==Plot==
==Plot==
The film was known for its unusual story line set in a red light area. A newlywed couple, Hamid ([[Sanjeev Kumar]]) and Salma ([[Rehana Sultan]]), unwittingly rent a flat, and thus begins their daily turmoil at the knocks (dastak) on their door. The previous occupant was Shamshad Begum ([[Shakeela Bano Bhopali|Shakeela]]), a mujrewali (nautch girl).<ref name=”auto”/>
The film was known for its unusual story line set in a red light area. A newlywed couple, Hamid and Salma, unwittingly rent a flat, and thus begins their daily turmoil at the knocks (dastak) on their door. The previous occupant was Shamshad Begum [[|]] (nautch girl).<ref name=”auto”/>
==Cast==
==Cast==
1970 Hindi film directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi
Dastak (knock on door) is a Hindi film made in 1970. It was written and directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi and was his directorial debut.
The film is known for its performances by its leading cast, Sanjeev Kumar, and the newcomer, Rehana Sultan, and for its memorable songs by Madan Mohan. He won his first National Film Award for it and the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the film director-turned-editor of this black-and-white film won a Filmfare Award, his second after Madhumati in 1958.[1][2] The presents an expanded version of Rajinder Singh Bedi‘s radio play, Naql-e-Makaani (Moving to a New House), first performed on All India Radio, Lahore in 1944.[3]
Plot
The film was known for its unusual story line set in a red light area. A newlywed couple, Hamid and Salma, unwittingly rent a flat, and thus begins their daily turmoil at the knocks (dastak) on their door. The previous occupant was Shamshad Begum, a mujrewali (nautch girl).[1]
Cast
Music
The film’s music director stood his ground as a maestro of classical rhythms on the dholak and raga based melodies. The music of Dastak stood out for its allegiance to the classical traditions of raga-based melodies by its music director Madan Mohan, who managed to get from Lata Mangeshkar, ostensibly her best performance as a playback singer.[4]
Lyrics
The film is known for its poignant lyrics by lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, especially in capturing the painful state of the story’s female protagonist, Salma — be it a dramatic statement about the society: “Hum hai mataye koocha bazaar ki tarah, Uthti hai har nigaah kharidaar ki tarah” or the silent pain of “Mai Ri mai ka se Kahoon peer apne jiya ki…”[5]
Songs
- Baiyan Na Dharo – Lata Mangeshkar – (based on Raag Charukesi)[1][6]
- “Hum UnHain Mata-e-Koocha-o-Bazaar Ki Tarah – Lata Mangeshkar
- “Mai Ri Mein Kaa Se Kahoon Pirr Apne Jiya Ki” – Lata Mangehskar/Madan Mohan[1]
- “Tumse Kahoon Ek Baat” – Mohammed Rafi[1]
Critical reception
Dastak was featured in Avijit Ghosh’s book, 40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed.[1] In a retrospective review, Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote, “It [Dastak] rejects conventional ideas of filmmaking to produce a nuanced, uncompromised vision, which slams the inconsistencies and ethics of social structure through ordinary, imperfect people. Yet shows how it’s these very ordinary, imperfect people who battle it in spirit till the very end.”[1]
