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Short summary

Raj Kumar is an honest, handsome and intelligent young man to boot. He works as a sole Trader therefore a painter by trade, but unable to earn a living, and unable to pay rent to his kind-hearted but talkative landlady, Mrs. D'sa. One day Raj finds a wallet containing money, and he returns it to the owner, Ramnath. Ramnath admires Raj and pleased with his honesty employs him to work in his office as a Receptionist. Raj meets with Ramnath's maidservant, Asha, and soon both fall in love. This all ends when Raj finds out that Asha is really Aarti, the daughter of his employer. He then alienates himself from his employer and his daughter, and looks after his ailing landlady by cooking and serving her daily meals. Unfortunately, she passes away suddenly. The police conduct a post-mortem, and as a result find out that Mrs. D'sa was poisoned. Raj became the prime suspect and is subsequently taken for questioning, and is arrested and held in a cell. Later on Raj planned a narrow escape which ...

"Fatality" by N.B.S. feat. Reef the Lost Cauze sampled the song "Tera Jaana"

Lalita Power after playing many negatives in movies, in Anari she plays positive role of the lovely landlady as Mrs. D'sa and she acted well and was appreciated become very popular and many filmmaker started to put the Mrs.D'sa type of character in their movies.

Lalita Pawar was appreciated a lot for her positive role as Mrs. D'sa in Anari. After more than 50 years people always remember it.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Minnai
    This is another nice Raj Kapoor movie, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

    The story is about Rajkumar (Raj Kapoor), an unemployed honest painter who lives in a rented room to Mrs. D'Sa (Lalita Pawaar). He never pays his rent, and though Mrs. D'Sa gets annoyed, she treats him like her son.

    On his way to finding a job, Raj bumps into Aarthi (Nutan), who was climbing over a wall to get out of her boring college class. Then he goes to his job interview, which is at a restaurant. He checks the daal (lentils) he finds a roach floating at the top. He reports this by screaming it out to everyone at the restaurant...which makes the manager very annoyed. Raj's honesty wasn't getting him anywhere, he gets kicked out.

    He goes home only to make Mrs. D'Sa mad. The next day, he bumps in to Aarthi again (in a chain reaction biking crash lol). Aarthi tells him that her name is Aasha. But Aasha (Shuba Khote) is actually Aarthi's naukrani...even though they're like sisters. Aarthi continues to pretend that she herself is the naukrani. She invites Raj to paint a picture at her "malkin's" house the next day. Raj readily agrees.

    The next day, Aarthi keeps on making up stories about her poorness, saying that her mom was really sick, and that's why she's working at the mansion. He gets paid 1,000 rupees for his work, but because of his kind heart, he gives it all back to Aarthi...saying that it would come in handy for her sick mother.

    Which makes Aarthi like him all the more.

    He goes back home, again with no pay to give Mrs. D'Sa. After a long argument, she gives him a quarter to go eat. When he's outside, Raj is almost hit by the car of Seth Ramnath (Motilal). Raj continues to look for his attani in the dark. To test his honesty, Seth Ramnath drops his wallet in the middle of the road. When Raj notices, he picks it up and wants to give the wallet back to Seth Ramnath...he gets chased by gonads...and goes through a lot ~ but he returns the wallet. Impressed, Seth Ramnath gives him a job in his office.

    Raj's life starts going well. He does hard work. Mrs. D'Sa doesn't take his rent, because they basically become like mother and son. And of course he has his dear "Aasha".

    But what Raj doesn't know is that Seth Ramnath is the uncle of his "Aasha", and what Seth Ramnath doesn't know is that Aarthi likes Raj. Poor Raj doesn't even know that his "Aasha" is actually Aarthi. He has yet to find out about what's in store for him.

    And once he does (in a quite saddening way)...his life is upside down. To make matters worse, Mrs. D'Sa gets the flu.

    Another thing that Raj doesn't know: the company he works at sells contaminated medicines sometimes.

    How is Rajkumar's life supposed to come back together? Can a poor man ever marry a rich girl? Or ever be given justice? That's the plot. It's a great movie, with emotion as well as entertainment. Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Lalita Pawar, and everyone gave wonderful performances. Nutan looked exuberantly beautiful and matched well with Raj Kapoor.

    And my god the music! Shankar Jaikishan once again delivers a perfect sound track. Songs like "Dil Ki Nazar Se", "Kisi Ki Muskarahoton", "Woh Chand Khila", "Tera Jaana" and so many more are just classics. Lata and Mukesh at their best once again. The background score is quite touching too. Helen's dance was a delight as usual.

    Hrishkesh Mukherjee's direction is pretty good, and there are many times in the movie where you just have to cry. The relationships between all of the characters just light up the screen. Despite a few extremely sad situations, and some unreasonably evil characters, the direction is very nice. I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10! Watch this classic.
  • comment
    • Author: AfinaS
    … sings Mukesh in the lively and entrancing "1959" cabaret scene, but you'd never guess it if you only listen to Western pop music! This was not only Raj Kapoor and Nutan at their peaks but also singers Lata and Mukesh too, in a typically moralising tale from RK with plenty of social instructions expertly delivered as pills in the jam.

    Whilst happily cycling and singing the catchy Ban Ke Panchhi lovely Nutan literally bumps into simple guy Raj - after many tribulations they eventually fall in love. Along the way he forms a son/mother relationship with his loud landlady Mrs D'Sa which is pivotal to the plot – he's utterly traumatised when she dies, but still has more trouble to come. Great songs: the jaunty Kisi Ke Muskurahaton, the poetic duet Dil Ke Nazar Se and the astoundingly simple Woh Chand Khila in the "radiantly moonlit" garden – Lata surpassed her usual high standard with that one!

    Overall, enjoyable as usual and with the usual RK messages that love is better than money and ingenuousness is better than being a man of the world it's always worth watching.
  • comment
    • Author: Lianeni
    Though Raj Kapoor was a versatile actor and performed various kinds of roles in his acting career spanning around 38 years (1944-1982), he's best loved by the Indian audience for the Seedha-Saada, simple, straightforward and naive (and therefore vulnerable) gentleman's role who's pure-hearted and cannot play with anybody's sentiments (but people can easily play with his sentiments and break his heart). Many movies showcasing his talent in such type of roles were made under his own banner and under the outside banners too. One such memorable movie is Anari (1959) which is definitely a classic, not to be missed by a movie-buff interested in watching quality cinema.

    Anari (too simple, devoid of shrewdness) is the story of Raj Kumar aka Raju (the evergreen screen-name of Raj Kapoor) who is poor and lives as paying guest with Mrs. D'Sa (Lalita Pawaar), a Christian widow whose personality is like coconut, i.e., apparently stern but very sweet, tender and benevolent inside her heart. Raju gets a job in the pharmaceutical company of Ramnath (Moti Lal) whose daughter, Aarti (Nutan) falls in love with him but pretends to be the maid of his daughter and presents the actual maid, Asha (Shubha Khote) as herself. Though she does it in just in prank-playing way but before she could tell Raju the truth, he himself comes to know of it and feeling badly hurt to see that his sentiments have been played with, alienates himself from Aarti and his father. But when ailing Mrs. D'Sa passes away after a medicine manufactured in the pharmaceutical company is injected to her, Raju is arrested because it is found that she has died of poison. After a few twists in the story, Raju is acquitted and the real culprit surrenders to the court. Aarti and Raju get reunited.

    The characters involved are above the plot of the story. The character of Mrs. D'Sa and the affectionate relationship between herself, the land-lady and Raju, the tenant; goes deep inside the hearts of the viewers. Both the performers have delivered performances of a lifetime in the movie. Especially for Lalita Pawar, I can safely say that it's the best role performed by herself in her entire acting career. Nutan, first as the carefree daughter of a rich man and thereafter a true lover who feeling the pain inside her own heart after inadvertently hurting the man she loves and later standing by him in his time of adversity, is just marvellous. And finally Moti Lal, as the proud businessman who is never ready to accept defeat, has delivered a knock-out performance. The performers have enlivened the script on the screen with their towering performances. And the director has shown his class by presenting the story in an extremely effective, interesting and above all, touching way. It's a movie which first entertains you and thereafter moves you deep inside your heart.The cinematography and other technical aspects of this black and white movie are also up to the mark.

    The music preparing team of Shankar-Jaikishan (composers), Shailendra (lyricist), Mukesh and Lata (singers) has done an outstanding job. It contains gems like Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe Ho Nisaar, Tera Jaana Dil Ke Armaanon Ka Lutt Jaana, Bann Ke Ye Panchhi Gaayen Pyar Ka Taraana, Dil Ki Nazar Se Nazaron Ki Dil Se, Woh Chaand Khila Woh Taare Hanse etc. My favourite song is the title track sung by Mukesh - Sab Kuchh Seekha Humne Na Seekhi Hoshiyaari, Sach Hai Duniya Waalon Ki Hum Hain Anari.

    Anari is a timeless classic from the black and white era of Bollywood movies which had won five Filmfare awards in 1960. Its repeat value is beyond measurement. See it once and you will love to see it countless number of times. It scores in every department of cinema. If you have not watched it till date, please do watch it now and you will know at once what quality cinema is all about.
  • comment
    • Author: TheFresh
    Anari is a classic remembered for Raj Kapoor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Lalita Pawar. Raj Kapoor gives us a wonderful and a memorable performances and even makes us even cry in his scenes with Lalita Pawar.Raj Kapoor makes an excellent job in this movie and makes this as one of the classics to be remembered even today.Lalita Pawar really gives her best and makes her performance a memorable one.Hrishikesh Mukherjee has excellently directed and showed that his first classic is the ever best among made in Bollywood.Rarely a classic comes with the wonderful performances by important characters in the film.Motital also has played a pivotal role to make this movie a classic.Shankar Jaikishan has also given his best music with a classical touch.
  • comment
    • Author: Jeyn
    Anari is the story of Raj (Raj Kapoor) a poor 'anari' (simpleton) who rents a room with Mrs. D'Sa (Lalita Pawar). Raj and Mrs. D'Sa have a strange relationship. They love each other dearly but choose to show that love in unique ways. Raj makes mischief and jests with Mrs. D'Sa while she constantly yells at him.

    Raj is a painter who doesn't make enough money. One fine day he meets Aarti (Nutan) a rich man's daughter. But Aarti, afraid of class differences coming in the way of their friendship/budding love tells Raj that she is actually a servant in her own house. Gullible Raj believes her and they begin to fall in love.

    They sing a few songs around town and then things get serious when Raj discovers who Aarti really is. Saddened at being lied to, Raj wallows in his misery and sings a few sad songs. His life gets even more complicated when Mrs. D'Sa falls sick and eventually dies. The police find that her demise was caused by the medicines she took. Raj is accused of poisoning her.

    What really happened? Is Raj guilty? Was he just pretending to be an anari? Watch the movie to find out!

    Overall this is a good entertainer. Coming from the likes of Raj Kapoor and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, we don't expect any less. The performances are also very good. Raj Kapoor is perfect in his now famous role of a naive village boy. Nutan is charming and Lalita Pawar is fun to watch.

    Music is excellent, simple tunes set to some wonderful lyrics.

    Definitely recommended.
  • comment
    • Author: Welahza
    A simple story to start off with but the brilliant plot twists along with memorable acting performances by Raj Kapoor, Nutan and Lalita Pawar escalate the film to magnanimous status. The audience feel connected to the story and we can spot a reflection of ourselves in the character played by Mr Kapoor
  • comment
    • Author: Opithris
    I agree with the review by all other users. Anadi is a simply marvellous movie.

    Raj Kapoor has done complete justice to his role, Nutan too has come out with flying colours in her role - in this black-and-white classic.

    I purchased a home theatre recently and Anadi was the first black-and-white movie DVD (Shemaroo) that I bought. Acting, direction and music are equally excellent - the surround sound digital remastering was an added bonus, making Shankar-Jaikishan's music even more enjoyable.

    This is not to canvass for Shemaroo, but if you want to watch Anadi on DVD in the comforts of your living room, I would recommend it.
  • comment
    • Author: Ce
    Raj Kapoor is yet again seen in his simpleton, naive character. He plays the character of RajKumar, an amateur painter. He falls in live with Aarti(Nutan), a rich girl(Seth Ramnath is her uncle played by Motilal). But she does not reveal her true identity. Raj begins to work for Motilal. But what Raj doesn't know is that Seth Ramnath is the uncle of Aarti, and what Seth Ramnath doesn't know is that Aarti likes Raj. Later in the film, Mr. D'sa(landlady of Raj) gets flu. Raj is the main accused. Is he the true killer?Will his love find justice?Watch this film to find out. Raj Kapoor, Nutan have given very strong performances supported by Motilal and Lalita Pawar. Songs rendered by Mukesh are a real gem. No doubt the film won 5 Filmfare awards. A classic film which is comparable to other Raj Kapoor classics like Shree 420.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor - Raj Kumar
    Nutan Nutan - Aarti Sohanlal
    Lalita Pawar Lalita Pawar - Mrs. L. D'Sa
    Shubha Khote Shubha Khote - Asha
    Motilal Motilal - Seth. Ramnath Sohanlal
    Mukri Mukri - Kamdhar (Raj Kapoor's co-worker)
    Ashim Kumar Ashim Kumar
    Nana Palsikar Nana Palsikar - Evil Priest (as Nana Palshikar)
    Paul Mahendra Paul Mahendra - (as Pal Mahendra)
    Brahm Bhardwaj Brahm Bhardwaj - (as Brahm Bharadwaj)
    Vishwa Mehra Vishwa Mehra
    Ruby Mayer Ruby Mayer - Girl's College Facilitator (as Sulochana Sr.)
    Meena T. Meena T. - (as Meena)
    Aruna Aruna
    Viren Viren
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