''Musafir'' () is a 1957 Hindi film directed by

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 ...

, being his directorial debut. The screenplay and story were written by

and

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembe ...

respectively. The film is about a house and the lives of three families who live in it, so in essence, it is three stories linked by the house. The first part stars

Suchitra Sen Suchitra Sen ( ; born as Roma Dasgupta (; 6 April 1931 – 17 January 2014) was an Indian actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema ...

in lead role. The second part stars

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 ...

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...

Nazir Hussain Nazir Hussain (15 May 1922 – 16 October 1987) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter. He was famous as a character actor in Hindi cinema and acted in almost 500 films. Dev Anand starred in a large proportion of the films he acted in ...

in lead roles. The third part 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 ...

Usha Kiran Usha Kiran (22 April 1929 – 9 March 2000) was an Indian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, she acted in over 50 Hindi and Marathi films, notably '' Daag'' (1952), '' Patita'' (1953), ''Baadbaan'' (1954), '' Chupke Chupke'' (1975) ...

in lead roles. The film was a profitable venture for Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Plot

Episode-1-Marriage

For any young married couple, moving into their new house is a very special feeling. The feeling gets more special if the young couple has eloped and married. Something similar happened with Shakuntala (

) and her husband Ajay ( Shekhar). The landlord Mahadev Chaudhary (

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

) helps the couple move to the rented house. The young couple move to this house, which, incidentally is the main protagonist of the film. While Shakuntala makes the house into a beautiful home, her husband gets busy with work. She meets the neighbouring tea vendor (

Mohan Choti Mohan Choti (1935 – 1 February 1992) was an Indian actor who worked as a comedian in Hindi films. The name Mohan Choti came from a fictional character of the same name from the 1957 film '' Musafir'', in which he plays a tea shop delivery boy ...

) and meets the next door "aunty", whose favourite pastime is to gossip about developments in others' homes. The couple hears the sound of a violin in the night and ask the tea-stall owner about it in the morning. He says that it is being played by a madman, Pagla Babu. Since the couple had eloped, Shakuntala wanted that her parents-in-law accept her as their daughter-in-law. This is what happens, and her in-laws somehow find the young couple and they are more than happy to meet Shakuntala. Finally, Shakuntala and her husband go with them and vacate the house. In between, Shakuntala plants some seeds in the garden. The landlord again puts the TO LET sign on the house.

Episode-2-Birth

The next tenants in the house is a family headed by an old man Madhav (

). The other members are his elder widowed daughter-in-law (

) and younger college going son Bhanu (

). The daughter-in-law is pregnant and we are told that her husband had just died. Bhanu is finishing his college and simultaneously looking for a job, whereas his old father is somehow managing the expenses. Although there is sadness in the home, Bhanu, with his wit and humour, maintains a light atmosphere for his sister-in-law. The next door "aunty" again comes and chats on and on. Bhanu also hears the violin and when asks about it from the tea-vendor is told about Pagla Babu. The problems of the family increase as Bhanu fails to get a job landing the family in dire consequences. He gets frustrated and this leads to a clash with his father. On feeling humiliated, Bhanu finally drinks poison before sleeping. However, the poison is adulterated and Bhanu wakes up when the entire family is mourning. He gets the news that he has finally got a job in some other city. The pregnant lady also delivers a child. The family is happy and they move to another city vacating the house. We see that the seed which Shakuntala sowed has germinated. The landlord again puts the TO LET sign on the house. Note: This part of the movie is adorned with a lovely song by

; "Munna Bada Pyara, Ammi Ka Dulara".

Episode-3-Death

The next inhabitants are a barrister and his widowed sister Uma (

). Uma has a small handicapped son Raja (

Daisy Irani Daisy Irani is an Indian television actress, director and producer from Singapore. Biography She was born to Gujarati film actress Padmarani and stage director Namdar Irani in Bombay, India. She is best known for appearing in the role of Daisy ...

). The neighbourhood "aunty" again visits the home. Like the previous tenants, this family also hears the sound of a violin in the night. The child is also attracted by the music and when he finds out about Pagla Babu from the tea-vendor, he insists on meeting him. However, the vendor tells the child that Pagla babu does not meet anyone. However, the child does not listen and insists on meeting the mysterious violinist. Pagla Babu does appear to meet the child. Uma is shocked to realize that Pagla Babu is none other than Raja (

), her ex-lover. Raja, however, does not make it evident and interacts fondly with the child. In a very short span, an amazing bond is developed between Raja and the child. Initially, Uma is very uncomfortable with this bonding, but slowly she accepts it. We come to know that Raja is suffering from cancer and the dreaded disease is in its advanced stages. Ironically, Raja, who is on the verge of dying, pumps life into the child and fills his dark world with hope. He also tells the child that he will start walking once there is a flower in the garden. On knowing about Raja, Uma's brother is furious. There is a clash between them. Slowly, Raja reaches the final stage and Uma takes care of him. Eventually he dies and the child starts walking. Meanwhile, in the garden, the germinated seed finally blossoms into a flower.

Cast

as Raja *

as Bhanu *

as Shakuntala Verma *

as Bhanu's Sister-In-Law *

as Uma *

as Raja * Shekhar as Ajay Sharma * Naaz as Munni *

as Mohan Choti *

as Mahadev Chaudhary *

as Madhav *

Bipin Gupta Bipin Gupta (21 August 1905 – 9 September 1981) was an Indian actor and artist during the 1930s and 1960s. He acted in Bengali and Hindi cinema, most notably in ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Jagriti'' (1954), ''Gharana'' (1961) and '' Khilona'' ...

as Neelambar Sharma *

Durga Khote Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in around ...

as Mrs. Neelambar Sharma *

Rashid Khan Rashid Khan Arman ( ps, ; born 20 September 1998) is an Afghan international cricketer and a former captain of the national team. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide Strikers in Austra ...

as Doctor *Rajlaxmi as Munni's Mother *Paul Mahindra as Advocate Suresh Chandra *Heera Sawant as Street Dancer *

Keshto Mukherjee Keshto Mukherjee (7 August 1925 – 2 March 1982) was an Indian actor and comedian. He was born in Kolkata,Bengal Presidency, British India. He specialised in comic drunkard roles in Hindi films. Though he was famous for his drunkard typecast ...

as Street Dancer

Music

Awards

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

- Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film in Hindi

References

External links

* {{Hrishikesh Mukherjee 1957 films 1950s Hindi-language films Films scored by Salil Chowdhury Films directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee 1957 directorial debut films