In the second half of Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi (1991), Aamir Khan sets for an impromptu ball-dance jig with Pooja Bhatt when a song is playing on the radio in the background. That song was 'Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke, Hum Se Kuch Na Boliye'. The song came from the 1957 Dev Anand film 'Nau Do Gyarah' and this was perhaps Mahesh Bhatt's way of paying a subtle tribute to the film from which it took faint references. Interestingly Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi was a remake of Raj Kapoor – Nargis' 1956 classic 'Chori Chori' which in turn was remake of Frank Capra's Oscar winning 'It Happened One Night'. Even 'Nau Do Gyarah' that released one year after Chori Chori borrowed faintly from Capra's film.
Madan (Dev Anand) gets a letter from his uncle claiming that he is the heir of his uncle's property. He sets on a road journey in a mini-truck to meet his uncle. En route he meets a girl Raksha (Kalpana Kartik) who has run away from her marriage to a man of disrepute, Surjit (Jeevan) and has landed in Madan's truck. Madan learns through his friend Radhe (Madan Puri) that his uncle is no more and the property has been taken over by his uncle's wife (Lalita Pawar) and son Kuldeep (Rashid Khan). To unveil the mystery behind his uncle's death and get hold of his second modified legal will, Madan reaches Mahabaleshwar to work as a manager at Kuldeep's estate while Raksha poses as his wife. But suddenly Surjit lands at the place and starts manipulating things.
Vijay Anand made an impressive debut as a director with Nau Do Gyarah. He came up with a creased-out screenplay and had well-etched character conflicts. Also the writing was multidimensional where he smartly interlinked Madan's property track with Raksha's runaway bride track by the pre-climax. The story had every element from romance, music, suspense, thriller to the trademark jaydaad-ki-ladaai (a standard formula of yesteryear Bollywood). The title had both symbolic and literal connotations. Nau Do Gyarah is a Hindi idiom that indicates 'run away', while the property that Madan is to inherit from his uncle is in form of real estate worth nine (nau) lakhs and bank assets worth two (do) lakhs which sums up to eleven (gyarah) lakhs.
Other than Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi¸ Nau Do Gyarah had some other offshoots as well. The runaway bride element was subsequently used in Caravan (1971) and Kati Patang (1970). In fact the entire Prem Chopra-Bindu-Asha Parekh track in Kati Patang is feebly reminiscent of Jeevan-Shashikala-Kalpana Kartik track in this film. Mahesh Bhatt's tribute to the Anands continued as he directed Aamir Khan in another film named Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke (a song from Nau Do Gyarah).
The ever-dependable S D Burman's melodious musical score was one of the strong assets of Nau Do Gyarah. 'Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke',' Aankhon Mein Kya Ji' and 'Aaja Panchi Akela Hain' are still fresh in minds of music lovers. Vijay Anand picturized the climax song 'See Le Zubaan' on Shashikala in the same way that the climax song 'Kahin Pe Nigahen, Kahin Pe Nishana' was shot on Waheeda Rehman in Navketan's earlier production CID. Shashikala symbolically narrates the circumstances in the song to Jeevan who is in hiding. Majrooh Sultaanpuri's lyrics had awakened the then moral police when he penned lines like 'Achal Mein Kya Ji – Ajab Si Hulchul' in the duet Aankhon Mein Kya Ji. Reportedly, Majrooh created a furor in the 1950s in the same manner and for the same reason for which Anand Bakshi created a controversy over 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' in 1993.
The film was decently shot by cinematographer V. Ratra in the serene hill station of Mahabaleshwar. The background score was competent and complemented the scenes.
Dev Anand was charming as always and Kalpana Kartik was beautiful, both, in her looks and act. The real-life couple had a comfortable and refreshing on screen chemistry. This was Kalpana Kartik's last film as an actress. All other character actors were competent.
Nau Do Gyarah is so gripping and entertaining that you won't run away from it for a moment. Worth a watch!
Madan (Dev Anand) gets a letter from his uncle claiming that he is the heir of his uncle's property. He sets on a road journey in a mini-truck to meet his uncle. En route he meets a girl Raksha (Kalpana Kartik) who has run away from her marriage to a man of disrepute, Surjit (Jeevan) and has landed in Madan's truck. Madan learns through his friend Radhe (Madan Puri) that his uncle is no more and the property has been taken over by his uncle's wife (Lalita Pawar) and son Kuldeep (Rashid Khan). To unveil the mystery behind his uncle's death and get hold of his second modified legal will, Madan reaches Mahabaleshwar to work as a manager at Kuldeep's estate while Raksha poses as his wife. But suddenly Surjit lands at the place and starts manipulating things.
Vijay Anand made an impressive debut as a director with Nau Do Gyarah. He came up with a creased-out screenplay and had well-etched character conflicts. Also the writing was multidimensional where he smartly interlinked Madan's property track with Raksha's runaway bride track by the pre-climax. The story had every element from romance, music, suspense, thriller to the trademark jaydaad-ki-ladaai (a standard formula of yesteryear Bollywood). The title had both symbolic and literal connotations. Nau Do Gyarah is a Hindi idiom that indicates 'run away', while the property that Madan is to inherit from his uncle is in form of real estate worth nine (nau) lakhs and bank assets worth two (do) lakhs which sums up to eleven (gyarah) lakhs.
Other than Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi¸ Nau Do Gyarah had some other offshoots as well. The runaway bride element was subsequently used in Caravan (1971) and Kati Patang (1970). In fact the entire Prem Chopra-Bindu-Asha Parekh track in Kati Patang is feebly reminiscent of Jeevan-Shashikala-Kalpana Kartik track in this film. Mahesh Bhatt's tribute to the Anands continued as he directed Aamir Khan in another film named Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke (a song from Nau Do Gyarah).
The ever-dependable S D Burman's melodious musical score was one of the strong assets of Nau Do Gyarah. 'Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke',' Aankhon Mein Kya Ji' and 'Aaja Panchi Akela Hain' are still fresh in minds of music lovers. Vijay Anand picturized the climax song 'See Le Zubaan' on Shashikala in the same way that the climax song 'Kahin Pe Nigahen, Kahin Pe Nishana' was shot on Waheeda Rehman in Navketan's earlier production CID. Shashikala symbolically narrates the circumstances in the song to Jeevan who is in hiding. Majrooh Sultaanpuri's lyrics had awakened the then moral police when he penned lines like 'Achal Mein Kya Ji – Ajab Si Hulchul' in the duet Aankhon Mein Kya Ji. Reportedly, Majrooh created a furor in the 1950s in the same manner and for the same reason for which Anand Bakshi created a controversy over 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' in 1993.
The film was decently shot by cinematographer V. Ratra in the serene hill station of Mahabaleshwar. The background score was competent and complemented the scenes.
Dev Anand was charming as always and Kalpana Kartik was beautiful, both, in her looks and act. The real-life couple had a comfortable and refreshing on screen chemistry. This was Kalpana Kartik's last film as an actress. All other character actors were competent.
Nau Do Gyarah is so gripping and entertaining that you won't run away from it for a moment. Worth a watch!
- Gaurav Malani
