Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Shammi Kapoor | ... | Bade Raja Thakur | |
Nanda | ... | Virendra's wife | |
Tanuja | ... | Raj Rani | |
Vijayendra Ghatge | ... | Kunwar Narendra Pratap Singh (as Vijayendra Ghadge) | |
Kulbhushan Kharbanda | ... | Chote Thakur Virendra 'Vir' Singh | |
Bindu | ... | Chamiya | |
Sushma Seth | ... | Badi Maa | |
Raza Murad | ... | Raja Virendra Pratap Singh | |
Rajendra Nath | ... | Radha's husband | |
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Kiran Vairale | ... | Radha |
Om Prakash | ... | Poojari | |
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Monty Nath | ... | Chote Thakur Vikram Singh (as Monty) |
Rishi Kapoor | ... | Devdhar 'Dev' | |
Padmini Kolhapure | ... | Manorama 'Rama' 'Nanu' | |
Leela Mishra | ... | Bua (Lady who insisted Manorama's hair to be cut) |
Orphaned at a very young age and adopted by his uncle, a Poojari, and aunt, Premvati, Devdhar lives a poor lifestyle with them and their daughter, Radha. Poojari works for Bade Thakur and his family and prepares astrological charts and organizes prayers, and asks him for financial assistance so that Devdhar can go to Bombay and study, which is approved. Years later Devdhar has matured, returns home so that Radha could get married. He meets with and falls in love with Bade Thakur's paternal niece, Manorama, his childhood friend. She likes him too, but is very naive about love and intimacy. Radha gets married to a much older man and moves out, while Manorama's marriage is arranged with Kunwar Narendra Pratap Singh. The wedding takes place with great pomp and ceremony, and a heartbroken Devdhar leaves the village to return to Bombay. A few months later he meets with Radha, who is now pregnant, and also decides to visit his uncle and aunt. This is where he will get the shock of his life ... Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)
This was one of Raj Kapoor's successful attempts at combining entertainment with social themes. The film is long but generally earns its length by dealing in some detail with the issue of widow remarriage. The film is basically a star vehicle for Padmini Kolhapure who is equal to the task. She is innocence personified in the first half and successfully shows a mature side later in the film. Rishi Kapoor is decent as usual while Shammi Kapoor is fine in a supporting role. The villains are mostly caricatures and the romantic scenes tend to drag on a bit. Some of the songs could have been cut. Still it's a good watch and one of Raj Kapoor's best films late in his career.
Overall 7/10