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Encyclopedia

On This Day

22 Dec, 1997

Cinemaazi remembers Raman B Desai on his death anniversary

22 Dec, 1997

Cinemaazi remembers Raman B Desai on his death anniversary

22 Dec, 1975

Cinemaazi remembers Vasant Desai on his death anniversary

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films

Najma (1943)

Mehboob Khan

Release Date1943
GenreDrama
FormatB-W
LanguageHindi
Run Time121 min
Length3332.6832 meters
Gauge35mm
Censor Certificate NumberB-27371
Certificate Date06 /05/1943
Shooting LocationCentral Studio, Tardeo Bombay

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In India love is considered more as a sacred feeling-to be reared most delicately.

Director Mehboob has attempted to treat this subject very reverently-trying to reveal the joys and happiness derived from it. He has tried to find the true place of love in Indian social life.

In Lucknow lived a benignant Nawab- a shadow of the glory and grandeur of the renowned forefathers of his. Though he owned nothing of worth-though he was neither a chieftain nor a ruler with an inch of ground over which ho held dominion, he was fond of living in the true style of his forefathers. A kindly man, he did not allow chill penury to daunt his spirits and was particular to have about him all the vestiges of his erstwhile wealth, pomp and glory.

The Nawab had one priceless jewel in his daughter NAJMA. He lavished paternal love on her in full blast. Najma loved her father equally intensely.

The Nawab was of the orthodox type-so all the education that Najma received was from the private tutors. Her father personally supervised her education and mental growth. The education of his daughter became the Nawab primary preoccupation to the exclusion of everything else. Najma grew into a perfect emblem of feminine beauty.

The Nawab curiously enough-had great friendly feelings for Dr Khan Saheb a commoner. Doctor's genial nature had destroyed the barriers of caste and he soon became a bosom friend of the Nawab. The Doctor had a brilliant young boy-Yusuf. Najma had only one playmate-and that was Yusuf. Both grew together-the seeds of innocent friendship sown in childhood, blossomed unconsciously into feeling of oneness-to be later fructified into love. Both felt drawn towards each other-but one was afraid confessing it to the other.

The barrier of society stood between them-society enjoined that a Nawab daughter must be married to a Nawab.

So Najma was engaged to Mukarram-a Nabab who considered education to be a thing far below his dignity. He loved to live like a Nawab-minus the culture and education that have made the name of the Nawab one to be conjured with. Indulgent to the last degree-uncouth-slothful Mukarram was a misfit husband for Najma.

Yusuf shared a fate similar to Najma-he was engaged to a girl who was the very opposite of Najma-in mental growth and temperament.

Fate cast these two lovers in identical positions-each felt that what man had proposed God disposed!

Did the lovers find a way out of this awkward corner? Did they allow the sense of frustration to blast their lives? The silver screen will furnish you startling developments.

(From the official press booklet)