Daag (1973 film)
| Daag: A Poem Of Love | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Yash Chopra |
| Written by | Story: Gulshan Nanda Dialogue: Akhtar-Ul-Iman |
| Based on | The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy |
| Produced by | Yash Chopra |
| Starring | Rajesh Khanna Sharmila Tagore Raakhee |
| Cinematography | Kay Gee |
| Edited by | Pran Mehra |
| Music by | Laxmikant Pyarelal |
Production company | Yash Raj Films |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 146 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Daag: A Poem of Love (transl. Smear) is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Yash Chopra in his debut as a producer, under the newly formed banner Yash Raj Films. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, and Raakhee in lead roles, with supporting performances from Madan Puri, Kader Khan, Prem Chopra, and A. K. Hangal.[1] Loosely inspired by Thomas Hardy’s 1886 novel The Mayor of Casterbridge, the narrative follows a man who is separated from his wife after being accused of murder and later finds himself entangled in a complicated relationship with another woman.
The film marked the first production under the Yash Raj Films banner, which later grew to become one of India's most prominent studios. It also marked the acting debut of Kader Khan.[2] Principal photography took place in various locations across India, and the music was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. Several songs from the film, including "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" and "Ni Main Yaar Manana Ni," were chart-toppers at the time of release.
Released theatrically in 1973, Daag: A Poem of Love received widespread acclaim for its performances, direction, and music and emerged as a major commercial success during the peak of Khanna’s career.[3] At the 21st Filmfare Awards, the film received seven nominations, including Best Film, Best Actor (Khanna), and Best Actress (Tagore), and won two: Best Director (Chopra) and Best Supporting Actress (Raakhee).[4]
The name of Raakhee’s character, Chandni, was later reused by Chopra in his films Silsila (1981) and Chandni (1989). The film was remade in Telugu film Vichitra Jeevitham (1978).[5]
Plot
[edit]Sunil Kohli, a young man, falls in love with and marries Sonia. During their honeymoon, bad weather forces the couple to take shelter for the night at a bungalow owned by Sunil's employer. While Sonia is alone, Dheeraj Kapoor—the employer’s son—attempts to assault her. Sunil arrives in time to intervene, and in the ensuing struggle, Dheeraj is killed. Sunil is arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.
While being transported to prison, the police van meets with an accident, and all occupants are presumed dead. Years later, Sonia, now a schoolteacher raising her and Sunil's son alone, discovers that Sunil is alive and living under a new identity as Sudhir. He is now married to a wealthy woman named Chandni.
Following the accident, Sunil had met Chandni, who had been abandoned by her lover after becoming pregnant. In exchange for help in starting a new life, Sunil agreed to marry Chandni to provide legitimacy to her unborn child. As the law closes in once again, Sunil must now answer not only for his past but also for the charge of bigamy.
Cast
[edit]- Rajesh Khanna as Sunil Kohli / Sudhir
- Sharmila Tagore as Sonia Kohli
- Raakhee as Chandni
- Prem Chopra as Dheeraj Kapoor
- Baby Pinky as Pinky
- Raju Shrestha (Master Raju) as Rinku
- Manmohan Krishna as Deewan, Chandni's father
- Madan Puri as K. C. Khanna
- Achala Sachdev as Mrs. Malti Khanna
- Iftekhar as Inspector Singh
- Hari Shivdasani as Jagdish Kapoor
- Yashodra Katju as School Principal
- Kader Khan as Prosecuting attorney
- A. K. Hangal as Prosecuting Attorney / Judge
- S. N. Banerjee as Judge
- Karan Dewan as Doctor Kapoor who treats Chandni's father
- Surendra as Sunil's uncle
- Jagdish Raj as Ram Singh (driver)
- Manmohan as Prisoner in van fighting with Sunil
- Padma Khanna as Dancer
- Aruna as Dancer
- Habib as Blacksmith removing Sunil's handcuffs
- Saul George as Jr. Artist
Crew
[edit]- Director – Yash Chopra
- Story – Gulshan Nanda
- Dialogue – Akhtar-Ul-Iman
- Producer – Yash Chopra
- Editor – Pran Mehra
- Art Director – R. G. Gaekwad
- Cinematographer – Kay Gee
- Stunts – Ravi Khanna, M. B. Shetty
- Choreographer – Suresh Bhatt[citation needed]
- Lyricist – Sahir Ludhianvi
- Music Director – Laxmikant Pyarelal
- Playback Singers – Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Rajesh Khanna
Soundtrack
[edit]The film's soundtrack was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi.[6] Two songs from the album were especially popular during the year of the film's release. "Ab Chahe Ma Roothe Yaa Baba" ranked at number 7 and "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" ranked at number 20 on the Binaca Geetmala annual list of 1973.
| Daag: A Poem of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1973 (India) | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Label | Saregama | |||
| Producer | Laxmikant Pyarelal | |||
| Laxmikant Pyarelal chronology | ||||
| ||||
| # | Title | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" | Kishore Kumar | 04:19 |
| 2 | "Ab Chahe Ma Roothe Yaa Baba" | Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar | 05:36 |
| 3 | "Hum Aur Tum Tum Aur Hum" | Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar | 04:07 |
| 4 | "Jab Bhi Jee Chaahe" | Lata Mangeshkar | 04:19 |
| 5 | "Main To Kuchh Bhi Nahin" | Rajesh Khanna | 02:28 |
| 6 | "Ni Main Yaar Manana Ni" | Lata Mangeshkar, Minoo Purushottam | 05:48 |
| 7 | "Hawa Chale Kaise" | Lata Mangeshkar | 05:46 |
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of the ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 11 April 1974 | Best Film | Daag: A Poem of Love | nom | [4] |
| Best Director | Yash Chopra | won | |||
| Best Actor | Rajesh Khanna | nom | |||
| Best Actress | Sharmila Tagore | nom | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Raakhee | won | |||
| Best Music Director | Laxmikant Pyarelal | nom | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Kishore Kumar (for "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai") | nom |
References
[edit]- ^ Sood, Samira (3 October 2020). "Daag, Yash Chopra's debut as producer, broke the mould with its shades of bigamy". ThePrint.
- ^ "Kader Khan". IMDb.
- ^ "Blockbusters Of Twenty-Five Years (1973-1997)". 13 October 2023.
- ^ a b "1st Filmfare Awards 1953" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ Kohli, Suresh (5 June 2014). "Daag (1973)". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Daag 1973 songs". Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
External links
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