Bees Saal Baad (‘Twenty Years Later’) is a 1962 Indian horror film produced by Hemant Kumar, who also gave the music and sings some of the movie’s songs. The film was directed by Biren Nag from a screenplay by Druva Chatterjee, loosely inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles”. It stars Biswajeet, Waheeda Rehman, Madan Puri, Sajjan and Asit Sen. Bees Saal Baad became the highest box office grosser in 1962. It was re-made in 1988.
Thakur Kumar Vijay Singh (Biswajeet) returns from London to claim his ill-fated legacy. He is warned to stay away from the marshes that have killed his ancestors, but Kumar intends to find out, who is behind the killings. Suspicion shifts from human to ghoul.
First there is servant Laxman, who always stands with his neck tilted at an acute angle. He tells Kumar the family is cursed because of the crime committed by Kumar’s grandfather. He raped a local girl, who eventually killed herself. Now her spirit is taking revenge! Then there is Dr. Pandey (Madan Puri), who is going to inherit the property in case Kumar dies. A crippled man (Sajjan), who mysteriously roams the jungle, adds to the curiosity.
Kumar hires a private detective (Asit Sen), who turns out to be a buffoon. Meanwhile, Kumar comes across Radha (Waheeda Rehman), the niece of the local doctor, Ramlal (Manmohan Krishan) and both eventually fall in love. Then one night a man is found dead in the forest wearing Kumar’s suit…
‘Bees saal baad is an unintentionally hilarious mess, a suspense thriller unburdened by any suspense or thrill. An absurd parade of creepies populates its roster of murder suspects … And since a murder mystery is apparently not sinister enough without a supernatural element, there is a ghost, a payal-wearing apparition who jangles ephemerally past each murder scene. When the mystery really gets going, we hear of men in disguises or misleadingly wearing one another’s clothes, the story takes on the aspect of a Scooby-Doo mystery – and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!’ Filmi Geek
