''Rail Ka Dibba'' () is a

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

Indian film The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

directed by Prem Narayan Arora and starring

Shammi Kapoor Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor f ...

Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, ...

in lead roles. The film was

's second release after '' Jeewan Jyoti'' (1953).

Plot

Sundar (

) is a poor young man who makes living by being a human billboard. One day, walking at a sea shore near his living place, he sees a girl who is going to commit suicide by jumping in the sea. He tries to stop her and succeeds. She reveals herself to be Chanda (

), who is an orphan and does not have anyone in this world. She used to work as a maid in several families but was thrown out of work for this or that reason. With no one to care about her and no place to live, she has decided that suicide is the best option. Sundar takes her to his living place, which is an abandoned railway carriage which is near railway tracks. There she is introduced to Dr. Nirogi (

Om Prakash Om Prakash (born Om Prakash Chibber 19 December 1919 – 21 February 1998) was an Indian film actor. He was born in Jammu as Om Prakash Chibber and went on to become a well-known character actor of Bollywood. His most well-known movies are Nam ...

), who was once a magician and showman, was thrown out of work and now lives with Sundar. There is Mohan ( Sajjan), who is currently unemployed. Mohan tells her that he has come to Sundar's house just like Chanda was brought there. All four become friends and the carriage becomes a place of happiness for them. They share food and try to earn living by different means, not for themselves but for each other. While Sundar, Nirogi and Chanda are still trying to find ways to make ends meet, Mohan arrives with good news that the newspaper Prakash Daily has hired him, at the sum of Rs 300 per month. Mohan has bought gifts for his friends with the advance he has received. To celebrate these happy times, they go out for a walk near a beach. In the evening when Nirogi and Mohan are out for some work, Chanda and Sundar realise that they are in love. Both of them marry soon but don't tell anything to their friends. One day, Mohan tells Chanda that he is in love with her and wants to marry her. A horrified Chanda reveals that she is already married to Sundar and the result is Mohan begins fighting and abusing Sundar. Soon this verbal fight turns into a physical fight, with Chanda, in vain, trying to stop the men. Soon, Sundar knocks Mohan out and drags him to the railway track. What will happen now? Will these four unite again?

Cast

as Sundar *

as Chanda *

as Dr. Nirogi * Sajjan as Mohan *

Jayant Jayanta ( sa, जयन्त, "victory"), is a character who appears in Hindu literature. He is the son of Indra, the king of the devas (gods), and his wife, Shachi (Indrani). He has a sister called Jayanti. He appears in various Hindu scri ...

as Pathan *

Ram Avtar Ram Avtar was a character actor turned comedian in Hindi cinema. He is best known for his roles in Nasir Hussain's films, especially '' Teesri Manzil'' (1967) and ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'' (1973). These roles ranged from tickled train passenger in t ...

as Newspaper Editor *

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 Dancer *

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

as Dancer

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Ghulam Mohammed. Lyrics were penned by

Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni (3 August 1916 – 20 April 1970) was an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter in Hindi / Urdu language films. Early life Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadir ...

Reception

Critical reception

''Rail Ka Dibba'' received mixed reviews from the critics. A review by the ''Thought'' journal was not impressed with the way Madhubala was presented onscreen, but found Shammi Kapoor to be a "promising actor". The reviewer concluded, "All in all there is comedy and fun in abundance. The picture is a must watch."

Box office

''Rail Ka Dibba'' was a box office disappointment. It was the nineteenth highest-grossing Indian film of 1953, and remained Shammi Kapoor's highest-grossing release till '' Tumsa Nahin Dekha'' (1957).

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0134047 1953 films 1950s Hindi-language films Indian romantic drama films 1953 romantic drama films Indian black-and-white films