Ladki

Ladki (English: Woman) is a 1953 Hindi romantic comedy film written by V.S.Venkatasalam and directed by M. V. Raman. The film starred Vyjayanthimala, Kishore Kumar, Bharat Bhushan and Anjali Devi in the lead while Chittor V. Nagaiah, Leela Mishra, Om Prakash, Raj Mehra and Master Chhotu as the ensemble cast. The film was produced by A. V. Chettiar of AVM Productions. The film's score was composed by R. Sudarsanam and Dhaniram, edited by K. Shankar and M. V. Raman and was filmed by Yusuf Mulji and T. Muthu Sami.

Plot

Rani (Vyjayanthimala), a feminist who believes in equal treatment of women, is best friends with Kamini (Anjali Devi) much to the disapproval of her mother since Kamini's father (Chittor V Nagaiah) had married a woman of low caste. They meet Raja (Bharat Bhushan), a medical student, and Kishore (Kishore Kumar). After the initial tussle, Raja and Kamini fall in love while Kishore likes Rani. Rani goes to Columbo for the University Sports Tournament and while winning every single event she enters there, injures her leg and is in hospital. Meanwhile Kamini and Raja marry secretly since he knows his woman-hating, upper caste father will never agree to this marriage. Captain Sundar, Kamini's childhood friend, comes from Rangoon and wants to marry Kamini but is shattered as he finds out she is married to Raja. Raja's parents are told of the wedding and they call him home asking him to forget the marriage and marry a girl of their choice. Raja refuses and goes back to Kamini and misunderstands the situation when he sees Kamini with Sundar. He returns to his parents and tells them he's willing to marry the girl of their liking who turns out to be Rani, having returned from Columbo. Kamini, devastated by Raja's betrayal, decides to commit suicide. Finally with Kishore and Sundar's help, everything is sorted out and Raja is re-united with Kamini while Kishore marries Rani.^[1]

Cast

• Vyjayanthimala as Rani Mehra. Upperstall.com review, "Ladki re-unites Vyjayanthimala with her Bahar (1951) director MV Raman and producer from the South, AV Meiyappan. As with Bahar and many of her early films, it is Vyjayanthimala's dances that are the film's saving graces although it is unintentionally funny now to see how deliberate and obviously tacky the sequences are which lead into her dances[...]Ladki too makes no real demands on 'feminist' tomboy Vyjayanthimala histrionically".^[1]
• Kishore Kumar as Kishore. Upperstall.com review, "Kishore Kumar are strictly supportive appendages at best[...]Kishore Kumar does what he can, bringing the film to life with his lively antics whenever he is on screen. One sees his potential for zany comedy that would go on to flower fully in films like Aasha (1957), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962)".^[1]
• Bharat Bhushan as Raja. Upperstall.com review, "The heroes Bharat Bhushan[...] Bhushan looks woefully out of sorts and uncomfortable on screen".^[1]
• Anjali Devi as Kamini. Upperstall.com review, "Anjali Devi, to play the so-called acting role, in this case the weepy, motherless girl who suffers because her father did not believe in caste differences and married a woman of low caste[...]Anjali Devi acquits herself rather well as against Pandari Bai's eye popping theatrics in the earlier Bahar.".^[1]
• Chittor V. Nagaiah as Kamini's father. Upperstall.com review, "Chittor V Nagaiah lends solid support as Kamini's father".^[1]
• Om Prakash as Hazurdas
• Leela Mishra as Mrs. Hazurdas
• Raj Mehra as Colonel Mehra, Rani Mehra's father.
• Master Chhotu

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed by R. Sudarsanam and Dhaniram while the lyrics was provide by Rajendra Krishan. The song Baat Chalat Nai Chunari Rang Dari and Shaadi Shaadi sung by Geeta Dutt and Kishore Kumar respectively becomes the successful song of the film.^[1]

• "Baat Chalat Nai Chunari Rang Dari" - Singer: Geeta Dutt
• "Shaadi Shaadi" - Singer: Kishore Kumar

Box office

At the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed around ₹1,50,00,000, and became the second highest grossing film of 1953 with verdict hit.^[2]

Character map of Penn and its remakes

References

External links

• Ladki at the Internet Movie Database
• Ladki profile at Upperstall.com