Chalti ka naam gaadi (1958)

चलती का नाम गाड़ी

The masala film was not an invention of the 1970s. Chalti ka naam gaadi is delightful proof of that, a raucous blend of farce, romance, and intrigue with a flavor reminiscent of the Marx Brothers.  Top it off with a lead pair who sparkles together on screen and a catchy, toe-tapping SD Burman soundtrack and Chalti ka naam gaadi ("the moving thing is called a car") is the perfect entertainer that stands up brilliantly nearly 50 years after its birth.

Brijmohan, Jagmohan, and Manmohan are a trio  of brothers (real-life brothers Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar, and Kishore Kumar, respectively) who run an auto garage.  They seem competent enough as mechanics, but in relationships they are poorly socialized and hapless.  The eldest, Brijmohan, a retired prizefighter, having been once bitten by love, is far more than twice shy, harboring superstitions about women so extreme that he won't allow them in his garage even if they are paying customers.  His phobia is affirmed late one rainy night when beautiful young Renu (Madhubala) turns up with a flooded engine.  The youngest brother Manmohan fixes her car, but she leaves without paying, and as Manmohan tries to track her down to collect his "paanch rupaiyya barah anna" (Rs.5.75, a total immortalized in of the film's most delightful songs), his adventures really begin.  He and Renu find themselves rather sweet on each other, but Renu is about to become engaged to a Prince.  Meanwhile, we learn more about Brijmohan's sad romantic past; Renu's friend sets her sights on the middle brother Jagmohan, and Manmohan witnesses a murder.  Eventually all these threads come together in grand masala style in the film's silly and satisfying climax. 

My friend Sanni said about Chalti ka naam gaadi that she loved it so much that she despaired of finding enough positive adjectives to praise it.  I know what she means.  I smiled from the opening scene straight through to the end.  The most delightful aspect of the film is the effervescent romantic and comic chemistry between Madhubala and Kishore Kumar.  Madhubala teases him mercilessly throughout the film and her adorable giggles are a pure delight.  The gorgeous Madhubala knocked my socks off the first time I saw her, depressed and defiant in the epic Mughal-e-azam; here, she plays a very different character in a very different kind of film, but she is every bit as stunning.  Kishore, for his part, is a masterful comic performer.  He has long been my favorite playback singer; here, in addition to singing his own playback, he dances with seemingly limitless energy.  As the romantic hero of the film, he alternates between suave confidence and flustered sputtering, and is equally engaging in both modes.

Finally, Chalti ka naam gaadi sports one of the finest upbeat, silly soundtracks I have encountered, distinguished by the playful style of Kishore and the very young Asha Bhosle.  Their musical dialogue in "Haal kaisa hai janab ka" is a delicious confection, picturized with adorable winking sweetness on Kishore and Madhubala.  Kishore is teasing and sensuous in "Ek ladki bheegi-bhaagi si," and "Main sitaaron ka tarana," the song I mentioned above, highlights to perfection both Kishore's boundless comic energy and Madhubala's gift for teasing mischief.    Chalti ka naam gaadi includes a wonderful musical surprise as well, a very early performance by Helen, Bollywood's top dancing girl for several decades.  Here she delivers a mesmerizing mujra together with her mentor, a dancer called Cuckoo, whom she thoroughly outshines.  I had no idea Helen could dance kathak!

Below:  gorgeous Madhubala and proto-Helen.  Thanks to Sanni for all the screenies.

Comments

[माझी]

You said it. Each scene is a pure delight. The innocence, the sweetness, the fun-filled mood that underlies the movie. It's pure joy! And each song is just perfect. The one where Madhubala tries to hold the suitor from leaving is sensuous too, besides the ones you mentioned.

The scenes where Manmohan and Brijmohan go to fix the car at Madhu's house, Madhu and Manmohan following the suspect, and the one where Manmohan ends up stealing 3 bananas and 4 apples are my favorites. This movie is in the flavour of many others around that time. Gateway of India, if I remember correctly, is a very similar confection.

By way of trivia, when this movie came out, the Indian currency still used the British colonial system where 16 annas made up a Rupee, hence 12 annas being three-quarters :).

Can we ever hope for such a delicious mix of innocence, fun and suspense in today's movies. We have a video of this movie at home since I was a toddler, and I can't wait to watch it again this weekend :).

[Amit]

Carla,

You reviewed a movie that does not have Shabana Azmi in it?? I'm shocked!! :) :) ;)

Maybe Kaifi Azmi was involved in penning the lyrics? :p

See you tomorrow.

Cheers,
-Amit

[Sanket]

One of my all time favorites that still holds up wonderfully to this day. Madhubala literally takes your breath away when she walks in out of the rain into Kishore's garage - a combination of sultriness & beauty that is hard to find. It was rare to find an actor that did his own playback singing (then & now) and Kishore was one of the few that did both so well. He didn't much like acting but did it because it offered him a chance to sing playback which was his first true love. These two married years later - some say after Madhubala had her heart broken by Dilip Kumar - and she remained the favorite of Kishore's 4 wives. This movie is truly a joy to watch from beginning to end.

[carla]

Majhiji and Sanketji, thanks for your comments. It's fun to hear other people's effusive praise for this delicious movie.

Amit: You are a meanyhead! ;-)

[Arun]

Absolutely wonderful review and Great Movie. Fabulous songs and Kishore Kumar is such a delight.

[Saurabh]

Hi, I just stumbled upon your blog while surfing and read your review of Chalti ka Naam Gaadi, and really liked it. The movie, as you say, is just too good for words. One interesting fact about this movie is that Kishore Kumar actually intended this movie to flop as he had some problems with Income Tax, and wanted to avoid paying taxes. Boy, did the plan backfire!! It is an unforgettable classic and one of the best comedies of the B/W era. Madhubala is an absolute delight in this movie. Since it seems that you are her fan, I would recommend two other Madhubala movies to you:

`Mr and Mrs 55' with Guru Dutt, is a sophisticated comedy/satire with some very witty dialogues. OP Nayyar gives a great musical score too.

`Tarana' with Dilip Kumar, is a romantic movie, worth watching just for the amazing amount of chemistry between Dilip and a very young Madhubala. Excellent music by Anil Biswas.

[carla]

Thanks for that, Saurabhji. I've got *Mr. and Mrs. 55* at home waiting to be watched; I hadn't known of *Tarana* so I'll look out for it.

That amazing story about Kishoreda's tax problems sounds like the plot of *The Producers*! I went to learn more about it and found this nice page with more interesting trivia about *Chalti ka naam gaadi*: http://www.yoodleeyoo.com/web/the-making-of-chalti-ka-naam-gaadi.html

According to that page, the romance between Madhubala and Kishoreda began during the shooting of "Haal kaisa hai janab ka" which might explain why the pairing is simply good enough to eat in that song.

[maajhi]

Carla, I got around to watching CKNG again. Sigh, Madhubala! How could someone so ethereal, so breathtaking, so adorable and so full of joy and personality have walked on God's green earth! Coincidentally enough, Madhu has a name very similar to that other goddess, Madhuri, who is said to have adored Madhubala in the movies as a kid. Must be something in that name ;).

I forgot to mention my other favorite part: the scenes of the race, especially after the race: Renu and Mannu discussing the suitor, Renu and the suitor arguing.

The song you didn't mention "ruk jaao na jee" has some intricate lyrics as well.

I'm now getting on a Kishoreda-Madhu high, and am planning to watch a few movies I haven't for a while or never that have been recommended: Howrah Bridge and Half-Ticket for starters. This song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J47mDrKi80) from Half-Ticket is deliciously intriguing, heh. Any comments on these movies? Did you check out Gateway of India yet?

[carla]

Maajhi, I am honored to have inspired you to watch CKNG again! Now I want to watch it again too. :) As for Howrah Bridge, Half-Ticket, and Gateway of India - if it's not reviewed here, I haven't seen it (well, I have seen parts of Howrah Bridge). But I would like to see all of these! I have an enormous back-log and, unfortunately, a real job. If only I could watch movies all day ...

[Meera]

Hi Carla

Chalti Ka Naam Gadi is a truly enjoyable and memorable movie. Once can see it several times!

Indeed madhubala was one of the most beautiful and talented heroines of Indian Cinema.

I particularly liked the scene where she asks Kishore Kumar (after he jumps in through her window in the middle of the night) " paanch rupaye bharah aaney ke liye tum ithni raat gayeh, aayeh ho ----"

cheers

meera

[Kishore]

I saw the film Chalti ka nam gadi in a discrepid cinema in Soroti, Uganda when I visited my uncle for 2-3 days. Why do i remember it besides the fun generated by KK? Story. maybe it had some links to my story?

[Reshma]

Hi,

CKNG is one of my favorite films. I thought you would be interested to know that the title derives from a hindi doha. Chalti ka naam gaadi is in fact a pun as "gaadi" also means buried. Hence "A moving vehicle is called buried".

[carla]

Thanks for that, Reshma - I did not know that!

[Vox_populi]

Great film and review! Saw this recently for the first time. Wow. Please keep the recommendations coming.