Naata
About Naata
A traumatized girl tells the romance of her sister and a newly arrived postmaster. Madhubala plays Tara, Chanchal plays Beena, and Abhi Bhattacharya plays the postmaster, addressed as Bade Babu. Vijayalakshmi plays Seeta.
Cast & crew
More about Naata
D. N. Madhok wrote and directed. Madhubala and her father, Ataullah Khan, produced it as the first film of Madhubala Private Ltd., announced in January 1955. They had earlier co-produced Pardes (1950) and Rail Ka Dibba (1953) under P. N. Arora. It opened on 16 December 1955.
Themes
Reviews
Baburao Patel wrote in Filmindia that Naata was "a dull, poor and clumsy picture" and a hazard to exhibitors. The Times of India called it a "beautiful idyllic romantic drama." Swatantra said Madhubala had never given such a performance. A Thought reviewer praised the photography, liked Madhubala and Chanchal, and called Bhattacharya wooden.
Audiences
The film failed at the box office. S. Mohinder's songs kept circulating after the picture had dropped.
Music
S. Mohinder composed and Tanveer Naqvi wrote the lyrics. Lata Mangeshkar sings "Dekhte Dekhte Jal Gaya Aashiyaan." She and Sudha Malhotra sing "Ghir Ghir Chhayi Mast Ghataye." "Dhadke Rah Rah Ke Dil Bawra" uses Lata, Mohammed Rafi, S. Balbir, and Shamshad Begum. Rafi sings "Suno Suno Ek Nayi Kahani."
Notes
- Gope plays Shravan Kumar, Kanhaiyalal plays Lakhibaba, and Moolchand plays the harmonium player in a qawwali.
- Madhubala asked Lata Mangeshkar to sing. Mangeshkar refused until lyricist Tanveer Naqvi's wife talked her into it, Cinestaan reported.
- The loss was large enough that Madhubala and Ataullah Khan mortgaged a bungalow.
- F. Talyarkhan, writing in Trend, said Madhubala used the film to get her sister Chanchal more notice.
- D. N. Madhok was better known as a lyricist. Naata is one of the features he also directed.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Naata 1955.webm)