Kismet features Shekhar (Ashok Kumar), an unapologetic, unashamed criminal but a man with a heart of gold. Shekhar unexpectedly finds himself involved with a young lady called Rani (Mumtaz Shanti) and her father (P.F. Pithawala), both of whom have more than their share of difficulties. The person responsible for their misery is Indrajeet (Mubarak), who has his own cross to bear in the form of a son who was lost almost 20 years ago (Mehmood, in his screen debut as a child artist).
Will Shekhar succeed in resolving the problems in Rani's life? Will her father manage to get back his lost dignity? Will Indrajeet find his lost son?
***Spoilers ahead*** No marks for guessing who Indrajeet's long lost son will turn out to be, though the end must have been totally unexpected for audiences in '43. Kismet was the first ever Hindi movie to feature themes like lost and found, an anti-hero and pregnancy out of wedlock. In many ways, this movie contained the blueprint for countless movies in the 70s and 80s.
Seen today, Kismet may seem just another run of the mill movie, but its worth remembering that it was a path breaking movie that was was ahead of its time.
This movie is Ashok Kumar's all the way. Already one of the leading actors of his time, Kismet made him the first superstar of Indian cinema. Dadamoni's resemblance (face and voice) to his younger brother Kishore is astonishing.
The music of Kismet is outstanding for a 40s movie, not least the 'Aaj Himalay ki choti' song, whose patriotic overtones made it a wildly popular song in the 40s.
In short, Kismet is a paisa vasool masala movie- the precursor to the Manmohan Desai brand of filmmaking.
Will Shekhar succeed in resolving the problems in Rani's life? Will her father manage to get back his lost dignity? Will Indrajeet find his lost son?
***Spoilers ahead*** No marks for guessing who Indrajeet's long lost son will turn out to be, though the end must have been totally unexpected for audiences in '43. Kismet was the first ever Hindi movie to feature themes like lost and found, an anti-hero and pregnancy out of wedlock. In many ways, this movie contained the blueprint for countless movies in the 70s and 80s.
Seen today, Kismet may seem just another run of the mill movie, but its worth remembering that it was a path breaking movie that was was ahead of its time.
This movie is Ashok Kumar's all the way. Already one of the leading actors of his time, Kismet made him the first superstar of Indian cinema. Dadamoni's resemblance (face and voice) to his younger brother Kishore is astonishing.
The music of Kismet is outstanding for a 40s movie, not least the 'Aaj Himalay ki choti' song, whose patriotic overtones made it a wildly popular song in the 40s.
In short, Kismet is a paisa vasool masala movie- the precursor to the Manmohan Desai brand of filmmaking.
