In 1958, Chalti ka Naam Gaadi released and became one of the biggest successes of the year. Starring the evergreen Madhubala, the Ganguly brothers and a fantastic plot, this movie is still entertaining even today.
Here are 5 reasons why Chalti ka Naam Gaadi is so iconic:
1. Madhubala Madhubala Madhubala
The gorgeous. The brilliant. The supremely talented. The hilarious. The dreamy. The legend. Madhubala brings a grace, charm and energy to this movie that is super feminine, girly, and impressively steadfast and feminist for its time. Renu works for a living, drives a car, and chooses her own life partner. Only Madhubala could have played this lovely woman in a romantic-comedy-mystery-drama, along with the three Kumars, still having held her own!
2. The Ganguly Brothers
Ashok Kumar, the first real superstar of Bollywood, stars in this movie with his own brothers: the iconic Kishore and the adorable Anoop. The three of them share an incredibly chemistry, and clearly talent runs in their blood. They’re comical when they need to be, and intense when required. Theirs is the true love story of the film.
3. The music!
Every single song from this movie is spectacular. From the title track to Main Sitaron ka Tarana to Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab ka, every song is unique and vibrant and stunningly melodious. I listen to them all the time today too! Only SD Burman, the genius that he was, could have composed such hits.
4. The riveting plot
There’s romance. There’s family love. There’s comedy. There’s a murder mystery. There’s a criminal chase. There’s oonch-neech ki love kahaani too. This movie will keep you on your toes at all times, and especially at the plot twist towards the end when they find…I won’t reveal any more. Watch it for yourself on Amazon Prime.
5. Life in the 50s seemed so…ideal.
Bombay wasn’t too crowded or dirty. Men seemed to have more respect for women. The women were strong and fantastic. Life just seemed so ideal through this movie. Although this was hardly the case, and India was drowning in poverty in the 50s, reeling from 200 years of colonization and most women outside of the city were struggling to be born, get educated and earn a living, the movies made it all look so beautiful and perfect.
Sigh.
‘Real Reasons Why’ is a series of articles that reveal the actual, underlying reasons why our favourite movies, TV shows, songs, actions and personalities are really our favourite. It is the ultimate, truthful throwback to some of our beloved memories. Keep a look-out every Thursday for more!
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