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Encyclopedia

On This Day

18 May, 2021

Cinemaazi remembers Reema Lagoo on her death anniversary.

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films

Son Of India (1962)

Mehboob Khan

Release Date1962
GenreDrama
FormatColour
LanguageHindi
Run Time155 min
Length4466.00 meters
Gauge35 mm
Censor RatingU
Censor Certificate NumberU-36874-MUM
Certificate Date01/11/1962

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Every mother is judged by the merits of her children and every country is known by the culture of her people. Mother India, too, has been proud of her good sons—and has shed tears over her bad ones.

Very often a boy grows up amongst the weak, the misled or thoroughly wicked people—and yet, in him shines out the true culture of the country. Truly, he is a son of his Motherland—Gopal was such a son.

His father was one of those playboys who run into debts and, then fall into the hands of Sharks like Jang Bahadur. He married Kamla only to get at her rich father’s money—but in her he found such devotion and love that he was ashamed of himself. To incapacitate the evil schemes of blackmailing Jang Bahadur, the unfortunate man left a good home, a good wife and a dear little son—Gopal—and became a recluse, with eternal sorrow as his only companion.

And, thus, fatherless little Gopal had only his mother’s teachings to lean upon. Never to beg, never to steal, never to tell a lie and consider God his personal friend: these were the four guiding stars in his very young, very stormy life.

It is the story of a boy who, from class room to court room, was never afraid of speaking the truth. It is the story of a boy who, in his search for his father, went hungry for days but never thought of stealing or begging, it is the story, not of a Paragon of Virtue, but of those footpath schools where the Devil himself teaches sinful trades to friendless, homeless and hungry children like Gopal. Gopal greatly disappointed the Devil.

And God—his personal friend—did not always abide by his wishes. Gopal quarreled with God. But God knew his job—and the job which He had set for Gopal.

When the love of a wife fails to give strength to her husband’s regeneration; when the helping hand of a beautiful heiress fails to pull a man out of degeneration; when the bottle kills a father and poverty puts a price-tag on a daughter; when the dregs of society rise to the surface and aim at stealing the power to run the country for their own benefit—then, only the redeeming hand of God can save the future generations. Gopal was such a hand—a small hand that smote the biggest enemy of society and country.

SON OF INDIA is the story of a fearless boy’s faith in God. This is the story of a boy’s faith in a bullet and his challenge to Death. This is the story of a man who loses faith in God—and then regains it. This is the story of a woman whose love regains everything—by sacrificing all that love values most. This story is for those fathers and mothers who care for the India of Tomorrow—and for every son and daughter who is Tomorrow’s India.

(From the official press booklet)