Chirag (1969) Online

If you're ever in the mood for some emotional (but not overly emotional) love and family drama, watch Chirag...you'll like it!

The story starts out with Ajay (Sunil Dutt) falling in love at first sight with Asha Chibber (Asha Parekh). Ajay comes from a rich family with a mother (Lalita Pawar) who cares about her "Khaandaan ka roshan" a lot.

After some pranks and teasing, Asha and Ajay are ready to get married. Asha's brother (Om Prakash) is a doctor (ahem...I thought doctors make a lot of money but anyway...). His wife (Sulochana) brought up Asha all their lives. Ajay brings his mother to see Asha and she *holds breath* accepts the proposal *relief*...finally Ajay and Asha will get married.

Seven years of happy marriage pass by, Ajay and Asha can't be happier. However, not everyone is exactly happy (there's always evil people in this world). Ajay's mom is unhappy at the fact that Asha still has not had any children, and she is worried that their family name will not move on (whatever like anyone cares about their family name anyway). She rudely states her thoughts to Asha, who then prays that her duty towards the family name will be fulfilled.

Accidents always occur in life (or maybe in movies...no just kidding). Ajay and Asha are in the middle of celebrating their seventh diwali together, and suddenly a firecracker that Asha lights tips over, causing sparks to go directly into her beautiful eyes. Asha is now blind for life.

But love between the selfless Ajay and Asha never fades away. Munimji (Kanahya Lal) gives Ajay's mom the idea that Asha and Ajay should split. Ajay's mom sends Ajay away for a while to get to know Sandhya (don't know the name of the actress, but she looks really familiar). Ajay and Sandhya have no feelings for each other though, Ajay loves Asha too much, and Sandhya is already seeing another guy. Both Ajay and Sandhya are unaware of any plans between Munimji and Ajay's mom.

Meanwhile back home, Ajay's mom accuses the innocent Asha of doing nothing to serve her husband and staying at their house for the sake of money (whatever! Asha's so sweet). Asha feels guilty and goes to her brother's house, and promises her mother-in-law that she will not come back to be a burden to Ajay. She starts feeling like a burden to everyone.

Ajay gets back home and decides to bring Asha home the next day. Will Asha break her promise and come back to the house that she can rightfully stay? Can the bond of true love break the meaning of a promise? Asha's and Ajay's strive to live is the rest of the movie "Chirag".

It's a really good movie, I don't think anyone can say they hate it or something. First things first...ASHA PAREKH IS SO FREAKIN BEAUTFUL!!! MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, had to let that out. Especially during the second half of the movie, where they stop the whole overdone sixties kaajal. She acts wonderfully too...made me cry in many scenes. Her two dances are okay ~ but Suresh Bhatt can't really choreograph that well so it's not her fault.

Sunil Dutt is awesome of course, I mean, is he ever not? I love how he molds into the I'll-do-anything-for-my-wife character (there should be more men like that in this world). And of course he's handsome hehehehe. Asha and him match quite well.

Supporting cast play their roles well. Most of the characters are fairly believable, maybe some stuff is over done ahem...Lalita Pawar haha. But anyway, most of the direction by Raj Khosla is done well. But in some places I'm sure anyone will notice some directional faults. Not so much not to watch the movie though so watch it lol.

And last but not least...music. EXCELLENT. Madan Mohan really put his heart into the compositions (well...he always does anyway). The background music is nice. There's four Lata songs, all which are beautifully sung by her. "Chayi Barkha Bahar", "Bhor Hote Kaaga", "Tere Ankhon Ke Siva", and "Mere Bichde Saati" are all a delight to the ears. Rafi's "Tere Ankhon Ke Siva" is also beautiful, and "Chirag Dil Ka Jalao" is excellent. There's a song that he sings in the beginning that is not that great, but it's cute...and it's Rafi after all. In my DVD "Chirag Dil Ka Jalao" is cut out, and I'm really mad! That's a beautiful song, is it even in this movie? Tell me if anyone knows.

So overall, nice movie. I totally recommend it. I give it an 8/10 ~ great family entertainment.

Chiraag (1969) is a family drama directed by Raj Khosla starring Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh which is remembered more for the immortal song of Mohammed Rafi - Teri Aankhon Ke Siva Duniya Mein Rakkha Kya Hai. It is feelgood cinema of the sixties containing Bollywoodish twists in an apparently ordinary story but in the end, everything is not shown as being set right which separates it from the other family dramas. Besides, by default perhaps, it has an ingredient of a husband's sincere love for his wife which remains intact despite all the negatives taking place in their conjugal life. And that, in my opinion, is the thing which brings Chirag out of the category of regular potboilers and makes it a memorable movie.

Chiraag (lamp) starts with a rich but small family of Gayatri Devi (Lalita Pawar) and her son - Ajay (Sunil Dutt). Gayatri Devi is a widow who has lost her husband and now, resultantly, got over-possessive for her the only son who, just like his late father, is fond of fast driving. He falls in love with a girl from a modest background and Gayatri Devi bows before the wish of her son under a hope that Asha will beget her grandchild and thus the lineage of the family will continue. This girl is Asha (Asha Parekh) who is motherless and has been fostered by her elder brother (Om Prakash) and sister-in-law (Sulochana).

After the marriage, Asha gets overwhelmed by her husband's abundant and unconditional love whose flare never fades. However when she is not able to conceive and bear a child for seven years, the affection of her mother-in-law for her gets incessantly diluted with the passage of every succeeding day. Things move from bad to worse when she accidentally loses her eyesight. Now Ajay, leaving all the worldly things, starts devoting the maximum of his time in her care. This further irritates Gayatri Devi who now starts feeling that her daughter-in-law is a burden on the household. Her confidant employee (Kanhaiyalaal) instigates her to go for Ajay's second marriage and starts making his moves cleverly in such a way that his niece Sandhya (Snehlata) gets married to Ajay.

One day, Ajay is deliberately sent outstation by Gayatri Devi and in his absence, Gayatri Devi sends Asha to her brother's home. However there too, she approaches her and tells her that her getting out of Ajay's life only will makes Ajay's life better and he'll be able to become a father by marrying another girl. Asha decides to commit suicide and jumps into the nearby river. However Gayatri Devi's desire of getting Ajay married again does not come true because he loves Asha so much that he's not able to imagine some other woman in her place. His coming to know of her mother's activities regarding Asha creates a distance between the mother and the son. However Gayatri Devi who is no less obstinate than her son puts pressure on him to remarry by her hunger-strike.

On the other hand, Asha is saved by a fisherman (Nazir Hussain) and his wife (Dulaari). Now Asha comes to know that she is pregnant and bearing the lamp (Chiraag) of her husband's dynasty in her womb. By the time, the preparations of Ajay's second marriage are complete at his home, Asha's confinement has taken place in the fisherman's hut and she has given birth to a son. The fisherman and his wife arranges Asha's reaching her brother. In order to handover to Ajay the lamp of his dynasty, i.e., his son; Asha reaches him when the ceremony of his second marriage is taking place. The movie ends on a happy note when Ajay is less happy to see his son and more happy to see his blind wife alive who is dearer to him more than anything else.

Chiraag's screenplay has been written in a pretty ordinary manner but partially due to the good direction of Raj Khosla and partially by default, this plain family drama has become quite impressive. The wafer-thin story line has been supplemented by songs, dances, comedy and romance. The movie moves with a very slow pace in the first half and for some duration in the second half also but the final outcome is satisfactory.

With this story, the movie would have been barely of two hours duration. However songs and dances have been inserted to add to the length. Madan Mohan has composed good music. Other than the timeless - Teri Aankhon Ke Siva, the other songs of the album viz. Jab Dekh Liya To Chhupenge Kahaan, Chhai Barkha Bahaar, Bhor Hote Kaaga Pukaare Kaahe Raam, Chiraag Dil Ka Jalaao, More Bichhade Saathi etc. are also quite good to listen (and to watch as well). Lata and Rafi have sung the songs.

Performances are praiseworthy, especially Sunil Dutt has done exceedingly well in the lead role of a loving husband. Asha Parekh as the loving wife and daughter-in-law first and a blind woman thereafter is satisfactory in her performance. Lalita Pawar and others are also perfect in their respective places. Mukri has done good comedy as the hero's friend.

Summing up, Chiraag is a good family drama which can be seen for entertainment and also for a message that the love between a husband and a wife should be such that it remains unaffected by all kinds of contingencies emerging in their marital life.