Teesri Manzil
Tags: murder, flashback

Plot synopsis:
Sunita (Asha Parekh) lives along with her widowed father in a rich neighborhood of Delhi. deeply disturbed by the suicide of her elder sister Roopa in Dehradun a year ago. All she knows was that Roopa committed suicide due to her involvement with a hotel live band drummer "Rocky". (a role played by Shammi Kapoor who was repeating the drummers role from his 1959 block buster "Dil Deke Dekho" with the same co-star and director)
On the way to Dehradun, Sunita meets a charming but mischievous young man Anil (Shammi Kapoor) on the train. Anil gets attracted by Sunita's beauty and spirit and decides to pursue her.Later he overhears Sunita saying that she would definitely take revenge on "Rocky" who was the cause of her sister's suicide. Anil's stage name being "Rocky".
Narrating his version of what happened to his friend he reveals that he was never interested in Roopa and she was the one who always pursued him. one evening telling him that she would be coming to his room in the hotel and if he did not open his door, she will jump and commit suicide. later that evening when she starts banging on his door, he does not open the door, and then he hears a shriek and a thud. When he rushes out and looks down from the 3rd floor lobby balcony (TEESRI MANZIL) he sees Roopa's body on the Compound below, apparently she having jumped as she had threatened.
He tries to explain everything to Sunita but always postpones it. He takes the help of a rich patron of their hotel, Mr. Kunwer to pose as a rich heir in front of Sunita's father. But after some time it is revealed that he was no one but Rocky. He tries to explain to Sunita but she wouldn't listen. his pursuit of Sunita's attention and affection along with the hotel club backdrop giving many a chance to break out in song and dance, this movie is a watershed musical well worth watching.
Police arrest Anil and later release him. To his surprise, they reveal that Roopa didn't commit suicide was murdered. A fact the police kept silent to catch the actual murderer. They also warn Anil that the killer might target him as he was closely linked to the case.
Anil suspects Ruby (Helen), his co-dancer and his admirer but she is murdered before his eyes and although he chases the killer Anil is unable to catch him. then he suspects Ramesh (Prem Chopra), Roopa's fiance but finds no clue. Later police tells him that murderer wanted to kill Anil but Ruby came in between. A mysterious young woman calls him one night and asks him to go to a certain place in her car to know the truth about Roopa. But the car's has been tampered with and goes of a cliff and with no body found everybody thinks that Anil is dead. But he survives and investigates further and at last finds the actual killer and the motive behind Roopa's murder.
Anil and Sunita go to a hotel to investigate the mystery. When Sunita is away, Anil finds the mysterious lady going in a car. Anil follows her to the hotel owned by Mr Kunvar. The two men search for the lady but are unable to find her.
Mr Kunvar insists Anil to spend the night here and locks him from outside. Anil discovers an important evidence for Roopa's murder. The killer is revealed to be Mr Kunvar himself. Anil confronts the woman who is actually Kunvar's mistress. She confesses to the police about the crime. The mistress tells Anil that she was having relations with Kunvar when the latter was still married. Kunvar's wife discovered the affair and in the scuffle, Kunvar accidentally shot her dead. Kunvar and his mistress were burying the body in secret when Roopa witnessed everything. Kunvar chased her to the hotel and threw her from the higher floor, murdering her.
Kunvar arrives and kills his mistress. Anil and Kunvar fight each other and Anil overpowers him. The police arrive. Kunvar commits suicide. The film ends with Sunita and Anil together.

Review: A Perfect Musical Thriller to be enjoyed again and again.
In todays world when not even the producers know what they are serving the audience in the name of 'Entertainment' this beautifully made film still is a landmark in film making.
It is in true sense a 'Musical Thriller' that today we see only written on posters!
Beautifully shot and choreographed, this film is a gripping tale of suspense, drama, and a flavor of humor that keeps the audience excited even today.
The lead actors have given their best performance and each character has something to contribute in the story.
A very rare thing in Hindi films.
The music was so ahead of its time that even today they are being re-mixed for the new generation and are a hit!
This type of film comes once in a while and is a must to add to your film library.
A must see for every film buff!
Nobody can say enough for the film...Just bring it home and enjoy the roller coaster ride!
Happy viewing!!.
Gross Entertainment.
This movie is one of the landmarks in the history Hindi Cinema.
For 158 minutes the audience is enthralled by a spellbound plot, music, dance, songs and suspense saga.
The performance of Shammi Kapoor, Helen, both Prems, Iftikar and Rashid Khan is classic.
Even during the 5 mt brief intermission, the cine-goer prefers to be glued to his seat lest the entry of Premnath, immediately after the intermission be missed.Comedy is at its zenith.
The entry of Kapoor on the New Delhi Rly platform and his extraordinary style of walking is mind boggling.Even 40 years down history, its music and songs are as hit as they were when the first gramophone records were released in 1965.
I remember people queuing before the radios in shops and halt in the streets when the songs were played.
Needless to say, not a single Wednesday program of Binaca Geetmala in 1966 thru 1968 was aired without a Shammi number either from Teesri Manzil, An Evening in Paris and Bhramachari.The music, drama, settings and perspiring expressions of Kapoor during the climax of accidentally locating the intriguing "gem-studded coat-button " is scary, hair raising and traumatic.A film for all classes and all age..
Zestful!.
This is a perfect example of Indian pop cinema from the 1960's reflecting the relentless encroachment of Western style music and beat generation dancing - however R.
D. Burman composed some good tunes for this, perfectly showcasing the talents that were Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi.A woman is murdered and her old friend played by Shammi Kapoor feels obliged to help track down the culprit.
As it goes it's done pretty well, but of course the music is the thing!
Although I liked his older brother Raj and along with this one some of his other films too I could never understand Shammi's over-expressive style of acting or his appeal (not being a woman maybe) - imho he almost ruined some of the songs here with his mugging and jerky movements.
But of course, Shammi once seen never forgotten!
Favourite bit: O Mere Sona - I used to wind on and play the vid just for this just to marvel in the incredible dexterity of Asha's vocals in the asking of Shammi's forgiveness; it's much easier with the DVD!
The only copy I've ever seen has a rather fluid colour, occasionally lending an unintentionally surreal atmosphere at times but not detracting from the enjoyment.It's an inconsequential treat much better than Viva Las Vegas, but clocking in at nearly 3 hours means patience, patience I think ultimately rewarded..
Near-perfect blend of mystery, humor, romance and music..
While the filmmakers may have been trying for a Hitchcock-like blend of suspense, humor and romance, the eye-popping pastels of the film's Eastmancolor cinematography and outlandish, energetic musical numbers blend to create a delightful Bollywood concoction.
Lead actor Shammi Kapoor is wonderfully fruity in what is probably his best performance, and dancing queen Helen is in classic bad girl mode.
Not to be missed by anyone interested in 1960's Indian pop cinema..
A best thriller made in Indian cinema with good music which i love to watch again and again.
A Hitchcockian thriller to be watched again and again.
The suspense has been maintained well till the end of the movie.The film is basically about the murder suspect.The climax scene where the real murderer is found is very thrilling.The music of the movie is very good.One interesting aspect in this movie is the murderer is founded out accidentally at the end of the movie.The movie can be watched by all ages of people.Enjoy a three hour thrilling experience.The movie is very fast and it increases the heart beats of the people who watched this movie.This thriller is very much equivalent to thrillers made in the Hollywood.Never forget to watch this thriller and keep guessing the murderer till the end..
Songs, romance, action and drama-what more can you ask for??.
I first saw this film a few years ago and since then I must have seen it at least 20 times.
First and foremost, the songs are excellent.
I could listen to every single one again and again, especially O Haseena Zulfon Wali.
Mohd Rafi truly is the greatest Indian playback singer to date.
Asha Bhosle provides excellent support, particularly in the O Mera Sona Re song.
Secondly, both the acting of Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh is great, both of them can pull off the comedy and the seriousness.
Thirdly the plot of the movie is quite good too, with enough suspense to keep you hooked until the very end.
This movie has been credited as the first murder mystery in Indian cinema and although at times its very clichéd and a little unbelievable, it still holds your attention.All in all a typical 1960's movie but with that added masala that is bollywood!!.
Bollywood at its best.
This is probably Shammi Kapoor's best performances after JUNGLEE(1961Its quiet different to see him in the role of a framed musician with an eye for the ladies He has like three bad girls who love him A young woman fell in love for Shammi and committed suicide but the girls sister thinks her sister was seduced and jilted which is why she wants revengeThe movie is a Hithcock-influenced romance with a small murder mystery thrown inThe movie has fantastic song stand outs like O Hasina Zulfonwali Jaane Jahan and Tumne Mujhe DekhaShammi Kapoor stands out in his role Asha Parekh is the spunky revenge seeking sister Premnath is convincing Helen's role is small but effective Prem Chopra is average Rashid Khan is scary with his stare the rest are okay.
Thrills galore!.
Teesri manzil is above all an entertainer.
The film stars Shammi Kapoor, Asha Parikh, and the evergreen Helen.
A woman is thrown off a roof and killed.
Her sister Sunita (Asha Parikh) is heartbroken, knows of her association with a night club singer (Shammi Kapoor - called Anil Kumar Sona "Rocky" LOL!!) and thinks he is behind the killing.
The only clue is a coat button that the dead woman was clutching in her hand.
Shammi Kappor is at his goofiest best, the suave drummer Rocky who is a babe magnet.
His courting Asha Parikh on a train is hilarious.
She does not know he is Rocky and he does his best to preserve this state of misinformation.
In the meantime strange waiters, men with cigars, other sinister looking people lurk about in the hotel where Rocky performs.
There is also a women's hockey team led by a rather large Manorama that is stalking Rocky.
Laxmi Chayya is the best friend - this is a film from the 60s where having a best friend (or several of them) was a must!
Rocky makes use of Prince Kunwer (Prem Nath) to preserve the secret of his identity so he can woo Sunita, much to the chagrin of her almost fiancée Prem Chopra.
Rocky is being pursued by Ruby (Helen) and her machinations cause his identity to be revealed at a most inopportune moment.
Who is the real murderer?
Why is Rocky now a target?
These secrets are hidden in a most ingenious way and revealed at the 11th hour.A Nasir Hussain production and story, this one was directed by Vijay Anand.
The mystery was sustained well and the story engaging.
Yes there were some flaws - too many characters were introduced too late in the film.
Some of the cloak and dagger behavior was never explained.
But the overall entertainment quotient was very high and the film enjoyable.A word about Shammi - he was handsome, goofy, vulnerable and great in the action sequences.
Asha had a huge rear end, but was cute and could dance well - even in the jiggling Aaja Aaja number!
Helen was a beauty, but strangely enough her dance skills were underutilized.
Prem Chopra was the perfect slimy guy and Prem Nath suave.A must see film for the fun, the suspense and the outstanding music (RD Burman) - O Haseena Zulfon wali, O mere Sona re Sona re, Deewana mujh sa nahin, Aaja Aaja main hoon pyar Tera, Tumne Mujhe Dekha ho kar meherbaan and Dekhiye Sahibon..
not a landmark, not a thriller, not that good.....
shammi kapoor is perhaps the worst actor in Indian history.
he's a guy you just can't take seriously.
his silly eye rolls and one-liners are cringe-worthy, ensuring that the viewer NEVER takes this guy seriously.
he seems like the kind of guy you'd want to punch in the face two minutes after meeting him, he's THAT annoying....i must protest this film being called a 'thriller', since there are really no thrills on offer, rather a tired, straight-forward whodunit, masquerading as something hitchcockian, but failing miserably.
by the time the mystery is revealed, you already knew the solution two hours earlier and have stuck around for reasons other than wanting to know how it ends....like many other Indian films of this era, the point was to fill it up with as many random songs and one-liners as possible to disguise its lack of plot.
silly bollywood clichés abound throughout the entire thing and there's really no story here at all, other than the typical 'girl likes boy but plays hard to get' plot that is used in just about every bollywood film ever made.'teesri manzil' is an exercise in style over substance, which is the reason why it was such a big hit and so influential.
it's all dressing, no substance.
flashy, colourful clothes, sets and music are used, announcing India's entry into the mod scene.
this movie is a showcase for that and nothing more.
it simultaneously tries to be a comedy, drama, thriller, musical and romance and as a result, ends up failing at all of these...
sadly, as is so common in the story of Indian film, it was popular, so its style became endlessly imitated, recycled, regurgitated and consumed again by hopelessly trend-following indians, so at least vijay anand can take credit for something with this failure....