Musafir (1957)

TW: s*icide.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee displays in his very first film a sensitivity and maturity interlaced with gentle humour that would soon become a trademark of his filmography, and more importantly, become the main reason why his films remain the ultimate comfort decades after their release. Musafir also marks the first time Dilip saheb sang for a film, a lovely duet with Lata Mangeshkar- the two of them would eventually go on to refer to each other as "brother" and "sister", with Lata tai tying a rakhi around Dilip saheb's wrist. To the best of my knowledge, this is probably the only film starring both Dilip Kumar and Kishore Kumar, and it is a bit of a regret that the two legends never got to share screen space with each other. 

There is so much in this film to decipher, but last night, I simply let myself soak in the deep layers of its simplicity. I fell in love with Suchitra Sen even more- the way she speaks and emotes is exceptional, and I loved the heavy Bengali accent with which she delivered dialogues in Hindi. You go queen! She was so precious as Shakuntala, lovely even when she was despondent, that I couldn't help but despise everyone who was responsible for her sadness. Kishore Kumar was terrific in his segment, and made me realise once more just how multi-talented he was. His contributions to shaping Hindi cinema into what it is today, while still remaining someone who can never be matched on any front, are unparalleled. I was crying very hard during the suicide scene, and was internally threatening the movie that it better not let Bhanu die. He was a victim of weird Indian parenting, and I don't care how unrealistic or whatever it is, but I needed the man to live and prosper. As for the final segment with Dilip saheb and Usha Kiran, with a little Daisy Irani playing the precocious Raja (junior), I have no words at all. I was choking back tears every time he came on screen, but thankfully, Daisy Irani was there to warm up my heart. Such an adorable child. The ending broke me all over again, but well, that was to be expected I guess. My only coherent thought was that Dilip Saheb was not just one of a kind, but he was the true king of acting for generations to come. His legacy will outlive us all. What a glorious man. 

In conclusion, please watch this movie. YouTube user tommydan55 has uploaded it in good quality with subtitles on their channel, and it really is worth your while, especially if you are a fan of anthologies, or are planning to make one (cc: GVM), because they truly do not make them like this anymore.

PS- I still can't get over how the first segment had Suchitra, second Kishore, and third Dilip. The talent! How is one supposed to not love with movie with all their heart?? Especially when Ritwik Ghatak wrote it like that?? Filmmaking at its finest. 

PPS- My last Hrishikesh da movie was Naram Garam (1981), so you rest assured that I am even more happy after watching his debut and concluding that he most definitely is one of the best directors to ever come out of Bollywood. Amen to my soul. 

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