Kati Patang - 1971

Star Cast : 

• Super Star Rajesh Khanna...... Kamal Sinha
• Asha Parekh...... Madhu/Madhvi/Poonam
• Prem Chopra...... Kailash
• Nasir Husain...... Diwan Dinanath
• Bindu...... Shabnam 'Shabu'
• Madan Puri
• Chandrashekhar
• Birbal...... Shopkeeper
• Daisy Irani
• Honey Irani...... Ramaiya
• Satyen Kappu...... Dr. Kashinath
• Lalita Kumari
• Jr Mehmood
• Tiwari
• Sulochana
• Lata Sinha

Other Film Crew's :

• Producer : Shakti Samanta
• Director : Shakti Samanta
• Color : Colour
• Release Date : 1971
• Genre : Musical/Romance and Family Drama
• Singers : Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh
• Lyricist : Anand Bakshi
• Music Director : R D Burman

Introduction :

Kati Patang is an 1970 Indian Hindi movie produced and directed by Shakti Samanta. It was a box office success. The Hindi title of the film translates as "Cut Kite", a kite whose cord has been cut and is therefore drifting. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman pretending to be a widow, and her ensuing trials and tribulations. The story, written by Gulshan Nanda, is based on the novel I Married a Dead Man, by Cornell Woolrich and had been previously made into a picture titled No Man of Her Own (1950) starring Barbara Stanwyck. The novel was also later filmed in French as J'ai épousé une ombre (I Married a Shadow) (1983), and by Hollywood as Mrs. Winterbourne (1996). 

The movie also stars Nasir Hussain, Bindu, Prem Chopra and Rajesh Khanna. The film was the second in a string of nine movies in which Samanta and Khanna collaborated.

The film was remade in Telugu as Punnami Chandrudu with Sobhan Babu.

Summary :

Madhavi (Asha Parekh) is an orphan living with her maternal uncle, who arranges her marriage with someone she does not know. Blinded in love with Kailash (Prem Chopra), she runs away from the marriage procession. She discovers Kailash in the arms of Shabnam (Bindu). Heartbroken and dejected, she returns to her uncle, who committed suicide from the setback. Madhavi realizes that she has no one in life. So she decides to leave town and head somewhere. She meets her childhood friend Poonam (uncredited) who tells her about her husband's untimely demise in an accident and she is on her way, along with her baby boy Munna, to stay with her in-laws whom she's never met before. Poonam manages to compel Madhavi to accompany her as her plight is pitiful.

En route Poonam and Madhavi chit-chat until the train derails. Madhu and Poonam end up in a Government hospital. Poonam has lost her limbs. She knows that time is up, so takes an oath from Madhu that she will assume Poonam's identity, bring Munna up and continue for her in-law's house. Madhu had no choice but to obey. On the way, the cabbie attempts to rob her until Kamal (Rajesh Khanna), the forest ranger rescues her and gives her shelter until the skies are clear the next day. She soon learns that Kamal is the very man she was about to marry.

Ashamed, she leaves Kamal's home and reaches Poonam's in-laws. Her father-in-law, Dinanath (Nazir Hussain) and mother-in-law (Sulochana) accept her and let her stay there. Kamal keeps visiting the house as he was the son of Dinanath's best friend. As he keeps visiting, he realizes that he is in love with Poonam.

But 'Madhavi's' jinxed fate has brought Kailash to Dinanath's house. He is after their money and is very close to reveal Madhavi's identity. To be successful, he impresses all the members of the house but Poonam takes a resentment to him. Dinanath soon realizes Poonam's true identity and asks for the truth. When he realizes what the matter really is, he accepts Madhavi and makes her the guardian of the Dinanath property which will be inherited by Munna. Before the new dawn would rise, Dinanath is poisoned by Kailash, which he mixes in his milk. Mrs. Dinanath accuses Poonam for what has happened and she is jailed.

Now Shabnam enters the life of the Dinanaths claiming that she is the real Poonam. Mrs. Dinanath in rage sends her away and is ready for no story. Kamal takes a dislike towards Madhu, learning the truth. And soon he realizes what the truth is and gets Shabnam and Kailash arrested for their evil intentions and Madhavi is freed. When Kamal searches for Madhu, he realizes that she has left without any notice and left a letter for Kamal, stating that she is going out of his life and so, he should not try to find out her.

Kamal starts searching for her and finds her trying to jump from a cliff, stops her by singing a song. They hug - The end

Shakti Samanta has said that he cast Asha Parekh, because he was "confident" that he could extract a "convincing performance from her." He had cast her in his earlier film, the underrated Pagla Kahin Ka. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award, the only win for the film.

Music Sound Track :

The music was composed by Rahul Dev Burman, and the lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi. Kishore Kumar sang four songs for Rajesh Khanna, while Mukesh got to sing a number for the latter - a rare combination. Asha Bhosle performed "Mera Naam Hai Shabnam" in the talk-sung style of Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (and thus often incorrectly dubbed "the first Hindi rap number").

Songs :

S.No.	Song	Singer(s)	Picturized on
1	"Yeh Shaam Mastani"	Kishore Kumar	Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh
2	"Pyar Deewana Hota Hai"	Kishore Kumar	Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh
3	"Mera Naam Hai Shabnam"	Asha Bhosle & Rahul Dev Burman	Bindu
4	"Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai"	Kishore Kumar	Rajesh Khanna
5	"Jis Gali Mein Tera Ghar"	Mukesh	Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh
6	"Na Koi Umang Hai"	Lata Mangeshkar	Asha Parekh
7	"Aaj Na Chodenge"	Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar	Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh

Box office :

The film was successful, and it became the sixth highest earning Bollywood film of 1970.

Awards and Nominations :

1972 Filmfare Awards

• Filmfare Best Actress Award: Asha Parekh

Nominations :

• Filmfare Award for Best Director - Shakti Samanta
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Rajesh Khanna
• Filmfare Award for Best Story - Gulshan Nanda
• Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist - Anand Bakshi - "Na Koi Umang Hai"
• Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer - Kishore Kumar - "Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai"