Wahida Rehman And Raj Kapoor
Wahida Rehman acted in the films of almost all the established directors of the 50s, 60s and 70s. She acted in only few films opposite Raj Kapoor but the films were successful. In Ek dil Sau Afsana, she played the role of the wife of Raj Kapoor who had to convince her mother-in-law played by Lalita Power who tested her capability of handling household affairs and responsibilities of mother. The songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film including “tum hi tum ho”, became successful.
The most notable film of Raj Kapoor and Wahida Rehman included Teesri Kasam. It was an experiment of notable director of Basu Bhattacharya and the film was produced by legendary lyricist Shailendra.
The film had a very abstract subject. Wahida Rehman was a tawaif who had participated in the major fairs in the villages which were called nautankis. These village fairs were organized to fulfill the tastes of rural masses. Wahida Rehman played the major role in these nautankis as she was the leading dancer.
Raj Kapoor was a bullock -cart driver and earned his livelihood out of the profession. He interacted with Wahida Rehman and realized that she was a respectable lady. The film revolved around the relationship between the innocent cart-driver and the successful dancer.
All the songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Lata and Asha became landmark hits. Songs like “aa aa bhi jaa”, “pan khai saia”, “mare gaye”, not only had good orchestration but also had rural effect. The songs of Mukesh and Manna Dey like “duniya bananewale”, “sajanre jhut maat bolo”, “chalet musafir”, became super duper hits.
Although the film did not get commercial success to the extent of the other films of Raj Kapoor, the critics appreciated the natural performance of Raj Kapoor and Wahida Rehman.These films should be restored for their filmic value.
