Ustadon Ke Ustad (translation: The expert amid all specialists) is a 1963 Hindi film starring Pradeep Kumar and Shakila. The film was adapted in Tamil as Vallavanukku Vallavan (1965), Telugu as Monagallaku Monagadu (1966), and Kannada as Bhale Bhaskar (1967).
Plot
Pradeep Kumar, “Dipak,” an underprivileged engineer, falls in love with an affluent woman. He is eventually suspected of being a bank robber. While in the police cell, he meets dacoit “Mangal Singh,” a well-known thief, who helps them arrange their escape through a shady window in order to sell Dipak to a vicious gang for Rs5000. However, Dipak confesses to Mangal after his escape that he is in danger with the police and a vengeful band of criminals who are attempting to kill him since he recognized Helen, the dancing queen who stole a large sum of money in a suitcase. Dipak eventually makes Mangal miserable and diverts his attention as his thirst for more money grows for an additional Rs 20,000 to return him to the gang’s commander. The strategy fails. Ashok Kumar chases them to a hideout where Dipak is imprisoned by Mangal Singh. As Mangal approaches the hiding, Ashok Kumar opens the door from the outside and enters unwillingly.
Despite eluding the violent thief “Mangal Singh,” Dipak is left in a quandary and has a brief conversation with Johnny Walker, “Babu” – the great comic in Hindi films from the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. Dipak tries to make one last getaway by attempting suicide by the waterfall, but his sweetheart quickly discovers his hiding place. The plot surprise occurs when Ashok Kumar, whom everyone assumed was a police officer, betrays Dipak’s confidence. Mangal, who is befriended by Dipak’s coaxing lover, eventually becomes her brother. Mangal, who came to fetch Dipak, unexpectedly supports a newly discovered sister with a rakhi wrapped around his wrist. There is a humorous skit in which a Qawwali mehfil is disrupted by two runaways who are afraid of being apprehended by a swarm of chasing cops. In the larger scope of uncertainty and betrayal experienced by those close to Mangal, the situation becomes combustible. Ashok Kumar schedules a meeting for Dipak at 8:00 p.m. someplace and distrusts all persons involved.
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Helen is slain when the gang leader orchestrates a meeting between Dipak and Mangal, who demanded Rs 50K in exchange for handing Dipak over to the gang. After Mangal rejects the cash, Ashok Kumar exposes his identity, claiming that the serial numbers are from a previous Rs 500 K robbery in which Dipak was caught. Mangal is the true police officer, and both Dipak and he find themselves in a terrible predicament in a cave. At that point, Johnny Walker “Babu” arrives with a flaming explosion to save his teammates. Everyone flees for their life, only to be apprehended by cops outside the cave. Johnny Walker claims that the fireball was an expired Diwali cracker that posed no danger to people’s lives. At gunpoint, Ashok Kumar departs with Dipak’s girlfriend. Both escape in a hurry on a boat, with Dipak managing to get in and fight off Ashok Kumar, breaking the steering wheel. As Ashok Kumar tries to warn the couple to flee for their lives, the boat explodes, crashing onto a small island in the water at high speed, killing Ashok Kumar. Dipak marries his lover, and the narrative concludes happily.
