Gateway of India

About the film

Gateway of India is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film directed and produced by Om Prakash and cinematographed by G. Singh. The film is edited by Dharamvir and music is composed by Madan Mohan. It features an ensemble cast including Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan, Pradeep Kumar, Anita Guha, Johnny Walker, Master Bhagwan.

Among the earliest films whose story extends over just a few hours, Gateway of India tells the story of an heiress who runs away from her house to escape her murderous uncle. It was a moderate commercial success upon being released in theatres, and also received favourable reviews from the critics. In October 2015, the film was mentioned by Deepa Gahlot in her book 50 Films that Deserve a New Audience.

Plot

Anju (Madhubala) overhears her uncle Shyamlal, plotting to kill her, in order to inherit her father's property. Before he does so, he must find the all-important documents, which she and her loyal servant have hidden.

The uncle kills the poor servant, and tells his minions to put the corpse in a box and deliver it the next morning to the Gateway of India.

He intends to imprison Anju too till she hands over the papers and then kill her, but she escapes. Her uncle sends two goons after her and she has to stay a few steps ahead of them. The adventure takes place over one night, as Anju flees from one tight spot after another, outwitting dangerous thugs and men, who are, to put it mildly, not gentlemen. And before she runs out again, she tells them all to meet her at the Gateway of India the next morning.

Production

Omprakash had written the story of Gateway of India keeping only one name in his mind: Madhubala. After finishing the story he approached Ataullah Khan, Madhubala's dominating father who used to handle her contracts. Since the film needed night shootings, Khan, who never allowed Madhubala to shoot in nights, refused and asked Omprakash to approach any other actress. However, Omprakash was adamant and ultimately Khan had to give in. Upon listening the story, Khan was so much impressed that he decided to charge lesser than Madhubala's usual high market price.

A large part of Gateway of India was shot in the streets of Bombay. Omprakash had booked a suite at the Taj Hotel for Madhubala to relax between midnight shoots. Since he was a respectable name in the industry, several top actors like Bharat Bhushan and Pradeep Kumar agreed to appear in few minutes' roles.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the film, specially the song "Do Ghadi Voh Jo" became popular. The music was by Madan Mohan and lyrics by Rajendra Krishan

1. "Hum Abhi Aata Tum Abhi Jata" - Mohammed Rafi

2. "Jalwa Jo Tera Dekha" - Asha Bhonsle, Shamshad Begum, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar

Reception

Gateway of India received favourable reviews by critics. A retrospective review by Deepa Gahlot found the film's story and themes to be offbeat, as most of the leading actresses in those days were "damsels in distress", while Madhubala played a runner who "survives on her own, without the help of a man." She praised Madhubala highly for her performance: "The chameleon-like character Madhubala played in Gateway of India was one of her best performances and she was a fine comedienne."

Gateway of India grossed ₹0.45 crore (equivalent to ₹91 crore in 2018) at the box office to emerge as the nineteenth highest-grossing film of 1957. As per Silhouette magazine, the film was a moderate commercial success.

Key details