Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) Review

Starring Shammi Kapoor

and Sharmila Tagore
, Kashmir Ki Kali is a 1964 Indian film which was directed by Shakti Samanta and co starred by Pran and Nazir Hussain. It was produced under the banner of Shakti Films and Shakti Samanta while the music of the film was composed by veteran music composer O P Naiyyar. 


Released on the occasion of the New Year Eve on the 1st of January, 1964, it was critically acclaimed and became the sixth highest grossing movie of the year in Bollywood.

Rajeev Lal played by ever charming late Shammi Kapoor flees to his family’s lakeside bungalow in Kashmir when his mother decides for his marriage. The wealthy and ever pampered son of the widowed mother leaves his home in tension of losing his bachelorhood. While in the beautiful valley of Kashmir he meets a beautiful local flower seller Champa played by adorable Sharmila Tagore and he fell in love with her at the first sight.

He woos her assertively and to shun threatening her he hides his identity by telling her that he is the driver of the wealthy Rajeev Lal. They fall in love but their romance is shadowed by a villain Mohan played by Pran who wants Champa for himself. He blackmails Champa’s father Dinu (Nasir Hussain) by intimidating to reveal the dirty secrets of Champa’s descent. But there are always surprises to be unfold for in a film, as after consequent events Dinu is reveled as the real father of Rajeev and he exchanged him with Champa who in fact is the real heiress to the big Textile Empire. After a pithy commotion between Mohan and the hero Rajeev, both the lovers unite forever and the film ends leaving a message of love, sacrifice, along with leaving an apparition of the beautiful sites of Kashmir in every of the nature lovers.          
 

The Shikara ride on the stunning Dal Lake and singing ‘Yeh Chand sa Roshan Chehra’ while wooing Sharmila Tagore is still an anthem for the lovers. Not only had this song grabbed the attention of the music lovers but the other songs including ‘Deewana Hua Badal’, “Subhan Allah Hai”, “Kisi Na Kisi Se” and “Isharon Isharon Main” all were loved and praised by music lovers worldwide for its foot tapping and rhythmic tune. The music by O P Naiyyar with lyrics penned by S.H. Bihari and melodious vocals by duo Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle won the heart of large number of listeners.

Shammi Kapoor impresses the audience with his richer boyish charm while on the other hand Sharmila Tagore attired in a traditional Kashmiri dress looks adorable but lacks a bit to play the Kashmiri lady but saying that it was her first movie everybody can consider that.

The music and the filming done in Kashmir with lead actors earned the film sixth spot in the Bollywood Box Office that year as other than that nothing was special along with the story after interval which was lacking in every sense.      

Burning Issue: Samanta’s movie is truly a cinematic description which delicately communicates with the Nehruvian collective ideals of collective brotherhood and fairness without discriminating between anyone and without differing from the main line of the story. Pre-marital sex and women’s liberation are the bigger learning in her movie apart from her showing a romantic time between a man and a woman.