Do Ustad

About the film

Do Ustad (transl. Two masters) is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film, directed by Tara Harish, produced by Sheikh Mukhtar and starring Mukhtar, with Raj Kapoor and Madhubala. One of the earliest Bollywood films to deal with "lost and found" formula, Do Ustad revolves around two brothers separated in their childhood who grow up to become thieves. Moderately received by critics, the film became a commercial success.

Plot

The film begins with a criminal, Jagannath, being convicted in a court offence. He has no lawyer to defend him, so the judge asks him if he has anything to say on his behalf. He refuses to say anything, but his younger brother Rajan asks him to say something, otherwise he would break his vow. Jagannath then starts narrating his story and the film goes into flashback. Jagannath and Rajan are two brothers who have lost their parents and work for Seth for a living. One day, Seth finds an excuse and kicks them out. To make their ends meet, the younger brother decided to become a thief, though the elder brother is a forthright, idealistic man who refuses to follow his brother. One day, a man asks them to get him something out of the railway godown (warehouse), for which he would pay them money. When Rajan goes to the godown, he is caught by the police and the two brothers are separated. The elder brother also decides to enter the world of crime. After this, Jagannath is shown to be a seasoned criminal who has made a fortune by robbing places and he leads a team now. He leads a dual life as his wife is totally unaware of his profession. Jagannath steals a necklace worth ₹12 lakhs (₹1.2 million) and the police want to catch the thief. Rajan is simultaneously released from jail and helps the police to track the thief. The first time the two brothers meet is when Rajan tries to pick the…

Production

Do Ustad was the first Indian film to use the lost and found formula with brothers. Earlier, Kismet (1943) too had such same themes, and Do Ustad took several inspirations from the film.

Do Ustad was produced by Sheikh Mukhtar (who starred in the film also). The filming began in 1957 and ended by early 1959.

Soundtrack

The music of Do Ustad was composed by O. P. Nayyar and lyrics by Qamar Jalalabadi .

Reception

Uma Vasudev of Thought was unenthusiastic about Do Ustad and called it "a second-grade version of Shree 420". Among the actors, she found Kapoor ("repeating his Shree 420 image") and Mukhtar ("ill-adjusted in his role") unconvincing, but Madhubala "delightful".

Key details