Calling the film a "slander on Hindus" and anti-social, he claimed it to be a film encouraging suicide, a criminal offense (section 309 of the Indian Penal Code). His review elaborated a Parsi (Wadia) and Muslim (Bazidpuri) "conspiracy" to "run down the Hindus" by making a "stupid and reactionary" film like Mela. In the December 1948 issue of the cine-magazine, he compared the "formula" used for the story as a "rehash of Rattan" (1944).
The film came in for harsh criticism from the editor of Filmindia, Baburao Patel. He felt the changes were good, both for him and the cast overall. As Kumar reports in his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, "We had some healthy brainstorming sessions, which helped us to add depth and intensity to the story besides logic". Kumar felt the story line was weak, in his words "absence of meat", and asked the screenwriters to accommodate changes in the script, which they did. ĭilip Kumar was reportedly unwilling to act in Mela until he reached the studios and heard the opening lines of the song "Mera dil todnewaale", sung by Mukesh and Shamshad Begum. Following the success of Mela, Sunny set up his own production company, Sunny Art Productions, where he made films like Babul (1950), Udan Khatola (1955), and Kohinoor (1960). Hila suggested that Jamshed Wadia make a film with music director Naushad, who was at the top of his musical career, having composed music for films like Rattan (1944), Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Shahjehan (1946). Wadia's wife Hila Wadia also listed in the credits as producer ("A Hila Wadia production"). Sunny, was a Wadia Movietone presentation, with J. As he does, he falls off the cliff edge and dies. He sees her spirit, who beckons him to follow her. On release from jail, Mohan goes to the same place where Manju had died. Mohan says nothing in his defense and is sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. Mehkoo and other villagers arrive to convict Mohan of murdering Manju. One night in stormy weather, she goes out to meet Mohan, and dies when she falls off a cliff. The man dies, with Manju now left a young widow in charge of the children. Manju takes on the role of the old man's wife. Remorseful, he asks for forgiveness, but pleads with her to care of his children. When he enters the wedding chamber, he agrees that Manju is too young to be his bride. It finds a supposedly suitable groom for Manju, but he turns out to be a seventy-year-old, sickly man. Since the wedding day has been fixed, the panchayat agrees with Mehkoo that Manju should get married on the day decided. Here, he denounces Mohan as a cad who has run away with a girl, telling them that he won't return for the marriage. He is influential with Manju's stepmother and, with her by his side, calls the village panchayat. Mehkoo ( Jeevan), is a no-good man, retired from the army, who lusts after one of the young village girls. On the way he is robbed and beaten unconscious, landing him in the hospital. Mohan decides to go into town to buy jewelry for the marriage. The friendship develops into love and they are both excited about their wedding. Mohan ( Dilip Kumar) and Manju are friends since childhood. Manju ( Nargis) lives in the village with her father, a school teacher, and step-mother. Mohan is convicted for her murder, and after spending twenty years in jail, he too falls off the cliff and dies when he follows Manju's spirit. After the husband's death, the lovers meet and Manju dies accidentally.
Manju is married off to a seventy-year-old man, who declares that he didn't realise he was being married to someone so young. The musical film, set in a village milieu, was a tragic love story involving Manju and Mohan. The lyrics of the songs were written by Shakeel Badayuni with story and dialogue by Azam Bazidpuri. Mohammed Rafi's voice was used just once, for the popular song "Ye Zindagi Ke Mele", set in a fairground and picturised on a wandering mendicant at the start of the film. Mukesh gave playback for Dilip in this film and one of the "Mukesh hits" was "Gaye Ja Geet Milan Ke". The film's music was composed by Naushad. It starred Dilip Kumar, Nargis, Jeevan, Rehman and Nur Jehan. The Fair) is a 1948 Indian Hindi-language romantic tragedy film.