Govardhan Asrani, better known by his surname only, left for his heavenly abode on 20th October, 2025. He was a well-known comedian of Bollywood movies during the seventies and the eighties. However despite being labelled as a comedian, Asrani time and again proved that he was a versatile actor and considering him just a comedian wasn’t justified.
As my tribute to this extraordinary actor, I am presenting my review of Abhimaan(1973) which is a showcase of Asrani’s talent as a supporting actor in a profound role. In this movie also, he has done some comedy but his role as the friend-cum-business manager(or secretary) of the hero demanded a kind of seriousness and he lived up to that.
Written by Nabendu Ghosh and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Abhimaan(pride) tells the story of Subir(Amitabh Bachchan) and Uma(Jaya Bhaduri) who get married once Subir visits his aunt(Durga Khote) who lives in a village. Subir is a successful singer and Uma has also learnt music from her father(A.K. Hangal). Upon insistence of Subir, Uma also starts singing. Then only appears the problem which is the title of this movie.
In no time, Uma becomes more popular and successful than Subir and that hurts Subir’s male ego. He is not able to digest this fact that his wife is more talented and popular than him. Her success is something he is not able to adjust with. It disturbs their family life. Once Uma understands her husband’s egoistic trouble, she leaves for her father’s home. She is pregnant and suffers a miscarriage. Gradually she develops a kind of indifference towards everything. When Subir who is still living with his ego intact and misunderstanding Uma, is scolded by his aunt and he sees Uma’s condition from his own eyes; he repents and then alongwith others, tries to bring her to normalcy. And that happens only when both of them start singing together again.
Abhimaans story is short and hence the moviemaker has shown his prudence in making a short movie only which is barely two hours long. All the same, the narrative flows smoothly from the beginning scene to the ending scene. The narrator sets to business without wasting time and then the viewer keeps on watching with interest. The melodious(and meaningful) songs are not any interruption but the icing on the cake.
The filmmaker has portrayed both the mans ego and the womans self-respect(out of which she leaves her husbands house) with finesse. Although Subirs realizing his mistake and his repentance appear to be abrupt, its not a blemish on the movie as there was no scope in the story to make a lengthy movie. The overall impact of the movie is very good. It impresses and moves the audience and finally wins its heart.
Since this review is a tribute to Asrani, let me underscore this fact that he has played the meaty role of the singer heros best friend-cum-business manager(he has been shown more a friend and less a business manager) with excellence. He has made the audience laugh also in the scene in which Subir tries to introduce Uma to him. However its his underplay in many scenes which declares loud and clear that he was an actor who could fit the bill for any role. Both Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri have lived their roles. Among the supporting cast, all including Bindu, Durga Khote, A.K. Hangal and David have done complete justice to their roles. The director has been able to extract from every actor his or her best.
Sachin Da(S.D. Burman) have composed the music for a life time with the beautiful lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri. All the seven songs are real gems. My personal favourite is Ab To Hai Tumse Har Khushi Apni which I used to sing myself. Even after half a century, the songs of Abhimaan are listened to by the music lovers with fondness.
All the technical aspects are in order. Its a simple movie but the art director and the cinematographer have captured both the rural and the urban parts of the milieu of the story perfectly on the screen. Background score is in sync with the mood of the movie. Editor also has done his part well and a compact movie has been presented to the audience.
Abhimaan was not a commercial success when released. However with the passage of time, its merits got recognized and now its considered a cult classic. Its one of the best movies made on husband-wife relationship. And it is also one of the best directorial ventures of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. With my tribute to Asrani, I recommend this extraordinary movie to all those who like sensible and sensitive cinema.
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