Madhumati 1958

Madhumati is a 1958 Indian Bollywood romance, musical, reincarnation, social film released on Jan 01, 1958. The film is directed by Bimal Roy, produced by Bimal Roy under banner named Bimal Roy Productions.

A truly haunting and beautiful classic.

The movie begins with Devendra (Dilip Kumar) driving his car on a stormy night, His car breaks down, and he goes to seek shelter in a nearby house. He is let into the house by the caretaker, and he is allowed to stay until the rains stop, and he is able to get his car fixed. There he sees a painting and therefater begins a tale, which takes him far back in time.

The flashback shows the love between a simple tribal girl called Madhumati (Vyjayanthimala) and the manager of the estate posted there(Dilip Kumar). The owner of the estate, Ugranarayan(Pran) , has his eyes on Madhumati and tricks her into his house when Anand Babu is out of town. Madhumati thows herself from the terrace of his mansion, to escape from the clutches of Ugranarayan.

When Anand comes back to town, he learns that his love is dead. He loses interest in life. He suspects Ugranarayan is the reason behind Madhumati's death, but is unable to gain evidence of the same.

Later, Anand is amazed to come across Madhavi, who looks exactly like Madhumati. Anand convinces the lookalike, Madhavi to pose as Madhumati and trap Ugranarayan into confessing his crime. When Madhavi is late in arriving on the scene, Madhumati's spirit is seen again. She beckons Ugranarayan to his death and he dies by falling in the same fashion from the terrace. Anand also jumps off to be re - united with his love.

It is then learnt that the lovers take birth again and are re - united in this life, as Devendra and his wife Radha, whom he receives at the station the next day .

A crinacarnation story with the lead actors in multiple roles. Devendra (D. Kumar) shelters from a storm in a deserted house and believes he hears a woman crying. Exploring the house, he finds a painting of its former owner Raja Ugranarayanan. Devendra feels he must have painted the portrait in a previous life when he was called Anand. This cues a flashback to Anands life when he worked as a foreman on a plantation and lvoed a woman from the village, Madhumati (Vyjayanthimala), who died escaping from the libidinous Raja Ugranarayanan (Pran). Then a trap is set for the Raja by means of another woman, Madhavi (Vyjayanthimala again), who looks like the dead Madhumati and could be her reincarnation. The happy ending arrives when the original Madhumati returns from the dead to take her revenge. The film deploys an eerily romantic atmosphere, enchanced by Choudhry background scroe and Hrishikesh Mukherjees editing. Its songs have remained enduringly popular. The film includes the famous Aja re pardesi sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It was Bimal Roys biggest commercial success, scripted by Ghatak. Many of the people involved in this film had worked together on Hrikished Mukherjees Musafir (1957), also based on Ghatak story. The imagery at times evokes Ghataks Ajantirk (1957), linking the beautiful Madhumati with nature and tribal cultures beyond the grasp of capitalist appropriation. *.* Belife in Re-Birth is ingrained in the Hindu. This is a Story of re- birth and of two lovers who, having met in their previous birth, had through evil circumstances, lost each other. . Anand, the hero of the picture, accompanied by adoctor friend, is on his way to the station to receive his wife, Radha. The way is blocked and the two friends are forced to spend a while in a hoary mansion obviously heavy with a brooding past. Anand notices a portait which he recognizes somehow - he does not quite know how - but he is absolutely convineces that it is Ugra Narayan, the Zamindar, Whom he had served in his past birth. He is also certain that it was painted by himself, . Pushpa, a sweet young thing, lived to love inanimate puppets speing to life at the hands of the handsome puppeteer Shivraj. But the hand that made puppets dance and jump, skid and fight, make love and romance, got crippled in an accient. Shivraj shed silent tears and Pushpa cried Puppets lay limp and dead but Pushpas heart-stings were touched. Her pity turned to love and she found a new life surge in her. She loved to dance and sing in her newfound joy. Her devotion to her love symbolised in her dance did not go un-noticed-by the famous impresario Lokbath. She found herself on the stage and soon after that in the lime light. . She married Shivraj, made a small happy home for him and bore him a child. But Shivraj didnt enjoy his life in the back-seat of Pushpas drive to fame. He found fault with ner for no reason and saw red where it didnt exist. His feeling of humiliation gave way to jealousy and frustration. He was driven to desertiong her by a hand he didnt discern that was of the green-eyed monster of jealousy. but how did he know? The old Zamindars of the estate and his name was Ufra Narayan. "It all comes back to me.". Anand thinks aloud. . Anand is apponted new Manager of the estate. Among the servants there is Virsingh, who not only looks like but is a villain. He revels in extorting money from the poor and exerting his power over the weak and helpless. Anand is stern with him, which makes Virsingh his sworn enemy. Ugra Narayan comes to the estate to take charge of it. Once, while riding recklessly through the narrow the narrow streets, he nearly crushes a little boy to death. Anand rescues him. This wins for him the admiration of a young girl, Madhumati. Through Virsinghs machinations one day Madhumati, under false pretext, is taken to the Zamindars mansion. A few days later Anand comes across Madhumatis double - shose name is Madhavi, related to a Police Officer. Anand wonders why she avoids him so. Soon he realises his mistake. Madhavi takes pity on his state and promises to help him to have the Zamindar arrested. . . Her little hopes, her fond love, her child were all beyond her reach now. But Loknath, the man who brought her into limelight, helped her find Shivraj and her child. Shivraj refused to come back to her, to what he thought to be her pride in her, pettiness. On the stage it was never the same again. Everything had changed. Thats how she felt though if the truth be told things did shape differently. . Perhaps they all victims of cirrcumstances; Pushpa, Shivraj, the little child and Loknath. So are We-but do our circumstances make us face helplessly the situations that Pushpa had before her or Shivraj! Anand gets an assignment form the Zamindar to paint a portrait of him. It is pre-arranged that the police be present without being seen while Madhavi posing as Madhumati comes back to life to enter the mansion and corner the Zamindar into open admission of his crimes. It is a stormy night. Anand is busy painting the portarait when suddenly there appears Madhumatis spirit which Anand, of course, mistakes for Madhavi in disguise. . Towards the end, it is shown vividly how Madhumati in order to save her honour and protect the chasitity of her love for Anand, was forced into suicide. The police arrest the Zamindar. Madhavi arrives late on the scene. It is only then that Anand realises it was Madhumati herself who had come to help him to avenge her murder. In the end Anand leaps to his death so that he might unite once more with her whom he had loved with deathless love.... . Here Again is Anand in this life on his way to the station to receive his wife Radha, obviously Madhumati come back to him. Check out this page for more updates on Madhumati.