Great Moments From Cinema - 19

Three Men And A Car
Movie: Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (K.S. Films-India; 1958)
Director: Satyen Bose
Screenplay: Gobind Moonis
Major Cast: Ganguly Brothers: Ashok, Anoop and Kishore and Madhubala

Film Synopsis: Three brothers run a garage, managed by the eldest, Ashok, who has strict rules regarding any involvement with females. When the youngest brother Kishore falls in love with Madhubala, mayhem occurs.

My Favorite Moment: Kishore singing “Ek Laadki Bhigi Bhagi Si”

Why I Like It: This may well be India’s answer to Marx brother’s films and is just as good as its Hollywood counterpart. Kishore Kumar remains the best comedian India has ever seen and was one of the few who didn’t just rely on slap-stick or witty dialogue to get a laugh. He, like Chaplin, was a complete actor. On top of this when you consider that he is, in my opinion, the greatest singer the world has ever produced, well then superlatives become irrelevant.

Kishore is the star of this movie which is a comic-riot from start to finish. He can make something out of any scene without having to resort to physical quirks. He keeps the story entertaining at all times and whilst Ashok and Anoop are very good actors in their own right, there is no denying the fact that Kishore connects with the audience the most. In this particular scene, the supremely radiant Madhubala has come to their garage in the middle of the night. It is raining outside and her car has broken down. Kishore is not very pleased at been awakened and hence some sparks fly between them initially. Finally, they get the car inside the garage where Kishore starts fixing it while singing the above mentioned song, which is a description of a girl who meets a stranger on a rainy night. Kishore pulls all stops during the number, even using the mechanic’s tools in his jig. At one point he also pays homage to Chaplin’s ‘dance of the dinner rolls’ from ‘Gold Rush’. The way and the tone in which he sings, is charming as it is funny. Yes, it is flirting but at no point does it get vulgar or offensive. Even the angry girl is smiling at the end of the song by which time, lo and behold, the car has been repaired.

Kishore was also a skillful director who excelled at making tragic movies. But what the Indians love him most was for his melodious voice. He is an icon of playback singing in Hindi movies. There is no song style which he couldn’t do and always gave it his all while recording. I feel sorry for the rest of the world who has never heard Kishore sing. It’s been almost 19 years since he passed away, but no one has been able to replace him as a singer. There have been many pretenders but I suspect that eternity is a short time for another Kishore Kumar to be born. In the meanwhile, generations of fans have just to watch this scene to see a legend at the top of his form.