Synopsis
Jai Tilak (Dilip Kumar) belongs to a Rajput
clan loyal to the kind and just king (Murad).
However the Maharaja’s wicked son
Shamsher Singh (Premnath) usurps the throne
by killing the king. Jai meanwhile clashes
with the haughty princess Rajshree (Nadira),
sister of Shamsher Singh as he tames her
wild stallion. Falling in love with her,
he resolves to tame her as well and make
reciprocate. Mangala (Nimmi), a fellow clanswoman
too loves Jai. She catches Shamsher’s
eye and he kidnaps her and tries to rape
her causing her to fall to her death. In
retaliation Jai kidnaps Rajshree. Eventually
Rajshree is tamed and falls in love with
Jai. It also turns out that the king is
alive after all. Jai, a now reformed Rajshree
and the loyal clansmen help defeat Shamsher
and restore the king to the throne.
The film
Aan remains one of the best swashbuckling
films in Indian Cinema. The film has an
epic feel reminiscent of Hollywood films
like Quo Vadis and Duel in the Sun.
The film was Mehboob
Khan’s first film in colour and
even had a release in London where it was
much appreciated even if a critic there
had quipped,
“Aan goes Aan and aan and aan!”
 With
colour at his disposal, Mehboob followed
a sweeping narrative style for this retelling
of the otherwise standard The Taming
of the Shrew story, be it the stylized
acting or the vast countryside with swashbuckling
horsemen thundering under fiery golden skies,
peasant folk in their bullock carts and
the like announcing his Mother
India (1957) socialist realism. The
film was shot handsomely by Faredoon Irani
and was one of India’s first successful
experiments with colour cinematography as
the film was shot in 16mm Gevacolour and
was blown up in Technicolor.
Highlights include the lavish sets, the
horse chases, breathtaking battle scenes
and the spectacular finale with the sword
fight between Dilip
Kumar and Premnath in front of the pyre
with Nadira bound to the stake. It is said
that during the shooting of this sequence,
Nadira actually
was singed by the flames but carried on
with the scene gamely.
The film is aided greatly by Dilip Kumar’s
swashbuckling performance as Jai. Regarded
as perhaps India’s greatest actor
ever and though known more for his intense,
tragic roles, he proves here he could be
equally adept while hanging on chandeliers
or taming the haughty heroine or indulging
in flashy swordplay. It is clear he is enjoying
himself immensely. With original choice
Nargis
backing out – Mehboob introduced Nadira
to Indian audiences and it is to her credit
that she does a fair job making the role
her own, her perennially arched eyebrow
helping in bringing out her haughtiness
all the better. Aan made Nadira
into a star and along with her vampish turn
in Raj
Kapoor’s Shree
420 (1955), remains her most famous
role. Premnath shines as the rogue prince
but unfortunately Nimmi’s eyeballing
antics and exaggerated pout have not aged
well at all.
A major highlight of the film is Naushad’s
music. In keeping with the extravagant nature
of the film, Naushad used a 100-piece orchestra
while recording the music of the film, something
unheard of in those days. He also had special
rugs put on the walls of the sound studio
so that the sound had better bass. The songs
were finally mixed in London. The chartbusters
composed for the film and rendered perfectly
by Mohd. Rafi,
Lata Mangeshkar
and Shamshad Begum include Maan Mera
Ehsaan, Aag Lagi Tanman Mein, Tujhe Kho
Diya Humne Paa Leneke Baad, Mohabbat Choome
Jinke Haath, Dil Mein Chhupake, Aaj Mere
Man Mein Sakhi and Main Rani Hoon Raja ki
among others. Naushad was also among those
Music Directors who took equal care for
the background score of the film as he did
for its songs. The Background score enhances
in creating the sweeping, grandeur feel
of the story. Overall Naushad worked day
in and day out for three whole months for
the film’s music. The symphony with
the 100 musicians was much appreciated and
even played on the BBC!
The film was also released in a shortened
dubbed version in French as Mangalla
Fille des Indes in 1954 and was the
first Hindi Film to be dubbed in Tamil.
But the biggest compliment for the film
came to Mehboob, regarded as India’s
Cecille B DeMille, from DeMille himself.
In a letter to Mehboob after seeing the
film he wrote,
“I believe it is quite possible
to make pictures in your great country which
will be understood and enjoyed by all nations
without sacrificing the culture and customs
of India. We look forward to the day when
you will be regular contributors to our
screen fare with many fine stories bringing
the romance and magic of India.”
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