Mahal (1949)

A young lawyer is involved with a ghostly woman in his new house, where the builder and his fiancée died shortly after it was built.

Director:

Kamal Amrohi

Writer:

Kamal Amrohi (by)

Stars:

Ashok Kumar, Madhubala, M. Kumar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashok Kumar	...	Hari Shankar
Madhubala	...	Kamini
M. Kumar	...	Hari Shankar's Father (as Kumar)
Vijayalaxmi	...	Ranjana
Kanu Roy	...	Shrinath
S. Nazir
Eruch Tarapore
Sheela Naik
Leela Pandey
Neelam
Kaneez
Jagannath
Mohsin
Laxman Rao
S.A. Baker	...	(as S. A. Baker)

Storyline

The story is about a man Shankar who moves into an old n abandoned palace. Upon his visit to the palace, he is greeted by the gardener who tells him that the palace was inhabited by a couple forty years back and that the couple died one aft another cos of their intense love. Shankar is astonished when he sees the photo of the old owner which looks exactly like him. At night time Shankar follows a woman singing n the moment he approaches, she disappears. He tells this to his friend but the friend warms him to stay away from the palace. The ghost appears again but this time she warns the friend to not come between Shankar n her. Shankar slowly gets drawn towards the ghost n the palace n his insanity becomes questionable aft his marriage.

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Plot Keywords:

portrait | friend | inheritance | mansion | reincarnation | 

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Taglines:

But to die as lovers may - to die together, so that they may live together.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie launched both playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and the leading lady Madhubala into super-stardom.

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Soundtracks

Dil Ne Fir Yaad Kiya
Lyrics by Nakshab
Music by Khemchand Prakash

User Reviews

But to die as lovers may - to die together, so that they may live together. Bollywood's first gothic horror with amazing cinematography by Joseph Wirsching.

Had seen this as a kid in bits n pieces. Saw this fully for the first time recently on YouTube. The print is passable but the sound quality ain't good. The English subtitles helped me a lot to dig this film very well.

The story is about a man Shankar who moves into an old n abandoned palace. He visits the palace on a dark stormy night. He is greeted by the gardener who tells him that the palace was inhabited by a couple forty years back and that the couple died one aft another cos of their intense love. Shankar is astonished when he sees the photo of the old owner which looks exactly like him. Suddenly Shankar hears a woman singing n the moment he approaches her, she disappears. He tells this to his friend n inspite of his friend's advice, Shankar gets drawn towards the mysterious ghost.

One of the best part is this is the first gothic horror from Bollywood n cinematographer Joseph Wirsching nailed it. Ther r some lovely shots from interesting angles, and shots cleverly framed. The lighting is used appropriately. The lead actress Madhubala became one of the most successful and iconic actress of Indian cinema. The film started with good suspense but slowly became a bit melodramatic aft the marriage. There is a pretty lol scene wher the wife follows the husband n she stands next to the husband n the ghost without getting noticed. The mountain top scene of the shack is pretty desolated n creepy. The tribal community's trial n execution is weirdly funny.

The twist is good for first time viewers who dont read synopsis. Very generous with a 9 cos it's a very creative idea n the original Bollywood gothic horror. Apart from the idea where a person falls in love with a dead person's photo (Laura), the entire script is very original.



Some major q's - Why the previous owner came at midnight and left at dawn? Was the gardener involved? What was the need for the gardener to climb n restore the clock? Why didnt Asha show any remorse aft her father's death? Why 2 am? Mayb Kamini used to sleep throughout the day. The wife stopped a different clock at her shack which resulted in affecting the main clock at the palace. How come? Anyways it is a solid attempt n the film is truly a poignant tale of love, destiny n reincarnation.

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi Urdu

Release Date:

1949 (India)

Also Known As:

The Palace

Box Office

Budget:

INR4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dube Industries, The Bombay Talkies Ltd., The Bombay Talkies Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1