Achhoot Kanya (1936)

 Achhoot Kanya was released in 1936, the film deals with the social position of Dalit girls and is considered a reformist period-piece.The film was one of several successful Bombay Talkiescollaborations between Franz Osten, Niranjan Pal, Himanshu Rai, and their leading lady, Devika Rani. Music is by Saraswati Devi and lyrics by J.S. Kashyap.

Story
A circular story, told in flashback, in which eternal repetition is only interrupted by death in the form of a relentlessly linear railway engine. The film opens at a railway crossing where a man is about to kill his wife when the narrative spins into the past via a song. The central story is of the unhappy love affair between Kasturi (Devika Rani), the Harijan (Untouchable) daughter of the railway level-crossing guard Dukhia (Prasad), and Pratap (Kumar), the Brahmin son of the grocer Mohan (Pithawala). At first, rumour and mob violence are deployed to lethal effect in order to maintain a 'traditional', oppressive morality. Later, when the main protagonists are about to conform and marry selected partners, rumour and maliciousness again intervene to trigger renewed violence until the on-rushing train of fate stops the strife.

More Information,

Directer                       -     Franz Osten

Producer                     -     Himanshu Rai

Writer                           -    Niranjan Pal

Based on                     -     Drama with romance 

Music                          -      Saraswati Devi,  J.S. Kashyap (lyrics)

Cinematography       -        Josef Wirsching

Release                       -        1936 

Running Time             -     142 min

Cast,

• Devika Rani ..... Kasturi
• Ashok Kumar ..... Pratap
• P.F. Pithawala ..... Mohan
• Kamta Prasad ..... Dukhia
• Kishori Lal .......Babulal
• Kusum Kumari  .......Kalyani
• Pramila  .......Kajri
• Anwari  .......Anweri
• Ishrat  ........Sukhlal