The cast of ‘Shehnai’.
Today the country is celebrating its 78th Independence Day. On 15 August 1947, after a long struggle, India got independence from the British. The British Raj officially ended on this day. India started being counted in the list of independent nations from this day. If you look at the years old calendar of 1947, the day was Friday, that is, the day of films. Yes, in Indian cinema, films are released in theaters on this day and their fate is decided whether they will be a hit or a flop. There has been some change in this practice of releasing films on Fridays, which has been going on for years, but still films usually hit the theaters on this day. On 15 August 1947, two Hindi films were released in theaters. One of these became the first box office success of independent India, that is, the film became a hit by earning well.
The country’s independence brought a gift for the filmmaker
Shehnai was the first film to become a success in the newly independent India. Directed by PL Santoshi, it was a Muslim social film. Rehana was paired opposite superstar Dilip Kumar’s brother Nasir Khan. Shehnai was a success, grossing nearly Rs 1 crore at the box office and becoming the fifth highest grossing Indian film of the year. Reports from that era suggest that the hall was crowded for days. Nasir did not benefit much from the film’s success, but Rehana became a star. She had another hit that year, Saajan, starring Ashok Kumar. The success of two films one after the other made Rehana a star overnight.
Poster of ‘Shehnai’.
This star got the most success
Now let’s come to the person who got more success than Rehana because of this film. 18-year-old Abhas Kumar Ganguly was an extra in the film. Later, Abhas became famous in the film world as Kishore Kumar. Even today, Kishore Kumar’s name is taken as the most successful singer in the history of Indian cinema. Not only this, Kishore was a man of many talents, as much fame he earned in singing, his acting skills were also seen equally.
Another film released on this day
Now let us tell you about another film which was released on 15 August 1947, but it could not get the same success as ‘Shehnai’. ‘Mera Geet’ starring Sushil Kumar and Junior Naseem flopped badly at the box office and all the earnings went to ‘Shehnai’.
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