Leather Face


Leather Face, also known as Farzand-e-Watan, is a 1939 Indian Hindi-language action film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt for his production company Prakash Pictures. Bhatt cast the young Mahjabeen, then six years, who went on to become the famous actress, Meena Kumari. The story writers were Batuk Bhatt and Sampatlal Srivastava. The music direction was by Lallubhai Nayak and Shankar Rao Vyas with the lyrics written by Pandit Anuj. It starred P. Jairaj, Mehtab, Jal Writer, Shirin, M. Zahur, Lallubhai Nayak, Bholaram and Baby Mahjabeen.
Leather Face, cited as one of Bhatt's successful "stunt" films along with State Express made a year earlier, had features similar to it. The use of a masked protagonist, the dog Tiger, and the stunts made the film popular with the public.

Plot

A state chieftain rules over his people in a despotic manner. Samar becomes the hero-bandit to fight the chief. He dons a leather mask, and along with the help of his dog Tiger and horse Bahadur he ventures out to set things right. He also has the help of a group of wayfarers, and Dulari, the inn-keeper. Samar falls in love with the Chieftain's sister Ila. Following several action scenes, Samar is able to rid the state of its tyrannical ruler and marry Ila.

Cast

  • P. Jairaj as Samar
  • Mehtab as Ila
  • Jal Writer
  • Shirin as Dulari
  • M. Zahur
  • Baby Mahjabeen
  • Lallubhai Nayak
  • Munshi Khanjar
  • Bholaram
  • Putli
  • Faizy

    Meena Kumari

Leather Face is also famous for being Meena Kumari's debut role. Meena Kumari was just a six-year-old when her father Ali Bux brought her to Vijay Bhatt, who cast her as Baby Mahjabeen in the film. In the film she plays the daughter of actor Jairaj. She was later to play a lead role opposite him as his lover in the film ''Magroor''

Review And Box Office

According to Rajadhyaksha and Willemen Leather Face, along with State Express made a year earlier was one of the "best Known" of Bhatt's "stunt" films, doing well at the box office.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Lallubhai Nayak and Shankar Rao Vyas, with the lyricist being Pandit Anuj.

Song list