Woh Kaun Thi (1964)

A few days back during my stint in hospital for my back problems, I had an opportunity to wake up in the morning to a movie on cable that I have not seen in a really long time.  Raj Khosla’s alleged adaptation of that Alfred Hitchcock super hit called Vertigo is anything but an adaptation.  Other than a few scenes that may be called as “inspired” there is very little or nothing similar to Vertigo.

I believe, most of us are quick to seek similarities between 2 movies and even quicker to stamp “copied” with the authority of an industry expert.  I know I have been guilty of this myself on many an occasion.  But much as I may have loved Vertigo, I don’t think Khosla was anything but truly inspired by the genre of a suspense drama that Hitchcock was pretty much a pioneer of.

 

Woh Kaun Thi? (Who Was She? Loose translation) released nearly 50 years back to the date and to put it mildly, it was nothing short of sensational.  Khosla weaves a brilliant story of a successful Dr. Anand who is about to come into more riches thanks to an uncle who leaves everything to him in a last will and testament.

 

Around the same time, on a dark and rainy night, Dr. Anand encounters a lady draped in a white saree, drenched in the middle of the road. He offers her a lift like any other good soul would.  As soon as the woman sits in the car, the wipers stop functioning.  The good doctor is obviously perplexed and of course a bit scared but allows his curiosity to get the better of him.  He drops her off at a graveyard where she promptly disappears.

 

Things just start moving downhill from then for Dr. Anand.  He loses his fiancé Seema (Helen) to begin with.  He also gets a call from an old man in distress, makes his way to a desolate bungalow where he again sees the same woman.  When he leaves the bungalow, a cop car pulls over and informs him that the house has been abandoned for ages. The doctor goes back in to find no one.

 

Several twists and turns dot this fabulous classic which has to be on your “must-see” list if you haven’t seen it yet.  The performances are not the greatest but they are definitely acceptable.  Manoj Kumar in an avatar that isn’t “son of the soil” material is a refreshing change but his expressions remain as cold as ever.  Sadhana picked up a filmfare for this one if I am not mistaken.

 

The highlight of the movie though has to be the music.  Madan Mohan with Lata Mangeshkar has given us a melody that will actually haunt us for time immemorial.  Naina Barse is easily one of the most remembered and eerie tracks from Indian cinema.  Needless to say, a great story with superb music and above average performances with a lot of consistency.  Definitely a 7 on 10 if not more.

No trailers for this one but here is a snippet in case you would be keen to get a sneak peek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSsP4eocF8