Insan Jaag Utha

Insan Jaag Utha (lit.'Mankind has awoken') is a 1959 Hindi-language social drama film, produced and directed by Shakti Samanta, and written by Nabendu Ghosh and Vrajendra Gaur, based on a story by Saroj Mitra. The film stars Madhubala, Sunil Dutt, Nasir Hussain, Bipin Gupta and Madan Puri in lead roles. It has music by Sachin Dev Burman, with lyrics by Shailendra.

Insan Jaag Utha
Theatrical release poster
Directed byShakti Samanta
Written byNabendu Ghosh (screenplay)
Vrajendra Gaur (dialogue)
Story bySaroj Mitra
Produced byShakti Samanta
StarringMadhubala
Sunil Dutt
Nasir Hussain
Bipin Gupta
Madan Puri
CinematographyChandu
Edited byDharamvir
Music bySachin Dev Burman
Shailendra (lyrics)
Release date
  • 14 April 1959 (1959-04-14)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Box officeest. 5.2 million

Plot

Gauri lives in a small village in India with her crippled ex-army-man and freedom fighter dad, Laxmandas, and a younger brother, Gulab, and makes a living working as a laborer. One day she notices a man lurking around their house, this man subsequently introduces himself as Ranjeet, who has just arrived from Bombay. Ranjeet and Gauri become friends after he treats a wound on Gauri's foot, and then both fall in love with each other. Ranjeet starts working for the Government which is in the process of building a dam, where Gauri also works. Ranjeet starts work as a laborer also, but is subsequently promoted as a crane operator. What Gauri and Laxmandas do not know is that Ranjeet is in this village for a reason - greed for the suitcase of gold that he himself had buried in Gauri's front-yard - the very same gold that he was caught smuggling five years ago and the very same gold that he had spent five years in prison for.

Cast

Production

It was a tiring yet refreshing experience to get so close to nature and witness the lives of hundreds of people who are helping to build the new India.

Madhubala on working in Insan Jaag Utha, [1]

Early in his career, Samanta had directed only crime thrillers including Inspector (1956) and Howrah Bridge (1958). A few days after the success of Howrah Bridge (1958), which was directed and also produced by him, he began working on Insan Jaag Utha. Insan Jaag Utha was a film with social and patriotic themes, and this was an attempt by Samanta to shift to making social films.[2] A large part of the film was shot on location at the Nagarjuna Saagar Dam, and the whole crew stayed in several guest rooms situated near the dam.[1]

Soundtrack

Insaan Jaag Utha
Soundtrack album by
Released1959 (India)
GenreFilm soundtrack
LabelHMV now Sa Re Ga Ma
ProducerSachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman chronology
Kaagaz Ke Phool
(1959)
Insaan Jaag Utha
(1959)
Manzil
(1960)

The soundtrack of the film was composed by S. D. Burman, with lyrics by Shailendra. It is noted for the duet Jaanu Jaanu Ri sung by Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt, which was shot on location at the under-construction Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.

SongSinger
"Aankhen Chaar Hote Hote" Asha Bhosle
"Baharon Se Nazaron Ke" Asha Bhosle
"Baat Badhti Gayi" Asha Bhosle
"Jaanu Jaanu Ri, Kaahe Khanke Hai Tora Kangna" Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt
"Chand Sa Mukhda Kyun Sharmaya" Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
"Mehanatkash Insan Jaag Utha, Lo Dharti Ke Khwab Jage" Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
"Yeh Chanda Rus Ka" Mohammed Rafi

Reception

Critical reception

Shoma A. Chatterjee of Upperstall found the film's storyline to be "powerful" and its songs to be "beautiful".[2] Filmfare had mentioned Madhubala's performance as Gauri in the film among her best performances.[3]

Box office

Insan Jaag Utha was a hit with audience and eventually emerged as the thirteenth highest-grossing film of 1959, taking 0.52 crore at the box office.[4] However, since the film was made on a big budget, its earning brought Samanta only a little profit. In an interview he gave several years after the film's release, he recalled Insan Jaag Utha as a "mediocre success".[5]

Discouraged by the little box-office returns of Insan Jaag Utha, Samanta shifted back to make entertainment-oriented, crime films for another decade, beginning with the highly successful Jaali Note (1960), before attempting the socially relevant film genre with films like Aradhana (1969), Kati Patang (1971) and Amar Prem (1971).[6]

References

  1. Akbar, Katijia (1 April 2011). I Want to Live: The Story of Madhubala. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-81398-21-0.
  2. Chatterji, Shoma A. (9 April 2016). "Shakti Samanta". Upperstall.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. "Remembering Madhubala's best roles". filmfare.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  4. "Highest Grossing Hindi Movies of 1959". IMDb. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  5. "'In Aradhana, Sachin Karta Gave Me My Life's Biggest Hit': In Conversation with Shakti Samanta". Silhouette Magazine. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. "Bollywood will miss wizard of entertainment Shakti Samanta". The Hindu. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
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