I’m slowly working my way through these magazines. This is the April 1958 issue.
I laughed out loud when I read Baburao’s caption for the Helen photograph below:
For once he had nothing caustic to say about Mala in describing this lovely picture:
When they wait like that with desire in their eyes and design in their head, it is the man who meets his Waterloo. A woman’s greatest art is to make a man feel that he has won when he has actually lost. Mala Sinha brings new desire to the screen in “Detective”, a sensational thriller produced by Ranjit Kumar for Amita Chitra.
And I haven’t seen Jabeen in anything yet, although that’s about to change!
In their bridal poses women are most attractive. They make marriage almost a dream of gods and one wonders why women do not always remain brides—trusting and looking up to the man. Jabeen gives a fine performance in “Hathkadi”, a social theme produced by Dhanwant Shah and directed by S. Bhatia for D. S. Films.
One senses that Baburao has been disappointed quite a lot in love!
Meena Kumari was so beautiful. I love this photo and giggled at Baburao’s comment on her eyes of a dove: “Don’t shoot me—love me.”
And our favorite CSP girl Shubha Khote—how really beautiful is she???
Alas! He reviews a Shammi film and finds it (and apparently the population’s taste in general) lacking:
“Mujrim”, Another Music-coated Crime Pill
Routine Stuff Likely to Become Crowds’ DelightEagle Films’ “Mujrim” is another crime pill coated with song, dance and romance. In all likelihood it will be swallowed with pleasure by many picture-goers, but those who approach their entertainment with discrimination should find it sticking in their throats. In spite of all its popular ingredients the picture is too trite and tedious an affair to arouse and sustain audience interest.
The story, a heavy concoction rather crowded with coincidences, is too deficient in realism to begin with. And then matters are made worse by the screenplay and direction both of which appear to be more eager to stuff the picture with cliches than with commonsense. These and other things combine to turn out another routine picture which has precious little about it that is genuinely exciting…
From the players, Shammi Kapoor as Shankar is once again seen making awkward faces. Having acted in numerous pictures by now, he still seems to be in need of being coached in the alphabet of acting. Ragini as Uma is an eye-filler. But one wishes that she had a smaller nose, a better Hindi diction and that she did more of dancing and less of jumping. Shubha Khote as Shobha looks amateurish as usual. Kamal Kapoor as the police officer is acceptable in spite of the rather long hair on his head. From the rest, S. Banerji as the theatre producer and Johnny Walker as his assistant provide noise while attempting humour.
In short, “Mujrim”, as a routine entertainer, contains the usual quota of crime, comedy, music and romance and therefore mass appeal. As a motion picture, it is trite and tiresome.
Well, nobody (in this case Baburao) is perfect.
MemsaabStory 