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Kismet (1943 film)

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Kismet
Poster
Directed byGyan Mukherjee
Written byAghajani Kashmeri
Screenplay byGyan Mukherjee[1]
Produced byBombay Talkies
StarringAshok Kumar
Mumtaz Shanti
Shah Nawaz
Mehmood
CinematographyR.D.Pareenja
Edited byDattaram Pai
Music byAnil Biswas
Kavi Pradeep (lyrics)
Release date
  • 9 January 1943 (1943-01-09)
Running time
143 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindustani[2]
Budget₹200,000[3]
Box office₹1.65 crore[4]
Kismet

Kismet (transl. Fate) is a 1943 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Gyan Mukherjee and co-written with Agha Jani Kashmiri.[2] The film stars Ashok Kumar, Mumtaz Shanti, and Shah Nawaz. It is notable for introducing several bold themes to Indian cinema for the first time, including the depiction of an anti-hero, a double role, and an unwed pregnant woman.

Produced by Bombay Talkies during the Second World War,[1] the film was released amid a succession conflict within the studio between Devika Rani and Sashadhar Mukherjee, following the death of founder Himanshu Rai. Kismet became the first major hit in the history of Bombay cinema and is widely regarded as the first all-India blockbuster in Indian film history.[5][6] Its patriotic songs, which resonated with the ongoing Indian independence movement, played a significant role in its unprecedented box office success.

The film was later remade in Tamil as Prema Pasam (1956),[7] and in Telugu as Bhale Ramudu (1956).[8]

Plot

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Shekhar, a seasoned pickpocket and con man, is released from prison after serving his third sentence. Showing no signs of reform, he immediately swindles another thief, Banke, of a valuable watch. Banke, impressed by Shekhar’s skill, offers him a proposition: to help rob a wealthy employer’s heavily guarded safe. Shekhar declines the offer.

Later, Shekhar encounters the watch’s original owner—an elderly man who had hoped to sell it to attend his daughter Rani’s stage performance. Moved by his plight, Shekhar takes him to the theatre, where the old man identifies Indrajit, a prosperous man who was once his employee. The old man, once the owner of the theatre, is now deeply indebted to Indrajit.

Rani sees her father with Shekhar, not knowing he has been hiding in shame. Meanwhile, Indrajit remains haunted by the memory of his estranged son, Madan, who ran away years ago after a dispute.

Circumstances lead Shekhar to become a paying guest at Rani's home. He learns of her struggles—an injured leg threatens her performing career, and she supports her younger sister, Leela. Matters worsen when Leela becomes pregnant by Mohan, Indrajit's younger son. To support Rani, Shekhar decides to accept Banke’s original offer and attempts to rob Indrajit's safe.

The robbery fails, but Shekhar escapes, leaving behind a distinctive chain. Indrajit recognizes it as belonging to his long-lost son, Madan. Hoping to reunite with him, Indrajit arranges a public performance by Rani, knowing Shekhar will attend.

At the performance, the truth is revealed—Shekhar is indeed Madan. A joyous Indrajit has a change of heart, forgives Rani’s father’s debts, and proposes marriage between his sons and the two sisters, bringing both families together.

Cast

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Ashok Kumar in Kismet
Supporting cast
  • Prahlad, Jagannath Aurora, S. Gulab, Surve, Fateh Mohamed

Soundtrack

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The music for Kismet was composed by Anil Biswas and is credited with introducing the "full chorus" technique for the first time in Hindi cinema.[9] The soundtrack featured several memorable songs that contributed to the film's success, including the patriotic anthem "Aaj Himalay Ki Choti Se", the melancholic "Ghar Ghar Mein Diwali", and the soothing lullaby "Dheere Dheere Aa". The lullaby, a duet by Amirbai Karnataki and Ashok Kumar, remains one of the most iconic compositions of Biswas’s career and is regarded as among Ashok Kumar’s finest musical performances.[10]

  1. "Aaj Himalay Ki Choti Se – Door Hato Ai Duniya Walo" - Singer: Ameerbai Karnataki, Khan Mastana
  2. "Ab Tere Siwa Kaun Mera Krishan Kanhaiya" - Singer: Ameerbai Karnataki
  3. "Ai Duniya Bata – Ghar Ghar Me Diwali Hai" - Singer: Ameerbai Karnataki
  4. "Dhire Dhire Aa Re Badal, Mera Bulbul Sau Raha Hai" (female) - Singer: Ameerbai Karnataki
  5. "Dhire Dhire Aa Re Badal, Mera Bulbul Sau Raha Hai" (male) - Singer: Ameerbai Karnataki, Ashok Kumar
  6. "Ham Aisi Qisamat Ko, Ek Din Hansaaye" - Singer: Ameerbai Karnataki, Arun Kumar
  7. "Papihaa Re Mere Piyaa Se Kahiyo Jaay" - Singer: Parul Ghosh
  8. "Tere Dukh Ke Din Phirenge, Zindagi Ban Ke Jiye Jaa" - Singer: Arun Kumar

Door Hato O Duniya Walon

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Main article: Aaj Himalay Ki Choti Se

The film featured the patriotic song "Door Hato O Duniya Walon, Hindustan Hamara Hay" ("Step away, O foreigners, Hindustan is ours"), penned by Kavi Pradeep and composed by Anil Biswas. The lyrics contained a veiled anti-colonial message, with direct references to Axis powers—"Tum na kisike aage jhukna, German ho ya Japani" ("Do not bow before anyone, be it the Germans or the Japanese")—which allowed the song to evade British censorship, as Britain was at war with Germany and Japan at the time.[9][11]

Despite its seemingly pro-Allied tone, the Indian audience understood the song's subtext as a message of national pride and resistance. Released just months after Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India Movement, the song resonated with the prevailing nationalist sentiment. At screenings, the reel was often rewound on public demand to replay the song, reflecting its immense popularity.[12]

The British authorities, realizing the song’s true intent only after its widespread acclaim, attempted to ban the film. A warrant was issued for lyricist Pradeep on charges of sedition, forcing him to go underground to avoid arrest.[13]

Reception

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Kismet received criticism from Babu Rao Patel, the editor of Filmindia magazine, for its portrayal of a criminal protagonist in a sympathetic light and for allegedly glorifying crime. Despite such criticism, the film proved to be a massive commercial success, breaking all previous box office records and becoming the first Indian film to earn a net revenue of ₹1 crore.

Box office

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Main article: List of highest-grossing Indian films

Kismet was the highest-grossing Indian film at the time of its release and played a pivotal role in establishing Ashok Kumar as Indian cinema's first superstar.[14] According to Box Office India, the film achieved the status of an "All-Time Blockbuster" and earned a net revenue of ₹1 crore[4] ($3.32 million).[a][4] When adjusted for inflation, its earnings would amount to over ₹500 crore (approximately US$60 million).[b] This box office record remained unbroken until the release of Barsaat in 1949.

Records

The film premiered on 9 January 1943 at Roxy Talkies in Bombay (now Mumbai). It enjoyed an extended run of over 50 weeks at the same venue and became the first film to celebrate a silver jubilee during a re-release in the same city. Later, on 24 September 1943, Kismet was released at Roxy Cinema in Calcutta (now Kolkata), where it ran for 187 consecutive weeks—setting a record that stood for 32 years. The film reportedly earned more than ₹12 lakh net from a single theater, a record at the time.

Kismet is widely regarded as the first all-India blockbuster and remains one of the biggest hits of pre-independence India. It celebrated golden jubilees in major cities such as Calcutta, Bombay, Karachi, and Delhi, and silver jubilees in Bombay (re-release), Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Nasik, Sholapur, Lahore, Peshawar, Hyderabad (Sindh), Madras, Hyderabad (Deccan), Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, and other prominent centers.

Legacy

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Kismet is considered one of the earliest all-India blockbusters in the history of Hindi cinema. The film is notable for introducing several pioneering elements, including the first use of a double role in Hindi cinema, portrayed by Ashok Kumar. It also addressed bold and progressive themes for its time, such as an anti-hero protagonist and the depiction of an unwed pregnant woman—subjects that were considered unconventional in the 1940s.[17][18]

Kismet was the first Indian film to employ the "lost and reunited" narrative formula, a trope that later gained popularity in Hindi films of the 1960s and 1970s, including Waqt (1965), Yaadon ki Baraat (1973), and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).[19] The film's unprecedented success helped establish Ashok Kumar as the first superstar of Hindi cinema, a position he maintained through the early 1950s.

The film's cultural influence continued for decades. In the 1968 film Padosan, the character Bhola references the song "O Jane Wale Balamwa, Laut Ke Aa" from Rattan (1944), which was popularized during the same era as Kismet. A remake of Kismet was released in 1961 under the title Boy Friend, starring Madhubala, Shammi Kapoor and Dharmendra.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b 3.3223 Indian rupees per US dollar in 1943[15]
  2. ^ ₹1 crore[4] (US$3.32 million)[a] in 1943 (US$60 million or ₹309 crore[16] in 2016)

References

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  1. ^ a b Kismet (1943 film) Archived 3 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine National Film Archive of India; accessed 15 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b Gahlot, Deepa (2015). Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience. Hay House. p. 245. ISBN 9789384544850.
  3. ^ "B-Town rewind: The tale of the first Bollywood crore". Mid-Day. 16 March 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d "Top Earners 1940–1949 (Figures in Ind Rs)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013.
  5. ^ one of the biggest hits..[usurped], The Hindu, 7 January 2002.
  6. ^ "The ones who dared..." Sify. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  7. ^ GUY, RANDOR (15 May 2009). "A void on the film firmament". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  8. ^ Narasimham, M. L. (25 December 2014). "Bhale Ramudu (1956)". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  9. ^ a b Milestones from a musical Millennium[dead link] Screen.
  10. ^ Anil Biswas Biography Archived 7 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Unforgettable songs of national fervour Hindustan Times, 14 August 2008.
  12. ^ Freedom struggle through Hindi films The Tribune, 10 May 2007.
  13. ^ Obituary: Kavi PradeepThe Independent, London, 15 December 1998.
  14. ^ 10 pre-release big ones. Rediff.com.
  15. ^ China's Foreign Trade Statistics, 1864-1949, page 196, Harvard University Asia Center, 1974
  16. ^ "Yearly Average Rates (67.175856 INR per USD in 2016)". OFX. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  17. ^ "Kismet (1943)". Dances on the Footpath. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Gyan Mukherjee". Cinemaazi. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Filmfare recommends: Best lost and found formula films from Bollywood | Filmfare.com". www.filmfare.com. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
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