Upkaar was produced by R.N. Goswami and Harkishen R. Mirchandani.Patriotic lyrics were written by Qamar Jalalabadi, Indivar,Gulshan Bawra and Prem Dhawan and music composed by Anandji Veerji Shah and Kalyanji Veerji Shah (Kalyanji-Anadji).Heart touching songs were sung by Manna dey,Mukesh,Mohd Rafi,Asha Bhosle ,Mahendra Kapoor and Lata Mangeskar.Upkaar was started by Manoj Kumar,Pran,Asha Parekh,Prem Chopra,Madan Puri,Aruna Irani and others.
Story of the movie Upkaar:-
Manoj Kumar played a village man 'Bharat', who sacrifices everything to get his brother educated. His brother (Prem Chopra) goes abroad and comes back a selfish man wanting his share of the property. But when war of 1965 between India and Pakistan breaks out, Bharat is off to the war; while his selfish brother, with the help of his greedy uncle ,Charandas(Madan Puri) and some partners, tries to gain profit by selling drugs and blackmarketering in the market. In the end, Bharat returns as a war hero defeating the demon designs of the enemy and his brother repents as he is caught by the police (by the brother-in-law of Bharat). Hence, he vows to be a good & hardworking brother just like his Indo-Pak war veteran brother Bharat.The movie also stars Asha Parekh as a doctor promoting family planning, Kamini Kaushal and
Pran in his first positive character role.
Trivia to the movie Upkaar:-
The film won the top spot at the box office in 1967. Madan Puri played the main villain with ease, full ability and command. This is one of his best films. Audience has not seen such a villain till date. The film won several major awards such as Filmfare Best Movie Award(Manoj Kumar),Filmfare Best Director Award(Manoj Kumar),Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award(Pran),Filmfare Best Story Award(Manoj Kumar),Filmfare Best Dialogue Award(Manoj Kumar),Filmfare Best Lyricist Award(Gulshan Bawra for the song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti"),Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor(Manoj Kumar),Filmfare Nomination for Best Music(Kalyanji Anandji),Filmfare Nomination for Best Male Playback Singer(Mahendra Kapoor for the song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti"),National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film(Manoj Kumar),National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer(Mahendra Kapoor for the song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti"),BFJA Award for Best Dialogue [(Hindi)--Manoj Kumar].The character that became immortal with this movie is Malang Chacha who gave a pleasant turn to the career of the most hated villain of Bollywood, Pran. Pran has performed the role of the handicapped, carefree and outspoken Malang Chacha so well that you can never forget him after watching this movie. The song - Kasme Vaade Pyar Wafa has been picturized on him only. [
source Wikipedia]
Morality of the Song:-
Hoga masiha ... Hoga masiha saamne tere,
Phir bhi na tu bach paayega
Tera apnaâ Tera apna khoon hi aakhir tujhko aag lagaayega
Aasmaan mein ... Aasmaan me udne waale mitti mein mil jaayega
Sukh mein tere ... Sukh mein tere saath chalenge,
Dukh mein sab mukh modenge
Duniya waale ... Duniya waale tere bankar tera hi dil todenge
Dete hain ... Dete hain bhagwaan ko dhokha,Insaan ko kya chhodenge
Conclusion:-
Upkaar is sheer entertainment wrapped in patriotism. Still the movie is highly admirable and despite the change in times, relevant even today in several ways. The family bonds, the importance of the ancestral property, the
love for the motherland, the sentiment of sacrifice etc. have not got outdated with time. It still appeals and should not be missed by the people interested in watching golden oldies. It has a great repeat value and the first time watcher will
definitely like to watch it again.