Mr. & Mrs. '55

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Mr. & Mrs. '55
Mr. & Mrs. '55 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGuru Dutt
Written byAbrar Alvi
Produced byGuru Dutt
StarringMadhubala
Guru Dutt
Lalita Pawar
CinematographyV.K. Murthy
Music byOP Nayyar
Distributed byUltra Distributors Pvt. Ltd.
Release date
11 February 1955[1]
Running time
157 minutes
LanguageHindi
Box officeest. 17.5 million[2]

Mr. & Mrs. '55 is a 1955 Indian romantic comedy film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, from a screenplay written by Abrar Alvi. A socially critical film set in urban Mumbai, it stars Madhubala as Anita Verma, a naive heiress who is forced into a marriage with an unemployed cartoonist (Guru Dutt) to save her millions.

Mr. & Mrs. '55 was among the early works of Dutt, and was also one of the few comedies made by him. Upon its theatrical release on 11 February, 1955, the film emerged as a major critical and commercial success. Its box-office victory marked a reversal of fortunes for Madhubala, who was one of the film stars deemed "box office poison" in 1954. Her portrayal of Anita Verma has been generally considered one of her most memorable and identifiable performances.[3]

Mr. & Mrs. '55 has gained classic status over years. In 2019, Time Out placed it at the 57th place in the list of "The 100 Best Bollywood movies".[4]

Plot[]

Full-length film

Preetam (Guru Dutt), a struggling cartoonist, meets Anita (Madhubala) at a tennis match, where she is watching her favourite tennis star. Anita, a wealthy and westernised heiress, is controlled by her aunt, Seeta Devi (Lalita Pawar). Seeta is suspicious of men and cultivates her attitudes in Anita. However, to receive her fortune, her father's will decrees that Anita must marry within one month of turning 21. Seeta Devi doesn't agree with this and tries to set Anita up with a sham marriage which will soon lead to divorce, thereby giving her both freedom and a fortune. Seeta hires Preetam to marry Anita, but she doesn't know that the pair have already met. Preetam is kept from Anita after their marriage, but he kidnaps her and takes her to the traditional house of his brother.

While at the house, Anita befriends Preetam's sister-in-law, and she begins to see the merit in becoming a wife. Preetam is worried that he has lost Anita and expedites their divorce by providing false, incriminating evidence to the court. Preetam then leaves Mumbai, heartbroken. Anita now recognises her feelings for Preetam and rushes to meet him at the airport. In the end, the couple is reunited.

Cast[]

Dutt in Mr. & Mrs. '55
  • Madhubala as Anita Verma
  • Guru Dutt as Preetam Kumar
  • Lalita Pawar as Seeta Devi (Anita's Aunt)
  • Johnny Walker as Johny
  • as Julie[a]
  • Kumkum as Preetam's Bhabhi
  • Uma Devi as Lily D'Silva
  • Radhika as Moni
  • Anwari as Anita's Nanny
  • Agha
  • Haroon as Advocate
  • Rooplaxmi as Seeta Devi's follower
  • Moni Chatterji as Judge
  • Al-Nasir as Ramesh, tennis player
  • Bir Sakhuja as Mr. Sharma, editor
  • Cuckoo as singer in the song "Neele Aasmani"
  • Jagdeep as paper boy
  • Chandrashekhar Dubey as Doctor
  • Moolchand as husband of the lady in theater
  • as toy seller singer with her son.She sing a song "Ab To Ji Hone Laga" in legend voice of Shamshad Begum !

Production[]

The cartoons in the film were drawn by R. K. Laxman.[8][9]

The initial choice for playing Anita Verma, the main character of the film, was Shyama. Guru Dutt had approached her as she was his leading lady in the highly successful Aar Paar (1954), but Shyama demanded a high fee and he refused.[10] Dutt then contacted Vyjayanthimala, who rejected the role due to her hectic schedule and later recalled it as her "worst decision ever" in 2011.[11] It was then when Madhubala was chosen to play the leading lady in the film.

Soundtrack[]

The music of this movie was composed by O. P. Nayyar and Majrooh Sultanpuri was the lyricist.

The song "Preetam Aan Milo" was originally sung by C. H. Atma in 1945 as a non-filmly song. Nayyar, having liked that song, included it in the film and it was sung by Geeta Dutt.[12] The song Neela Aasmani was sampled by American rapper 2 Chainz and 42 Dugg in song Million Dollars Worth of Game.

Song Singer
"Meri Duniya Loot Rahi Thi" Mohammed Rafi
"Ae Ji, Dil Par Hua Aisa Jaadu" Mohammed Rafi
"Chal Diye Banda Nawaz" Mohammed Rafi, Geeta Dutt
"Udhar Tum Haseen Ho" Mohammed Rafi, Geeta Dutt
"Jaane Kahan Mera Jigar Gaya Ji" Mohammed Rafi, Geeta Dutt
"Neele Aasmani" Geeta Dutt
"Preetam Aan Milo" (Solo) Geeta Dutt
"Preetam Aan Milo" (Duet) Geeta Dutt, C. H. Atma
"Thandi Hawa, Kaali Ghata" Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum
"Ab To Ji Hone Laga" Shamshad Begum

Release[]

Mr. & Mrs. '55 was theatrically released on 11 February 1955.[13]

Critical reception[]

Madhubala's performance as a modern miss was well received by film critics and audience.

Filmfare, in its May 1955 issue quoted : "A thoroughly delightful, honey and cream social comedy. Mr. & Mrs. '55 is a model of film craft and has gripping interest for every class of cinegoer. Its satire of characters we know and its incidents taken from life are spiced with humour... the dialogue, well-written, tense and witty, enhances the appeal of this true-to-life and thought-provoking entertainer."[14]

Karan Bali of Upperstall.com praised the film thoroughly and stated that it "sparkles with wit and imagination". He also acknowledged Madhubala's power of "lift[ing] the film several notches up with her natural and spontaneous flair for comedy."[14]

Harneet Singh of The Indian Express wrote, "The film rides on Madhubala's impish charm and breezy comic timing, Johnny Walker's one-liners, O. P. Nayyar's evergreen music and Dutt's lyrical direction, replete with long tracking shots, close-ups and cinematographer V. K. Murthy's exquisite shadow-and-light framing [...] Mr. and Mrs. 55 is a great ride till the time the film doesn't go all sanskari. Alvi's dialogues are the star of the narrative. The banter is funny, lifelike and refreshingly non-filmi."[15]

Box office[]

Mr. & Mrs. '55 was the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of 1955. It earned 17.5 million (US$230,000) at the box office, generating a large profit of 9 million (US$120,000).[16] In 2018, Best of the Year gave its inflation-adjusted gross as 4.85 billion (US$64 million).[13]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Yasmin's real name was Vinita Bhatt.[5] She was side heroine in this film opposite Johnny Walker.[6] She did not stay long in films and married a popular make-up man Jimmy Vining. Mr. & Mrs. '55 was her first and last film.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ "Mr. & Mrs. '55 - Lifetime Box Office Collection, Budget, Reviews, Cast, etc". BOTY. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Top grossers of 1955". 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Birth Anniversary Special: 5 iconic Madhubala movies too good to miss". Deccan Herald. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  4. ^ "The 100 best Bollywood movies". Time Out London. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Yasmin". IMDb. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Mr & Mrs 55: Celluloid Magic by Stalwarts". Moneylife NEWS & VIEWS. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Yasmin (II) – Cineplot.com". Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  8. ^ Bali, Karan (2004). "Mr and Mrs 55". Upperstall.com. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  9. ^ "Mr & Mrs '55 1955". The Hindu. 24 October 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  10. ^ "When Madhubala replaced Shyama - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  11. ^ Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) - IMDb, retrieved 4 November 2020
  12. ^ Deepa (20 January 2020). "The Original And The Spoof – Preetam Aan Milo". TheSongPedia. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Mr. & Mrs. '55 - Lifetime Box Office Collection, Budget, Reviews, Cast, etc". BOTY. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  14. ^ a b Bali, Karan (12 March 2004). "Mr and Mrs 55". Upperstall.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Let Me Make You Mine". The Indian Express. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Top Earners 1955". 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

External links[]

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