Dastak (1970): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1970, Dastak is a drama and music film directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi, running about 145 minutes.

What it’s about. Tells the story of newly weds Hamid and Salma. They move into a rental flat next door to the local red light district. The flat had been the former home of a well known mujra and qawali singer, Shamshad. Men still come to the door in the hope of seeing Shamshad and do not seem too put out by seeing Salma despite her protestations. The couple struggle to live within the bounds of their own moral code while the earnings of prostitution seem to be flaunted around them. Hamid gets more and more angry and seemingly unable to reconcile his morality with the immorality of the world and at one point beats his wife and then rapes her making her into a 'whore' of his fantasy. The story here bears resemblance to the later 'Ek Chadar Maili Si' by the same director and seems to explore the complex world of women and sexuality as viewed by Indian men: mother, goddess, whore. This film also explores the ethos of prostitution in its reality and as a metaphor for the outside world.

Who’s in it. Dastak stars Sanjeev Kumar as Hamid Ahmed, Rehana Sultan as Salma Ahmed, Shakeela Bano Bhopali as Shamshad Begum and Anwar Hussain as Akhtar Marativale, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Dastak page.

If you liked it. Fans of Dastak tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.