COLLECTION · Film · 1967

Palki

Naseem lives a poor lifestyle with his widowed mom in Lucknow, India. He is well-known for his poems, and gets invited to a contest hosted by Nawab Naseemuddin who has offered a reward of Rs.5000/- to the winner. Naseem does win this award, but is humiliated as his coat his torn. As a result he refuses to accept the price. His to-be brother-in-law Sultan, in order to hasten his sister, Mehrunisa's marriage to Naseem concocts a plan in which Naseem finds the reward buried in his yard. As a result, Naseem and Mehrunisa get married, but on the very night both find out Sultan's trick, and postpone the marriage nuptials until such time they are able to return every Paisa to the Nawab. Naseem re-locates to Bombay. Shortly thereafter his money-orders start arriving and within a few years the amount to be returned is almost accumulated. Then the family receive news that there was an explosion in the shipyards where Naseem works, about 300 people are killed, and Naseem is believed to be dead in a fire that lasts for 3 days. A devastated Mehrunisa loses her mind, while Naseem's mom decides to go on Haj. But Naseem is still alive at Bombay Hospital. When he recovers he returns to Lucknow and is told by Sultan that Mehrunisa has passed away. He goes to pray at her grave-side and this is where he sees a ghost-like apparition resembling Mehrunisa. The question remains did Naseem really see his wife's ghost or was his tortured mind playing tricks on him?