The Dialogue of Mother India Mehboob Khan's Immortal Classic - Softcover

Vajahat Mirza; S. Ali Raza

Softcover

ISBN 10: 8189738585 ISBN 13: 9788189738587

Publisher: Niyogi Books, 2010

Synopsis

The Dialogue of Mother India, Mehboob Khan s Immortal Classic features the film s complete dialogue by Vajahat Mirza and S. Ali Raza and songs by Shakeel Badayuni presented in Hindi, Urdu, and Roman scripts. Lavishly illustrated, the original dialogue is accompanied by an English translation, introduction and commentary. Though cinema is primarily a visual medium, dialogue is crucial to every aspect of the film narrative. It can identify the location of the story, direct and hold the attention of the viewer, develop plot, create atmosphere, situate the story in a social and cultural context and, most importantly, reveal and express every character s emotion. The film s dialogue, brilliantly delivered by Nargis, Raaj Kumar, Kanhaiyalal, Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar bring alive this magnificent saga of survival and fortitude. Acknowledged as one of Indian cinema s most important and best-loved films, Mehboob Khan s Mother India has a powerful and poignant screenplay that matches its visual beauty and enduring appeal.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in Lucknow in 1908, Vajahat Mirza began his cinema career as an assistant cameraman at New Theatres in Calcutta. He later moved to Mumbai in the 1940s where he worked as an actor and a director. An exceptional screenplay and dialogue writer, Vajahat Mirza s poetry in Urdu, though never published, was also regarded as first-rate. He gave to Indian cinema extraordinary screenplays, including Mughal-e-Azam (co-writer), Shikast, Yahudi, Gunga Jumna and Leader. The award-winning Mother India was his sixth collaboration with Mehboob Khan. Nephew of celebrated writer Agha Jani Kashmiri, Syed Ali Raza s distinctive and marvellous writing style shone through from his first film Andaaz (directed by Mehboob Khan). S. Ali Raza wrote dialogue for many Mehboob Khan films, including the popular Aan. During the making of the film, he met the actress Nimmi and they later married. S. Ali Raza passed away in Mumbai on l November 2007 at the age of 85.

Review:

The book throws insight into Delhi's monuments. The book describes the historic ruins of Delhi and the rich cultural past of India... --The Tribune, February 15, 2008, New Delhi

Through her work, Rakhshanda, who is Media and Cultural Coordinator at Jamia Millia Islamia, draws attention to 'the cloak of Invisibility that hangs over the lesser known, more neglected monuments that dot much of South and Central Delhi... --The Hindu, February 15, 2008, New Delhi

What makes Jalil s book different is the photographs (by the well-known photographer-writer DN Chaudhuri) and the utterly delightful watercolours by Premola Ghose, whose cheerful family of animals has become as familiar to us as the Air India s Maharaja or RK Laxman s Common Man. Through the antics of the animals, Ghose s paintings draw our eyes to details in the monuments (floor mosaic, gateway embellishments, adjacent buildings) in a way that would be impossible through words or pictures... --Outlook, March 10, 2008

About this edition

• Publisher: Niyogi Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 8189738585
• ISBN 13: 9788189738587
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 291