''Hum Ek Hain'' () is a 1946 Indian

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 ...

-language film co-written and directed by P. L. Santoshi in his directorial debut. The film stars

Durga Khote Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in around ...

, along with

Kamala Kotnis Kamala Kotnis was an Indian actress who played roles in Telugu and Hindi movies during the 1940s. She is also notable for being Dev Anand's first heroine in '' Hum Ek Hai'', released in 1946. Early life Kamala Kotnis was born as Kamalabai in ...

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

, Rehana and Rehman in their cinematic acting debut. It was released on 8 June 1946.

Plot

Zamindari Ma, the old landlady of a village supports its people during a famine and raises three orphaned children of differing religions. The children, although encouraged to practice their separate religions, are taught to remain united at all times. Chhote Babu, who wants to marry Vidya, the girl who is engaged to Zamindari Ma's biological son Shankar, sows discord and hatred, causing great enmity between the trio until reason prevails and they reunite.

Cast

as Zamindari Ma * Kamla Kotnis as Vidya *

as Shankar * Rehana *

Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...

as Yusuf * Ranjitkumari as Durga * Rane.R.V. as John * Baby Achrekar * Ramsing as Chhote Babu * Gokhale * Ganpatrao * Manajirao * Bhagwat * Karadkar * Baby Sarpotdar * Master Sharad Kulkarni * Master Afzul Khan * Abdul Hamid * Master Tazmul Hussain * Shaikh Buranuddin *

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

as a dancer

Production

''Hum Ek Hain'', which was produced under

Prabhat Film Company Prabhat Film Company (popularly known as Prabhat Films) was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends. It was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towar ...

, was the directorial debut of P. L. Santoshi, and the acting debut of

, Rehana and

in cinema. Santoshi also worked as writer alongside Saleh Mohammed Qureshi and Tony Lazarus. Cinematography was handled by Surendra Pai.

Guru Dutt Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998''Encyclopedia of Indian ...

worked as an assistant director and choreographer.

Themes

''Hum Ek Hain'' focuses on the idea of

religious harmony in India Religious harmony in India is a concept that indicates that there is love, affection between different religions in India. The Indian constitution supports and encourages religious harmony. In India, every citizen has a right to choose and practi ...

, particularly

Hindu–Muslim unity Hindu–Muslim unity is a religiopolitical concept in the Indian subcontinent which stresses members of the two largest faith groups there, Hindus and Muslims, working together for the common good. The concept was championed by various persons, s ...

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by the duo

Husnlal Bhagatram Husn Lal and Bhagat Ram were the first legendary music directors duo in Bollywood. They are two brothers, Husn Lal (8 April 1920 – 28 December 1968) and Bhagat Ram (1914 – 29 November 1973). Husn Lal was also a renowned violinist, vocalist ...

, while all songs were written by P. L. Santoshi.

Release and reception

''Hum Ek Hain'' was released on 8 June 1946. ''

Filmindia ''filmindia'' is an Indian monthly magazine covering Indian cinema and published in English language. Started by Baburao Patel in 1935, ''filmindia'' was the first English film periodical to be published from Bombay. The magazine was reportedl ...

'', a magazine which was then revered and feared by the Indian film industry, wrote positively about the film: "It has a theme with a purpose ..that ought to find a response in the hearts of millions in our country." The reviewer also praised Anand's acting skills.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0269343 1940s Hindi-language films 1946 directorial debut films 1946 films Films about religion Indian black-and-white films Prabhat Film Company films Indian drama films 1946 drama films Hindi-language drama films