Paying Guest- 1957 (Movie)

 Paying Guest (1957)

          Don't watch it. No one is forcing you to watch it. Do something better with your time like contribute to household work. It isn't only your wife's or mother's responsibility. It's everyone's living in the house. Take onus and do your part. After doing your share of work watch this movie and then maybe you will see the height of patriarchy in India. Do you know that if women were paid for all the domestic work they did, they would be earning approximately Rs. 9,00,00,000 annually? Women spend about 6 hours of the day doing house chores while men spend about 52 minutes and these are just average numbers! Why has our culture developed this way? Who made these norms? Well, our culture is the way it is because of movies like this one... (Things will become clear when once I explain the plot.) Men are the ones making these the norms, obviously, with the support of some anti-feminist and patriarchial women who think they are upholding the morals and principles of the society. Which in reality is bullshit. 

          The plot:

          An incompetent (yes incompetent, repeat... incompetent) lawyer Ramesh keeps getting evicted as a tenant due to failure to pay rent. By disguising himself as an old man, he finally gets a roof and like a typical film, he falls for the landlord's daughter Shanti. Shanti's best friend Chanchal marries a famous and rich barrister Dayal who is her father's age. After marriage, Chanchal becomes Shanti's neighbor. Dissatisfied with her martial life, Chanchal becomes jealous of Shanti and Ramesh's love (they intentionally make Chanchal jealous by singing together on the rooftop at night like normal couples do every day!)

          Shanti's elder sister's ruffian husband Prakash threatens Shanti's father to send him money or else he would come to his house (oh the normal son-in-law and father-in-law bond in every house... seriously, I have to look up who wrote this script). Ramesh is unable to pay the rent (I wonder why?) and Shanti gives him the money her father had given her for monthly expenditure (love is blind... but hey the shopkeepers aren't.. people gotta pay money for grocery). When Ramesh gives Shanti's father the money that Shanti had given him, he sends it to his son-in-law to prevent him from coming. (I think it was because of this scene that the genre is comedy along with drama and romance.) However, Shanti dissuades her father and money doesn't reach the son-in-law. Thus, son-in-law, Prakash arrives.

          In an altercation, Prakash pushes his father-in-law, and he dies (this movie was screened in 1957... no one reports this incident to police). Eventually, Shanti's elder sister falls ill and Shanti gives her gold bangles to Prakash to get medicine but he squanders the money on liquor. Also, Ramesh has no income, and chemists aren't blind. 

          Chanchal suggests Shanti pick up a job. Meanwhile, Chanchal gets Ramesh a job under her husband. Prakash, for want of money, allies with Chanchal to pull Ramesh and Shanti apart (finally, the Mirchi and masala.. the main ingredients of the movies).

          Ramesh drinks during the party and flirts with Chanchal (both were involved). Now, Dayal sees a drunken Ramesh and Chanchal and changes his Will disowning Chanchal. Prakash steals the Will and murders Dayal. On one occasion, Prakash blackmails Chanchal over the Will and the murder, and Shanti sees shadows of someone strangling Chanchal. She reaches Chanchal's house to find Prakash. On seeing Shanti, Prakash shoots her. Shanti runs to the outhouse of Chanchal's bungalow and disarms Prakash and threatens to shoot him. A shot is fired by Chanchal and Prakash dies. However, Shanti confesses to the crime thinking she did it and is presented in court. All top lawyers refuse to take up her case. Finally, Ramesh becomes her lawyer and saves Shanti (yes, the same zero income, zero experience lover Ramesh.) All hail the great Ramesh!

          Wait, I realized something... I just told you about the whole movie including the ending! Reviews and recommendations aren't supposed to reveal everything. Oh well... I guess I have written it, so, I might as well let it stay and maybe be reveal my opinion too. After all, it is a blog and not a factual site. 

          I believe Shanti should have been given more credit for her bravery. She disarmed a murderer. She got a job on her own as well as ran her house while Ramesh was a couch potato. The only thing Ramesh (who magically became a wonderful lawyer) did was to prove already innocent Shanti innocent. However, Ramesh gets all the credit despite him having an affair with Chanchal. He is the hero, he can get away with anything. In the defense of the scriptwriters (whose name I haven't bothered to look up), they did show Ramesh cleaning dishes for half a minute in 2h 37min movie! I guess movie is a little advanced for 1957.

Rating: 1/5

(1 is for S.D.Burman, the music director)