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
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 ...
Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Merwanji Modi (2 November 1897 – 28 January 1984) was an Indian stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include ''Khoon Ka Khoon'' (1935), a version of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'', '' Sikandar'', ''Pukar'', ''Prithvi Va ...
for his Minerva Movietone productions. The screenplay was by
Gajanan Jagirdar
Gajanan Jagirdar (2 April 1907 – 13 August 1988) was a veteran Indian film director, screenwriter and actor. He worked in Hindi Cinema, also called Bollywood, as well as Marathi cinema. The period of 1942 to 1947, saw his rise as a film direct ...
with dialogue by Munshi Abdul Baqi and director of photography by Y. S. Sarpotdar The music was by B. S. Hoogan with lyrics by Irshad Ahmed. The cast included
Naseem Banu
Naseem Banu (4 July 1916 – 18 June 2002) was an Indian actress. She was referred to as Naseem and known as "Beauty Queen" and the "first female superstar" of Indian Cinema. Starting her acting career in the mid-1930s she continued to act t ...
, Sohrab Modi, Jagirdar, Sadiq Ali, Eruch Tarapore, Sadat Ali, Sheela and Fakir Mohammed.
Meetha Zahar was a social film dealing with the "evils of alcoholism". Modi was lauded for taking up the cause of prohibition in the nation's interest. The film was a part of the social trilogy Modi made around that time starting with ''
Jailor
A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...
'' (1938), which dealt with an illicit relationship concerning a married woman, ''Meetha Zahar'' (1938) dealing with prohibition, and ''
Bharosa
''Bharosa'' () is a Hindi film released in 1963. The film is remembered for the music and songs. The music for the film was composed by Ravi. Rajendra Krishan penned the lyrics of the songs. ''Woh Dil Kahan Se Laun'' rendered by Lata Mangeshka ...
'' a social melodrama verging on the incestuous.
Cast
*
Naseem Banu
Naseem Banu (4 July 1916 – 18 June 2002) was an Indian actress. She was referred to as Naseem and known as "Beauty Queen" and the "first female superstar" of Indian Cinema. Starting her acting career in the mid-1930s she continued to act t ...
*
Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Merwanji Modi (2 November 1897 – 28 January 1984) was an Indian stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include ''Khoon Ka Khoon'' (1935), a version of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'', '' Sikandar'', ''Pukar'', ''Prithvi Va ...
*
Gajanan Jagirdar
Gajanan Jagirdar (2 April 1907 – 13 August 1988) was a veteran Indian film director, screenwriter and actor. He worked in Hindi Cinema, also called Bollywood, as well as Marathi cinema. The period of 1942 to 1947, saw his rise as a film direct ...
* Fakir Mohammed
* Sadiq Ali
* E. Tarapore
* Shanta Dutt
* Sheela
Review
The review of May 1938 by ''
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 ...
'' editor,
Baburao Patel
Baburao Patel (1904–1982) was an Indian publisher and writer, associated with films and politics.
Career
He was the editor and publisher of India's first film trade magazine, ''Filmindia'', the first edition of which was published in 1935.
B ...
, picked on various aspects of the film. Commending the story, the title itself was cited as "misguiding". The music and recording were praised with criticism for the "jarring" photography. Modi was criticised for his direction, "not at all enterprising and lacks imagination". Jagirdar came in for praise for his acting and holding the film aloft. Modi was considered "stagy" while Naseem Banu came in for the harshest criticism for her acting "Naseem is a rank failure as a screen artiste." Overall box-office value was cited as "good". The harsh treatment meted out to Modi by Patel was referred to by Gangar as due to "old rivalry" between the two, concerning advertising in the magazine.Gangar, p. 67
Soundtrack
The music direction was by B. S. Hoogan with lyrics by Irshad Ahmed. The songs were considered popular with the "rest of the music" quoted as being "good".