Shankar is a cheerful tonga-driver in a small village where life moves at the pace of horses and carts. When Kundan, the westernised son of the local landowner, brings in a sawmill and then a bus service that threatens to put every tongawala out of work, Shankar makes a bold wager: a race between his horse cart and the bus. To have any chance he needs a shorter road, and the villagers start building one together, even as his friendship with Krishna is strained by rivalry over Rajni, the girl both men love. B. R. Chopra's film turns the debate over machines and human labour into a warm, rousing entertainment. O. P. Nayyar's songs, including "Maang Ke Saath Tumhara", "Ude Jab Jab Zulfein Teri", "Saathi Haath Badhana" and "Ye Desh Hai Veer Jawanon Ka", became evergreen. Dilip Kumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, and a colourised version was released in 2007.
Add a review
Sign in to comment.