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Reply to "THE ALBUM OF DULARI 1949"

Dulari (1949)

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Most Hindi films from the 1940s are pretty melodramatic. Not only is the acting theatrical and stagey, but the dialogues are overwrought and repetitive (so that you don’t miss the point, I guess) and there are 10-15 songs sprinkled throughout at the rate of one every ten minutes (or so it seems). Characters are self-sacrificing and martyred, or unreasonably demanding; and there’s often some sort of love triangle ending with at least one person’s death (usually Dilip Kumar’s character). All this can make the movie heavy going, but at least the plots tend to be fairly straightforward and easy to follow. And if you know what to expect they always have something fun to offer (like Hindi films in every decade!).

Dulari is typical of its time. I’ve decided that melodrama has stages in the same way that grief does: at first disbelief (can it really be this bad?), then resignation (eyes rolling), and finally—enjoyment at its over-the-top nature. By the end of this film, I was giggling at the poor old man whose daughter had been stolen by gypsies when she was three. It was kind of his fault, since he failed to read the posted warning at the park until it was too late.

FM
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