Pukar (1939)

poster of 'Pukar' 

        Basic  Information,

Directer           -   Sohrab Modi
Producer        -    Sohrab Modi
Writer              -    Kamal Amrohi, Vishnupant Aundhkar, S. Ameer Hyder
Cast                      -    Sohrab Modi,  Chandramohan,  Naseem
Cinematography    -  Y. D. Sarpotdar
Editor                 -    A. K. Chaterji,  D. Shirdhankar
Release            -    1939 
Running Time   -     165 minutes
Story  note      -     A love affair and two feuding families who play out a Romeo and Juliet type drama in 17th century India, under the Emperor Jehangir.

 Introduction

A seen of washerwoman

Pukar is about Mughal emperor Jehangir's legendary justice and focuses how Jehangir offers himself to be killed when a washerwoman accuses the empress Noorjehan (Naseem Bano) of killing her husband in a hunt.

The movie is a typical Sohrab Modi production (which always seemed to be historical) with heavy and lengthy Urdu dialogues said in a loud and dramatic style. Story and lyrics are by Kamal Amrohi. Pukar is considered to be the earliest Muslim social film.

                                                                    Story

Chandramohan in a seen of Jahangir

Set at the court of the harsh Mughhal Emperor Jehangir (Chandramohan), the film tells two separate love stories: the first of Mangal Singh (Ali) and Kanwar (Sheela) amid the violent feud raging between their families, and the second, the famous one of Jehangir and Nurjehan (Banu). Mangal kills the brother and father of his lover. His father, the loyal Rajput chieftain Sangram Singh (Modi), captures his son and Jehangir passes the death sentence. Jehangir's claim that the law knows no class distinction is put on the test when a washerwoman (Akhtar) accuses Queen Nurjehan of having inadvertently killed her husband during a hunt. Jehangir offers his own life but the washerwoman magnanimously forgives him.