C.I.D.
Director: Raj Khosla
Music: O.P. Nayyer
Year: 1956
Rating: 5.5
C.I.D. is another
well regarded and much loved film from the Golden Age of Bollywood black
and white movies but I have to admit that it didn’t land a punch on me. I
was honestly surprised because it doesn’t take a lot for me to enjoy these
films – good songs, actors I like and a story that pulls me in. In fact,
it has good songs from O.P. Nayyer and two of my favorite actors from this
period – Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman – but the story felt badly jumbled
and the romance never comes to a boil. But mainly the film just irritated
me for a simple reason.
Dev Anand plays Inspector Shekhar of the
C.I.D. A post-modern policeman – well groomed, decent, thoughtful, handsome,
honest as a church mouse – just what you want the Indian police to become.
Next to the other officers he looks like a shiny convertible. Clearly a man
on his way up. And he is the hero of the film so you expect him to be good
at his job. But he isn’t even a little bit. He is an idiot in so many ways
– he brings in a witness to a murder to pick a suspect out of the line-up
and has him do it right in front of the killer so that the killer knows who
he is. Well you know that won’t go well later. Two times he is in position
to catch the bad guys but allows a woman to deter him because he doesn’t
want to hurt her feelings. He does the old switch a witness into a different
hospital room to catch the killer but neglects to put a policeman into her
room and leaves the door open for the killer to see her – while he hides
in the other room. So you get the idea – all this stupid stuff was done –
not because Shekhar is supposed to be bad at what he does – the film never
infers that – quite the opposite - but in order to push the film along through
various melodramatic turns like a fat man getting into size 32 pants. It
is taking us from A to B in a way only a movie can. Hoping the audience doesn’t
notice or care.
Now admittedly, many of the old Bollywood
films had narratives that limped along dependent on amazing coincidences
and with plot holes large enough to march an army through – part of their
charm at times - but I was expecting more from a film produced by Guru
Dutt, though directed by Raj Khosla. Guru Dutt is a true legend of Indian
cinema. Chances are if you ask a fan of Bollywood film for a recommendation
for a serious artistic film they would offer up a film from Dutt. To put
it in terms a non-Bollywood fan would understand, he was the Orson Welles
of his time – both a director and actor with his own unique vision that often
ran counter to the money men. His films Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa, Aar Paar,
Mr and Mrs 55 and Baazi are considered classics – and he only directed eight
films in total (unlike Welles he died young).
And I have not seen one of them. I have
gingerly approached them like a sleeping crocodile waiting for the right
time – but thought why don’t I begin with a film he produced? And it wasn’t
very good primarily due to this poorly scripted story that is dependent on
the Hero doing stupid stuff. Ok – none of what I have written makes any sense
to anyone unless you have seen the film – I understand that but had to make
mention of it because I read a few reviews by fans and no one seemed to notice
any of this – they all loved it. So maybe I am asking for too much. On with
the plot.
An editor of a major paper is about to
publish an expose of a secret gang leader but is murdered before he can do
so. The murder is witnessed by Master who describes his occupation as a cutter
of cloth – pockets mainly – i.e. a pickpocket – played by Johnny Walker,
the comic relief in literally over 300 films. It was actually Dutt who gave
him his stage name after seeing him perform as a drunk. Shekhar arrives and
sees the killer drive away and so carjacks an automobile that a woman is
sitting in and goes after them – at some point she gets annoyed and pulls
the keys out and they stall – rather than being angry he laughs and they
watch a musical number. She is Rekha – portrayed by Shakila – and you know
this will be the romantic angle because she is cute and kind of goofy and
as colorless as water. And as it turns out the daughter of the police superintendent
played by K. N. Singh who I just saw as the villain in Howrah Bridge.
Lots of other things go on but the only
thing worth mentioning is that there is a villainess – played by Waheeda
Rehman in her debut. She is fabulous – dark eyed, dangerous and sultry -
and was to go on to a great career. Dutt had discovered her and was seeing
how she did in this smaller part. By the end you are thinking – Shekhar yes
she did some really bad things - probably have to go to jail - but please
dump the boring Rekha and wait for her – she is clearly aces. At the time
Dutt was married to the playback singer Geeta Dutt, who sings on this film
and was the voice of My Name is Chin Chin Chu – but Dutt had a lengthy affair
with Waheeda that destroyed his marriage and the career of Geeta. The music
from Nayyer is good but I thought the picturizations were rather common –
no big group flashy numbers – no great dancing – no Helen.