Rail Ka Dibba

Rail Ka Dibba (transl. "Train compartment") is a 1953 romantic drama Indian film directed by Prem Narayan Arora and starring Madhubala and Shammi Kapoor in lead roles.^[1]

The film was released in black-and-white and was Kapoor's second release after Jeewan Jyoti (1953).^[2][3]

Plot[]

Sunder (Shammi Kapoor) is a poor young man who makes living by being a human billboard. One day, walking at a sea shore near his living place, he sees a girl who is going to commit suicide by jumping in the sea. He tries to stop her and succeeds. She reveals herself to be Chanda (Madhubala), who is an orphan and does not have anyone in this world. She used to work as a maid in several families but was thrown out of work for this or that reason. With no one to care about her and no place to live, she has decided that suicide is the best option. Sunder takes her to his living place, which is an abandoned railway carriage which is near railway tracks. There she is introduced to Dr. Nirogi (Om Prakash), who was once a magician and showman, was thrown out of work and now lives with Sunder. There is Mohan (Sajjan), who is currently unemployed. Mohan tells her that he has came to Sunder's house just like Chanda was brought there. All four become friends and the carriage becomes a place of happiness for them. They share food and try to earn living by different means-not for themselves but for each other.

While Sunder, Nirogi and Chanda are still trying to find ways to make ends meet, Mohan arrives with good news that the newspaper Prakash Daily has hired him, at the sum of Rs 300 per month. And Mohan has bought gifts for his friends with the advance he's received. To celebrate these happy times, they go out for a walk near a beach. In the evening when Nirogi and Mohan are out for some work, Chanda and Sunder realize that they are in love. Both of them marry soon but don't tell anything to their friends.

One day, Mohan tells Chanda that he is in love with her and wants to marry her. A horrified Chanda reveals that she is already married to Sunder, and the result is Mohan begins fighting and abusing Sunder. Soon this verbal fight turns into a physical fight, with Chanda, in vain, trying to stop the men. Soon Sunder knocks Mohan out and drags him to the railway track. What will happen now? Will these four unite again?

Cast[]

• Madhubala as Chanda
• Shammi Kapoor as Sunder
• Om Prakash as Dr. Nirogi
• Sajjan as Mohan
• Jayant as Pathan
• Ram Avtar as Newspaper Editor
• Cuckoo as Dancer
• Helen as Dancer

Soundtrack[]

The soundtrack was composed by Ghulam Mohammed. Lyrics were penned by Shakeel Badayuni.

1. "La De Mohe Balma" - Mohammed Rafi, Shamshad Begum
2. "Bhagwan Teri Duniya Mein" - Asha Bhonsle
3. "Cham Chhammchacham Payal Baje" - Shamshad Begum
4. "Duniya Jawan Hai, Dil Meherbaan Hai" - Gandhari, Mohammed Rafi
5. "Paapi Duniya Se Dur " - Shamshad Begum

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

Rail Ka Dibba received mixed reviews from the critics. A review by the Thought journal was not impressed with the way Madhubala was presented onscreen, but found Kapoor to be a "promising actor". The reviewer concluded, "All in all there is comedy and fun in abundance. The picture is a must watch."^[4]

Box office[]

Rail Ka Dibba was a box office disappointment. It was the nineteenth highest-grossing Indian film of 1953, and remained Kapoor's highest-grossing release till 1957 (Tumsa Nahi Dekha).^[5][6]

References[]

External links[]

• Rail Ka Dibba at IMDb