Babubhai Mistry

Bhagwan Shri Ram would like his param-bhakt (Chief Devotee) Shri Hanuman to tour Kalyugic (Dark-aged) Hindustan, and himself witness the regression that has taken over this once peaceful, orderly, and religious country. Upon arrival in his present heavenly form, Shri Hanuman is mistaken by Police Inspector Thakur Hanuman Singh, to be a spy from a foreign country, and he gets on the run until Shri Ram changes his appearance to a wealthy man named Pavan Kumar, thus making him elude the police. Pavan meets with a man named Dashrath, who has two sons Raman and Dhaman. While Raman is married to Sarita, Dhaman is currently wooing Nirmala, and Dashrath's wife is the fashionable Kamla, who looks more like Dashrath's daughter. Things are not well in this family, as Kamla would like her ailing mother-in-law to turn over the family jewels, deities, and diamonds in her care - in vain though. So she maliciously gets Dashrath to sign over his entire estate in her name - leaving him penniless. Pavan attempts to set things right for this family, but greed, avarice, and lust have already overcome them to such an extent that he must use his heavenly powers to control them. Shri Ram, who feels that Pavan should not have used his powers to change the course of events, has his powers taken away, leaving him a mere mortal at the mercy of Kamla, Sarita, Raman, Dhaman, and a notorious smuggler Bhairo Singh - who is none other than the reincarnation of Lord Ravan himself. —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

Distraught after the death of his wife Sati, Shiva isolates himself and becomes immersed in deep meditation. Prompted by the evil Paap (sin) to capitalize on the opportunity, the demon Taraka who had been granted a boon that he could only die at the hands of Shiva's son stages an attack on Devalok, ousting the demigods. To restore order and vanquish sin, Adishakti takes birth as Ganga and Uma, the daughters of Himavat, king of the mountains. While younger sister Uma undertakes arduous austerities to break Shiva's penance and beget the child prophesied to slay Taraka, elder sister Ganga is brought to heaven. Raised under the tutelage of Brahma and sanctified by the water that had once washed the feet of Vishnu, Ganga becomes a celestial river coursing the heavens, purifying anything she touches. With Ganga guarding heaven's periphery, the defeated Paap turns his sight to earth. There he ravages the land and its inhabitants alike, until Ganga is besought to descend upon earth to wash away sin with her cleansing waters. —Ray Ban {rbanerji@optonline.net} Devi Maa Ganga, the sister-in-law of Bhagwan Bholeynathji, sires his son, Kartikey, resulting in the death of Tarakasur much to the chagrin of his father, Paap, who unleashes a reign of terror on Prithvilok. Gangey continues to resides in Swarglok refusing to enter Prithvilok despite of the sacrifices of 3 generations of Bhagirath's family. It is then Bhagirath's wife performs a Pooja to appease the nine forms of Devi Maa Durga, while Bhagirath, guided by Brahmaputra Narad Munni, turns to Bholeynathji to try and understand the reason(s) why Devi Maa Ganga refuses to enter the water-parched Prithvilok. —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

The first colour film produced by Raj Kapoor, "Sangam" (1964), one of the greatest love triangles of Indian cinema, features outstanding performances by Raj Kapoor, who plays Sunder, Rajendra Kumar, who plays his best friend Gopal and Vyjyanthimala, who plays Radha. Both men are in love with Radha, but she is in love with Gopal. When Sunder confides in Gopal that he is in love with Radha, Gopal sacrifices his love in the name of friendship and steps aside. Later, Sunder, a fighter pilot, is presumed dead when his aircraft is shot down. Radha and Gopal are about to be married, when Sunder returns safe and sound. Gopal once again steps back and Sunder and Radha get married. Their marital life is ruptured when Sunder discovers an unsigned love letter to Radha written by Gopal. What follows is a descent into misery as Sunder is consumed with jealousy.