Basant 1942

Basant is a 1942 Indian Bollywood romance, social film released on Jan 01, 1942. The film is directed by Amiya Chakraborty.

Amiya Chkaravarty makes his directorial debut with this Bombay Talkies produced traditionalist melodrama. The film opens with a pair of impoverished siblings -- Uma (Mumtaz Shanti) along with her younger brother Babul -- who dream of fame and fortune on the stage. Their luck changes when they meet theater promoter Janaki Prasad and Uma eventually marries the impresario's self-absorbed younger brother, Nirmal (Ulhas). Not long after Uma gives birth to a son, Nirmal leaves his wife and kid to starve by running away hoping to find fame and fortune. When he finally returns to his family, he finds his wife singing and dancing on-stage and kidnaps the kid. Ten years later, he returns when Uma agrees to fulfill her wifely duties.

Establishing both Chakravarty as diector and Mumtaz Shanti (she went on star with Ashok Kumar in Kismet, 1943), the film tells of Uma (Shanti) and her brother Babul, two downtrodden servants who dream of becoming singing and dancing stars on the stage. They attract the attention of the impreasario Janaki Prasad and Uma marries his spoilt and envious younger brother, Nirmal (Ulhas) who sets out to make his own fortune leaving Uma and their baby to starve. When he returns to find his wife is working on the stage, he abducts the baby and disappears again. After a further 10 years of unhappy stage stardom or Uma, the family is reunited and the happy ending sees her return to being a housewife in accordance with her husbands wishes. The film belonged to the studios more orthodox production wing run by Devika Rani who tried to continue the Osten tradition. However, the cameraman R.D. Mathur (who later shot K. Asifs historicals) hadnt mastered Wishcings use of spotlights: shadows and source reflections interfere constantly with the action. Mumtaz Shantis dancing and Mumtaz Alis minimal getures belongs to a different actorial generatio from 30s Bombay Talkies, as did the songs, esp. the lietmotif Aya basant ritu. Although celebrated flautist Pannalal Ghosh is credited as composer, the music was scored uncredited by Anil Biswas while Ghosh played in the orchestra recording. [Source: Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema] Check out this page for more updates on Basant.