Kabuliwala | |
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Kabuliwala (1957) cover
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Directed by | Tapan Sinha |
Produced by | Charuchitra |
Screenplay by | Tapan Sinha |
Story by | Rabindranath Tagore |
Starring |
Chhabi Biswas Oindrila Tagore (Tinku) Asha Devi |
Music by | Ravi Shankar |
Cinematography | Anil Banerjee |
Edited by | Subodh Ray |
Distributed by | both |
Release date
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Running time
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116 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Bengali |
Kabuliwala (Bengali: কাবুলিওয়ালা Kābuli'ōẏālā, "Kabul wallah") is a 1957 Bengali film directed by Tapan Sinha and based on the eponymous story by the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore.
Rahmat (Chhabi Biswas), a middle-age fruit seller from Afghanistan, comes to Calcutta to hawk his merchandise. He befriends a small Bengali girl called Mini (Oindrila Tagore aka Tinku Tagore) who reminds him of his daughter back in Afghanistan. He stays at a boarding house with his countrymen.
One day, Rahmat receives a letter with news of his daughter’s illness; he decides to leave for his country. Since he is short of money he sells his goods on credit to increase his business. Later, when he goes to collect his money, one of his customers abuses him. In the fight that ensues, Rahmat warns that he will not tolerate abuse and stabs the guy when he does not stop.
In the court Rahmat's lawyer tries to obfuscate the facts but, in his characteristic and simple fashion, Rahmat states the truth in a matter-of-fact way. The judge, pleased with Rahmat's honesty, gives him 10 years' rigorous imprisonment instead of the death sentence.
On the day of his release he goes to meet Mini and discovers that she has grown up into a 14-year-old girl who is about to get married. Mini does not recognize Rahmat, who realizes that his daughter must have forgotten him, too. Mini's father gives Rahmat the money for travel out of the wedding budget to which Mini agrees; she also sends a gift for Rahmat's daughter.