Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein

<p>Shankar, a soldier, returns from war, only to find that his family has died in a fire, and the sole survivor is his infant son Ramu, left mute by the incident. When Shankar is attacked by the ‘s men, he is rescued by a woman named Meera, and they fall in love. This provokes further trouble from the Thakur whose son wants to marry Meera. was the directorial debut of , who also worked as producer, writer and lead actor. The film was based on the 1958 American film directed by . Kumar also took inspiration from the 1955 film , which he saw at least 13 times before making . Although Kumar was then known primarily for acting in , he cast himself this time by portraying the melancholic role of Shankar, a demobbed soldier. Regarding his choice to make such a melancholic film, Kumar said, “There’s sadness in the heart of even a comedian.” His son played the role of Shankar’s son Ramu, and portrayed Meera, the woman Shankar falls in love with after she rescues him from an attack. Devi said she accepted to work on the film because of its offbeat nature. was the cinematographer, and Ramesh Pant wrote the dialogue. According to Amit, his father’s fascination for the word “door” (meaning far) was the reason behind the film receiving its title. He also said that, despite Kumar facing adverse remarks from his friends while making the film, he managed to complete it “against all odds”. The soundtrack was composed by Kishore Kumar who also worked as lyricist, along with . The song “Aa Chalke Tujhe”, written by the former, attained popularity. played the harmonica. was released in 1964, and received critical acclaim. , then the editor of magazine, wrote, ” just misses out on being a classic”. However, it was not commercially successful. When officials suggested that Kumar give them bribes so that the film would be entered for the , Kumar refused. was remade in as (1966). The remake was commercially successful, and won the . Kishore Kumar’s brother praised screenwriter for making suitable changes to the screenplay. The film was also remade in with that in 1968, and in as (1975).</p>