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On This Day

18 Apr, 1907

Cinemaazi remembers Kantilal on his birth anniversary

18 Apr, 1916

Cinemaazi remembers Lalita Pawar on her birth anniversary

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films

Dharmputra (1961)

Yash Chopra

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Release Date1961
GenreDrama
FormatB-W
LanguageHindi
Run Time150 min
Length4230.01 meters
Number of Reels15
Gauge35 mm
Censor RatingU
Censor Certificate NumberU-34390-MUM
Certificate Date26/12/1961
Shooting LocationKardar Studios

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The struggle of India's independence which started with the slogan of Hindu-Muslim unity ended up in the disruption of the cultural brotherhood between these two communities- this is the political argument behind the story of 'Dharmputra'.

In he context of harmony between Hindus and Muslims, there did not appear anything wrong when Doctor Amrit Rai and his wife Savitri took upon themselves to save Husn Bano from a life of shame by adopting the illegitimate son born to her out of a love affair which her father Nawab Badru Din did not approve. The two families had been neighbours for over two generations and as the Nawab had quite a hand in the shaping of the career of Amrit Rai, the young Doctor apart from doing a humanitarian deed found in it something by which he could repay in part, his debt of gratitude.

So, the son of Husn Bano started his life in he house of a Hindu.

But as the young lad Dilip grew, the political atmosphere in the country started changing. Indians got divided into Hindu and Muslims, religion became the dominant feature of our Independence struggle. The atmosphere became surcharged with the venom of Hindu-Muslim disunity. As a slap on the face of communal bigotry, this Muslim-born Dilip developed into a staunch Hindu, determined to oppose with all his might, the partition of the country.

'Dharamputra' is thus a vehement criticism of the religious frenzy, born out of communal labels. It pleads for the condemnation of the religious factor in human, social and political life, and presents a strong case for national integration as the only living force for creating a healthy nation.

[from the official press booklet]