Munimji 1955

Munimji is a 1955 Indian Bollywood romance, musical, social film released on Jan 01, 1955. The film is directed by Subodh Mukerji, produced by Subodh Mukerji under banner named Filmistan.

Roopa lives a wealthy lifestyle with her widowed dad, Captain Suresh, and brother, Shekhar. After she returns from abroad, she is told that she must now prepare to get married to her betrothed, Ratan, who is the son of a close friend of Suresh. Everything changes suddenly when Roopa meets with a handsome young man, Raj, and both fall in love with each other. Raj then breaks her heart when he tells her that his mother, Malti, who works as a maidservant in Suresh's household, has always favored Ratan over him, has made him promise to step out of Ratan's way. Before she could find out whey Malti prefers Ratan over Raj, a bandit, Kala Ghoda, who has been terrorizing the region asks Suresh to pay up Rs.50,000/-. The Police lay a trap for this extortionist and capture him red-handed - and he turns out to be none other than Suresh's Munim. Surprises are in store for everyone when they find out that Munim is none other than Raj...

Whereas most Western melodramas would represent good and evil as conflicting forces within one character, this movie distributes the moral conflict across two half-brothers, Ratan (Pran) and Amar (Anand) The film then goes on to multiply this spliting device to the point of vertigo, making it a text eminently suitable for psychoanalytic interpretation. The process starts with Ram fathering a second son with his second wife. He then repudiates his first wife Malati (N.Roy) but she switches the two infants so that her son Ratan grows up as the heir while Malati and the second son, Amar, become servants in Rams household. When the two boys grow up, each begins to lead a double life: Amar is a clerk who wears a disguise to hide his good looks, revealing them only when courting the haughty Roopa (Jaywant); Ratan, who is betrothed to Roopa, is also teh notorious bandit and blackmaile Kala Ghoda whose schemes are often foiled by Amar. In the end, when Ratan tries to blackmail his own family, Malati denounces him as her real son. The film included the hit Jeevan ke safar mein rahi sung by Kishore Kumar. [Source: Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema] "Crime does not pay" may well be the moral of this story which deals with the rise and fall of a notorious dacoit and killer, Kala Ghoda. . Kala Ghoda is, in reality none other than Ratan who is a young man, highly rated and respected in society and manager of a big factory. He is betrothed to Roopa, the glamorous and lovely daughter of captain Suresh, a rich timber merchant and life-time friend of Ram, who is under the impression that Ratan is his legal heir. . Really, however, Ratan is not the boy Ram takes him to be. Ram had another wife, Malti, whom he had deserted. When she comes to him with his baby,he even refuses to acccept the baby. In sheer desperation and anger, Malti exchanges her baby (Amar) for the baby of Rams second wife (Ratan) and thus, the identities of the children are known only to Malti. . When Ram dies, Malti enters the household as a maid-servant so as to be near her son. And, of course, she has also with her Rams second son whom she rears up as her own. . From their very childhood. Ratan and Amar quarrel and do not get on well with each other, with Amar having a feeling that his mother cares more for the masters son than himself. Little does he know that he is not her ccchild but Ratan is! . Ratan grows up into a very bad young man and ill-treats both Malti whom he considers to be only a maid-servant and Amar. Ratan also hates the handsome looks of Amar. In order to avoid clashes, Amar puts on long whiskers, spectacles and a cap to look ugly. Everyone believes that Amar is ugly-looking with one exception: that is the old family doctor. Dady, who is just like a father to Amar. . As a grown-up young man. Ratan begins to indulge in loot, dacoity, kidnapping, etc. under the guise of Kala Ghoda, a notorious killer. No one suspects Kala Ghoda to be the handsome Ratan. . One night Ratan is injured in a scuffle and Malti sends Amar to look for him. Amar brings back the injured Ratan and in order to save his life. Malti has to donate her own blood. But, after regaining consciousness. Ratan has only abuse for Malti for transferring to his body the blood of a maid servant. . When Roopa, Ratans betrothed and her brother, Shekhar, are returning from England, the injured Ratan is unable to meet them and so sends Amar to bring them home. At the harbour, Amar takes a deep prejudice to the snobbish attitude of Roopa. In order to teach her a lesson, he throws away his ugly get-up on the way and appears as his true handsome self. He makes fun of her, teases her and harasses her all the way. . He meets her on several other occasions too as his true self and Roopa hatred for the strange man changes into love particularly after an incident in the jungle where she is saved by him from a lion. . Ratan comes to know about Roopas love for Amar even though he does not recognise the identity of Amar till he meets him in a hand-to hand fight. Even though beaten. Ratan is clever enough to imprison Malti and compel Amar to accept the Kala Ghodas crime as his own. Amar is arrested and Ratan gets ready for his marriage with Roopa. . On the night of the wedding day. Malti is rescued just in time by the kindly doctor. She comes to captain Sureshs house and exposes Ratan as the real Kala Ghoda. At the point of a gun. Ratan takes away Roopa and once again everything seems lost. Malti, however, again comes to the rescue: she shoots down her own son and herself dies out of shock. Check out this page for more updates on Munimji.