Movie – Paigham (1959)
The song, Daulatne pasineko, appeared in Gemini Pictures’ hit dramedy Paigham (1959), directed and produced by S S Vasan. The movie starred Dilip Kumar Vaijayantimala, Raaj Kumar, B Saroja Devi, Motilal, Johnny Walker, etc.
The movie begins with friends Manju (Vaijayantimala) and Malti (B Saroja Devi) looking at their results on the college notice board. Manju has passed with flying colors and Malti has not. In the next shot, these 2 girls get into Malti’s car with some other friends. Malti drops her best friend, Manju at the latter’s home. She has already dropped her other friends elsewhere. When Manju’s mother (Vasundhara Devi) comes out and Manju introduces her friend to her that her father is a big business tycoon at Rangpur, the older woman swoons. This happens after Malti has left. So, Manju goes out to find a doctor. She finds a cycle rickshaw guy, Ratan (Dilip Kumar), who not only takes her to the doctor but also pays his fees.
Malti has promised her bestie that she would ask her father to employ her in their company. Despite the fact that there was no vacancy, he agrees. Malti sends a telegram (not the app! But, a postal telegram hard copy) to Manju with the information. Manju hurries inside her house to give her the good news when she finds the older lady in the Pooja room. Initially, Manju’s mother tells her not to take up the job. She seems to have a secret, she is hiding from her daughter. But then, Manju convinces the older woman that since there was no vacancy in their own town, she did not have any other alternative.
Meanwhile, Ratan returns to a warm welcome from his family. His brother, Ram (Raaj Kumar) is shocked when Ratan tells him that he would drive a cycle rickshaw to make both ends meet and pay his engineering college fees. Malti shows Manju her office seat and then takes her to the factory. At the factory, suddenly the work stops due to a technical default – a gear breaks. The mechanic says that the parts have to be ordered from abroad, which would take several months. During those months, the factory would be closed. It so happens that Ratan is there (he had come with his brother, who works there) and sorts out the issue in a jiffy.
Ratan believes that India can be self-reliant. Both, Manju and Malti are impressed. Malti’s father Sewakram (Motilal) is so impressed that he offers him a job, which the young man accepts after some convincing. Manju and Ratan are in love and express it through a song. But, Malti is also not far behind. She wants to attain Ratan at all costs.
Malti’s rich family has several servants. One of them is Nandu (Johnny Walker). He owes a lot of money to pathans and lives a hand-to-mouth existence.
The problem begins when the mill workers are made to sign for 3 months’ bonus and given only one month’s amount. Then, a mill worker has an accident during duty and Ratan takes up the issue of helping him receive the compensation. Malti’s father Sewakram (Motilal) hushes up the issue by paying only 200 rupees to the accident victim. Ratan forms a union with the help of other workers and Manju to protest against the atrocities of the capitalist mill owner.
Sewakram creates a rift between Ratan and his brother Ramlal (Raaj Kumar) when the elder brother’s daughter’s scheduled marriage is almost canceled by the groom’s mother as she asks for 2000 bucks in dowry. Ramlal begs for the money from Sewakram, who blackmails Ratan to leave the union. But, Ratan is adamant and does not give up his principles. Nandu tries to take advantage of the given situation by trying to bag some compensation for a supposed accident in Sewakram’s mansion and ends up losing his job.
Ratan rejects Malti’s advances, who shows her ire at Manju. Manju has already been thrown out of her job. Additionally, Malti instigates her father against her old friend saying Manju is responsible for the factory union’s arrogance. They visit Manju’s home to confront her. But, they meet Manju’s mother, instead. Manju’s mother hides from the older man, initially. However, when Sewakram accuses Manju, unjustifiably; Manju’s mother comes out of hiding, retaliating. Sewakram is stunned on seeing her and returns home a stricken man.
On Manju’s return home, her mother is about to leave the house. At first, she tells her daughter that she could stay if she wanted. But, Manju decides to go along with her mother. On the way, the older lady falls ill and tells her daughter that Sewakram is her father. The older woman also produces their wedding picture as proof. Manju brings a vaid (a local doctor), who says that her mother may not pull through the night. Manju’s mother dies that night.
The union sends a notice to Sewakram for payment of all the dues to the mill-workers. The mill owner declines and decides to throw out the workers, who do not comply with his wishes. The mill-workers threaten a lockdown. Ratan tries to convince the workers that each day they don’t work would lead to a loss of pay and hunger at their home. He even tries to convince Sewakram. But, Sewakram does not cooperate. The union serves him a final strike notice through Nandu. Sewakram tells him that he doesn’t care. That night, Sewakram calls the police station to insist that Ratan be arrested by hook or by crook. The inspector says that he wouldn’t go against the law, though they had made arrangements to counteract any eventuality during the strike from the next day.
Manju confronts Sewakram for justice for herself personally and the mill workers, by throwing his wedding photo with her mother at him. The older man rejects her and gets her thrown out of the house. Malti comes that way and picks up the photo. Ratan warns some of his union members to be alert during the night because some of the irate workers might cause damage to the mill. He leaves the place informing them that he would be visiting his mother, who is ill. But, he sees Manju with a flamed torch running toward the back of the mill. Ratan tries to stop her but she tells him that she needs to avenge both herself and the mill workers.
The mill’ loyal manager (S N Banerjee) overhears their conversation and informs his boss. Sewakram calls the police and gets Ratan arrested because the later has the torch in his hands when they arrive. The mill owner also confines Manju in one of his houses. Ramlal visits Sewakram to convince him to allow Ratan to meet their mother, since she is dying. Sewakram says he does not care about anyone dying and pushes the younger man away. Ramlal says that he is not Ratan, who takes everything patiently. The older sibling is then seen heading the union, during the strike, in the absence of Ratan. This is the motivating song he sings at that time.
Song – Daulatne pasineko
The song, Daulatne pasineko, was written by Kavi Pradeep and C Ramchander set it to tune.
The song goes, “Wealth has rejected the importance of hard work, today. Our strike will not be taken back, now.”
Video – Daulatne pasineko
The cinematography is by P Elappa.
The video opens with Raaj Kumar beginning to motivate the other actors through the song. Motilal is shocked to look at him. The actors march away from the mill with Raaj Kumar heading the group. The other actors support him through chorus.
The police are following them. B Saroja Devi is looking at the wedding photograph, she found some time back, thinking what to do. She tries to convince Motilal about supporting the mill workers and asks him where he has hidden Vaijayantimala.
B Saroja Devi also says that it is wrong that her father has not declared that the character played by Vaijayantimala is her half-sister. He pushes her away and goes about his business. Their conversation is through dialogues.
The march ends at the court premises and the police also follow them there. The chorus ends there. The song and the video also end abruptly at this point.
Artists
C Ramchander has sung this song for Raaj Kumar. Motilal, B Saroja Devi and some other actors are also seen in the video.
Cultural Influence
The actor has taken the reins from the character playing his brother and motivates the other actors for going ahead with the strike for justice. The song and the artists are good. The video is watchable for the same.
