Purab Aur Paschim (Hindi: पूरब और पशचिम, English: East and West) is a 1970 Indian film; the dialogue is in Hindi. Produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, it stars Manoj, Saira Banu, Ashok Kumar, Pran and Prem Chopra. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji. The 2007 filmNamastey London is based on this film.
This was the second film by Manoj Kumar where he stars as Bharat (first being Upkar) and his third film on patriotism. (Shaheed was his first, to be followed by Roti Kapda Aur Makaan and Kranti.)
The film starts out in black and white, before independence, just as young Bharat (Manoj Kumar) is about to be born. Bharat's father is wanted by the English and Harnam (Pran), his brother sells him out for cash. Bharat's mother (Kamini Kaushal) is left a widow, Harnam leaves with his blood money and his son (Prem Chopra). Harnam's wife (Nirupa Roy) is left a virtual widow. Guru-ji (Ashok Kumar), the head of the family, swears that he will not make a pilgrimage until Harnam returns with the grandson.
The film switches to the present day, when Bharat is about to leave for college. He's attending university in Oxford but he makes it very clear to us that he is only going to get a scientific education and will then bring that knowledge back to the country; it's an education, not a brain drain. Bharat's meek cousin Gopi (Bharathi Vishnuvardhan) — who is in love with him — is introduced. She will wait for his return.
In the UK, Bharat stays with an old friend (Madan Puri) of his father's who went to the UK to study and never returned. He has two children: a son named Orphan, who changes his name, his clothes, and would even change his parents if he could and a daughter, the hip, very modern Preeti (Saira Banu). Both children drift through life from party to party drinking and smoking what they can along the way. Preeti, in particular, is both baffled and intrigued by Bharat. He is constantly throwing off phrases and words he assumes she knows only to be questioned, whether he is praising Amritsar ("What sar?") or reading the Bhagavad Gita ("Who is Geeta? Is that the heroine of the novel?").
Amongst Preeti's acquaintance is an NRI who is dating a blond English woman (Barbara Lindley). Bharat gets right to the truth and learns that the NRI has a wife and child in India. His father-in-law (Om Prakash) has come to beg him to return. When that doesn't work, Bharat and Om Prakash try to talk sense into his girlfriend and the NRI realizes that he should return to his family.
In a strange turn of events, Orphan joins up with a group of Western Hare Krishnas and the Western-born Indian reconnects with his heritage through Westerners consuming a Westernized form of Eastern religion. Meanwhile, Harman and his son OP (Prem Chopra) have come back into contact with Bharat and his foster family. OP becomes infatuated with Preeti and attempts to rape her. OP also tries to start trouble with Bharat, but Orphan and his new Hare Krishna friends stop him.
Now, Orphan and the NRI have returned to their Indian roots, but Preeti hasn't bought into Bharat's world yet. She does love him, though, and he has fallen in love with her, too. He is charmed by her straightforwardness and willingness to see and question and to be seen and questioned — something that traditional Gopi is lacking.
Preeti agrees to travel to India with Bharat to meet his family but only if they can return to the UK afterward. Bharat promises to go where Preeti does. Predictably, she has an awakening of sorts and agrees to stay, although she never renounces her miniskirt.
The film finishes by tying up the loose ends of the Harman storyline. He repents his materialistic ways; money hasn't made his life happier and it turned his son into a jerk. OP tries to rape Preeti one more time but Guru-ji saves her only to be severely beaten by OP.
Finally, Harman denounces his son and his former materialistic ways, and Preeti and Bharat marry and remain in India.
This was the second film by Manoj Kumar where he stars as Bharat (first being Upkar) and his third film on patriotism. (Shaheed was his first, to be followed by Roti Kapda Aur Makaan and Kranti.)
The film starts out in black and white, before independence, just as young Bharat (Manoj Kumar) is about to be born. Bharat's father is wanted by the English and Harnam (Pran), his brother sells him out for cash. Bharat's mother (Kamini Kaushal) is left a widow, Harnam leaves with his blood money and his son (Prem Chopra). Harnam's wife (Nirupa Roy) is left a virtual widow. Guru-ji (Ashok Kumar), the head of the family, swears that he will not make a pilgrimage until Harnam returns with the grandson.
The film switches to the present day, when Bharat is about to leave for college. He's attending university in Oxford but he makes it very clear to us that he is only going to get a scientific education and will then bring that knowledge back to the country; it's an education, not a brain drain. Bharat's meek cousin Gopi (Bharathi Vishnuvardhan) — who is in love with him — is introduced. She will wait for his return.
Amongst Preeti's acquaintance is an NRI who is dating a blond English woman (Barbara Lindley). Bharat gets right to the truth and learns that the NRI has a wife and child in India. His father-in-law (Om Prakash) has come to beg him to return. When that doesn't work, Bharat and Om Prakash try to talk sense into his girlfriend and the NRI realizes that he should return to his family.
In a strange turn of events, Orphan joins up with a group of Western Hare Krishnas and the Western-born Indian reconnects with his heritage through Westerners consuming a Westernized form of Eastern religion. Meanwhile, Harman and his son OP (Prem Chopra) have come back into contact with Bharat and his foster family. OP becomes infatuated with Preeti and attempts to rape her. OP also tries to start trouble with Bharat, but Orphan and his new Hare Krishna friends stop him.
Now, Orphan and the NRI have returned to their Indian roots, but Preeti hasn't bought into Bharat's world yet. She does love him, though, and he has fallen in love with her, too. He is charmed by her straightforwardness and willingness to see and question and to be seen and questioned — something that traditional Gopi is lacking.
Preeti agrees to travel to India with Bharat to meet his family but only if they can return to the UK afterward. Bharat promises to go where Preeti does. Predictably, she has an awakening of sorts and agrees to stay, although she never renounces her miniskirt.
The film finishes by tying up the loose ends of the Harman storyline. He repents his materialistic ways; money hasn't made his life happier and it turned his son into a jerk. OP tries to rape Preeti one more time but Guru-ji saves her only to be severely beaten by OP.
Finally, Harman denounces his son and his former materialistic ways, and Preeti and Bharat marry and remain in India.
No comments:
Post a Comment