Roti
About Roti
The opening cuts between people fighting over roti and the rich at table. Millionaire Laxmidas (Chandramohan) crashes his plane in a jungle and is taken in by Balam (Sheikh Mukhtar) and Kinari (Sitara Devi), who share what they have, including the buffaloes Changu and Mangu. Laxmidas steals the animals and goes back to the city. Balam and Kinari follow and meet mill work and cheating. Laxmidas hoards grain and kills to keep his money. He and the singer Darling (Akhtari Bai) flee with gold, stall in the desert, and refuse water from Balam and Kinari. They die of thirst. The couple walk back into the jungle.
Cast & crew
More about Roti
Mehboob Khan directed. It was his last film before he opened his own production company. R. S. Choudhary wrote it and Wajahat Mirza did the screenplay. Anil Biswas wrote the music and Safdar Aah the lyrics. English Wikipedia gives the running time as 128 minutes and translates the title as bread, or a chapati.
Themes
Background
A 1942 Hindi film that sets a grain hoarder against a jungle couple who share food.
Making
Mehboob made it at the end of his time before setting up Mehboob Productions.
Music
Anil Biswas composed the score. Safdar Aah wrote the lyrics. Akhtari Bai sings the film's songs.
Notes
- The buffaloes are named Changu and Mangu.
- Akhtari Bai, later Begum Akhtar, sings, including "Chaar Dinon Ki Jawaani." Ashraf Khan sings "Garibo Par Daya Kar Ke.
- Other numbers are "Phir Faasle Bahaar Aayi" and "Ulajh Gae Nainawaa.
- The city half puts Balam in a cotton mill.
Scenes
- The opening cuts from a fight over bread to a rich table.
- Laxmidas leads Changu and Mangu out of the jungle.
- He and Darling die in the sand rather than take water from Balam.
