Janmabhoomi
About Janmabhoomi
Protima already treats Dr. Ajoy Kumar Ghosh as her husband, though they are not married. After a friend dies, Ajoy, the only doctor in his village, writes and tells her to forget him so he can serve the place. She goes there anyway and finds him fighting blind faith and caste barriers. The zamindar, his man Sanatan, the priest, and the moneylender close ranks. Sanatan poisons the zamindar with arsenic and leaves the signs pointing at Ajoy. A chemist in the next town has a record of Sanatan buying the arsenic. Sanatan confesses, and Ajoy is released.
Cast & crew
More about Janmabhoomi
Franz Osten directed and Himanshu Rai produced. Niranjan Pal wrote the script and J. S. Kashyap the dialogue. Josef Wirsching photographed. Saraswati Devi composed. Devika Rani plays Protima and Ashok Kumar plays the doctor.
Themes
Background
The village work is staged as a stand-in for serving the country. The doctor is jailed on a poisoning charge that a shop ledger then overturns.
In film history
"Jai Jai Janani Janmabhoomi" was sung in the independence years. The BBC took a tune from the film as the signature of its Indian News Service. Writers on the film call it the first Hindi feature built around an openly nationalist song.
Music
Saraswati Devi wrote the music. The chorus "Jai Jai Janani Janmabhoomi" ("Hail the land of our birth") is the number tied to the title.
Preservation
A copy on Wikimedia Commons runs 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 58 seconds.
Notes
- P. F. Pithawala plays Sanatan. Mumtaz Ali plays the zamindar's drunken nephew, whom Sanatan wants put in his place.
- Kamta Prasad plays the priest, billed as Panditji. Chandraprabha plays Pagli. Pramila is also in the cast.
- The Wikipedia cast list names Kumar's character Ramchandra. The synopsis names him Dr. Ajoy Kumar Ghosh.
- Jhaverbhai Kaiser plays the zamindar.
- Jai Jai Janani Janmabhoomi" was written by Jamuna Swarup Casshyap, the dialogue writer's full name.
Scenes
- Ajoy's letter tells Protima to forget him. She sets out for the village.
- Sanatan, the priest, and the moneylender line up with the zamindar against the doctor.
- The zamindar dies of arsenic, and the charge is pinned on Ajoy.
- A chemist's ledger names Sanatan as the buyer.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Janmabhoomi, 1936.webm)
Quotes
Jai Jai Janani Janmabhoomi
