Gumrah (Astray) is a Romantic Musical Thriller Hindi Movie.  The movie is produced and directed by B.R. Chopra. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Ashok Kumar, Mala Sinha, Nirupa Roy, Deven Verma and Shashikala. 

Kamla (Nirupa Roy) lives in Mumbai with her husband Ashok (Ashok Kumar) who is an established attorney. Kamla’s  yonger sister Meena (Mala Sinha) is still unmarried and resides at Nanital in her parental house. When Kamla comes to Nainital for her delivery, she comes to about Meena’s loves interest Rajendra (Sunil Dutt) who works as a Singer. Kamla approves Meena and Rajendra’s collaboration and decides getting them married.

Before Kamla can do this, she dies after falling off a cliff near her father’s home. Afraid that her sister’s children will be ill-treated by a stepmother, Meena is compelled to marry Ashok. Ashok does not know about her love affair with Rajendra. After marriage Meena shifts to Mumbai and everything seems to become normal until Rajendra reaches Mumbai. Meena starts meeting him secretly. Soon Leela (Shashikala) saw Meena meeting with Rajendra. Leela claims to be wife of Rajendra and starts blackmailing Meena who has to choose one between Ashok and Rajendra to get rid of all crisis. 

Later Meena realizes that Leela is not Rajendra’s wife and she attempts to kill her in anger but her husband Ashok stopped her. Ashok tells Meena that Leela is his secretary and he told his secretary to do that. Ashok tells Meena that she can go with Rajendra.

There was nothing exceptional about the storyline. A woman dies, leaving behind two children. Her sister makes a sacrifice, marries her brother-in-law to provide emotional security to the kids.

Marriage practically destroys all the romantic aspirations from the young girl’s heart. For her it is just a compromise. On one hand she is still lamenting the loss of her first love and on the other hand, she feels neglected by her older lawyer husband’s workaholic nature. So when she re-encounters her first lover while on a holiday visit to her home- town, the romance rekindles despite her futile attempts to thwart it. She desperately tries to keep the clandestine love-meetings under the wraps from the watchful eyes of her husband.

The lead actors Mala Sinha and Sunil Dutt earnestly portray their roles. Ashok Kumar’s superbly natural role as the calm and collected  husband, who is secretly aware of his wife’s affair and Shashikala’s menacing portrayal  as the blackmailing vamp are the roles to watch. Shashikala won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Ravi’s music set to Sahir’s lyrics plays a vital role in adding another emotional layer. Mahendra Kapoor’s songs- Chalo Ik Baar Phir Se and Aap Aaye To Khayale Dile Nashaad Aaya are the best examples of that. Sahir’s immortal lines: “Woh Afsana Jise Anjaam Tak Lana Na Ho Mumkin, Use Ik Khoobsurat Moad Dekar Chhodna Acahha” (If the affair cannot come to fruition/ It is better to leave it gracefully as a beautiful memory!) can be said to be the theme of this film. Mahendra Kapoor won the Filmfare Award for Best Mala Playback Singer for the song Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se. 

Director B.R.Chopra deftly tells this emotional story using suspense to great effect but he also tries to make it a ‘Message Film’ by sending out a message that the a married woman should not cross her social limits by giving in to her emotional longings since she has to put domestic duty. The movie examines the conflict of a married woman who is caught between her feelings for her lover and her duty to her husband and family.

Film won the Certificate of Merit for Third Best Hindi Feature Film.

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.