''Budtameez'' (English: ''Insolent'') is a 1966
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film produced by Jagdish Varma and directed by
Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmaker of the 70s and 80s. Desai is now considered one of most influential film director of Bollywood and a pionee ...
.
It stars
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor for ...
,
Sadhana in lead roles, along with Brahm Bhardwaj,
Laxmi Chhaya
Laxmi Chhaya (7 January 1948 – 9 May 2004) was an Indian actress, dancer and teacher, who was known for her distinctive character roles and appearances in Hindi films.
Following a series of roles as a child actor, Chhaya earned recognition ...
,
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
,
Kanan Kaushal
Indumati Paingankar ( Sheth), better known as Kanan Kaushal, is an Indian actress, most famous for starring in ''Jai Santoshi Maa'' (1975) and Pardesi. The low-budget film became a huge box office hit and a cultural phenomenon. She has acted i ...
,
Purnima
Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exa ...
,
Sunder, Kamal Mehra in supporting roles.
''Budtameez''’s distinctiveness arises from the star buzz provided by its leading cast members Sadhana and Shammi Kapoor, individually, and as a pair. In the five years (1961 to 1965) preceding the release of ''Budtameez'', Sadhana had on average at least one annual hit film which was on the list of the ten highest-grossing films for the year. Specifically, she was the lead female cast member in the hit films
Mere Mehboob
''Mere Mehboob'' ("My Lover") is a 1963 Indian film directed by Harnam Singh Rawail and starring Ashok Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Sadhana, Nimmi, Pran, Johnny Walker and Ameeta. The film became a blockbuster and took the number one position a ...
(1963),
Woh Kaun Thi? (1964),
Rajkumar (1964),
Arzoo (1965) and
Waqt (1965).
According to ''Upperstall'', an online reference website, “If Sadhana was the definitive enduring female icon of the swinging 1960s, then without a doubt her male counterpart was Shammi Kapoor. Certainly no other Hindi film hero made the art of boy chasing girl a more enjoyable and playful affair than Shammi Kapoor.” Like Sadhana, in the five years preceding the release of ''Budtameez'', Shammi Kapoor too had on average at least one annual hit film which was on the list of the ten highest-grossing films for the year. In particular, he played the male lead in the hit films
Junglee
Junglee may refer to:
* ''Junglee'' (1961 film), an Indian film
* ''Junglee'' (2009 film), a Kannada-language Indian film
* ''Junglee'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language Indian film
* Junglee.com, a defunct e-commerce website by Amazon.com
*Junglee, a ...
(1961),
Dil Tera Deewana (1962),
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
(1962),
China Town
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...
(1962),
Kashmir Ki Kali
''Kashmir Ki Kali'' () is a 1964 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by Shakti Samanta. The film stars Shammi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore in her Hindi movie debut role, Pran, Dhumal, Nazir Hussain and Anoop Kumar. The music was compose ...
(1964),
Rajkumar (1964) and
Jaanwar (1965).
Finally, two years before acting in ''Budtameez'', Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana acted as a pair for the first time in the hit film
Rajkumar (1964), which was the fifth highest-grossing film of 1964,
attesting to their audience appeal as a pair.
Plot
The plot in ''Budtameez'' is very loosely based on
The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...
in which an impetuous and obstinate
shrew
Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to differ ...
is "tamed" into getting into a relationship by a suitor using various psychological torments to change her into a submissive and docile partner.
In ''Budtameezs retelling of this tale, the plot begins with Shyam Kumar (
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor for ...
), who plays the suitor in this film. Shyam lives in
Allahabad with his stepmother (
Manorama) and step-sister Beena (
Kanan Kaushal
Indumati Paingankar ( Sheth), better known as Kanan Kaushal, is an Indian actress, most famous for starring in ''Jai Santoshi Maa'' (1975) and Pardesi. The low-budget film became a huge box office hit and a cultural phenomenon. She has acted i ...
). Apparently, Beena had met with an accident because of Shyam and requires the use of a wheelchair. As Shyam's stepmother keeps on niggling him to get a job, Shyam goes to Bombay in search of one and gets a job running the household of the wealthy Raja Bahadur Murti Sagar (Brahm Bhardwaj).
The story picks up with the introduction of Shanta (
Sadhana), the "shrew" of the movie, who is Rajabahadur's orphaned granddaughter. Shanta has grown up hating men because her father was an alcoholic who abused her mother until she committed suicide. Understandably, Shanta has turned into an impetuous and ill-mannered person, particularly so to servants like Gopal (
Sunder), who works for the household.
Earlier Rajabahadur had bought in Rita (
Purnima
Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exa ...
) into the household to get Shanta to mend her ways, but Rita's efforts have been unsuccessful. To make matters worse, Shanta's ego is relentlessly fueled by Devdas (Kamal Mehra), who clearly wants to marry her. As part of his efforts to draw Shanta's attention, he persistently engages in weird behaviors, such as dressing up as characters like Robin Hood, and even a donkey. Fed up with his lack of success, Rajabahadur entrusts the task of reforming Shanta to Shyam.
Much of the remaining movie deals with Shyam's repeated attempts to tame Shanta. Things begin to change when Shyam and Shanta take a road trip. The introduction of retired Col. Jung Bahadur (
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
) during the trip provides a defining moment that helps change Shanta's behavior. Slowly, but surely, Shanta and Shyam fall in love, much to the delight of Rajabahadur, who starts making arrangements for their marriage. Shyam returns to Allahabad to inform his stepmother and stepsister about the upcoming marriage.
The plot subsequently takes an unexpected twist. Rajabahadur receives an invitation for Shyam and Kamla's wedding. The question remains who is Kamla and why is Shyam rejecting Shanta and marrying her? What will happen to Shanta? The plot unfolds with the resolution of the complications that have developed because of this watershed event in the story.
Cast
*
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor for ...
as Shyam Kumar
*
Sadhana as Shanta
*
Purnima
Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exa ...
as Rita
*
Kanan Kaushal
Indumati Paingankar ( Sheth), better known as Kanan Kaushal, is an Indian actress, most famous for starring in ''Jai Santoshi Maa'' (1975) and Pardesi. The low-budget film became a huge box office hit and a cultural phenomenon. She has acted i ...
as Beena
*
Manorama as Shyam's Stepmother
*
Laxmi Chhaya
Laxmi Chhaya (7 January 1948 – 9 May 2004) was an Indian actress, dancer and teacher, who was known for her distinctive character roles and appearances in Hindi films.
Following a series of roles as a child actor, Chhaya earned recognition ...
as Shanta's Friend
*
Jagdish Raj
Jagdish Raj Khurana (1928 – 28 July 2013) was a Bollywood actor who holds a Guinness World Record for being the most type-cast actor. He played the role of a police inspector in 144 films.
Early life and career
He was born in 1928 in the tow ...
as Colonel Jung Bahadur
*
Sunder as Gopal
*Kamal Mehra as Devdas
*Brahm Bhardwaj as Raja Bahadur Murti Sagar
Soundtrack
The music of the film was composed by the duo
Shankar–Jaikishan
Shankar–Jaikishan (also known as S-J), were an Indian composer duo of the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949 to 1971. They are widely considered to be one of the greatest ever music composers of the Hindi film industry. After Jaiki ...
and the songs were penned by lyricists
Hasrat Jaipuri and
Shailendra.
References
External links
*
{{Manmohan Desai
1966 films
1960s Hindi-language films
Films scored by Shankar–Jaikishan
Films directed by Manmohan Desai