Mayur Pankh 1954

Mayur Pankh is a 1954 Indian Bollywood romance film released on Jan 01, 1954. The film is directed by Kishore Kumar. A love story addresing racial division and contrasting European and Indian values. Joan Davis (Ferguson) and Willaim Griffith (Jackson) who loves Joan, arrive in India as tourists. One night, stamded in dense forest, they meet Ranjit (Sahu), an aristocrat from Jaipur. Ranjit and Joan fall in love to the silent distress of Ranjits wife Shanti (Sumitra Devi) as well as that of Griffith but, predictably, ethnic loyalities prevail in the end. *.* Sailing majestically into Bombay harbour is a passenger ship from England with its usual assortment of passengers. Among the motly croed of travellers disgorged by the ship, ar eJoan Davis and William Griffith, mistakedn for a time as man and wife. Joan is a popular authoress who has come to India to gather local colout for her next novel. William has tied himself to her apron-strings for love. . Pyarelal, a loquacious, witty guide, takes the two tourists under his wing. Joan is excited and thrilled by the teeming life and colour of the Orient. She is deeply impressed by the beauty and quietude the thythm and romance that she sees everywhere. William, absessed with love, finds little of interest in this land. . So journing through the country, Joan and William find themselves stranded, one night, in a dense forest. Their car will not star and they are famished. They are depressed by the gloom, when suddenly out of the dark appear two powerful shafts of light-the headlights of a car as they presently discover. Randjit is at the wheel - Ranjit the scion of an aristocratioc house of jaipur. He introduces himself as a shikari (hunter), sets the car going. and invites them to share his food with him. . Ranjit and Joan talk, for a few flitting moments, under the starry ky. They look into each others eyes and their hearts leap as they realise that a mutual love has been kindled - love that remains unspoken. . Ranjit and Joan part, each going in a different direction direciton. Their paths cross again when they meet anew at Banaras. Here, at a fair, Ranjit buys Joan a beautiful fan made of Mayurpankh (peacock - feathers). Peacock-feathers bring luck to the possessor and Joan is thrilled with the gift. But they part again - only to meet once more at the Taj Mahal in Agra. Ranjit invites Joan to a tiger hunt in the Terrai forests. She accepts Ranjits invitation, to the annoyance of William. . In the shikat camp Ranjit family doctor notices the nutual attraction of the pair. He reveals to Joan that Ranjit is a married man. Joan is shocked and suddenly leaves the hunting party, asking the doctor to return the Mayurpankh fan to Ranjit. . Ranjit eventually goes back to his home town. Jaipur Shanti, Ranjits wife accidentally discovers the fan in his study. Ranjits embarrassment at Shantis discovery, gives cause for suspicion that her husband probably has an interest when Joan appears out of the blue at Ranjits house, as an unexpected guest, to attend the wedding of his sister! . Then embers of the old fire are suddenly raked up and there springs up in the hearts of both Ranjit and Joan the liveliest flame of love. Alas, Joan has already learnt, to her utter misery that Ranjit is a married man. In a second Joans ivory tower of dreams cruelly crumbles around her feet! . But love that is kindled in the human breast dies not as easily as it is born.... . And Shanti - the good, sedate, understanding wife of Ranjit, the typical Indian wife who looks upon her wedded life as a matter, not only of one birtd, but an unending reation lasting through a countless series of births and deaths - Shanti takes her lords passing remissness as she takes life itself - with undisturbed equanimity, born of her vital faith in the intrinsic goodness of human natuu re. . Joan is touched by Shantis understanding and forgiving nature. Confusion and remorese rend her heart at the thought that she has been perilously near to breaking up a happy home tring to take away a husband from his loyal, loving wife a father from his sweet, innocent child.... . Torn berween love and the dictates of conscience, Joan comes to a supreme decision Is she moved by the promptings of her heart or her head? Ranjit is ready to accompany Joan and William to England. Shanti does not object. The unravelling of the tangled skein of these lives, cought in the vortex of passion and duty, forms the poignant climax to the tale Mayurpankh tells - a climax, too in which the fan of peacock feathers is destined, once again, to change hands! Check out this page for more updates on Mayur Pankh.