) who is Jai's brother-in law is caught by Jai caressing another woman Rita (Laxmi Chhaya). Jai hears Rajesh tell Rita he's going to leave his housewife Seeta for her, thus Jai eager to ensure his Sister's happiness goes about taking matters in his hand

Will he be able to save Rajesh and Seeta's marriage

drama no. 4

If all that drama wasn't enough to digest Aarti's sister Mala (Aruna Irani) gets impregnated by a wealthy boy who turns down the pregnancy and refuses to marry her. Once more its Jai who commits to sort out this mess

Will all this dramatic questions and situations be resolved, watch Aya sawan Jhoom ke to find out

Depending on your cinematic taste buds, Aya Sawan jhoom ke (Monsoon comes A -waltzing) is totally gripping and enjoyable, what with all that mutilayered melodrama, it surely kept me engaged and yes i know a major problem a lot of people seem to have with bollywood movies is the whole story within a story or counter-plot if you like but 'Aya Sawan Jhoom ke' puts it to great melodramatic use. I couldn't help but enjoy this quite well plotted and at the same time chaotic and camp drama, but extremely impressive in my opinion is how all these multiple dramatic situations are always resolved just right before the movie ends.

Overall i'd say Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke is a beautiful melodramatic movie to indulge in especially on a rainy day, yes the acting gets a bit hammy and a bit over the top with lots of melodramatic gestures (see screen caps below)

But with loads of nice songs and beautiful people in beautiful clothes, hammy acting is a very minor complaint that i surely don't mind turning a blind eye on

I loved Dharmendra in this movie, he's at his dramatic best here with an equally impressive wardrobe

Nice Camel Suit and Skinny tie combo

Not crazy about the fit of this jacket but i love the colour

I want that shirt!!!!

Absolutely fab brocade Dinner Jacket, i want it too!!!

Asha Parekh was on top form too, she and Dharmendra are adorable together and they're one of my all time favourite screen Jodi's (screen couples) and of course she was styling in a major way

Loving the sailor style Salwar khameez

Lovely Green Kurta with a funky design

Lovely polka dot sari

This is such a Typical Asha Parekh look, she loves her sleeveless sari's and choker necklaces

In fact all the women in this film had very interesting looks, i love Bindu's south Indian style in lovely sari's and the most amazing yellow gold jewellery you'll ever see

Aruna Irani Colour blocking in a fabulous way

Going all Traditional

Ahh and i simply loved Laxmi Chhaya in this, she doesn't have as much screen time but kya energy hai!!!

Lovely music from Laxmikant Pyareleal, its not one of my Laxmikant pyarelal favourites but the songs are definitely adorable, highlights are the lovely Mohammed Rafi number 'manjhi chal o manjhi chal' & 'burat mar suno', the lovely colourful title track 'Aya sawan jhoom ke' the beautiful Rafi & Lata duet 'Saathiya nahin jata' and my favourite on this is the nergetic main ek haseena performed to greatness by the great Laxmi Chhaya, i absolutely love her charm, her energy and her moves see for yourself below

Now head over to My Music Movies and Mutterings blog for an additional write up of the soundtrack and to get the music for free


Paisa vasool Rating: 7/10

Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (1963)

Meri Surat Teri Ankhen based on the bengali novel 'Ulka' by Dr. Nihar Ranjan Gupta is another film i had seen ages ago that's been lying around waiting to be reviewed, plus it reminded me very much of a topic i had long wanted to delve into

Wealthy and vain Raj Kumar (Ishwarlal) is expecting his first child with his wife Kamla (Achala Sachdev)

the arrogant and vain Raj kumar

When the child is born, it turns out to be of a dark complexion, Raj rejects the child as he considers dark complexion ugly, he then lies to his wife that she gave birth to a still born child

chi chi look at the look on his face

he tells Dr Mathur (Tarun Bose) his friend to keep the incident a secret, Mathur is disgusted by his friends actions but agrees none the less, Dr mathur is left with the baby, he gives the baby to Rahmat Mijan (Ishwarlal) and his wife who are a childless muslim couple

Years go by and Raj and Kamla have another child, this time the baby turns out to be very fair and is considered the epitome of beauty by Raj Kumar. The fair child named Sudhir (Pradeep Kumar) grows up to be a womaniser and a hotel manager

On the other hand Pyare (Ashok Kumar) his long lost dark skinned brother grows up to be a singer under training from Rahmat his adoptive father, he also suffers severe shyness due to people's reactions to his dark skin which is considered ugly

Following Rahmat's death Pyare goes to Mumbai to meet Dr Mathur, he's tormented by his ugliness and Dr Mathur decides its time to right some wrongs and then promises to introduce him to his real family

The taunts Pyare has been subjected to over the years leads him to favour living in darkness, when Dr Mathur's daughter kavita (Asha Parekh) takes a liking to his voice and approves of his beauty, Pyare starts feeling good about himself and its not long before he starts falling for her

Trouble though is the fact that kavita is the love interest of his unknown younger brother Sudhir, Kavita is fond of him too, and they hope to get married. When kavita notices his affection towards her she makes it known to Sudhir which breaks Pyare's heart

Following a performance at Sudhir's birthday party, Raj Kumar is taken aback by Pyare's talent , Dr Mathur lets him know that Pyare is none other than the son he had rejected years ago

Raj Kumar meets Pyare and decides to offer him money to stay out of his life. which Pyare rejects, when Pyare confronts him over his act he eventually approves of him as his son but reveals the shame he feels towards his ugliness, and the taint he might bring on his honour. He begs Pyare not to tell his mother the truth which Pyare agrees to for some weird melodramatic reason

Meanwhile Sudhir becomes the subject of blackmail by his friend Prakash (Iftekhar) when he's accused of violating Bela's (Indira) honour, he must pay to avoid his family's honour being tainted plus there's the danger of his marriage to Kavita being called off

Will Sudhir give in? Will Pyare see sense and reveal the truth about himself to his mother? What will be her reaction when she realises her husband lied to her about the still born child?

Despite descending into a chaotic melodrama of sorts and dragging on towards the end a fair bit, the message of the movie was clearly that of true beauty being inner beauty, the film also raises the issue of honour and looks especially that of dark skin and how it's considered ugly and a taint on one's honour.

The performances are ok all around but I felt Ashok Kumar hammy in parts and a bit too old for the part of Pyare, plus the fact that Achala Sachdev played his mother seemed very out of place, something just didn't feel right with that combination.

Of course its interesting to draw parallels with the whole beauty is skin deep that the film advocates and the prevalent issue of skin bleaching which so many bollywood stars are pedalling these days

I've long wanted to weigh in on this matter on here but always somehow felt it was a question of choice, I myself have long known about the prevalence of such creams during my formative years in Africa, however back then people who openly admitted bleaching often got dirty looks, bleaching creams were in no way advertised on a massive scale, there was an element of shame to them, in fact there was a popular quote drummed into us at Primary School, about people not proud of their colour being shamed or something along those lines, i really don't remember clearly. Still though I always felt it was a question of choice until I saw the documentary below (please take time out to watch the mini documentary below)

Skin Bleach Doc

I really do hope bollywood stars stop promoting the use of fairness creams, as can be seen from the documentary above, these creams can have a long lasting psychological effect, and are so not needed, given all the current stress and pressures of modern society, an individuals skin tone or complexion need not be an extra burden to carry.

And indeed if there's a gripe i have about bollywood, its the whole fairness equals beauty mantra, one only has to look at the prevalent use of white dancers in bollywood numbers plus numerous song down the years that praise fair skinned beauty. Indian Supermodel Lakshi menon has called the whole bleaching cream thing schizophrenia on a very large scale, i've embedded the interview below

Anyway enough of my ranting i'll end with this quote from Known Turf about the power of celebrity

"Perhaps, the trouble with too many artists is that they forget their own power. The power of media. Films and books are as much a tool for challenging social ideas as they are tools for emotional discovery or just plain storytelling. You can break stereotypes. You can stretch limited imaginations. You can help others become less judgmental human beings. You can save children. But you have to want to"

Lovely soundtrack from S.D. Burman, a lovely Mukesh & Suman Kalyanpur duet 'yeh kissne geet cheda' the beautiful 'teri khalayon mein' & 'tere bin sune' and the wonderful Rafi number (be sure to check out Asha's lovely dance moves in this) 'nache man mora magan' & a smooth Manna Dey number 'Poocho na kaise' my favourite of the bunch is the jazzy 'Tujse Nazar' with Indira as the Vamp

Paisa Vasool rating: 5.5/10