Armaan (transl. "Desire") is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by Fali Mistry. The music is composed by S. D. Burman. Armaan revolves around Radha (Madhubala), a peasant girl who is fostered by her dead father's loyal servant Ramdas (Jagirdar) so that she does not fall in clutches of her treacherous uncle Bahadur Singh (K. N. Singh). Dev Anand stars as Radha's love interest, Madan.
Theatrically released on 19 August 1953, Armaan received mixed reviews from critics and failed at the box office. However, it was better received abroad, particularly in Singapore, where The Straits Times hailed it as "one of the best Indian pictures to be shown in the East since the war".
Contents
Plot
Ramdas, a poor noble soul rears up the only daughter of his dead master away from his own home so that she may not fall into the clutches of her treacherous uncle, Bahadur Singh. Baby Radha grows up to be a beautiful girl and falls in love with the poet Madan, who happens to visit her village. Fate separates them and Radha is taken over by her uncle and taught to outgrow her peasant upbringing to become a swell girl. But her love for her foster father, now a dispiriterd rickshaw puller, flames again leading up to a climax.
Cast
Dev Anand as Madan
Madhubala as Radha
Shakila as Roopa
K. N. Singh as Bahadur Singh
Jagirdar as Ramdas
Soundtrack
All music was composed by S. D. Burman, all film songs were written by Sahir Ludhianvi.
Reception
Armaan was a box office flop in India. It was one of those films whose failure led to Madhubala getting labelled a "jinx" in the media.
The journal Thought was critical of the plot, calling it a "sentimentalized rehash of a mediocre story", and of Anand's "limited acting skills". On the contrary, a review by The Indian Express appreciated the acting of Jagirdar, as well as the music and the cinematography.
International reception
Armaan was better received in Singapore, where it was hailed by The Straits Times as "one of the best Indian pictures to be shown in the East since the war", adding that while musical interruptions may be disturbing for foreign audiences, they are compensated for by Madhubala's "grace and loveliness".
The Sunday Standard also favorably reviewed the film, describing it as "well made and presented" and praising the performances, particularly that of Jagirdar. It added: "There is much here to recommend in this film — and Arman has much in it so recommend itself to fans of Indian movies." Another review by The Indian Mail appreciated the performances of Madhubala and Dev Anand, lamenting that the latter "is not given enough scope [...] to display his histrionic talents".