One of the things which critically define films of this period is the fashion statement of male actors, evident in ample measure in “Udhar Ka Sindur”, a remake of the 1974 Telugu flick “Manushulo Devudu” starring NT Rama Rao, Vanisri and B. Saroja Devi. Jeetendra, in the lead role of Raja (an orphan who is adopted by a humane do-gooder, Dr. Shivnath, Om Shivpuri) can be seen in shoe covering bell-bottoms and shirts with open buttons exposing his hairy chest.
Produced by venerated filmmaker LV Prasad under his banner, and directed by Chander Vohra (who directed only three films in his career, of which “Khilona” stands out) the film is penned by A. Pundarikakshayya, with screenplay by LV Prasad (clear cut characters add to the films worth) and dialogues by Pandit Anand Kumar (he has done a cliched job; could have been more innovative). Sudhendhu Roy’s art direction is lacklustre and tacky.
Other than Jeetendra, who makes a serious attempt at emoting with his limited histrionic ability, the film is bolstered by Asrani (as Buta Singh, a large hearted auto rickshaw driver who raises Raja’s long lost sister Munni/Sita, Prema Narayan) and Paintal (as Sunderprasad, son of Raja’s landlord). They add verve to the film with their slick comic timing, augmented by Satyen Kapoo (as a greedy businessman who wants to extract dowry for his son) and Dhumal (Raja’s landlord).
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Other eminent performers include Reeta Bahaduri (as Sudha, daughter of Dr. Shivnath), Urmila Bhatt (as Janki, wife of Dr. Shivnath) and Dheeraj Kumar (as Premnath, wayward son of Dr. Shivnath) who works for Julie Verma, ostensibly a social servant but in reality an underworld don (portrayed by Manju Asrani, wife of Asrani).
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Actually, so much screen space is dominated by these actors as the screenplay gives them well defined characters to play that the two leading ladies, Asha Parekh (Shanta, visually challenged daughter of a rich father) and Reena Roy (Rekha, her younger sister) are almost side-lined, with Asha Parekh making her screen entry only near the interval. Even in the truncated roles, their performance is not as nuanced as it should have been. Obviously, Chander Vohra could not extract the best out of them.
As for the story, it has interesting moments of emotion and drama. Raja and Rekha are college friends destined for blissful matrimony. However, trouble brews when Dr. Shivnath suffers a paralytic stroke after coming to know the misdemeanours of Premnath. In order to pay Premnath’s debts, he fails to arrange the money required for Sudha’s wedding.
To get over the crisis, and unknown to his family members, Raja (now a police officer) marries Shanta, taking some money from her rich father. He does not come to know till the final moment that actually Shanta and Rekha are sisters. By then it is too late and Raja and Shanta get married, leading a devastated Rekha onto a path of misery, heartbreak and self-destruction.
Eventually, Shanta comes to know that she is the cause of her sister’s unhappiness. How the story pans out from here is the interesting part. The music, composed by Rajesh Roshan to lyrics penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri could have been much better.