• Bollywood and Beyond, Echoes of the Past

The First Indian Movie I Saw

October 14, 2025byNo Comments
Around 1969, my mother came up with a plan for each of her four children to watch a movie on the “big” screen. Each child would get to see one movie per year. I looked forward to going to my first movie, which I was told would be around the time of my fifth birthday.
EkPhoolDoMali-Poster
Movie Poster for Ek Phool Do Mali

The big day came. It was Saturday March 21, 1970, one day after I turned five. The movie was Ek Phool Do Mali. It was released at the Astor cinema in Port-of-Spain the week before on March 12. On Saturdays there was a special early show at the Metro cinema in Couva at 12:30 pm and this is the one we went to.

Around this time, the Black Power Movement was beginning to gain momentum in the country. It took off on February 26, when a group of Black Power activists staged a bold and symbolic protest by marching into the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain during a service. Throughout the month of March, numerous protests and marches were held in various parts of Trinidad. While this likely stirred doubt and uncertainty across the nation, it may not have had a strong impact in the rural areas since my mother took me to the cinema at the height of the protests.

Ek Phool Do Mali (one flower, two gardeners) is a story of love, sacrifice, and family. Somna (played by Sadhana), a poor woman, falls in love with Amar (played by Sanjay Khan), but he is presumed dead after an avalanche. Pregnant and devastated, she marries Kailash (played by Balraj Sahni), who rescues her from a molester and raises her son Bobby as his own. Years later, Amar returns, causing tension as Bobby bonds with him, his biological father. After a series of dramatic events, including Bobby’s injury and a kidnapping, Kailash sacrifices his life to save Bobby. The movie highlights the themes of selfless love and the importance of family.

EK Phool Do Mali depicts the beautiful scenery of the Himalayas in North India. The male star of the movie, Sanjay Khan, told the Greater Kashmir newspaper in 2018 that the movie was filmed in Kashmir. However, other Internet sources claim that the movie was filmed in the Mussoorie hill station of Uttarakhand.

The movie was released in India on May 7, 1969. It was a box office hit and the second highest grossing film for 1969. By the time it was released in Trinidad, the songs would have been playing for months on the radio and at weddings and other events by the mike men. So, my mother probably heard the chorus of one of the songs, O Nanhe Se Farishte, with the words “Happy Birthday to You!” and planned to take me to the movie long before it reached Trinidad. God bless her soul!

In the movie, before the song started, Amar had met Bobby and was teaching him to play cricket. Bobby called him Uncle and later brought him home uninvited to his sixth birthday party. Bobby then requests Amar to sing a song. This is the song that is sung by Amar, intensifying the already tense atmosphere.

Music video of O Nanhe Se Farishte from the movie Ek Phool Do Mali.

Go to Song Page

Ek Phool Do Mali had many beautiful, unforgettable songs that would be enjoyed by Trinidadians for many decades to come. Even today, it is not uncommon to hear songs like Tujhe Suraj Kahun Ya Chanda (or remixes of it) being blasted from a mike or loudspeaker in rural areas.

Another well-known song from the movie is Yeh Parda Hata Do in which moviegoers are treated with views of the beautiful scenery of the Himalayas. Just before the song started, Somna had locked up Amar in their house because of an earlier prank he played on her. However, he manages to escape and now creeps up behind her in an apple orchard. At the beginning of the song, Somna calls him an insane lover (like Majnu, from the love story of Laila and Majnu) and warns him about her mother. In the end, they both profess their love for each other.

Music video of Yeh Parda Hata Do  from the movie Ek Phool Do Mali

Go to Song Page

The first part of the movie is simple, down-to-earth, and beautiful. The last part of the movie spoils the peacefulness and charm of the Himalayan backdrop, but it helps to resolve the conflicts in the movie. The movie is highly recommended, if only for its songs, its simplicity, and the lovely Himalayan setting.

References

[1] “There is pain in air, gloom on faces: Sanjay Khan”. Article in Greater Kashmir newspaper, October 14, 2018. https://www.greaterkashmir.com/opinion/there-is-pain-in-air-gloom-on-faces-sanjay-khan/

Watch Songs on YouTube

The YouTube videos for the songs with the actual scenes from the movie cannot be viewed on this blog post. You can watch the videos on YouTube if you wish:

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Picture of Permanand Mohan

Permanand Mohan

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