Kabuliwala (1961)

 ●  Hindi ● 2 hrs 25 mins

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Tagore’s story (pub. 1918) of the Pathan tribesman Rehman (Sahni) who journeys from Kabul to Calcutta seemed tailor-made for a naturalist acting challenge. It tells the tale of a seller of spices called Kabuliwala (the man from Kabul) in Calcutta who befriends a little girl because she reminds him of his own daughter. After years in jail for murder, Rehman finds the girl has grown up and realises that his own daughter may have forgotten him as well. Gupta’s film, like Tapan Sinha’s Bengali version (1956), depends mainly on star performances. Here, Sahni’s colourful mannerisms contrast with the static camera, tableau-like shots and extensive dissolves intended to evoke geographic expanse and memory time. The music by Salil Choudhury includes numbers like Hemanta Mukherjee’s Ganga aaye kahan se and one of Manna Dey’s best-known songs Ai mere pyare watan. The fake Persian music with its copious mandolin effects is rather intrusive.
See Storyline (May Contain Spoilers)

Cast: Balraj Sahni, Usha Kiran

Crew: Hemen Gupta (Director), Kamal Bose (Director of Photography), Salil Choudhury (Music Director)

Rating: U (India)

Genres: Drama

Release Dates: 14 Dec 1961 (India)

Hindi Name: काबुलीवाला

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Did you know? The film is based on the short story Kabuliwala written by Rabindranath Tagore. Read More
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as Abdul Rehman Khan
as Rama/Mini's Mother
as Bhola
as Amina A. Khan
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress
as Manoj Mukherjee
as Doctor

Direction

Director

Production

Producer
Production Company

Writers

Screenplay Writer
Dialogue Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Art

Art Director
Set Decorator
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Hindi
Colour Info:
Black & White
Sound Mix:
Mono
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Music Label: Saregama India Limited
05:01

Music Director: Salil Choudhury
Lyricist: Prem Dhawan
Playback Singer: Manna Dey
04:05

Music Director: Salil Choudhury
Lyricist: Gulzar Kalra
04:27

Music Director: Salil Choudhury
Lyricist: Gulzar Kalra
Playback Singer: Mohammad Rafi
Movie Connection(s):
Referenced in: Khal Nayak (Hindi)
Trivia:
The film is based on the short story Kabuliwala written by Rabindranath Tagore.