Jaal (lit. 'The Trap') is a 1952 Hindi crime noir film directed by Guru Dutt. The film stars Dev Anand, Geeta Bali in lead roles.[1] The film was very successful at box office and was the third-highest grossing film of the year in India.[2] Its music became popular, especially the song "Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni Phir Kahan".[3]
Jaal | |
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Directed by | Guru Dutt |
Written by | M. A. Lateef |
Screenplay by | Guru Dutt |
Story by | Guru Dutt |
Produced by | T. R. Fatehchand |
Starring | Dev Anand Geeta Bali |
Cinematography | V. K. Murthy |
Edited by | J. S. Diwadkar |
Music by | S. D. Burman |
Production company | Film Arts |
Distributed by | Film Arts |
Release date | 3 October 1952 |
Running time | 165 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Jaal is considered a noir classic for its grey shade characters and dark theme which were the first of its type in Indian cinema.[4] Filmfare listed it in Best Bollywood Noir Films of '50s.[5] Jaal was one of the first film made in India that portrayed an Anti-Hero character in the lead. It established the idea of Anti-Hero with "no qualms about bending moral codes" in Hindi cinema and inspired further such characters particularly since 1970s.[6]
After losing his vision during a storm, Carlos (K.N. Singh) lives with his sister, Maria (Geeta Bali), on the Indian coast in a fishing village. One day a mysterious young woman, Lisa, enters their lives, followed by a mysterious man, Tony Fernandes (Dev Anand). Maria and Tony fall in love with each other, much to the chagrin of Simon, who loves Maria and wants to marry her. Lisa then warns Maria that she has known Tony, they have had an affair together, and he had betrayed her, however, this warning has no effect on Maria. Then a gypsy palm-reader also cautions Maria that she may be headed for disaster at the hands of a stranger. The question remains: who exactly are Lisa and Tony, and what is the reason behind their presence in this fishing community; and whether or not Maria is being drawn into a web of lies and deceit at the hands of Tony?
Set in a fishing village of Goa, this film depicts the ties between Tony, a good-for-nothing man from the city, and Maria, a village girl who loves him innocently. The spirit of Christian love and forgiveness lies at the base of the story, and the film has a strong religious colour to it, unusual for Guru Dutt.
Song | Singer |
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"Hans Le, Ga Le" | Lata Mangeshkar |
"Pighla Hai Sona" | Lata Mangeshkar |
"Chori Chori Meri Gali" | Lata Mangeshkar |
"Chandni Raaten, Pyar Ki Baaten Kho Gayi Jaane" | Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar |
"Yeh Raat, Yeh Chandni" | Hemant Kumar |
"De Bhi Chuke Hum Dil Nazrana Dil Ka" | Kishore Kumar, Geeta Dutt |
"Haiya Hai, Haiya Hai" | Geeta Dutt |
"Soch Samajhkar" | Geeta Dutt |
One of the shooting locations for the movie was Malvan, Sindhudurg District, returning from where Dev Anand and Geeta Bali met with an accident. He almost broke his ribs. They spent some time in the local hospital for recovery.[7]
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