In fact, the charm of the film lies in its simplistic narration, which is actually not so simple if one looked at the original source material, a popular short story by Rabindranath Tagore. Tapan Sinha’s Kabuliwala remains a favourite diet of Bengali cinegoers till date. The story was already there and it was left to the temerity of a young director to take the risk of translating it into the big screen and bring it to huge commercial success, specially since it did not involve a regular boy meets girl stuff.
To build a story around such an appalling character and his relationship with a little frolicking girl was a masterly stroke of imagination. The advent of globalization has gradually displaced this moneylender whose tales of extracting dues by unfair means from debtors at high rate of interests evoked mostly fear and loathing in the minds of the timid Bengali middle-class. The character of the ‘kabuliwala’ swathed in his long loose garments and an intimidating but fanciful turban and carrying a huge mysterious sack slung across his sturdy shoulder that contained god knows what, had an iconic presence in the Bengali mindscape till at least 15 years ago. Rehmat realizes that his own daughter also has grown up and he sets out for his country after 10 long years… On the day of his release he goes to meet Minnie but discovers that she has grown up to a 14-year old girl and is about to get married. He is arrested and put behind bars for 8 years.
When the landlord demands rent from him an argument ensues and Rehmat stabs the man. One day Rehmat receives news of his daughter’s illness through a letter from his country and he decides to leave for his country. He puts up at a boarding house along with his countrymen, which is owned by a rude landlord. Rehmat (Chhabi Biswas), a middle-aged fruit seller from Afghanistan comes to Calcutta to hawk his merchandise and befriends a small Bengali girl called Minnie (Tinku Thakur) who reminds him of his own daughter back in Afghanistan.
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