''Man Pasand'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: Favourite) is a 1980 Hindi movie produced by Amit Khanna under the Film Unit banner and directed by

Basu Chatterjee Basu Chatterjee ( bn, বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; 10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chatterjee became associated with what came to be known as mi ...

. The film stars

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 ...

Tina Munim Tina Ambani (née Munim) is a former Indian actress. She is married to Anil Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Group. She is actively involved in many foundations and charities. Many of these were established in the memory of her in-laws, Dhirubhai a ...

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

Simple Kapadia Simple Kapadia (15 August 1958 – 10 November 2009) was a Hindi film actress and costume designer, who was active in her professional career from 1987 until her death in 2009. Early and personal life Simple was born on 15 August 1958 to paren ...

Mehmood Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 1 ...

. The film's music is by

Rajesh Roshan Rajesh Roshan Lal Nagrath (born 24 May 1955) is an Indian Hindi cinema music director and composer. He is the son of music director Roshan and singer Ira Roshan. Personal life Rajesh Roshan has a Punjabi Hindu father and Bengali Brahmin m ...

while the lyrics were penned by Amit Khanna himself. A couple of songs from the film had become popular. Although the film is dedicated to

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

—with the implication that it is based on his 1913 play ''

Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...

''—according to Dev Anand, the film was actually based on the 1964 film ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

''. This film is based on Marathi drama ''Ti Fulrani'' penned by P L Deshpande, which is in-turn based on George Bernard Shaw' famous play ''Pygmalion''.

Plot

Best friends and musicologists Pratap (

) and Kashinath (

) make a bet that Pratap can transform any unpolished girl into a graceful and talented singer in only six months' time. Kashinath agrees that he will marry the girl if Pratap is successful. One night they accidentally take the wrong train after a party. They encounter Kamli (

), a loud-mouthed vendor of

neem ''Azadirachta indica'', commonly known as neem, nimtree or Indian lilac, is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus ''Azadirachta'', and is native to the Indian subcontinent and most of the countries in Afr ...

branches on the train and Pratap tells her that she could become a skilled singer. At first, Kamli laughs at him, but changes her mind and comes to see him the next day, saying she will pay him for music lessons. Kamli moves in with the acerbic and bossy Pratap to become his full-time pupil. With the help of his invention the scalograph, Pratap teaches Kamli to sing

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

and play the tambura. Meanwhile, soft-spoken and gentlemanly Kashinath teaches her the culture of music, proper etiquette and how to talk correctly. Kamli's shiftless father Popatlal (

) shows up to complain about the unorthodox living arrangement, but the two men pay him off and send him away. They decide to test their protege and take Kamli to a party where they pass her off as part of a royal family. Unfortunately, she drinks too much and gives the game away. After the party, Kamli gives Pratap's secretary a month off and takes over his duties, becoming indispensable to her teacher. Finally, the big day arrives and Kamli performs in front of a large audience where she is a great success. Afterwards, Pratap and Kashinath congratulate themselves on their great success, forgetting Kamli's hard work. In despair about her uncertain future and filled with sadness that Pratap does not care for her, she fights with him and leaves. Pratap pretends to be indifferent. Kashinath, knowing his friend well, points out that he has obviously fallen in love with her and releases him from the bet. Pratap is miserable without Kamli, but he is too proud to ask her back. Just when he thinks she is gone forever, she returns to him.

Cast

as Pratap *

as Kamli *

as Kashinath *

as Ruby *

as Popatlal

Music

The film's music was composed by

with lyrics by

Amit Khanna Amit Khanna is an Indian film producer, director, writer, and journalist. He was the founder chairman of Reliance Entertainment, former president of the Producers Guild of India, and the founder trustee of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Imag ...

. The songs "Rehne Ko Ek Ghar" and "Hothon Pe Geet Jage" were adapted from "

Wouldn't It Be Loverly "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" is a popular song by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, written for the 1956 Broadway play ''My Fair Lady''. The song is sung by Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and her street friends. It expresses Eliza's wish for ...

" and "

I Could Have Danced All Night "I Could Have Danced All Night" is a song from the musical ''My Fair Lady'', with music written by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner,Frederick Loewe Frederick Loewe (, originally German Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe ; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988) was an Austrian-United States, American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on a series of Broadway musicals, including ''Br ...

. #"Logon Ka Dil Agar" (

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

) #"Rehne Ko Ek Ghar" (T Meena) #"Kabhi Shaadi Na Karo" (

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

) #"Kismat Ki Jeb Mein" (Mehmood) #"Chaaru Chandra Ki Chanchal Chitwan" (Kishore Kumar,

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

) #"Hothon Pe Geet Jage" (Lata Mangeshkar) #"Suman Sudha" (Lata Mangeshkar) #"Mein Akela Apni Dhun Men Magan" (Kishore Kumar)

References

External links

* {{authority control 1980 films Films based on works by George Bernard Shaw Films directed by Basu Chatterjee Films set in Mumbai 1980s Hindi-language films Films scored by Frederick Loewe Films scored by Rajesh Roshan