Naukri ( ''Job'') is a 1954 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
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
directed by
Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as ''Do Bigha Zamin'', ''Parineeta (1953 film), Parineeta'', ''Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas (1955 film), D ...
for Bimal Roy Productions.
The lead actors were
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 ...
and
Sheila Ramani
Sheila Ramani (2 March 1932 – 15 July 2015), also known as Sheila Kewalramani, was an Indian actress who was introduced into Bollywood by the film-maker Chetan Anand. She is known for her role in the movie ''Taxi Driver''. She was born in Sin ...
. This film is about the dreams and aspirations of the educated youth getting shattered as they struggle in the city for employment, in the ensuing years after India attained independence. ''Naukri'' and ''Baap Beti'' (1954) are cited as "sensitive" and "memorable" films from Roy. In ''Naukri'', Bimal Roy tackles yet another social problem, this time involving unemployment.
Naukri is one of the earliest films where Kishore Kumar first gained prominence. Since his comic persona had not yet fully developed, Naukri sees a sincere, sensitive and restrained performance from him.
Plot
Ratan Kumar Choudhary (
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 ...
) stays with his widowed mother (
Achala Sachdev
Achala Sachdev (3 May 1920 – 30 April 2012) was an Indian actress who appeared in classic films of Hindi language film industry. She was from Peshawar and started her career as a child actor. She later became known for mother and grandmother ...
) and sick sister, Uma (Noor) in the village. He is waiting for his college results. He dreams about the day when he has a job, a house and can find a good groom for his sister, and look after his mother. He narrates his dreams to his beloved sister in a beautiful song. She smiles happily and joins him in the song.
Ratan passes his BA and leaves for Calcutta where his father's colleague had promised him a job where his father had worked. In Calcutta, he takes up boarding in a lodge where he is neighbor to three other unemployed youths (one of whom is
Iftekhar
Sayedna Iftekhar Ahmed Sharif (22 February 1924 – 4 March 1995), often mononymously credited as Iftekhar, was an Indian actor who mainly worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for his role as a police officer.
Career
Iftekhar was born in ...
) in the "Bekar" (unemployed/without work) wing of the lodge. At his father's office, he finds out the manager has given the job to a relative. Ratan doesn't give up and perseveres applying wherever he can.
His sister, suffering from TB, is put on the waiting list at the sanatorium. Meanwhile, in Calcutta, Ratan also finds love with Seema (
Sheila Ramani
Sheila Ramani (2 March 1932 – 15 July 2015), also known as Sheila Kewalramani, was an Indian actress who was introduced into Bollywood by the film-maker Chetan Anand. She is known for her role in the movie ''Taxi Driver''. She was born in Sin ...
) who stays in the house in the next compound - much to her father's chagrin, who wants a son-in-law with a good job. Ratan woos her by singing romantically outside his window, and Seema listens from her window. She is attracted. Her father keeps intruding into her room, closing the window, etc. to prevent this romance.
Ratan struggles to get a job but to no avail. One day, even as he gets the news that his sister has been accepted at the sanatorium, he gets a telegram informing of her death. He is shocked and depressed, and his fellow lodgers console him.
One of the other unemployed youths in the lodge, Shankar, goes through similar misfortunes. He tries to kill himself, but Ratan stops him. Shankar gets a job later and is grateful to Ratan.
Ratan finally gets a job in Bombay. He writes a good newsletter to Seema and encloses his appointment letter an envelope. He puts it in her letterbox, to prove he has now got a job. The old man intercepts the letter, but his wife requests him not to open a private letter. The old man, thinking that an unemployed Ratan is wooing his daughter, burns the letter. Seema is unaware of all this. Ratan encounters her and finds out that she did not receive the letter. He confronts her father, who tells him that he burned it. A shocked Ratan tells him that he had an appointment letter in it and that he has a job in Bombay. Her father now changes his attitude and apologizes. Ratan has to leave for Bombay, but he cannot remember the name of the company. Seema's father tells him that the appointment letter that he had must have come in an envelope with the details. When Ratan returns to his apartment, he finds that his man-servant has thrown it away into the garbage can! Ratan now decides that he will just travel to Bombay and search for the company.
Ratan reaches Bombay. He constantly tries to remember the name of the company. As he walks along the various streets of Bombay, there are a bewildering number of company buildings, all looking alike. He keeps asking various locals about a company whose name he cannot remember! A pickpocket (
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 ...
) and his partner steal his wallet. As Ratan realizes that, he shouts for the police and a crowd gathers. However, the pickpocket has thrown the wallet to his partner who has run away. So the pickpocket claims innocence. The policeman takes both to the police station. The police inspector suspects Ratan, as he has no documents to prove that he has a job. Ratan pleads and cajoles, but to no avail. He is confined to a cell, along with the pickpocket. At night in the cell, he suddenly remembers the name of the company. He spends the whole night without sleep, and when the police inspector arrives in the morning, he eagerly tells him.
Thus, he ultimately makes his way to the company. He tells the officer about the appointment letter. The officer asks him why he's a day late. Ratan narrates his travails. The officer sympathizes but then tells him that the job has been given to another person since he did not turn up the previous day. Ratan breaks down. Seeing his plight, the officer arranges a job for him.
Ratan is a good worker. One day he helps an old colleague who is asked to work overtime by their supervisor. He takes the old man's work on himself. But he makes some mistake. The next day the supervisor fires the old man for the mistake. Ratan takes up the side of the old man, saying it was he who made the mistake. The manager fires him. All his colleagues are agitated, and they assure him that they will cajole the supervisor to take him back.
Meanwhile, Seema runs away from Calcutta to be with Ratan in Bombay. He cannot bring himself to tell her he is jobless. He tries to commit suicide, but Seema stops him and they decide they will face life together. The story ends on a poignant yet hopeful note.
Cast
*
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 ...
– Ratan Kumar Choudhary
*
Sheila Ramani
Sheila Ramani (2 March 1932 – 15 July 2015), also known as Sheila Kewalramani, was an Indian actress who was introduced into Bollywood by the film-maker Chetan Anand. She is known for her role in the movie ''Taxi Driver''. She was born in Sin ...
– Seema
*
Kanhaiyalal – Hari
*
Achala Sachdev
Achala Sachdev (3 May 1920 – 30 April 2012) was an Indian actress who appeared in classic films of Hindi language film industry. She was from Peshawar and started her career as a child actor. She later became known for mother and grandmother ...
– Ratan's Mother
* Noor - Uma (Ratan's Sister)
*
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 ...
– Pickpocketer
*
Jagdeep
Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey (29 March 1939 – 8 July 2020), better known by his stage name Jagdeep, was an Indian actor and comedian who appeared in more than 400 films. He played Soorma Bhopali in ''Sholay'' (1975), Machchar in ''Purana Mandir ...
– Lalu Ustad (Boot Polish Man)
Crew
* Director -
Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as ''Do Bigha Zamin'', ''Parineeta (1953 film), Parineeta'', ''Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas (1955 film), D ...
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047271/ imdb cast & crew info ]
* Producer - Bimal Roy
* Story - Subodh Basu
* Screenplay -
Nabendu Ghosh
Nabendu Ghosh (27 March 1917 – 15 December 2007) was an Indian author in Bengali literature, and screenwriter. He has written screenplays of classic Bollywood movies like, Sujata, Bandini, Devdas, Majhli Didi, Abhimaan and Teesri Kasam. He ...
* Dialogue - Paul Mahendra
* Cinematography - Kamal Bose
* Music -
Salil Choudhury
Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This incl ...
* Lyrics -
Shailendra
* Editing -
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...
* Studio - Mohan Studios
Music
Salil Chowdhary
Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, Hindi cinema, Hindi and Malayalam films, Malayalam films. ...
, the music director and Roy were not convinced about Kishore Kumar's singing potential at the time, and according to Bharatan, Kumar was taken on reluctantly as a singer.
One of the notable songs from the film was "Ek Chhoti Si Naukri Ka Talabgaar Hoon Main",
sung by Kishore Kumar, Shyam Mitra and Shankar Dasgupta, which reflected the young men's search for jobs. The other songs of note were "Arzi Hamaari Yeh Marzi Hamaari" and "Chhota sa Ghar Hoga", both sung by Kumar.
The lyricist was
Shailendra, and the other singers were Shaila Belle, Shankar Dasgupta, Shyam Mitra, Geeta Dutt, and Lata Mangeshkar.
The harmonica in "Chota sa ghar hoga" was played by the popular Bengali harmonica player "Milon Gupta".
Song list
Trivia
In this movie, a live-in relationship has been shown, albeit in different circumstances between Rattan and Seema. This facet was unheard of in those times.
Noor Mahal who plays Ratan's sister in this movie, has appeared in movie
Anmol Ghadi
Anmol Ghadi (English translation: Precious Watch
) is a 1946 Indian drama film directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan.
The film was a musical hit and still remembered for its music by Naushad, with hits like "Aawaaz ...
as young Lata.
References
External links
*
{{Bimal Roy
1954 films
1950s Hindi-language films
Films directed by Bimal Roy
Films scored by Salil Chowdhury
Indian drama films
1954 drama films
Indian black-and-white films