The Music: Acceptably Haunting?

To expect music director Raju Singh and Sapna Mukherjee to cross batons with the Hemant Kumar-Geeta Dutt-Asha Bhosle combine is unfair. The appeal of Geeta Dutt songs like Koi door se, Piya aiso jeeya mein and the unforgettably moving Na jao saiyyan is timeless.

In the serial, the title track and the bhajan sung by the underutilised Sapna are sonorous enough to sustain interest.

Chhoti Bahu’s introduction: Intriguing?

In the film, both the audience and Bhootnath are denied a glimpse of Chhoti Bahu (Meena Kumari) for at least the first quarter of the film. Consequently, the curiosity to know more about her is aroused with arresting effect. A snatch of a birhan song sung by Chhoti Bahu, coupled with stray pieces of information gathered from conversations with people who have met her, add to the mystique of the enigmatic and beautiful Chhoti Bahu.

And when the camera finally follows Bhootnath’s gaze and rests gingerly