27 September, 2009

Kohinoor (1960)

About:
It is said that Dilip Kumar went into depression after playing tragic roles in films such as Devdas and his psychiatrist recommended 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. Its tone was light and it lacked the intense characterisations of his earlier films.

Synopsis:
'Kohinoor' is nothing short of a typical 60's Bollywood fairytale. There's a prince, a princess, an evil minister, an evil king, a dancer, horses and soldiers and what not? It's perhaps a fun watch with the family. I enjoyed the comedic moments. Meena Kumari seems to have a knack for comedy but she really does go over the top in the dramatic scenes (oh the screaming!). Too bad she wasn't offered much comedy films. She does fit the princess role. Dilip Kumar is adequate. KumKum springs a surprise as here she plays second lead to Meena, instead of the usual comedic role or heroine's sidekick. She does a fine job and she's quite a dancer. The songs are quite melodious, my favorite being 'Jaadugar katil ' sung by the legendary Asha Bhosle and filmed on Kum Kum. On the technical side, the film is okay for its time. The underwater shots are quite good. The set designs, at times look fake but I doubt anyone cares as it's a black and white film. Anyway, to put it in a nutshell, 'Kohinoor' is a decent flick that's perhaps more enjoyable to watch with the family (who know about Hindi films) than solo.
Winner of two Filmfare awards: Best Actor and Best Editor.

Starring:
Dilip Kumar
Meena Kumari
Azim
Bina (as Beena)
Leela Chitnis
Jeevan
Raja Kapur
Nazir Kashmiri
Khursheed Khan (as Khurshed Khan)
Kumar
Kumkum
Rekha Mallick
Mukri
Nissar (as Master Nisar)
Qamar
M.Y. Shaikh (as M.Y. Sheikh)
Sood
Tun Tun
Uma

Director: S.U. Sunny
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