Yahudi
Encyclopedia
Yahudi is a 1958
Bollywood
film
directed by Bimal Roy
. It starred Dilip Kumar
, Meena Kumari
, Sohrab Modi
, Nasir Hussain
, Nigar Sultana
and others.
Film's lyricist, Shailendra
won the Filmfare Awards
award for best lyricist
in 1959, for the song, Yeh Mera Deewanapan sung by Mukesh.
The plot bears similarities to Jacques Fromental Halévy's opera La Juive
.
over 2000 years ago, it centres around the point of persecution of Jews
at the time in the empires centre - Rome.
Ezra (Sohrab Modi) is a jeweller who has a son called Elijah. He also has a friendly butler/child minder called Emmanuel. In the beginning, Ezra is due to leave. As he does, Elijah becomes upset and stands at the balcony. In the roads of the Jewish area, Brutus (Nasir Hussain), Governor of Rome, is passing, making an announcement. Watching over the balcony, is Elijah. A stone slips from his hand and hits Brutus on the head. Brutus immediately gets Elijah arrested, and as Elijah is a Jew, sentences him to death. Hearing this, Ezra rapidly returns from his trip and arrives at the doorstep of Brutus. He begs Brutus to free Elijah but Brutus feeds Elijah to hungry lions. Ezra sadly returns to his house. In revenge, Emmanuel kidnaps Lydia, motherless daughter of Brutus, and takes her to Ezra. Ezra declines to kill Lydia and adopts the child.
Brutus' anger brews. He orders the guards to find his daughter, and calles a punishment onto all Jews. Ezra remains hidden and raises Lydia, who grows up thinking she is Ezra's daughter and that her name is Hannah.
Years pass and Ezra grows to become a successful jeweler, well known to be so good and a Jew. Hannah (Meena Kumari) grows into a beautiful young lady and attracts attention from many. The emperor of Rome arrives in Rome for the marriage of his son Prince Marcus (Dilip Kumar) to Brutus' niece Princess Octivia (Nigar Sultana).
However, Prince Marcus avoids talking about his marriage and opposes it. One day, when returning from a hunting trip, he gets hurt and is cared for by Hannah. He then disguises as a Jew and goes back into the Jewish area. He saves Hannah from a Roman soldier and meets her father, Ezra, not as Prince Marcus but as Monshija, a successful Jew from Alexandria. Ezra is happy to meet him and 'Monshija' and Hannah fall in love.
But Hannah soon notices that something isn't right. Prince Marcus then reveals who he is, making Hannah very upset who banishes the Prince from her life.
Then comes the day of the marriage of Prince Marcus and Princess Octivia. Everyone is invited. Before the ritual could commence, Hannah shouts aloud that she had been cheated by a Roman. Ezra joins in to get back at his enemy Brutus. He clamors for justice. The Emperor demands the name of the culprit and Hannah claims it was Prince Marcus. Brutus tries to rebut Hannah and Ezra, but the Emperor insists that justice must be done. Heartbroken, Hannah returns home.
She is followed by Princess Octivia. Hannah sees the Princess at her doorstep and denies her entry. Hannah knew the princess would beg for the Prince's life. However, the princess told Hannah that the Prince will be sentenced to death the very next day. Early morning the next day, without warning, Hannah took Ezra with her to the Emperor. There she told him that she takes the accusation back. She tells the Emperor that the man that cheated was not the prince but a look alike. Ezra is shocked, and Brutus, filled with happiness, sentences Hannah and Ezra to death. They are to be thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil that very day... in front of the Prince! Unable to bear that his love will be burnt in front of him, Prince Marcus Blinds himself, then goes to the cauldron chamber.
Here Ezra is begging for Hannah's life, and Hannah is trying to reason with Ezra that she'd rather die than live a life of hate. But Brutus will stop at nothing, the two will die! Immediately Ezra tells Brutus that he knows where the governor's lost daughter is. Brutus is confused and says that this is Ezra's revenge and accuses the Jew of lying. Ezra sarcastically agrees. But Brutus begs Ezra and Ezra will only tell on one condition. That Hannah be thrown into the cauldron as soon as Brutus finds out who his daughter is. Now Hannah is confused. Ezra tells Brutus that Hannah is Brutus' daughter and the Jew tells the guards to throw Hannah into the boiling oil. Brutus orders them to stop. Ezra looks at Hannah and dies. Hannah cries over her foster fathers dead body. Brutus tells Hannah not to cry, but Hannah does not listen. She runs away from Brutus and finds the Prince. Shocked to find him blind, Hannah lends him support and helps him as the two disappear into the distance.
Bollywood films of 1958
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1958:-Highest grossing:The top ten grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1958:-1958:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy was one of the most acclaimed Indian film directors of all time. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films like Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta, Biraj Bahu, Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him an important director of Hindi cinema...
. It starred Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
, Meena Kumari
Meena Kumari
Meena Kumari , born Mahjabeen Bano, was an Indian movie actress and poetess. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema...
, Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Modi
Sohrab Modi was an Indian Parsi stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include Khoon Ka Khoon , a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Sikandar, Pukar, Prithvi Vallabh, Jhansi ki Rani, Mirza Ghalib, and Nausherwan-e-dil . His films always carried a message of strong commitment to...
, Nasir Hussain
Nasir Hussain
Nasir Husain was an Indian film producer, director and screenwriter.-Early career:Husain first worked with A. R. Kardar when he joined Filmistan as a writer in 1948. The famous films he wrote for Filmistan include Anarkali , Munimjee , and Paying Guest...
, Nigar Sultana
Nigar Sultana
Nigar Sultana was an actress in the film industry of India. She died in May 2000, in Mumbai, India.Indian actress Heena Kausar is the daughter of Nigar Sultana.-Films:* Rangbhoomi * 1857 * Bela * Shikayat...
and others.
Film's lyricist, Shailendra
Shailendra
Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:...
won the Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
award for best lyricist
Filmfare Best Lyricist Award
The Filmfare Lyricist Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.The awards were first given in 1953, however the Award for the best lyricist was first given in 1958.-Superlatives:...
in 1959, for the song, Yeh Mera Deewanapan sung by Mukesh.
The plot bears similarities to Jacques Fromental Halévy's opera La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
.
Plot
The story revolves around the life of a foster relationship. Set in the era of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
over 2000 years ago, it centres around the point of persecution of Jews
Persecution of Jews
Persecution of Jews has occurred on numerous occasions and at widely different geographical locations. As well as being a major component in Jewish history, it has significantly affected the general history and social development of the countries and societies in which the persecuted Jews...
at the time in the empires centre - Rome.
Ezra (Sohrab Modi) is a jeweller who has a son called Elijah. He also has a friendly butler/child minder called Emmanuel. In the beginning, Ezra is due to leave. As he does, Elijah becomes upset and stands at the balcony. In the roads of the Jewish area, Brutus (Nasir Hussain), Governor of Rome, is passing, making an announcement. Watching over the balcony, is Elijah. A stone slips from his hand and hits Brutus on the head. Brutus immediately gets Elijah arrested, and as Elijah is a Jew, sentences him to death. Hearing this, Ezra rapidly returns from his trip and arrives at the doorstep of Brutus. He begs Brutus to free Elijah but Brutus feeds Elijah to hungry lions. Ezra sadly returns to his house. In revenge, Emmanuel kidnaps Lydia, motherless daughter of Brutus, and takes her to Ezra. Ezra declines to kill Lydia and adopts the child.
Brutus' anger brews. He orders the guards to find his daughter, and calles a punishment onto all Jews. Ezra remains hidden and raises Lydia, who grows up thinking she is Ezra's daughter and that her name is Hannah.
Years pass and Ezra grows to become a successful jeweler, well known to be so good and a Jew. Hannah (Meena Kumari) grows into a beautiful young lady and attracts attention from many. The emperor of Rome arrives in Rome for the marriage of his son Prince Marcus (Dilip Kumar) to Brutus' niece Princess Octivia (Nigar Sultana).
However, Prince Marcus avoids talking about his marriage and opposes it. One day, when returning from a hunting trip, he gets hurt and is cared for by Hannah. He then disguises as a Jew and goes back into the Jewish area. He saves Hannah from a Roman soldier and meets her father, Ezra, not as Prince Marcus but as Monshija, a successful Jew from Alexandria. Ezra is happy to meet him and 'Monshija' and Hannah fall in love.
But Hannah soon notices that something isn't right. Prince Marcus then reveals who he is, making Hannah very upset who banishes the Prince from her life.
Then comes the day of the marriage of Prince Marcus and Princess Octivia. Everyone is invited. Before the ritual could commence, Hannah shouts aloud that she had been cheated by a Roman. Ezra joins in to get back at his enemy Brutus. He clamors for justice. The Emperor demands the name of the culprit and Hannah claims it was Prince Marcus. Brutus tries to rebut Hannah and Ezra, but the Emperor insists that justice must be done. Heartbroken, Hannah returns home.
She is followed by Princess Octivia. Hannah sees the Princess at her doorstep and denies her entry. Hannah knew the princess would beg for the Prince's life. However, the princess told Hannah that the Prince will be sentenced to death the very next day. Early morning the next day, without warning, Hannah took Ezra with her to the Emperor. There she told him that she takes the accusation back. She tells the Emperor that the man that cheated was not the prince but a look alike. Ezra is shocked, and Brutus, filled with happiness, sentences Hannah and Ezra to death. They are to be thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil that very day... in front of the Prince! Unable to bear that his love will be burnt in front of him, Prince Marcus Blinds himself, then goes to the cauldron chamber.
Here Ezra is begging for Hannah's life, and Hannah is trying to reason with Ezra that she'd rather die than live a life of hate. But Brutus will stop at nothing, the two will die! Immediately Ezra tells Brutus that he knows where the governor's lost daughter is. Brutus is confused and says that this is Ezra's revenge and accuses the Jew of lying. Ezra sarcastically agrees. But Brutus begs Ezra and Ezra will only tell on one condition. That Hannah be thrown into the cauldron as soon as Brutus finds out who his daughter is. Now Hannah is confused. Ezra tells Brutus that Hannah is Brutus' daughter and the Jew tells the guards to throw Hannah into the boiling oil. Brutus orders them to stop. Ezra looks at Hannah and dies. Hannah cries over her foster fathers dead body. Brutus tells Hannah not to cry, but Hannah does not listen. She runs away from Brutus and finds the Prince. Shocked to find him blind, Hannah lends him support and helps him as the two disappear into the distance.
Cast
- Dilip KumarDilip KumarDilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
... son of Marcus - Meena KumariMeena KumariMeena Kumari , born Mahjabeen Bano, was an Indian movie actress and poetess. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema...
... Hannah - Nasir HussainNasir HussainNasir Husain was an Indian film producer, director and screenwriter.-Early career:Husain first worked with A. R. Kardar when he joined Filmistan as a writer in 1948. The famous films he wrote for Filmistan include Anarkali , Munimjee , and Paying Guest...
... Brutus - Sohrab ModiSohrab ModiSohrab Modi was an Indian Parsi stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include Khoon Ka Khoon , a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Sikandar, Pukar, Prithvi Vallabh, Jhansi ki Rani, Mirza Ghalib, and Nausherwan-e-dil . His films always carried a message of strong commitment to...
... Ezra, the Jew - Nigar SultanaNigar SultanaNigar Sultana was an actress in the film industry of India. She died in May 2000, in Mumbai, India.Indian actress Heena Kausar is the daughter of Nigar Sultana.-Films:* Rangbhoomi * 1857 * Bela * Shikayat...
- MuradMurad (actor)Murad was an Indian character actor who appeared more than 100 Bollywood films from the early 1940s through to the end of the 1980s playing character roles ranging from a father, uncle, police officer, courtroom judge or an emperor. His son Raza Murad is also an actor in the Bollywood industry who...
- Helen
- Tiwari
- CukooCukooCukoo, also credited as Cuckoo, was an Anglo-Indian dancer and Actress in Indian cinema . Cukoo was the queen of film dancing in the 1940s. Though unfamiliar name, she was known as "rubber girl" of Hindi cinema and her talent made cabaret a must in the Bollywood films during the 1950s and...
- Anwar Hussain
- Minoo Mumtaz
- Kumari Naaz
- Kamala Kumari
- Hassan Javeed
- Vikram Kapoor
- Adil