Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi

There are the good guys and the goons. The plot begins with the murder of an union leader, Acharya which leads to a gang whose members are identified by a gold medal with the gang's logo. Enter the head of Secret Services, David, a mysterious figure who weaves a web to bring the gang to book, including the mastermind. Gopal, a young officer is tasked with the job. To support him Dimple (David's niece) alias Shoba plays the girlfriend of Gopal and acts as a communication conduit. When Bindu a nightclub dancer is murdered and Gopal become the prime suspect Gopal joins the gang and earns the trust of the leader. Exploring the netherworld of drugs, stolen antiques, smuggling of gold and silver, creating social and religious tensions he learns the innermost secrets of the gang. Is Gopal a double agent, or has he found the lure of power, money and corruption irresistible? Has he turned triple? Will Shoba play along with Gopal's deceit? While some of the plot transitions leave the viewer baffled and edits incomprehensible, the overall story line is a product of its times, credible and entertaining. —"MG" Gopalan

Widower Ram Kapoor lives a very wealthy lifestyle in Bombay, but is very lonely, as his only child, a son named Rajesh, lives abroad, and his aged dad, Diwan Bahadur, lives in the village. Ram frequently throws lavish parties to overcome this loneliness. This changes when Rajesh returns home, and he is able to convince Diwan also to return so that the three could live together. Shortly thereafter differences crop up between Rajesh and Diwan - initially on love and marriage; then on Caste issues; then the marriage of Rajesh, which is arranged with Diwan's friend, Thakur Janak Singh's daughter, Rukmani, while Rajesh wants to marry Monica. Things come to such a pass that Ram decides to leave, takes to women and alcohol in a big way, and becomes the subject of a big scandal. Ram returns home after Diwan and Rajesh apologize and agree to live together in harmony. This harmony does not last long as soon Ram finds out that his very own father and son had conspired against him in a charade to get him to return home just to avoid further scandal. Watch what Ram does this time when bitterness and acrimony reinstates itself in the Kapoor household. —rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

In Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Raj Kapoor plays Raju, an innocent and kind-hearted wanderer who unwittingly becomes part of a gang of dacoits. Raju falls in love with Kammo (Padmini), the daughter of the leader of the gang. Raju is persuaded by Kammo and her father that the gang looks out for the interests of the poor. But Raju witnesses a murder on one of the looting sprees and he leaves the gang. Conflict arises when a gang member Raka (Pran) kills the leader and attempts to forcibly marry Kammo. Raju approaches the police for help and finally convinces the gang of dacoits to surrender to the police so that they can reform themselves as respectable members of society.

The story of Barsaat revolved around two contrasting love storiesone rooted in innocence and the other in heartbreak. Two friends, Pran (Raj Kapoor) and the womanizing Gopal (Prem Nath) romance two local girls Reshma (Nargis) and Neela (Nimmi) while holidaying in the valley of Kashmir. While Pran and Reshma's love is true, Gopal is a womanizer, who disregards the faithful Neela and condemns her to wait faithfully for his return. The music of the film marked the debut of the legendary duo Shankar-Jaikishan and has songs that are hummed even today. The poster of the film that depicted the romantic pose of the heroine gazing up at the hero as she bends backwards on his arm inspired the famous insignia of R.K. Films.