Achhut

Achhut
Cover from film publicity booklet
Directed byChandulal Shah
Written byChandulal Shah
Starring
CinematographyKrishna Gopal
Music byGyan Dutt
Release date
  • 5 April 1940 (1940-04-05)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Achhut (The Untouchable)[1] is a 1940 social Indian Bollywood film based on untouchability.[2] It was the third highest grossing Indian film of 1940.[3] The film was produced by Chandulal Shah for his Ranjit Studios. He also wrote the story and screenplay, and directed it. Achhut's premiere was attended by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 23 December 1939, who stated: "If the picture helps India to remove this curse, it can be said to have helped India to win Swaraj as untouchability is one of the chief obstacles in the road to freedom".[4]

The film had Motilal and Gohar in the main lead with, Sitara Devi, Trilok Kapoor, Mazhar Khan, Noor Mohammed Charlie, Vasanti and Rajkumari playing important roles. The music was by Gyan Dutt, with lyrics by Raghunath Brahmabhatt. The cinematography was by Krishna Gopal.[5]

The film was made to "promote Gandhi's movement against untouchability".[6][7] The film was initially released in the Gujarati version on 23 December 1939.[5]

  1. ^ "Achhut (The Untouchable)". The Indian Express. 6 April 1940. p. 3.
  2. ^ Heidi R.M. Pauwels (2007). Indian Literature and Popular Cinema: Recasting Classics. Routledge. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-134-06255-3.
  3. ^ "Top Earners 1940". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. ^ Indian History Congress (2007). Proceedings - Indian History Congress. Vol. 66. p. 943.
  5. ^ a b Baburao, Patel (January 1940). "Review-Achhut (The Untouchable)". Filmindia. 6 (1): 48.
  6. ^ Andrea L. Stanton; Edward Ramsamy; Peter J. Seybolt; Carolyn M. Elliott (2012). Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa: An Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4522-6662-6.
  7. ^ Indian cinema. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. 1998. p. 80. ISBN 978-81-230-0646-8.