Underplayed Gems

Ankh Micholi (1962)

Ankh Micholi poster
Original title
आँख मिचौली
Directed by
Ravindra Dave
Country
India
Rating
10.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A woman is accused of two murders she did not commit. The story follows her as she deals with the unusual case.

mysterioussuspensefulclassicwhimsicallightheartedinvolvingplayfulretro

What happens

Ankh Micholi (Hindi for "Hide and Seek") is a 1962 Bollywood film directed by Ravindra Dave and starring Mala Sinha in the lead role with Shekhar, S. Nazir, Jagdish Raj, Leela Mishra and Naazi in supporting roles. The film was distributed and produced by Varma Productions, an affiliate of Varma Films. Ankh Micholi marked the second time its filmmakers had cast Mala Sinha in a lead role after previously casting her in Main Nashe Mein Hoon (1959). Both Ankh Micholi and Main Nashe Mein Hoon are considered to be some of the most "memorable films" of Mala Sinha. The prominence of Ankh Micholi arises from the ensemble compiled by the filmmakers for the film. First, Ravindra Dave, the director of the film, was a prolific director, having made more than 30 Hindi movies during his career. Dave was particularly renowned for making murder mysteries, which led him to "being dubbed the Alfred Hitchcock of India". As director ability can be genre-specific, Dave's specialty for the murder mystery genre was particularly relevant for Ankh Micholi whose narrative centers around the unusual case of the female lead in the film being accused of two consecutive murders that she presumably did commit. Second, Mala Sinha, the lead actress, of Ankh Micholi was at the prime of her career as evidenced by her being the highest paid actress (along with Vyjanthimala) in the year the Ankh Micholi released. Finally, given the widespread conviction about the importance of an Indian film's songs in the commercial success of the film, the significance of Ankh Micholi arises from its songs being composed by Chitragupt, a "renowned" Hindi film music director of 1950s and 1960s, with the song Woh to Jatte Jatte Humse Khafa from the film being rated by some as a "beautiful masterpiece." Ankh Micholi, released during the Golden Age of Hindi Cinema which unfolded from the late 1940s to the 1960s, exemplifies how filmmakers during this period, attempted to combine renowned stars, directors and music composers for the commercial success of a film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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