Hrishikesh Mukherjee is undoubtedly one of the best directors whose movies are hallmarked by simple and clean storylines that teach a moral lesson in a fun and sensitive manner without ever being preachy. Be it live the moment philosophy in Anand or the importance of family in Bawarchi to the ego struggle in Abhimaan, Hrishida’s movies touch a chord in your soul.
One such movie that I have NEVER grown tired of is Khubsoorat. With a great cast of Rekha, Rakesh Roshan, Ashok Kumar, Dina Pathak, David among a host of talented cast who do their job effectively.
Khubsoorat is about two families who live their lives with a different philosophy and what happens when these two collide under a single roof.
Manju (Rekha) and Anju (Aradhana) are two sisters living with their father Ram Dayal (David, as CUTE as ever). The trio is very close to each other and believes in living their life to the fullest. They play cards together and they indulge in making vague rhymes when they talk to each other, laugh loudly and basically just have fun!
Anju gets married to the eldest son of Gupta family and gets a culture shock when she realizes that her mother-in-law Mrs. Nirmala Gupta (Dina Pathak) is a complete tyrant and runs her house like a military school. Discipline is not just a word here, that’s all they know under the matriarchal raaj!
Manju comes to meet her sister and shocks the Hitler ma-in-law out of her wits with her bindaas attitude and an uncanny zest for life. The scene where Manju breezes into the house chattering loudly, walking in with dirty shoes and just taking a paratha off the table, rolling and eating it while she talks is the high point of the movie setting tone for the future power struggle between two opposite personalities!
The rest of the movie is about how Rekha teaches the family to break a few rules, have fun with simple things in life to the disapproval of the Hitler. The Hitler always believes that people who have fun aren’t capable of taking responsibility. One day when the whole family other than Mrs. Gupta, Mr. Gupta (Ashok Kumar) and Manju, leaves for a wedding and Mr. Gupta has a heart attack. It’s at this point of time that story takes a turn and hearts change.
The movie boasts of superb performances by one and all. The romantic track between Rekha and Rakesh Roshan, younger son of Gupta family is as fun and frothy as the rest of the movie. Rekha just lights up the screen as the rebellious Manju in her two plats and naughty eyes!
The scene where she fools everyone into coming up to the terrace will make you smile every time you think about it. The equation between her and Ashok Kumar, initially when they decide to call each other girl friend and boy friend is that of easy camaraderie which eventually changes to that of respect and affection as the bahu and sasurji by the end of the movie is captured very tenderly.
The only two songs I remember… one is the antakshari favorite “Sun Sun Sun didi tere liye ek rishta aaya hai and the other is a theatrical song called “Saare niyam tod do”, a call for rebel from the rebel!
Like all Hrishida’s movies, the canvas is full of people in vivid shades… some naughty, some serious, some happy, some crazy, but all of them so human that you cant help but identify with them either because you are like them or you know others who are.
The movie very simply puts across what we today keep going on and on about – “the work-life balance”. The breathing space you need to just relax and have fun at times and be responsible where there is a need. It talks about importance of family and how life can be super when you live together.
And more than anything else, it’s an upbeat family entertainer that you would want to watch again and again.
ps: I tried adding the movie khubsoorat, but it just isnt happening! so writing under the serial cat.