Chandni Chowk (1954)

Chopra’s first hit is a costumed musical melodrama addressing Muslim feudal orthodoxy. The nawab Safdar Jung (Kumar), anxious about preserving his aristocratic lineage, turns down a proposal by the scheming Ibrahim Baig (Jeevan) that the nawab’s daughter Zarina (Kumari) marry Yusuf (Agha), the rich son of a former vegetable vendor. Baig then tricks the nawab into letting Zarina marry Akbar (Shekhar), a gardener’s son. Later, when Safdar Jung realises he was tricked, Akbar is forced to leave home and goes to Cairo where he meets a dancer, Noorie (Biswas), who later dies. The film is best remembered for Meena Kumari’s performance, esp. the scene where she writes to her missing husband singing Aa jaye jane wale (sung by Lata Mangeshkar).