Laila Majnu – 1953

“Laila Majnu”, a Legendary Romantic Tragedy, starred the young and beautiful 17-year-old Nutan and handsome Shammi Kapoor who was only 22 years old.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, K.Amarnath had became famous for being known as the “fastest director” in the Film Industry. “Laila Majnu” which was produced by P.N.Arora and directed by K.Amarnath in 1953, was completed in the shortest span of time. Right from selecting the actors, shooting the movie, composing & recording of the music to the post-production of the movie – editing, distribution & the release of the movie – everything was accomplished within two and a half months. All the crew members worked very hard, day & night. The result was astounding – the movie received high accolades from the press and songs from the movie, like “Chal diya Karavaan” and “Aasmaan wale Teri Duniya se Ji Ghabra Gaya” became super hits!

As per Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema by A.Rajadhyaksha & P.Wellemen – Pg.42 ….K.Amarnath introduced Shammi Kapoor to films in romances such as “Laila Majnu” and “Mehbooba”.

K.Amarnath had 2 hit movies released in 1953 – “Laila Majnu” and “Alif-Laila”.

SONGS:

http://www.hindigeetmala.net/movie/laila_majnu.htm

https://atulsongaday.me/list-of-songs-by-movies/#l

FULL MOVIE

Click here to watch the most pristine copy of  “Laila Majnu” uploaded on YouTube.

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Chal Diya Karvan

Aasman Wali Teri Duniya Se

Aye Sanam Ye Zindagi

Baharon Ki Duniya

Mere Sarkar Tere Ishq

Bulbul Mein Hai Nagme Tere

Bhar Dey Jholi Allah Naam

Yaad Teri Zindagi Ka

Dekh Li Aye Ishq Teri

Chal Diya Karavan

Dance

Ya Elahi Ho Mubarak

Aasman Wali Teri Duniya Se

Milne Ki Hasrat Mein Betabi

From my FaceBook Post:
14th May 2025
Remembering my dad today on his 42nd Death Anniversary

FLASH BACK: January 1954 – 9:00 AM
Bombay Scottish High School
I am in the 1st standard, standing in line outside the hall, waiting to attend our daily morning assembly when suddenly four or five, tall senior boys approach me.
“Can you give a message to your dad?” they say. “Tell him what a fantastic movie he has made, Laila Majnu !!”
I look up at them confused and the only query I ask myself is “does my dad make movies ??”
Next thing I hear a prefect telling them to go away and stand in their own class line.
FAST FORWARD: April 2025 – 71 years later. Just the other day, I happened to watch a most pristine copy – with the clearest audio and video ever – of “Laila Majnu” on YouTube. I was really impressed – this could be quite close to how the original must have looked on the big screen, I thought !!
So, this is what the boys must have seen in 1954. I calculated their age – OMG, they must have been hardly 14 or 15 at that time – and this movie had such an impact on these young lads !!
“Laila Majnu” is a tragic story of two ill-fated lovers, two bodies but one soul. The pure bond between them is reflected throughout the movie. For example, in a classroom scene when the teacher canes Majnu’s palm for writing Laila’s name instead of the alphabets all over in his notebook – wound marks from the beating appear on Laila’s hand !!
“Laila Majnu” directed by my dad, K.Amarnath, was released on December 4th, 1953, and it was a huge box-office hit. The audience was enraptured from the first shot to the last – they were swept off their feet.
Some quotes from the FilmFare Reviews section, dated January 8, 1954 :
“Laila Majnu Captures Spirit of Theme”
“Director K.Amarnath has done an excellent job on the two charming stars………..”
The two charming stars – Shammi Kapoor (Qais-Majnu) was only 22 then, and Nutan (Laila) just 17 !!
“Baby Chand and Rattan Kumar, who portray the young Laila and Qais (Majnu), are equally spell-binding ……”

In 1954, I was only five years old – I didn’t know how to deliver a message to my dad !! But I will now. Papaji, you really made a fantastic movie – wonderful job – you live in our memories. Even after 7 decades, this movie hasn’t lost its appeal – with emotional scenes of undying love that will pull on your heartstrings.

Link below to “Laila Majnu” – a legendary romantic tragedy, set in the desert of Saudi Arabia.
Wish the upload had closed captions – more people would have been able to follow the heart-touching dialogues and appreciate this clear version of the classic hit Indian movie even more.
Thank you to Ultra Classic for the upload.
Comment by MN Sardana
It is my belief that maximum number of movies based on the timeless saga of Laila Majnu have been made in India and in the neighboring country of this sub-continent. Before 1953 and later on, many a time, stories of unfortunate lovers have been unfolded on the screen. However, this 1953 movie I consider is the best, because of the deft direction by Mr. K Amarnath and the evergreen music by Mr. Ghulam Mohammad. In this connection it will be relevant to mention that, the Producer of this movie Mr. P.N. Arora, himself was a director and Mr. K Amarnath besides being a celebrated director, was a known producer too. During their time, which is considered ‘The Golden Era’ of Hindi films, there used to be mutual respect for each other’s work and bonhomie between film makers. Although Mr. Amarnath was in full swing making films one after other, he could not say ‘No’ to his colleague film maker and directed Laila Majnu, which turned out to be a classic.

FULL MOVIE

Click here to watch the most pristine copy of  “Laila Majnu” uploaded on YouTube.

REFERENCES
PUBLISHED: MAY 2013
UPDATED: 2018, 2025

REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS