Toofan Aur Diya (1956): Rajkamal’s Classic Tale of Struggle, Hope & Inspiration

Toofan Aur Diya, a 1956 Rajkamal Kala Mandir film, is a classic Bollywood film of the fifties that weaves together a heartwarming tale of hope, struggle, and the power of kindness. Directed by Prabhat Kumar, the film stars a talented cast. The story of the film is as follows:--

Sadanand (Satish Vyas) and his sister Nandini (Nanda) lose their father (Milind Madhav), who was a poet, but his poems were not much appreciated, and he died poor and unknown. Even though the family lives a very poor life, Sadanand stays jovial and strong while taking care of his ailing mother and his sister. But in the struggle to run the house and take care of the family, he leaves his studies and takes up many odd jobs like selling vegetables and newspapers and carrying luggage at the railway station. Nandini also earns some money by cooking lunch for some customers.

One of their regular customers is Satish Sharma (Rajendra Kumar), whom Sadanand fondly calls Masterji. He is a very bright and intelligent college student. Over time, Masterji and Nandini start liking each other. Brother Sadanand and his mother secretly like Masterji for Nandini.

Once Masterji receives a gold medal for researching and writing about Sadanand's father's (Milind माधव) poems. He shares this news with the poet's widow wife, Chachiji, who feels both happy and sad because her husband never received any such honour while he was alive.

Masterji shares his idea about completing his studies and taking up a job near his village. But Chachiji tells that her biggest wish is to see Nandini married with him before her death. She requests Satish alias Masterji to marry Nandini. But Masterji says that he cannot marry now as he has three sisters who are not married yet, and his father is also very ill.

Masterji leaves for his village to look after his father and get a job there. Meanwhile, Sadanand's mother dies. Orphaned Sadanand and Nandini decide to leave their home and all the painful memories behind. They sell everything they own, including their house, their father's books, and Sadanand's favourite bicycle (which he calls Pyari) to pay off the debt. The homeless siblings take refuge in a remote temple, where a kind sanyasi saint (Keshavrao Date) lets them stay in the Mandir. Sadanand finds his sister safe there, and so he goes to the nearby town every day to sell vegetables. Sometimes he sells vegetables, sometimes newspapers, and sometimes works as a porter at the railway station.

While carrying luggage at the station, Sadanand often meets Alkaji (Vatsala Deshmukh), a dancer who likes Sadanand because he reminds her of her own son who lives far away with a relative. She is forced to keep her son away from this environment as she is a dancer. She tells Sadanand this and promises to buy whatever he sells and asks him to visit her often. Sadanand tells her that she should give up dancing and go to her son.

Sadanand and Masterji keep writing letters to each other. He keeps Masterji informed about his life. Meanwhile, Nandini, who has been suffering from eye problems for some time, falls seriously ill one day and becomes blind. Sadanand regrets not getting his sister treated sooner and tries to commit suicide by drowning in the river out of guilt. But fortunately the sanyasi arrives there in time and saves him. He consoles Sadanand by telling him to never give up in life. One day Nandini will surely regain her sight through treatment. Alkaji also helps Nandini in getting her eyes treated and bears all the expenses of the operation. The doctor (Ulhas) cures Nandini.

In the meantime, Sadanand gets the news that Masterji is very ill with typhoid and needs expensive medicine. Sadanand works hard day and night to collect the money for the medicine and reaches Masterji for his treatment. While Sadanand is out of the village to help Masterji, Alkaji visits the temple looking for him. She asks the saint to tell Sadanand that he has helped her in taking the decision to leave everything and go to live with her son and that she is doing exactly that.

When Masterji recovers, he agrees to marry Nandini and they both get married in the temple. After his sister's departure to her husband's house , Sadanand feels lonely and cries. The saint tells him that he is not alone, he promises to help Sadanand complete his studies as he is confident that Sadanand will do great things one day. Sadanand is grateful and hugs the saint. They both live together.

Some unknown facts about the film:

When Sadanand sells vegetables in the market, a torn poster of the film 'Doctor Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani' is seen stuck on the wall. This film was also produced by Rajkamal Kala Mandir and directed by V. Shantaram.

Written by Bharat Vyas and composed by Vasant Desai and Hasrat Jaipuri, the songs of this film make the story even more heart-touching. The title song (Yeh Kahani Hai Diye Ki Aur Toofaan Ki) sung by Manna Dey is played many times and gives hope that with hard work, faith and determination one can overcome difficult times. Even after the film ends, the message of hope of the song stays with you.

Apart from this, many other songs also became very famous in that era like Murliya Baaje Re (Lata Mangeshkar) Aankhon Mein Aankhon (Shamshad Begum), Piya The Kahan Gayo (Lata Mangeshkar) Girdhari Mahane (Lata Mangeshkar), Aaya Re Bhaaji Wala (Geeta Dutt) Dil Tumne Liya (Shamshad Begum), Meri Choti Si Behan (Geeta Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, Meri Aan (Geeta Dutt)

The filmmakers of "Toofan Aur Diya" were inspired by real-life struggles and the power of coping with hardships and use personal experiences, relationships and events around them. These stories of overcoming adversity, family bonding and sacrifice connect deeply with the audience, they highlight emotional journeys and the strength of the human spirit.

The filmmakers faced many challenges while making a story like "Toofan Aur Diya". Working with a limited budget was a big problem, they often used local locations, less resources and non-professional actors. They had to create an emotional story in a modest budget. There was a need to strike a balance between telling the story and keeping the pace and message clear. Other common problems included scheduling conflicts, weather issues, equipment problems, and the pressure to finish editing on time without losing the essence of the story.

The filmmakers managed to stay within their limited budget by using several smart strategies:

• Producer Rajkamal Kalamandir focused the script on fewer locations and characters, which reduced the cost of sets, travel, and paying the cast.
• The crew was kept small, with some people playing multiple roles, which made production costs more efficient and lower.
• They used real locations such as public places or homes instead of building expensive sets.
• Natural light was used whenever possible to avoid the cost of professional lighting equipment.

Proper planning and scheduling helped avoid wastage of time and resources, keeping the shoot on track and within budget.

DIY solutions were used for props and costumes, reusing everyday objects to save money.

These methods helped the film and it helped the makers to make a great film without spending too much.

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