Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s5.t3.74

v2.c11.s5.t3.74

Premiered in 1971, *Karwan* was directed by Nasir Husain and starred by Asha Parekh, Jeetendra and Aruna Irani as the three main characters namely Sunita, Mohan and Nisha. The storyline is reversed and narrated in the first person. Taking the Karwan fleet as background, it tells the story of the heroine Sunita's escape and self-rescue. A Mumbai factory owner, Mohandas is murdered by his adopted son, after he finds that Rajan was stealing from him. Mohandas' only daughter Sunita is later married to Rajan against her will. On their wedding night, Monica, a nightclub dancer, tells Sunita that Rajan killed her father. Rajan realises Sunita knows the truth and tries to kill her. Sunita then disguises herself as a country girl and hides in a fleet of gypsy karwans heading to Bangalore (present-day Bengaluru) to seek help from his father's friend Karamchand. On her journey, Sunita falls in love with the driver Mohan. This upsets Nisha who has had a crush on Mohan for a long time. The karwan fleet confronts Rajan. Sunita and the fleet win the fight in the end.