''Rakhi Aur Hathkadi'' is a

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 ...

film that was released in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

. It was directed by S. M. Sagar. It stars

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

Asha Parekh Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is a retired Indian actress, film director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful ...

in a dual role, Vijay Arora,

Danny Denzongpa Tshering Phintso "Danny" Denzongpa (born 25 February 1948) is an Indian actor, singer and film director who primarily works in Hindi films. He has acted in over 190 films since 1971. In 2003, Denzongpa was awarded the Padma Shree, India's four ...

Kabir Bedi Kabir Bedi ( pa, ਕਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬੇਦੀ; born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other European countries in three media: f ...

, and

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. Music is by R.D. Burman. Lyrics are by

Majrooh Sultanpuri Asrar ul Hassan Khan (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000), better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in India's Hindi language film industry. He wrote Hindustani lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks. He was ...

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in th ...

sang all seven songs, two of which were duets with Kishore Kumar. Leading lady

said that she dabbled in choreographing the dance sequences "to a certain extent" for this film, even though her name is not listed as a choreographer in the opening credits.

Plot

Janki (

) is a temple priest's daughter. When she was a little girl, a man killed her father, kidnapped her and sold her to a brothel. When she grows up, she refuses to be a courtesan and wants a love marriage with a poor man named Ramesh. Noble and compassionate Thakur Virendra Singh (

) lives a wealthy life-style with his wife, Ratna, but they have no children. Ratna's brother Vikram has designs on Janki and has bought her. Ramesh saves her from being raped, and they get married with the help of Virendra Singh's assistant Munshi. Ratna has a child after 14 years of marriage and it turns out to be a stillborn baby. While she is still unconscious, Janki decides to help by giving up her son Suraj to Virendra Singh. When Ratna wakes up, she is overjoyed to see that she has a son. Virendra Singh is grateful to Janki and promises her that he will raise her son as his own. Janki and her husband leave town and decide to start a new life and have another child- a daughter named Kiran (played by

again). Meanwhile, Virendra Singh and Ratna have a second son Prakash ( Vijay Arora). Kiran grows up and is in college, which is where she meets Prakash. Another student Raja (

) harasses Kiran, and Prakash stands by her when she complains to the principal about Raja's behavior. Raja gets expelled from school, and Kiran and Prakash fall in love. Janki is a widow who supports Kiran by taking in sewing, and Kiran feels guilty. Mrs. Reen (

), a club owner, sees Kiran dance on the stage at her college and offers her a job as a cabaret dancer. She and Prakash have a run-in with Raja at the club, and he vows revenge. Prakash's brother Suraj(

) falls in love with Munshi's daughter, Shobhna, but Ratna opposes this match as Shobhna is not in the same social and economic standing as her son. Prakash brings Kiran and her mother to his home to introduce them to his mother. Vikram instantly recognizes Janki and tells Ratna that she is a courtesan. Kiran gets upset and runs out, with Prakash following her. Suraj throws Janki out, when Virendra Singh slaps him and tells them the whole truth about how Janki is his real mother. Raja kidnaps Kiran and tries to rape her. Suraj and Prakash fight the goons and save her. However, Suraj kills Raja and is imprisoned. Janki and Kiran visit him in jail. Kiran cries to her brother that instead of rakhi, all she got for him was hathkadi(handcuffs) for her brother. Janki prays to God to help her son. In court, the judge rules that Raja's death was justified and Suraj is released. Janki is very happy. Suraj marries Shobna, and Prakash marries Kiran in a double wedding. Vikram asks for Janki and Munshi's forgiveness, which is granted.

Reception

candidly said that she backed and distributed the film "thinking it would be a big success, but it could not last even five days at the box office." In her 2017 memoir, she went even further by calling it "my worst film that ever sank like the Titanic."Parekh, Asha and Mohammed, Khalid. The Hit Girl. New Delhi: Om Books International (2017), p. 119

Soundtrack

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0284419 1970s Hindi-language films Indian action drama films 1970s action drama films 1972 films Films scored by R. D. Burman 1972 drama films Hindi-language action drama films