Anamika (1973)

After watching this Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri starrer from the early 70s, I was really surprised why this movie is not talked about more often. It is a light-hearted suspense drama, with some crackling romantic moments between the lead pair and some wonderful songs. Now this may sound like one of those movies that attempt a mishmash of all genres in the garb of producing an entertaining product, but this one has a core strong story too that holds everything together.  And if I may add, it is one of the most entertaining movies I have seen from the 1970s.

Devendra (Sanjeev Kumar in a role far off from what he was more renowned for) plays a famous writer, who incidentally is a misogynist, and an unabashed one at that. He lives with his uncle (AK Hangal), his niece, and a secretary Hanuman (Asrani in a typical comic role). One night, while they all are returning from a press conference, they spot a woman (Jaya Bhaduri) being thrown off from a car on a deserted road near their home. They rush forward to help, and discover that the woman had gone unconscious. On the insistence of his Uncle, Devendra takes her to their place. The next morning, when the woman gains consciousness, she starts behaving oddly and to everyone’s utter surprise, claims to be Devendra’s wife. The family doctor is called for and he tells them that the woman has sustained some internal injuries and needs to be taken care of for fast recovery. Against his will, and again on his Uncle’s insistence, Devendra agrees to let her stay at their home, on the condition that he would not play-act to be her husband. But things begin to change when he starts falling in love with the simplicity, charm, and devotedness of this woman (who they start referring to as Anamika). What happens next and how Devendra gets embroiled in a potentially dangerous turn of events that threaten to play with life and his composure, is what the movie is all about.

The movie has many elements that are associated with most commercial movies of that time. It has a clichéd comic track featuring Asrani, but the guy makes it work by his sheer capacity to embrace buffoonery. It has a seduction number (which is far from seduction and is actually a very cute romantic song), a Helen dance number (a signatory RD Burman offering), an evil villain lusting after the lead heroine, and a quintessential AK Hangal performance. The movie even gives Sanjeev Kumar the opportunity to do some action and beat up some goons (the only time the man looks awkward on screen). But despite all this, it is a highly entertaining enterprise that is lent solidarity by the sincerity and calm presence of its lead actors. They are aided in their endeavor by some fine dialogues and some crisp writing, not to mention the tight pace maintained by the director (Raghunath Jalani) over the sequence of events. The one thing he could have changed (or rather done away completely with), are the last five minutes of the film. But despite that ‘Anamika’ has a runtime of just over 120 minutes.

This movie is an example of how two fine actors can take a good story to a different level altogether. The brilliance of Sanjeev Kumar gets reflected in many scenes, which he handles with the dexterity and command that very few actors of time could have managed without appearing theatrical. The sequences when he falls in love with Anamika are a sheer delight to watch. Jaya Bhaduri gets a meaty role and does full justice to it. Again very few actresses from that time could have done what she has done in this movie convincingly (in fact no one in my opinion). The movie is embellished with some beautiful music by RD Burman, which is given full justice by making the songs a seamless part of the narrative and not mere add-ons (except the Helen number, and understandably so). The songs “Bahon mein Chale aao’ and ‘Meri Bheegi Bheegi si’ deserve special mention.

Parting Note: The movie is a highly enjoyable watch, and I guess can be categorized as ‘intelligent-popcorn cinema’ (if people don’t find it an ‘Oxymoron’ish phrasing).  

Blackmail (1973)

I dedicate this post to Mr. Kishore Kumar on his birthday (which I have just learnt about). He made an indelible contribution to this movie through one of his post popular songs (which I will talk about later in the post).

Masala actioners have been the bread and butter for superstar Dharmendra in much the say way as they have been the bread and butter for Hindi movies.  Rarely did one get to see him in a simple understated role- but every time it happened, the effect was sheer delight. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Chupke Chupke’ and ‘Satyakaam’ immediately come to mind as such instances, the other ones being his early black and white romantic movies- most prominent amongst them ‘Bandini’ and ‘Anupama’ (another Hrishikesh Mukherjee venture). Vijay Anand’s BLACKMAIL is another such movie where he plays a hardcore incurable romantic with much aplomb. The movie, apart from him, also starred Shatrughan Sinha, Raakhee, and Madan Puri in prominent roles.

On the surface this one looks like a regular romantic love triangle, but is actually slightly more complex than that. However it still has an uncomplicated story-line with no sub-plots whatsoever. Kailash (Dharmendra) owns a production unit where his uncle Prof. Khurana (Madan Puri) is working hard at idea that can change the way the world looks at electricity generation. After months of toil and effort, he is successful at generating electricity from solar heat (the idea may seem pretty non-impressive now that we actually have solar power). This invention by him promises to change the entire outlook of the industry towards electrical appliances. Meanwhile Jeevan (Shatrughan Sinha), a friend of Kailash, gets to know of this success seen at his production unit. Soon, he also discovers one more fact about his friend- that he is madly in love with Asha (Raakhee), but is unable to express his feelings to her. Incidentally Asha is not only Jeevan’s fiancé, but also the daughter of a man who owns a production unit rival to Kailash’s firm. Jeevan, thereafter, plots a cunning plan to obtain the secret blueprint of the invention by Prof. Khurana- a plan that can threaten to destroy the lives of both Asha and Kailash.

The story, though simple, is told wonderfully well and is engaging for most parts, except the climax that is quite stretched. What adds to the movie are the performances by the two male leads and the excellent music. For me, this is one of Dharmendra’s top 5 performances. His is the most difficult role for is the one saddled with the toughest scenes. He lends credence to whatever be the situation- be it the initial portions when he is the shy and hopeless romantic, or later when he discovers that his wife had a past, or when he led to believe that his wife was cheating on him after marriage, and still later in the pre-climax when gets to play the ultimate action hero he was when he rescues his wife from the clutches of the goons including Jeevan. Raakhee too does well as a woman caught between her past and her present. Shatrughan Sinha plays an outright villain till the very end really effectively.

The superb production values are eye-catching and the outdoor scenes are mounted beautifully. But all these facts aside, this movie is remembered and cherished by lovers of Hindi cinema predominantly because of the song- ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ One of the most memorable romantic number from that era, the song is used more than once in the movie to a breathtaking effect. This song is also one of the finest by Kishore Kumar, arguable the most emotive voice heard on the Indian silver screen. The climax song too is memorable for it is truly one of its kind in Hindi cinema- wherein the hero and the heroine get intimate for the first time while hiding from the goons who are after their lives, in the middle of a forest (and a forest fire subsequently). In the hands of less able hands this would have proved to be too cheesy for screen, but Vijay Anand pulls it off quite aesthetically.

Parting Note- The movie is nice fell good entertainer embellished with great performances and a superb song- which I am signing off with…