About the Movie Ram Aur Shyam (1967)

The story begins with Ramchandra, known as Ram, played by Dilip Kumar. Ram is the timid son of a wealthy family and lives under the control of his oppressive brother-in-law Gajendra, played by Pran.

Gajendra constantly humiliates and mistreats Ram. Ram is unable to stand up to him and becomes increasingly frightened and unhappy.

Ram eventually decides to escape from his home.

Meanwhile, Ram has an identical twin brother named Shyamrao, or Shyam, who has grown up separately. Unlike Ram, Shyam is confident, physically strong and fearless.

By coincidence, Ram arrives in a village where people mistake him for Shyam.

The villagers believe that the man who has arrived is their familiar Shyam. Ram is therefore forced to accept the identity of his twin.

At the same time, Shyam travels to the city and is mistaken for Ram by members of Ram's family.

This creates a hilarious reversal of identities.

Shyam, who is not accustomed to Ram's timid personality or his family's oppressive environment, refuses to tolerate Gajendra's bullying.

For the first time, Gajendra finds himself facing someone who is willing to challenge him.

Shyam's bold behaviour begins changing the atmosphere in Ram's household.

Meanwhile, Ram experiences a completely different life in the village. The people around him believe that he is Shyam, and his gentle personality gradually wins their affection.

The twins' contrasting personalities create numerous comic situations as each man unintentionally transforms the life of the other.

Ram also develops a relationship with Shanta, played by Mumtaz, while Shyam's romantic story is connected with Anjana, played by Waheeda Rehman.

Eventually, Gajendra discovers that the man in his household is not actually Ram.

He becomes furious and begins plotting against Shyam.

The situation becomes increasingly dangerous as Gajendra attempts to eliminate Shyam and protect his control over the family.

The twins ultimately come face to face and the truth about their identities is revealed.

Shyam stands up to Gajendra and protects his brother and family.

The villains are defeated, the family is reunited and the two brothers finally receive the happiness and respect they had been denied.

Main Cast

• Dilip Kumar — Ram / Shyam
• Waheeda Rehman — Anjana
• Mumtaz — Shanta
• Pran — Gajendra
• Nirupa Roy — Sulakshana
• Nazir Hussain — Anjana's father
• Kanhaiyalal — Munimji
• Mukri — Murlidhar / Gopal
• Sajjan — Police Inspector
• Leela Mishra — Ganga Mausi
• Raj Kishore — Restaurant Waiter
• Zebunissa — Gajendra's mother

Dilip Kumar's dual role as Ram and Shyam is the central performance of the film, while Waheeda Rehman, Mumtaz and Pran play important supporting roles.

Director & Production

Director: Tapi Chanakya
Producers: B. Nagi Reddy, Chakrapani
Story: D. V. Narasa Raju
Screenplay: D. V. Narasa Raju
Dialogues: Kaushal Bharati
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Cinematography: Marcus Bartley
Editing: C. P. Jambulingam
Production Company: Vijaya Productions / Vijaya International
Language: Hindi
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Runtime: Approximately 171 minutes

The film was adapted from the successful Telugu film Ramudu Bheemudu (1964), written by D. V. Narasa Raju.

Music

The music of Ram Aur Shyam was composed by legendary music director Naushad, with lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. The soundtrack features playback singers including Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor.

Popular Songs

• Aaj Ki Raat Mere Dil Ki Salami Le Le — Mohammed Rafi
• O Balam Tere Pyar Ki Thandi Aag Mein — Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
• Maine Kab Tum Se Kaha Tha — Lata Mangeshkar
• Main Hoon Saqi Tu Hai Sharabi — Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi
• Dheere Dheere Bol Koi Sun Lega — Asha Bhosle, Mahendra Kapoor
• Aaj Sakhi Ri More Piya Ghar Aayere — Asha Bhosle
• Aayee Hai Baharen Mite Zulmo Sitam — Mohammed Rafi

Saregama lists seven principal songs from the soundtrack, while the broader soundtrack catalogue contains additional musical and film-sequence pieces.

Themes

Ram Aur Shyam explores:

• Brotherhood
• Family relationships
• Identity and mistaken identity
• Courage
• Oppression
• Justice
• Love and romance
• Self-confidence
• Good versus evil
• Comedy and family values

The film's central idea is the contrast between the personalities of two identical brothers. Ram's timid nature and Shyam's fearless personality allow the story to explore how confidence and courage can transform a person's life.

Legacy

Ram Aur Shyam is regarded as one of the memorable films of Dilip Kumar's career, particularly because of his highly successful comic performance in the double role. The University of Iowa's Indian Cinema archive notes that the film's credits proudly presented the dual role as Dilip Kumar's first dual role.

The film was a major commercial success and was the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 1967 domestically and overseas. It also won Dilip Kumar the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Its combination of Dilip Kumar's comic timing, twin-role concept, family drama, romance and Naushad's music has helped the film remain popular among classic Hindi cinema audiences.