Today again saw an evergreen film ..
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi
Thinking about it I realised I had not written about it..
A fancy race-car, three brothers and a murder – seem like the elements of another thriller novel, don’t they? But this is about something fun, entertaining and ageless.
Chalti Naam Gaadi, released in the year 1958, Directed by Satyen Bose, the movie is still popular among many people, especially for its evergreen music that was composed by Sachin Dev Burman and the combo of the Ganguly brothers Ashok, Anup and Abhaas ( Kishore) Kumar.
Brijmohan (aka Bada Bhaiyya), Jagmohan (aka Jaggu) and Manmohan (aka Mannu) are three brothers who can’t seem to live without each other. Together, they manage an automobile workshop called ‘Mohan Garage’. Brij ( Ashok Kumar) is not only the main manager of the workshop but is also a father-figure to his younger brothers and a former boxing champion. Then again, he expresses a certain dislike towards women. Jaggu (Anup Kumar) is an electrical engineer who does not seem confident about his skills and bumbles while Mannu (Kishore Kumar) enjoys being the happy-go-lucky person.
Brij however could not possibly have accounted for the charms of Madhubala! On a rainy night, Manu runs into a running-nosed damsel in distress, Renu (Madhubala). The petulant Renu has been seized by a fit of sneezes and is saddled with a car that refuses to cough to life. After a lot of debate and persuasion, Mannu agrees to look in to the car and after a lovely " Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" gets the car back to life. Things take a turn, when Mannu realised that the customer was unlike the others. However, Renu had forgotten to pay him for his services.
Compelled by his elder brothers, Mannu decides to track down Renu and collect his earnings. But the attempt fails in a most hilarious manner. after another classic " Paanch Rupiya Baara Aana."
On his way back ( after falling asleep in Renu's car and a hilarious interlude with her )Mannu noticed a group of people dumping a corpse in the middle of the road, which was eventually picked-up by the cops.
Shocked, Mannu continues to walk back to his destination and narrated the incident to his brothers.
Enter now mobster Raja saab (K N Singh) providing eyebrow entertainment) and his accomplice Prakash (Sajjan), who are after Renu's millions.
What happens next, is a fun yet interesting tale of unexpected twists.
Jaggu falls for Renu's friend Sheela ( Sahira ) and Bade Bhaiyya Brij finds his lost love Kamini (Veena), under house arrest for years by Raja Saab.
In the free-for-all climax, the three brothers combine forces and pound the villains while their girlfriends applaud enthusiastically.
The film ends where it started with the three brothers singing the title track
In the one-for-the-road shot (pun intended), the three wives sit in the front seat of the family's jaunty jalopy, perched-on-the-backseat brothers yodel in unison Babu samjho ishaare, horn pukare, pom pom pom while a grinning Madhubala steers the film to it's ending.
The film ably directed by Satyen Bose ( and as is rumoured Kishore Kumar himself ) Certain sequences shine like beacons --- the naughty-frothy nuggets, Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si and Hum the woh thi aur samaa rangeen, samajh gaye na (with Anup and Kishore huffing like a train); Madhubala and Kishore Kumar camouflaging their rapid exchange of secrets with a gaggle of exaggeratedly loud giggles (to distract a suspicious Sajjan); and a car race where Kishore Kumar, amongst other juvenile antics, squirts water on a rival. Only Kishore could have carried this preposterously implausible scene with such comic chutzpah.
Madhubala ( so very beautiful) and Kishore are perfectly in tune with each other's comic rhythms. She exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious.
Besides, in how many films do you have the heroine romantically address the hero as Pagle, only to have him respond moony-eyed: Pagli..😍
As mentioned the USP is the music. Having listened to these songs while growing up, these evergreen soundtracks can bring a smile on my face at any point in time. The joy of listening to music that was recorded live without any technology altering the many audio levels is priceless!
I would recommend this movie to anybody ( who hasn't seen it) who wishes to truly understand and appreciate the joy of film-making. It is worth a watch or more.
And to think Kishore Kumar wanted it to flop to make losses to cover up the due income tax..
But finally Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi..
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