Mr And Mrs 55 (1955) :
Brief Review -
Madhubala and Guru Dutt's exhilarant romantic comedy destroys the contract marriage concept and pseudo-feminism inspired by Western liberalism. Okay, so you can recall many films with the theme of contract marriage, where the girl is married to a man just to get the property. The girl actually falls in love with the man and is now looking to rekindle her relationship with him. However, the man doesn't want her now. That's an outdated formala now, but highly entertaining and enchanting. Imagine a film cracking this super entertaining formula in the 1950s for Bollywood. Some of those old Hollywood rom-coms or screwball comedies from 30s stand as inspirations for this Guru Dutt's romantic comedy, but it's the criticism of pseudo-feminism that makes it better. In the climax, Madhubala's character fearlessly speaks about Indian women and how she is happy with her husband and family, while criticizing the western liberalism of European countries, where girls/women can turn platonic affairs into marriage and continue doing so with several men. I just loved that part. On the other hand, Guru Dutt's character is seen taking a dig at the aunty, who hates men and is trying to bring foreign culture to Indian families. There are so many sensual and serious issues that the film deals with, but it all comes with a solid dose of comedy. Let's not forget what a fantastic comedy it is. Johnny Walker has played one of the finest characters of his career, and that iconic song, "Jaaen kaha mera jigar Gaya ji," was just WOW! So, there was Madhubala-a heavenly beauty-and yet i was attracted to Vinita Bhatt. Such a cute face and expressions she gave! Totally killer. Madhubala is evergreen, man; what else can I say about her? Timeless. Guru Dutt, who later became known for intense and dark movies, has done a terrific job as an actor and director. Such a "complete film" it is.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
