4/26/2019

Mahal Old Movie

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Mahal Old Movie 4,4/5 9669 votes
I’ve always maintained that if you wish to see the maximum number of deranged characters in one film, you need to look up Wuthering Heights. But after watching this film, I can assert positively that you don’t need to go so far back in time, or so far from the Indian shores either, to find your fill of dangerously unstable people! I’d seen this film long ago and my dim distant memories warned me that it isn’t a film I liked a lot. But it’s hard to resist the combined appeal of Dada Mani, Madhubala and the lovely music. So I re-watched - with mixed results.
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Mahal Old Movie
The story begins on a dark and stormy night in Allahabad, in a mansion that looks like it ought to be haunted. Our hero – Hari Shankar (Ashok Kumar) - walks in from the rain, to inspect his newly purchased mansion. The mansion’s caretaker, Mali (Kumar), greets him with the story of a haunting love drama played out here, 40 years ago. The riverside mansion was built for the lovely Kamini whose lover crossed the river to come meet her every night. One night, he was caught in a storm on the river and drowned. But before he perished, he managed to shout to Kamini that he would be back for her in another lifetime. Kamini herself drowned in the river, not long after.
Shankar explores his new domain and discovers a portrait of the previous owner. He is amazed to see that the tragic lover is the spitting image of himself, with a beard and moustache attached! Unlike most Bollywood heroes, Shankar is well versed in masala traditions, and immediately deduces that he must be a reincarnation of the dead man. Right on cue, he hears a female voice singing a haunting melody. He follows the sound to find that the singer is a young beauty (Madhubala) who appears and disappears mysteriously, and sings of her lover’s eventual arrival. A quick reality check via contact with the burning end of his cigarette convinces him that he is not dreaming. His friend Shrinath (Kanu Roy) arrives soon after this and finds him in a disturbed state. He tries to persuade Shankar that the ghostly atmosphere of the mansion has affected him – he is NOT the reincarnation of the male half of the mansion’s tragic lovers and he has NOT found the spirit of the female half.
Mahal movie songs
Shrinath’s sensible arguments die an untimely death when the ghostly Kamini (Madhubala) turns up and proves beyond doubt that she is a real, live spirit (if spirits can be said to live). So now Shrinath takes a different tack – Shankar must remember that his life belongs to his betrothed. He convinces Shankar to return home to Kanpur, while he disposes of the poisonous mansion. Shankar starts for Kanpur, but as the train pulls up at Naini, he realises that he should get off it. (I wonder if it’s because he realises that Naini is South East of Allahabad and he needs to go North West to get to Kanpur?) Next thing we know, he is back in the haunted mansion with Kamini-spirit.

Mahal Old Movie Song

The ever vigilant Shrinath rescues him before he can compromise himself with a ghost, but the respite is only temporary. Perceiving that talk of slow poison of the ghostly variety cuts no ice with the now-obsessed Shankar, he decides to give his friend the cure-by-tawaiyaf treatment. Sadly for him, while the cure proved effective in several cases of filmi insanity, it does not so much as dent Shankar’s obsession. He leaves a perfectly good mujra to go home to Kamini’s spirit. And Kamini isn’t slow to respond to his overtures. She tells him that they can be together in this lifetime, if he will only get her the body of a female he might like. When he indignantly refutes any suggestion of liking any female but her, she suggests that he check out caretaker Mali’s daughter, Asha. If he likes her looks, he must kill her so that Kamini-spirit can enter the body and the two lovers can be united.
Just when Shankar is all set to kill Asha, Shrinath comes in with the big guns, and that is the end of our hero’s romantic struggle. Shankar is soon married to his fiancée Ranjana (Vijaylakshmi). Defeated he may be, but Shankar is by no means reconciled to his wedded fate. He is unable to get close to his new bride – Kamini is still so much in his thoughts that he can’t even bring himself to unveil his bride and see her face! The incensed Ranjana decides that she will leave her veil on until he lifts it. And so life goes on. Shankar tries in vain to forget Kamini-spirit who sings sad songs of lost love, and poor Ranjana despairs of ever finding out what ails her husband or ever being at the receiving end of his attentions.
I will say no more because I don’t want to spoil the story for those of you who haven’t seen the film yet. As the story unfolds, you realise that things are a whole lot more complicated than you expected, with unusual twists and turns. It’s a very taut, well-told story and confirms to almost every sacred canon of good thriller-making. Right from scene one, it grabs your attention and keeps you on tenterhooks with well-crafted twists as the plot builds up to it’s climax. Unfortunately, the climax is rather disappointing with a great deal of needless melodrama in the last 10 minutes of the film – something that effectively ruins it for me, in spite of Ashok Kumar’s superb performance and the absolutely gorgeous music.
Apart from it’s claim to fame for being one of the first Hindi mystery thrillers, the film is also famous for catapulting Lata Mangeshkar (and Madhubala) into Hindi film world’s big league. So I was not surprised to find that each and every song – and there are many of them - is a gem. I grew up listening to most of them, particularly Aayega aanewaala and Mushkil hai bohut mushkil. What did surprise me, though, was how good the background score was – it was hauntingly beautiful and just right for the plot.
Having said all that, I must admit that Mahal will never make it to a list of my favourite movies, and not just because I dislike the climax. While the plot is very well written and executed, the characters themselves are far from likeable. The three main protagonists come over as rather self-absorbed and three parts insane! The writing makes a commendable effort to show us that Shankar’s experience in the haunted mansion had a profound psychological effect on him, and that everything else is a logical outcome of that, but he still comes over as mentally unstable and ripe for all the drama that follows. By the end, I really did not care whether Shankar, Kamini and Ranjana achieved happiness or not. However, there is no denying that it is a remarkable film, well worth watching for it’s unusual plot, lovely music, great cast, and stunning cinematography. So if you haven’t already seen it, you really should!

  • Start from M.I. Road

    Many of the top attractions in Jaipur are located in the Old City. They're not really spread out, so can easily be explored on foot. Use this guide to go on walking tour of the Jaipur Old City, or if your legs get tired, take one of the prevalent cycle rickshaws.

    Duration: Allow half a day to explore properly.

    Start: From Panch Batti circle and the old world Raj Mandir cinema, head along M.I. Road, which is the main thoroughfare.

    If you have some cash to splash, M.I. Road is where you'll find all the high-end shops including the Gem Palace and Juneja Art Gallery, two recommended places to go shopping in Jaipur.

    Juneja Art Gallery is definitely worth a browse if you like contemporary art, including abstract, semi-abstract, surreal, and figurative art.

    Likewise, the Gem Palace is an attraction itself. Owned by the family of jewelers that once served the royal family, its been in existence for eight generations. The interior has been likened to Aladdin's Cave, which some magnificent pieces on display that belonged to the royal family.

  • Pink Walls and Gates of the Old City

    Continue along M.I. Road, and you'll come across the pink walls of the Jaipur Old City on your left.

    There are three gates, spaced around 500 meters apart, which provide entry into the Old City. The first one is Ajmeri Gate, followed by New Gate, and lastly Sanganeri Gate.

    Enter from Ajmeri Gate and turn right. From there you can walk all the way along to Sanganeri Gate and the start of Johari Bazaar.

    The Old City is surprisingly well laid out, with its wide, straight streets running in a grid which forms a series of bazaars.

    The first bazaar that you'll encounter is Nehru Bazaar. It's situated on the road between Ajmeri Gate and New Gate. A favorite with the women of Jaipur, it's full of shops selling brightly colored fabric, shoes, trinkets, and perfumes.

    Bapu Bazaar lies on the road between New Gate and Sanganeri Gate. Many shops sell styles of clothes and bags that foreign tourists like. Keep an eye out for the marvelous, huge banyan tree on the right, with its mass of intertwined branches.

    Stroll along and browse through the shops until you reach Sanganeri Gate, the third gate, and Johari Bazaar.

  • Jewelry Shopping at Johari Bazaar

    Johari Bazaar lies opposite Sanganeri Gate, on the road that leads north to Badi Chaupar (big square). Turn left into it and walk straight.

    If the jewels at the Gem Palace were a little out of your league, you might find the offerings here to be more suitable. Johari Bazaar and the lanes that run off it are known for gold and silver jewelry, as well as inexpensive costume jewelry and bangles.

  • In Front of the Hawa Mahal

    Keep walking straight, and you'll reach Jaipur's most famous landmark, the Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace). This marvelous example of Rajput architecture was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh. It was made so that the ladies of the palace could look out over the street, from the small windows, unobserved. There are 953 of these windows in total, spread over five levels! However, unfortunately, there's not much wind in the Wind Palace these days, as many of the windows have been sealed shut.

    There's a rooftop cafe opposite the Hawa Mahal where tourists go to get a fantastic view of the monument. It's also possible to go inside the Hawa Mahal from around the back.

  • Behind the Hawa Mahal

    Some people don't realize that it's actually possible to go inside the Hawa Mahal -- you can, and should!

    To find the entrance, head back in the direction that you came from, and go right at the intersection. Walk a short distance along the road, then take the first right into the alleyway. There's a big blue sign there that points to the Hawa Mahal.

  • Entrance to the City Palace

    Next stop on the walking tour of Jaipur Old City is the magnificent City Palace. There are two approaches that you can take to get there. One is to walk back past the Hawa Mahal and turn left. The other is to keep heading along the road that you were on (known as Tripolia Bazaar) and turn right near Tripolia Gate.

    If you're feeling a bit tired from walking, you can hail a cycle rickshaw. The distance isn't far, so you shouldn't need to pay more than 15 rupees (bargain hard).

    There are various ticket options for the City Palace, depending on how much of it you want to see. You may also get a special ticket for exclusive access to the Chandra Mahal (where the royal family lives) with a personal guide.

    The City Palace blends Rajasthani and Mughal architecture, with the most recently constructed parts of it dating back to the early 20th century. Behind the main courtyard, you'll be able to see the towering seven floor, Chandra Mahal. The flag of the royal family is hoisted when the Maharaja is in residence.

    In case you're hungry or thirsty, there's a lovely outdoor cafe at the City Palace.

  • City Palace Courtyard and Peacock Gate

    The most stunning part of the City Palace is without a doubt the Peacock Gate. It's located in a small courtyard known as Pritam Niwas Chowk, accessed via an exit on the far side of the main courtyard of the Jaipur City Palace.

    Pritam Niwas Chowk has four colorful painted doorways, each representing a different season. The magnificent Peacock Gate is dedicated to fall/autumn and Lord Vishnu.

  • Jantar Mantar

    As you head out of the City Palace in Jaipur, you might want to stop by Jantar Mantar. This observatory was built by Jai Singh in 1728. He constructed five in various cities in India (including Delhi), and this one's the biggest and best preserved.

    On first glance, Jantar Manter actually looks like a collection of massive and strange sculptures. However, each of them is actually an astrological instrument with a specific purpose, such as calculating eclipses. The largest instrument is a sundial, which casts a shadow that moves up to four meters an hour.

  • Spot a Camel

    If you're lucky, you might get to see a camel pulling a load along the streets of the Old City of Jaipur. Camels aren't as prevalent as they used to be, but they're still around!

  • Tripolia Gate and Market

    From Jantar Mantar, follow the road out to Tripolia Bazaar. Many of the shopkeepers there specialize in selling kitchen utensils.

    Tripolia Bazaar gets its name from Tripolia Gate, with its three archways. This is actually the main entrance to the City Palace and Jantar Mantar. However, only the members of the royal family and their guests are allowed to enter that way.

    Nearby is the tallest structure in Jaipur -- Iswari Minar Swarga Sal, the heaven-piercing minaret. It serves as an excellent reference point as to your location. It's possible to climb to the top of the tower and get a breathtaking view of the Old City.