Thaa (1972)
Cast: Rozina, Sudhir, Shahid, Ghazala, Jamaal, Sultan Rahi, Afzaal Ahmad, Rangeela, Naheed, Diljeet Mirza, Meena Chodhary
Director: Diljeet Mirza
Synopsis: Action-packed musical romantic drama with just the right masala mix to give the masses what they expect.
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

As the title suggests, Thaa is an action masala that promises to pack a punch and judging by its Box Office performance, it certainly did not disappoint.

Sudhir is an earnest, hardworking son of the soil, ploughing his lands to provide for his old mother. Rajjo, the village beauty played by Rozina, is madly in love with him and bursts into song within seconds of the film starting. One afternoon soon after, he is tending to his land when confronted by a gang of thugs, who contend that the land he is working on belongs to them, and a nasty scuffle breaks out. Sudhir manages to hold the creeps at bay, but it seems that there are deep-rooted jealousies and rivalries in the community that threaten him. He minds his own business, but trouble seems to follow him, and he is soon wrongly implicated in a crime and dragged away to prison.

Sudhir and Shahid are friends in jail, where one day, there is an outbreak of violence, which they help quell. He and Shahid are released shortly after for their exemplary conduct and he returns home to an adoring mother and a devoted sweetheart. At the same time, Shahid heads for the city where he hopes to thrive as a poet, lyricist and writer. In the village, evil plans are hatched by influential and devious groups out for Sudhir’s blood. There is a plan to try to deprive

Sudhir of his land and his fiancé and take revenge for past family rivalries. Sultan Rahi, the local Chaudhrani’s son, is an evil runt with an axe to grind, and he relishes Sudhir’s return to wreak havoc and vengeance on him.

Sultan Rahi, though engaged to be married, has a roving eye and is envious of Rajjo, Sudhir’s sweetheart and takes his opportunity to try to force himself on her. She survives and manages to escape his filthy clutches, but soon enough, Rahi’s cohorts spin a web which has Sudhir snagged by the cops once again, implicated wrongly. In the following angst, his mother dies in his arms. Now Sudhir is about to be imprisoned but flees and escapes into the wilderness.

Sultan Rahi and his goons try to find Sudhir on numerous occasions but fall short. In frustration, Rahi turns his attention to forcing defenceless Rajjo into marriage.

There is a shock on the wedding night when the bride is revealed as Rahi’s original fiancé, while Rozina escapes from the village and heads for the city. In a rage, Rahi murders his fiancé, stabbing her in the stomach and killing his unborn child and the unfortunate woman.

Rahi is now hell-bent on discovering Rozina, and has his goons go on the search for her in the city. She finds refuge at the home of a stage actor who happens to be a close friend of Shahid, who is now thriving as a writer for the local theatre.

Meanwhile, Rahi’s goons, headed by Afzal Ahmed, close in on Rozina and finally discover her. Sudhir lies badly wounded, taking refuge with Shahid, slowly recovering while hiding from the police. Meanwhile, Shahid meets Rozina at his friend’s home, is entranced by her beauty, and reckons he has finally met the woman he wants to spend the rest of his days with. Of course, he has no idea she is his best friend’s fiancé.

Thaa

Meanwhile, news reaches Rozina that Sudhir has passed away, crushed by a train, and she reconciles to accepting Shahid’s marriage proposal. She also intends to take poison on the wedding night to remain faithful to her promises to her beloved Sudhir.

Elsewhere, Rahi receives news of Rozina’s whereabouts and intends to abduct her from the wedding. The film now builds to its thrilling climax. Will Sudhir and Rozina be reunited? Will Sudhir sacrifice his beloved for his best friend and allow the marriage to proceed as he is selfless? Will he succumb to his wounds and perish, and Rahi finally achieve his despicable aim? Will Shahid be jilted? Will Rozina take the poison, and the film culminates in a tear-drenched tragedy? All these outcomes hang in the balance as the film’s last chapter unfurls.

Thaah delivers all the masala to satisfy its audience. As an icing on the cake, the film contains some great Noor Jehan numbers and enough song and dance to thrill all sections of its target audience. Sultan Rahi is in his villainous era and turns in a powerful performance. As does Sudhir and much of the supporting cast, Rozina also does well. Rangeela, for once, is quite amusing as a wig and moustache salesman. Diljeet Mirza keeps a tight rein on events and doesn’t allow the film to slow down or the songs to drag the film’s speed down at moments when the film’s momentum needs to build. The film aims to be a crowd-pleaser, and it doesn’t disappoint, delivering action, drama, thrills, drama and all the ingredients of a top-notch Punjabi masala epic.