1967, the year Pran got a makeover and Ashok Kumar sprung a surprise

In his book …and Pran, a biography of the ace Hindi film villain, film journalist Bunny Reuben wrote, “The ‘villain’ image of Pran was so deeply engraved in the hearts of mid-twentieth century womankind that, for over three decades, mothers resolutely avoided naming their newborn sons ‘Pran’, as like Ravan, he was ‘branded’ as the personification of evil!” This was indeed the case as Pran became famous for his sinister, evil and debauched roles in films like Munimji, Madhumati (1958), Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964).

However, with Manoj Kumar’s Upkar (1967), Pran sa’ab got a dramatic makeover. The film is memorable for its emphatic statement about Indian values and nationalism. It had a great run at the box-office, with its songs — be it ‘Mere desh ki dharti’ or ‘Aayee jhoomke basant’ — celebrating the spirit and cultural ethos of the nation state. But it was as Malang chacha that Pran was established as someone, who could play strong character roles besides villainous ones. And the song, which most epitomised the shifting nature of his character was ‘Kasmein vaadein pyaar wafa sab, baatein hain baaton ka kya’, sung by Manna Dey. In the upcoming episode of The Golden Years: 1950-1975, where Javed Akhtar discusses the Hindi film songs of 1967, he says, “The name Pran had become synonymous with villainy, even though Pran means life and not villain… It was this Pran that Manoj Kumar cast in a positive role. Before Manoj Kumar, nobody had shown the confidence to do so.”

Another important film from 1967, which had a surprising character change, was Jewel Thief (1967). The film was directed by Vijay Anand and starred his elder brother Dev Anand, who was paired with Vyjayanthimala in the film. Tanuja too acted in the film and was part of the love triangle. With Jewel Thief, Vijay Anand firmly established himself as the pre-eminent director of the 1960s. All the films that he had directed in this decade — Kala Bazaar (1960), Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963), Guide (1965) and Teesri Manzil (1966) — had garnered critical acclaim and commercial success. Vijay followed Jewel Thief with another spectacular hit, Johnny Mera Naam (1970).

Like with all Vijay Anand films, Jewel Thief had a scintillating soundtrack. Each song had its pride of place in the film and was picturised by Vijay in his inimitable style. Be it the sensual ‘Raat akeli hai’ or the cathartic ‘Rulaa ke gaya sapna mera’ or the up-tempo ‘Hothon pe aisi baat’, Vijay showed himself to be a master at directing each of these song sequences.

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But Jewel Thief’s biggest trump card was the man chosen to play the villain in the film. Ashok Kumar is mostly remembered for his avuncular character roles from his later years in Hindi cinema or his suave, sophisticated performances in films like Mahal (1949), Howrah Bridge (1958) and Kanoon (1960). But in Jewel Thief, Kumar plays the eponymous villain, a mystery which is revealed only closer to the film’s climax. Seeing Kumar in this role surprised most people, but Kumar played his part with such elan, that the character turned out to be one of Jewel Thief’s biggest highlights. 

Another film with good music which featured Ashok Kumar in 1967 was Bahu Begum (1967). The film was a Muslim social, a genre which had been brought back to prominence in Hindi cinema following the success of Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960). The film had Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari as the lead pair. The songs, which included the memorable ‘Hum intezaar karengey’ and ‘Duniya karey sawaal toh hum kya jawaab de’, were composed by Roshan and were written by the lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi. Roshan and Sahir had earlier combined on other Muslim socials too, such as Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) and Dil Hi Toh Hai (1963).

Bahu Begum is of personal relevance to Javed Akhtar because it was produced by his father the poet-lyricist, Jan Nissar Akhtar. Jan Nissar was good friends with Sahir. He chose Sahir to write the songs of the film because of the latter’s successful partnership with Roshan. As Javed Akhtar notes, “Because this combination had been so successful, he [Jan Nissar] thought it’s appropriate to take Sahir and Roshan instead of writing the songs himself. He did it to enhance the soundtrack’s commercial appeal. Such are the things one needs to do in business.” 

To know more about the many fine Hindi film songs from 1967, watch the next episode of The Golden Years: 1950-1975 with Javed Akhtar this Sunday at 8 pm.