''Kohinoor'' is a 1960

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

action adventure film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

produced by Dr V. N. Sinha and directed by S. U. Sunny. The film stars

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...

Leela Chitnis Leela Chitnis (''née'' Nagarkar; 9 September 1909 – 14 July 2003) was an Indian actress in the Indian film industry, active from 1930s to 1980s. In her early years she starred as a romantic lead, but she is best remembered for her later role ...

and

Kumkum Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In Indi ...

. The film's music is by

Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

. A huge box-office success, it was the third-highest grossing Indian film of 1960. The film was blockbuster at box office. It is said that Dilip Kumar went into depression after playing tragic roles in films such as Devdas and his psychiatrist recommended to him to do light roles. One such role that he took up was Kohinoor. Kohinoor cast Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari to play a prince and princess of different kingdoms and was full of sword fights, songs and dances. This film is also notable for some rare comical and funny scenes by Meena Kumari, who is otherwise known as the tragedy queen. Its tone was light and it lacked the intense characterisations of their earlier films. The film included the melodic songs "Madhuban mein Radhika Nache Re" and "Do Sitaron Ka Zameen Par Hai Milan Aaj Ki Raat".

Plot

After the passing of King Chandrabhan of Kailash Nagar, the General, Veer Singh, crowns Prince Dhivendra Pratap Bahadur Chandrabhan as the next King. Veer's wife, who has brought up Dhivendra like her own son, Surinder, would like Dhivendra to marry Princess Chandramukhi of Rajgarh. The King of Rajgarh is pleased to hear this and asks his daughter to set forth to Kailash Nagar. On the way there, she is abducted by her own General and held captive until she consents to marry him. Dhivendra rescues her and they both fall in love, but get captured by the General's men. Dhivendra is gravely injured, but manages to escape and is looked after by Rajgarh's royal dancer, Rajlaxmi, who also falls in love with him. After Dhivendra recuperates, he finds out that Chandramukhi is being held against her will at the General's castle. He sets forth to her free, but gets captured in the process. Held in chains, he is blinded by a vengeful Rajlaxmi, and Chandramukhi is given an ultimatum - either wed the General or witness the execution of Dhivendra.

Cast

Portrait of Dilip Kumar in the film Kohinoor

- Rajkumar Dhivendra Pratap Chandrabhan *

- Princess Chandramukhi *Azim *Bina *

*Jeevan *

Raja Kapur ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

Nazir Kashmiri Nazir Kashmiri was a prolific character actor in Hindi cinema who appeared in over 100 films. His career extended from 1941 to 2008 spanning 67 years. He started his career in Lahore. He appeared in several Lahore productions before moving to Bo ...

*Kumar *

*Rekha Mallick *

Mukri Mohammed Umar Mukri (5 January 1922 – 4 September 2000), popularly known as Mukri, was an Indian actor, who worked as a comedian in Hindi films. Born as Muhammad Umar Mukri in Uran, in Kokani Muslim Family. He started his film career with th ...

*Nissar *Qamar *M.Y. Shaikh *Sood *

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Press Release, Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

and 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 ...

. The soundtrack became a cult favourite among music lovers for its soul stirring music compositions. The soundtrack consists of 10 songs, featuring vocals by

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

and

Asha Bhonsle 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 the ...

. The best known song in the soundtrack is ''Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re'', a classical dance song, composed on rāga Hamir and sung by

Awards

Filmfare Award for Best Actor The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1954, presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury. This is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi (Bollywood) films. The award was firs ...

for

Filmfare Best Editing Award The Filmfare Best Editing Award is given by the '' Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Superlatives Most Awards * Sreekar Prasad – 4 * Hrishikesh Mukherjee – 3 * Raj Kapoor – 3 * Sanjay Verma – ...

for Moosa Mansoor

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0053999, Kohinoor 1960 films 1960s Hindi-language films Films scored by Naushad