Suhaag Raat

Not to be confused with Suhaag Raat (1968 film).
For the South Asian consummation ritual, see Suhag Raat.

Suhaag Raat
Directed byKidar Sharma
Written by
  • F. A. Mirza
  • V. Sharma
Screenplay byKidar Sharma
Story byKidar Sharma
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
  • D. K. Ambre
  • D. C. Mehta
  • Mr. Machave
Edited byS. S. Chawande
Music bySnehal Bhatkar
Production
company
Oriental Pictures
Distributed byVarma Films
Release date
  • 1948 (1948)
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Suhaag Raat ((Hindi for "Wedding Night) also called Sohag Raat, is a 1948 Hindi film of Indian cinema directed by Kidar Sharma.[1] A romantic drama, it was the third film produced by Oriental Pictures[2] and the first film to be distributed by the newly-founded company Varma Films.[3] The story was a joint effort by F. A. Mirza and V. Sharma, while the screenplay, dialogue and lyrics were written by Kidar Sharma. The music was composed by Snehal Bhatkar, with cinematography by D. K. Ambre and D. C. Mehta. Geeta Bali made her debut in a lead feature film role with this movie,[4] which co-starred Bharat Bhushan and Begum Para.[5] The rest of the cast included Pesi Patel, Nazir Kashmiri, S. Nazir, Nazira and Shanta Kumar.

The story was set in a village in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. Though Kullu was used as a backdrop, most of the shooting actually took place in Bombay. The costumes worn by the film's character were representative of the hilly people of Himachal Pradesh and justified the setting. The outdoor photography by D. K. Ambre and D. C. Mehta was praised for its "picturesque" composition. The story was a romantic triangle, with two girls, one rich and the other poor, falling in love with the same man. Geeta Bali as Kammo, the poor village girl, and Begum Para as Paro, the rich landlord's daughter, portray the two girls. Bharat Bhushan as Beli, who has been saved by Kammo's father, Jaggu (Pesi Patel), plays the love interest. The arrival of the villain Rahu, Beli's step-brother, and its consequences form the rest of the story.[6]

Sohag Raat was released at Excelsior and Lamington Cinemas, in Bombay on 25 June 1948,[6] and was the seventh highest grossing Indian film of 1948.[7] The film's success was attributed to the "refreshing" debutante Geeta Bali, with Baburao Patel titling his review of the film in the August 1948 issue of Filmindia, as "Geeta Bali's Sohag Raat".[6]

  1. ^ Asian Film Directory and Who's who. 1952. p. 197. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Albums by Oriental Pictures". myswar.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Sohag Raat". Filmindia: 61. July 1948. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rajadhyaksha was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Pictures In Making-Varma Films". Filmindia. 14 (5): 71. May 1948. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Our Review-"Geeta Bali's Sohag Raat"". Filmindia. 14 (8): 51. August 1948. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Top Earners 1948". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.