Language: Hindustani
Story: Mohanlal Dave
Dialogues: Ahsan Rizvi
Songs : Rupbani
Music: Allarakha
Photography: R. M. Rele and Sudhir Bose
Audiography : Bhikhoo and Sachin Ghosh
Cast: Jamuna, Molina, Kalyani, Dulari, Nawab, Yakub, etc.
Released At: Majestic, Bombay.
Date of Release: 16th Oct. 1945
Director: V.M. VYAS
V. M. Vyas is an acrobat in motion picture production. No one can tell what he will do next. His skeleton- like hungry appearance can hardly support the fact that Vyas is an aggressive producer who is constantly active somewhere in India. "Ghar" is produced in two cities, Bombay and Calcutta, with Vyas hopping between the two ends of India. With this procedure no one expected Vyas to secure quality in his picture, but strange as it may sound, "Ghar" has more quality in it than in any other previous picture of Vyas.
Having made his pile, Vyas now seems to be anxious to secure some quality in his work. It is a good sign and we welcome his efforts.
It is a story with the moral attached to it. But unlike Aesop, M. G. Dave goes through numerous picked situations to arrive at the moral. And at certain places Dave does not mind some crudeness to expand some morbid idea as he did in suggesting a liaison between the heroine and her father-in-law. And Dave, evidently, is a believer of marriage at any age seeing that he got the old judge married to a young butterfly. Or is Dave trying to justify in advance an experiment he himself proposes to try someday? You can never be too sure of the old men of Dave's generation where matters of sex are concerned. They, are, of course, strictly moral seeing that many toothless old men take to bed girls with their milk-teeth only after forging the conventional marriage, and don't seduce girls into submission without tying the wedding knot as some modern young men often do.
WIDOW SCANDAL STORY
Judge Chandravadan, a well-respected judicial officer, is an unfortunate man. Years before his widowed sister had run away with his young daughter and when the picture opens Habulal, a bangle-seller, brings to him 'he dead body of his only son leaving on the judge's hand a widowed daughter-in-law.
Jyoti, the young daughter-in-law, had loved her husband deeply and therefore decides to remain a widow for her life. Very soon society starts its usual gossip of linking the old judge with his young daughter-in-law. Things become impossible and Jyoti finds a way out by getting her sister married to the old judge.
The sister now hears the scandal and becomes jealous and suspects Jyoti of carrying on an affair with her husband. Misunderstandings, the usual ones, soon mount up to a climax in which Jyoti's elder sister goes out of the house in the last stages of her delicate condition and gives birth to a child on the streets. Babulal acts the good Samaritan and fusses about helping Jyoti. The house in which Jyoti's sister is recouping catches fire with Jyoti saving the child of her sister after sustaining severe burns herself and Jyoti's sister repents as usual too late and just in time to obtain the forgiveness of the dying Jyoti. The story ends on a sad note with every one a little wiser including the judge who recovers both his sister and missing daughter.
JAMUNA'S STOIC PERFORMANCE
The production values of the picture are too good for V. M. Vyas who has been a junk merchant so far. Sound and photography are quite good. Music is pretty pleasant in parts. Song compositions, though not very intelligent are pretty appropriate in parts. The dialogues are pretty good throughout. The direction of Vyas is sketchy, perhaps because of a crowd of situations, one overlapping the other one after another leaving no time for Vyas to show any skill in emotional direction.
Jamuna easily hits the eye amongst the other players in the role of Jyoti. She has a very sympathetic role to play and she does it in her usual stoic manner. Nawab gives a pretty good portrayal as the kind judge but he looks nowadays too old for the screen. Yakub is in his usual role as Rabulal the happy man of the streets and he doesn't need much direction to be popular. Molina adds good weight to the picture as Jyoti's elder sister.
Well "Ghar" is quite a good picture to see though it drags at places.
Ghar (1946) – A Forgotten Chapter of Pre-Independence Hindi Cinema
The year 1946 was one of the most emotionally charged periods in Indian history. Just one year before Independence, Hindi cinema was deeply influenced by social uncertainty, political tension, and changing family structures. Among the many films released during this transitional phase was the lesser-known Hindi film Ghar (1946).
Though not widely remembered today, Ghar represents the kind of socially rooted storytelling that defined pre-Independence cinema. Films like this played a quiet but important role in shaping the emotional language of Hindi films.
The Cinematic Context of 1946
By 1946, Hindi cinema had moved far beyond mythological tales and fantasy. Filmmakers were increasingly focused on social realism, family relationships, emotional conflict, and moral dilemmas.
The country was experiencing:
- Political uncertainty
- Economic struggle
- Changing social values
- Fear and hope before Independence
Films released during this time often reflected these emotions indirectly, using family stories as metaphors for a divided and anxious society.
Theme and Storytelling Style of Ghar (1946)
As the title suggests, Ghar (meaning “home”) revolved around family, relationships, and emotional bonds. In 1940s Hindi cinema, the concept of “home” symbolized:
- Security and belonging
- Emotional conflict
- Tradition versus change
- Moral responsibility
Films like Ghar explored how external pressures affect internal family life. Rather than relying on spectacle, such films focused on dialogue, performance, and emotional depth.
Performances and Acting Style
Acting in the mid-1940s was undergoing a transition. Performers were slowly moving away from theatrical exaggeration toward more restrained and natural expressions.
Actors in films like Ghar relied heavily on:
- Facial expressions
- Dialogue delivery
- Emotional pauses
- Subtle body language
Even supporting characters carried emotional weight, as ensemble storytelling was common during this era.
Music in Ghar (1946)
Music was already an inseparable part of Hindi cinema by the 1940s. Songs were used not merely for entertainment but as emotional tools that advanced the narrative.
Films of this period typically featured:
- Classical and semi-classical melodies
- Poetic lyrics
- Emotion-driven compositions
Though detailed song records of Ghar (1946) are scarce, its music would have followed the era’s tradition of lyrical depth and emotional resonance.
Why Films Like Ghar Were Important
Lesser-known films such as Ghar may not appear in mainstream lists of classics, but they were vital to the evolution of Hindi cinema.
These films:
- Experimented with realistic storytelling
- Reflected middle-class and family life
- Prepared audiences for socially conscious cinema
- Influenced the Golden Age of the 1950s
Without such films, the emotionally rich cinema of later decades would not have been possible.
Why Ghar (1946) Is Largely Forgotten Today
Many films from the 1940s were lost due to:
- Lack of proper archiving
- Deterioration of film reels
- Limited documentation
- Overshadowing by later classics
As a result, films like Ghar survive mostly through references, memories, and historical records rather than complete prints.
Cultural Value of Forgotten Films
Forgotten films offer historians and cinema lovers a rare glimpse into:
- Pre-Independence social values
- Evolution of acting styles
- Early narrative structures
- Audience psychology of the 1940s
Revisiting such films helps preserve the roots of Indian cinema and honor the artists who worked without modern recognition.
Conclusion
Ghar (1946) stands as a quiet yet meaningful part of Hindi cinema’s early journey. It represents an era when films spoke softly, focused on human emotions, and mirrored a society on the brink of change.
While the film may be forgotten by mainstream audiences, its existence reminds us that every era of cinema is built not only on famous classics but also on countless unseen efforts.
Ghar (1946) remains a silent witness to a time when cinema was finding its emotional voice.