indian cinema heritage foundation

Anjaan (1941)

  • Release Date1941
  • GenreSocial
  • FormatB-W
  • LanguageHindi
  • Shooting LocationThe Bombay Talkies Studios, Malad
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Indira's bunglow at midnight, imagine their surprise and annoyance to find Ajit ready to face them!

Ramnath cunningly misrepresented the entire situation to Ranima. He made her believe that Indira was leading the good Ajit astray; that Ajit was found paying her a sweet visit at night. The result was Indira's instant dismissal from service, and orders to quit Rajvati forthwith. 

That order brought matters to a head. Ajit told Ranima the truth, and exposed Ramnath in his true colours. The revelation about Ramnath was too much for the ailing lady to bear. She collapsed under stress of anger and, despite Ajit's best efforts and the injection which usually toned up her heart, Ranima died. 

While everyone was sunk in grief, Ramnath readjusted his plans. He quietly removed the empty ampoule of the drug that Ajit had injected, and replaced it with an ampoule of morphia, which he obtained from town by telegraphing for it. He then pretended to have discovered the empty ampoule of morphia in Ranima's room, and declared that Ajit had deliberately murdered the mistress of the house. 

The prospect of Ajit being taken for murder unnerved Indira, and she surrendered to Ramnath's blackmail. She agreed to marry Ramnath,  on condition he let Ajit free. 

Misunderstanding Indira's conduct, Ajit left Rajvati for the city. It was more than Indira could bear. She met him secretly at the railway station, to clear her own position. In the emotional stress of the parting, however, she got no chance to tell the truth. Ajit, on the contrary, coaxed out a promise from Indira that she would wait for him till he settled down in the city. He went away, a happier man. 

Ramnath was not to be cheated thus. He came to know of Indira's visit to the station, and taxed her with it. In a fit of temper, Indira blurted out that her heart was already given to Ajit. 

That put the fat in the fire. The infuriated Ramnath, determined on frustrating the true love of Ajit and Indira, immediately lodged a charge of murder against Ajit. To provide a motive, he removed the family ornaments from the safe, put them in a secret niche in his own room, and charged Ajit with the theft of the ornaments. 

The case against Ajit was prima facie complete. He was arrested in the city and committed to the sessions. At the trial, Ajit bore himself like a gentleman. He offered no defence beyond the declaration of his innocence and an assertion of his medical ethics. Gallantly, he kept Indira's name scrupulously out of proceedings. The judge was impressed by Ajit's bearing and demeanour; he was not at all impressed with the honesty of Ramnath and other witnesses for the prosecution. But the law had to take its course, and the Jury could consider only the evidence before the court. The hangman's noose seemed to be not far away from Ajit's throat. 

But human kindness cannot fail to earn its reward, and one can never say whence the reward may come. To Ajit, it came from his little wards, Amal and Ranu