''Ghata'' (

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

: ''घटा'') is a

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n film directed and produced by Kuldeep Pandey. The film evolves around a man who on being disheartened at his friend's unchastity, falls for the woman who has been betrothed to his friend. It stars

Anil Dhawan Anil Dhawan is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films and television. He made his acting debut with the film ''Chetna'' (1970) followed by ''Piya Ka Ghar'' (1971). He is also known for his 2018 film Andhadhun. Now turned activist, Dhawan ...

as the protagonist. The music of the film was composed by

Ravindra Jain Ravindra Jain (28 February 1944 – 9 October 2015) was an Indian music composer, lyricist and playback singer. He started his career in the early 1970s by composing for several hit movies. His notable works include '' Chor Machaye Shor'' (19 ...

. The film garnered a mixed review upon its release. A part of film critics criticized the film for its uncurbed

over the shoulder shot The over-the-shoulder shot (OTS) is a camera angle used in film and television, where the camera is placed above the back of the shoulder and head of a subject. This shot is most commonly used to present conversational back and forth between two ...

s. The film was also criticized for its plot slowing down gradually. Some of the sequences of the film have been appreciated as having been made proficiently, especially the sequence where the protagonist's conundrum to pick up the flower on the riverside is an explanatory manifestation of his predicament between his adherence to his friend and his love for Sheetal.

Plot

Ajay and Suresh are colleagues to each other. Suresh is a philanderer who thinks it is fun to flirt with girls. Though a gentleman, Ajay is often rollicked when Suresh playfully articulates how he seduced a girl. On a leave, Ajay comes with Suresh to the latter's native village. There he discovers that Suresh has already been betrothed to a girl named Sheetal who is unaware of the playful side of Suresh. Ajay befriends Sheetal and learns that her family has been leading an indigent life since her father died. Ajay denounces Suresh when the former learns that Suresh has an illegitimate relationship with the nymphomaniac wife of the latter's wealthy neighbor Ratanlal Sharma and persuades him not to pursue any kind of indecent relationship any more as he is betrothed to Sheetal. But Suresh does not seem to pay any heed to his words. Eventually Ajay falls for Sheetal and finds himself in a dilemma whether he should expose the real nature of Suresh and confess his love for her or he should stay loyal to his friend who thinks Ajay to be his confidant.

Cast

as Ajay *

Pradeep Kumar Pradeep Kumar (born Sital Batabyal; 4 January 1925 – 3 November 2001) was an Indian actor who is recognized for his work in Hindi, Bengali and English-language films. Career When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. He sta ...

as Basudev Mehra *

Debashree Roy Debashree Roy (born 8 August 1962), also known as Debasree Roy, is an Indian actress, dancer, choreographer, politician and animal rights activist. As an actress, she is known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She has been cited as the ...

as Sheetal * Prathima Devi as Sheetal's Mother *

Jalal Agha Jalal Agha (11 July 1945 – 5 March 1995) was an Indian actor and director in Bollywood films. He was the son of the popular comedian actor Agha. Jalal studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Career He made his d ...

as Suresh *

Kamal Kapoor Kamal Kapoor (22 February 1920 – 2 August 2010) was an Indian actor and producer who acted in around 600 Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati films. Early and personal life Kamal Kapoor was born in 1920 in Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, Brit ...

as father of Suresh *

Goga Kapoor Ravinder Kapoor (15 December 1940 – 3 March 2011), popularly known as Goga Kapoor, was an Indian actor, who appeared mostly in Bollywood films. He has acted in over 120 films, majorly known for playing supporting roles of that of villain's h ...

as Ratanlal Sharma * Manik Irani as the henchman

References

1978 films 1970s Hindi-language films {{1970s-Hindi-film-stub