Kalapani (1958)

Based on A.J.Cronin's 'Beyond This Place', this movie narrates the story of an untiring crusade for justice. A young man, learning about his father's wrongful implication in a ... See full summary »

Director:

Raj Khosla

Writers:

A.J. Cronin (source material), G.R. Kamath (screenplay),

Stars:

Dev Anand, Madhubala, Nalini Jaywant

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dev Anand	...	Karan Mehra
Madhubala	...	Asha
Nalini Jaywant	...	Kishori
Agha	...	Badru
Nasir Hussain	...	Inspector Mehta (as Nazir Hussain)
D.K. Sapru	...	Diwan Sardarilal (as Sapru)
Kishore Sahu	...	Rai Bahadur Jaswant Rai
Krishan Dhawan	...	Jumman
Mukri	...	Madhosh Miyan
M.A. Latif
Bir Sakuja	...	Editor at the press company
Jankidas	...	Daulat Chand (as Janki Das)
Praveen Paul	...	Hotel Owner (as Parvin Paul)
Mumtaz Begum	...	Mrs. Shankerlal Mehra
Heera Sawant

Storyline

Based on A.J.Cronin's 'Beyond This Place', this movie narrates the story of an untiring crusade for justice. A young man, learning about his father's wrongful implication in a fifteen-year-old murder, vows to bring the true criminals to justice and release his innocent father from 'kaala paani' (life imprisonment), for which he enlists the help of a press reporter, a retired police inspector and an unwitting prostitute who happens to possess some key evidence.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | murder | life imprisonment | courtesan | conspiracy

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Genres:

Crime | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Also Known As:

Kala Pani

Filming Locations:

India

Company Credits

Production Co:

Navketan

Technical Specs

Runtime:

164 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Nazar Laagi Raja Tore Bangley Par"
Sung by Asha Bhosle
Music by Sachin Dev Burman
Lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri

User Reviews

You have to love Madhubala!

And Dev and Nalini Jaywant. This was a classic tale of a young man who discovers his father has been sentenced to life imprisonment (Kala Pani) for a murder he did not commit, and vows to get justice for his family. There is a mysterious murderer, a secret that has been hidden for 15 years, a conniving lawyer, a self-less (most Chandramukhi like, in fact better than Vyjayanthi) prostitute, a newspaper reporter (a beautiful and talented woman in the 1950s? GASP!) who falls for our hero, and their quest for the truth. I loved this story. Madhubala as the reporter and Nalini Jaywant as the fallen woman were excellent. Dev was Dev - irrepressible and charming as hell. There was a trio of comedians - but Mukri as the Shayar and Agha as the hotel waiter were never slapstick, rather they were necessary to move the story along. Music was soulful - Sachin Burman created some great tunes. Notable were Achcha ji main Haari Chalo Maan Jaao Naa, Hum Bekhudi Mein Tumko Pukare Chale Gaye, Nazar Laagi Raja tore bangle par. This one is worth watching and keeping. Navketan pictures (Dev Anand production) knew how to make good films.