Gyara Hazar Ladkian
- Director
- K. A. Abbas
- Studio
- M/S Film FriendsMS Film Friends
- Running Time
- 152 min
- Language
- Hindi
- Country
- India
Review
"Gyara Hazar Ladkian" is a film that means well but stumbles under the weight of its own melodrama. Mala Sinha carries the picture with genuine grace—there's a quiet dignity in her portrayal of Asha that elevates what could have been a simpering heroine into something approaching real. Bharat Bhushan is competent enough as the idealistic journalist, though his character is written so predictably noble that he barely registers as human. The real problem lies in the direction: the narrative meanders through its social commentary about corruption and class struggle without ever landing a punch. The premise is solid—a woman from nothing standing up to a vindictive patriarch—but the execution is cluttered, with too many subplots (eleven sisters, a kidnapping, a murder trial) that dilute rather than deepen the central conflict. The film wants to be about something, but it's too busy trying to be about everything.
What grates most is the film's inability to commit to its own moral questions. Is this a critique of capitalist excess? A love story? A courtroom drama? The answer seems to be "all of the above," and that diffusion kills any real impact. The tone swings wildly from earnest to overwrought, and supporting performances vary wildly in quality. There are moments—genuine moments—where you feel the stakes, where Sinha's desperation cuts through. But they're scattered across a runtime that doesn't know when to tighten its grip. It's the kind of film that frustrates more than it e
Storyline
Asha (Mala Sinha) is in court facing a murder trial. Puran (Bharat Bhushan), a lawyer and journalist, takes the case. The story then goes into flashback, showing Asha working in the rationing office just after the war. She comes from a poor family and is the sole earning member. She also has six younger sisters to take care of. Puran comes from a rich family; his father is Seth Moolchand (Murad), a businessman. However, Puran decides to work for a newspaper, as a reporter. Asha likes Puran's articles exposing corruption and black-marketing, and his articles on working women. She gets interested in meeting the writer. The two meet in her office at her place of work. While leaving, Puran manages to drop his papers and they get jumbled up with the papers on Asha's desk. Her paycheck, which was lying on the desk, is picked up by Puran by mistake along with his own papers. She meets Puran again to get her check back. Following several meetings, Asha and Puran fall in love, which is disapproved of by Puran's father. Seth Moolchand tries bribing Asha to stay away from Puran, but she refuses. Seth Moolchand has also attempted to get Puran to give up his journalism, but Puran is stubbornly defiant. An annoyed Moolchand then buys the newspaper where Puran works, but this results in Puran setting up his own newspaper. Then, Moolchand has kidnapped Asha's youngest sister and a ransom is demanded. Since Asha does not have the money for the ransom, she goes to Seth Moolchand. In lieu of the money she borrows, she signs a note stating that she's taking the money to leave Puran. This leads to misunderstandings between her and Puran. One of Asha's sisters, Uma, visits a club where she is molested by the owner. She ends up killing the club owner and Asha takes the blame. Puran manages to prove Asha's innocence in court and also clears up the rift created between them by his father.