indian cinema heritage foundation

Ghar Grahasthi (1958)

  • Release Date1958
  • GenreDrama, Family
  • FormatB-W
  • LanguageHindi
  • Shooting LocationFilmistan Studios (Goregaon, Bombay)
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GHAR GRAHASTHI is the story of a family of an average Indian village. It depicts how even he trifling matters create misunderstanding, ill-feeling and disunity in a sweet home bringing about its ruin.

It is the story of a hardworking youth Jaggu who is ill-treated by his step-mother Puniya. Puniya However, pampers her own son Dhannu and daughter Champa. Dhannu turns out to be a good for nothing fellow and further he is instigated against Jaggu by his maternal uncle Shambhu who owns a shop in the village.

As Gopa, Jaggu's wife, cannot see eye to eye with her month-in-law, she leaves the house and goes to stay with her mother along with Jaggu. There also Jaggu does not get any respect and is ill-treated by his mother-in-law. He, therefore, leaves for his own home, but his wife refuses to accompany him.

On Jaggu's return to his home, the trouble starts afresh and his father repents for having married a second time in his old age which has robbed him of all his happiness; as a consequence his death is hastened.

Jaggu consoles his mother and promises to give her all support. He does everything to make her happy. In her turn, Puniya also treats him as her own son and repents for having ill-treated him before. By the dint of his hard work in the field, he gets a good return and her is prosperity all round. Puniya now suggests to bring back Gopa to share the happiness, but Jaggu discourages her as he fears that she would create fresh troubles. Inspite of Jaggu's advice, Puniya does carry out her wishes and one day Gopa steps in the house with the determination to break away from her mother-in-law. The tension goes on mounting until one day Jaggu is forced to a partition of the household. However, he refuses to divide the farm.

While the trouble is still brewing, one day a fire breaks out in Puniya's house with Champa locked up inside. Jaggu, risking his own life, rescues her. This incident opens Dhannu's eyes and he is sorry for misjudging his brother Jaggu.

Everything goes on smoothly until one day Shambhu, the symbol of villainy, meets Gopa and warns her that Dhannu is after her jewellery and money. He induces her t keep all her valuables with him and out of reach of Dhannu.

A few days later, during the Holi festival Gopa goes to Shambhu's house to fetch the jewellery so that she can put on some ornaments on the auspicious occasion, but Shambhu denies any knowledge of the Jewellery or the money. Crestfallen, she comes home and narrates the incident to her husband. Dhannu overhears her story and dashes towards the house of Shambhu and recovers the entire jewellery and money.

It is now realised that Shambhu was the villain who all along poisoned the minds of the entire household setting one against another. Thus everybody is now overjoyed at the turn of events as all the misunderstanding that existed in their minds is cleared up once for all and they all live happily together again.

[From the official press booklet]