Hariyali Aur Rasta was Manoj Kumar’s major box-office hit
Hariyali Aur Rasta was Manoj Kumar’s major box-office hit
Hariyali Aur Rasta was a romantic drama that questioned arranged marriages
Even as Manoj Kumar as Shankar was easy on the eyes in the first half and turns into a
Devdas-like figure in the second, it’s the two female leads who drive the storyline.
Given that Manoj Kumar’s earlier films Panchayat Kaanch Ki Gudhiya and Reshmi Rumal turned out to be a debacle at the
box-office, Vijay Bhatt’s directorial Hariyali Aur Rasta released on 1962 proved a big success
and marked Kumar’s first major box office hit, pulling him into the spotlight and establishing him and catapulting him to a dizzy and rising star in Hindi cinema.
Hariyali Aur Rasta is a romantic drama rooted in the era’s favorite themes of love, duty, sacrifice, and moral conflict. Kumar’s earlier films had also followed the same route, but the 1962 film struck a chord with audiences through its emotional depth and longing of love.
Manoj Kumar as Shankar was especially unforgettable With his expressive eyes and screen presence, particularly in moments of grief over lost love, the audience couldn’t help but have their hearts go out to him.
Another plus point in the film which led to the success of the film was the music composed by Shankar-Jaikishan.
Songs like “Allah Jane Kya Hoga” and “Yeh Hariyali Aur Yeh Rasta” further to the narrative.
The commercial success of Hariyali Aur Rasta not only won for Manoj Kumar the
much-needed credibility, but also laid the foundation for future classics like
Woh Kaun Thi? and Upkar..
Notedly it was Vijay Bhatt ’s Harili Aur Rasta that truly launched Kumar’s journey toward cinematic greatness.
Notedly, it was Mala Sinha as Shobhna and Shashikala as Rita who drove the storyline.
Through Shobhna and Rita, the film explores two contrasting portrayals of womanhood: the self-sacrificing who puts her family’s needs above her own and the other, and a woman who chooses to live life on her own terms, independent and unapologetic.
Shankar, because of familial duty, is forced to marry Rita, leaving both his and Shobhna’s hearts broken. While he wrestles with the weight of his suppressed desires and the choices made for him, Shobhna’s quiet suffering adds a heartbreaking layer to the narrative.
Mala Sinha delivers a powerful performance, often letting her eyes speak louder than any dialogue.
Her pain is evident, whether she’s silently watching Shankar marry someone else, standing at a distance in the hospital, or witnessing his poor health from afar.
Hariyali Aur Rasta, like many films of its time, presents the idea of the “ideal flawed woman.”
Rita is painted as a hypocrite. She is organising women’s conferences and preaching the virtues of serving your husband and family, yet choosing parties and social life over her hospitalised child.
In attempting to contrast Shobhna’s virtue with Rita’s, the director leans too heavily into moral absolutism. By the film’s end, Rita meets a tragic fate, leaving Shobhna to take her role as wife and mother.
The film’s judgement is clear: the woman who strays from domestic duties is punished.
News Edit KV Raman
