''Marutirtha Hinglaj'' (''English: Hinglaj, the Desert Shrine'') is a 1959 Indian

Bengali-language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken of t ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed and produced by Bikash Roy. This was based on a same name travelogue of

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

novelist

Kalikananda Abadhuta Kalikananda Abadhut (1910—13 April 1978) was a Bengali saint novelist and traveler. Biography Abadhut born to Anathnath Mukherjee in Bhowanipore, Kolkata. His real name was Dulal Chandra Mukherjee but he took a pen name Kalikananda Abadhut. Af ...

. The film was made under the banner of Bikash Roy Productions and Janata Pictures and Theatres Limited. The lead actors are Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, and Anil Chatterjee. The music is by the Hemanta Mukherjee.

Plot

The plot revolves around a religious but dangerous journey towards the sacred temple at

Hinglaj Hinglaj (Devanagari: हिंगलाज, bal, هنگلاج, sd, هنگلاج, ur, ) is an important Hindu pilgrimage place in Balochistan, Pakistan and Kuldevi of many Kshatriya, Charan, Rajpurohits and other Hindu Communities of India. ...

. A group of pilgrims undertake the long journey through the desert to reach the holy shrine where pilgrims can be washed of all their sins. The group rescue a dying couple, Thirumal and Kunti, who also join in the pilgrimage. While they walk hundreds of miles through the desert they face hardship and life-threatening challenges.

Cast

* Uttam Kumar as Thirumal * Sabitri Chatterjee as Kunti * Bikash Roy as Abadhoot * Anil Chatterjee as Rooplal *

Pahari Sanyal Pahari Sanyal (22 February 1906 – 10 February 1974) was an Indian actor and singer who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. Sanyal acted in many Bengali films, such as ''Harano Sur'', ''Bhanu Goenda Jahar Assistant'', and ''Shilpi''. B ...

as Popatlal Patel * Chandrabati Devi as Bhairabi *

Shyam Laha Shyam Laha (26 November 1911 – 25 October 1973) was an Indian actor in Bengali and Hindi-language films. He was known for his comic acting. Early life Shyam Laha was born in 1911 in Kolkata, British India. His original name was Kashinath Shil ...

* Moni Sreemani

Production

The film was directed, produced and screenplay by Bikash Roy who also acted in the film. The film originally shooted in

Digha Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal. Hi ...

. A desert was created on the beach sands near Digha. Bikash Roy brought two camels for use in the film. In ah highly dramatic moment, a mentally deranged Thirumal suddenly grabs Kunti by the throat. Uttam Kumar has been quiet since a few days that scene was taken. Uttam Kumar visions is quite unusual. When the scene shooting started Uttam pressed Sabitri's throat it was as if he was no longer himself. Sabitri was getting suffocated. Director Bikash Roy rushed after finishing the shot. Sabitri then has no sense, he vomited and passed out. After curing him with water, Bikash Roy scolded to Uttam Kumar. Then Uttam apologized to Sabitri. In the end of the film director was saved by four bottles of Bengali liquor. The film shooted also in

Chakulia Chakulia or Chakuliya is a Notified Area Council (NAC) an4thMunicipal Corporation in the Ghatshila subdivision of the East Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India.It is 71 km from Jamshedpur city, the district headquarter. Chakulia ...

, two days in

Ghatsila Ghatshila is a census town in the Ghatshila CD block in the Ghatshila subdivision of the East Singhbhum district, in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History Legend says that the royal family of the Kingdom of Dhalbhum had originated from t ...

. Far way from Digha city the camera will capture the desert of

Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

on the sand.

Soundtrack

References

External links

* 1959 films Bengali-language Indian films Religious epic films 1959 drama films Films based on Indian novels 1950s Bengali-language films Indian drama films {{1950s-Bengali-film-stub