Once in a life time, there comes a movie, which teaches us the meaning of life….
Once in a life time, there comes a character, who lives in our hearts with his death….
Once in a life time, there comes a show that mesmerizes us beyond words….
Once in a lifetime, a Hrishikesh Mukherjee makes an Anand….
Babumosaai was right…. Anand marte nahin…..
The Plot
When a certain Anand Sehgal walks to the life of a lonely and frustrated young doctor, little did anyone expect this dying man teaching the lessons of life to all the people alive. Little did Dr. Bhaskar Banarjee expect to learn the lessons on laughing from the man who was going to stop laughing forever…
Anand had a few months to live, he had a few priceless moments to share and in those few moments, he had to live a full life. The end was near and certain…. But was he sad? Was he happy? Was he depressed? In simple terms, he was indifferent…
His outlook on the whole situation was summarized in the simple conversation with Mauni Baba, where he says, life should be great, not long…
Anand lives for exactly six months… and in these six months, he teaches everyone around him the meaning of leaving. As told by Isha Bhai…. “Chelaa jaate jaate guru ko zindegi ka mane sikhaa gayaa..” Live life kingsize (as the ad says), keep the sorrows for yourself and bring smiles for people around you….
In a nutshell… that is story of Anand for you.
The Characters
Like Anand believed in the depth of the life lived and not the length, the same reflected in the characters also. Irrespective of the length of the roles, the characters left their unforgettable impression on the film industry. I’ll go as far to say that this movie has shown the strongest possible characterization ever in Hindi films, ahead of even Sholay and Mother India.
Rajesh Khanna as Anand Sehgal gave a performance of a life time. He may have been a romantic hero of seventies, but the performance of Anand was something that will be forever remembered as his best.
Amitabh Bachchan being the struggling star of those days did not mind playing the second fiddle to Rajesh Khanna as far as the story is concerned. But at the end of the movie, it is the final scene of Amitabh screaming that makes the movie the most intense.
Lalita Pawar as the mother matron provided the same intense and satisfying performance as was earlier seen in Anari (1959). Only difference was, here she brought out the whole range of emotions in a few restricted scenes.
Asit Sen in a short comic role has stolen the a lot of audience applause. So did Dara Singh, Durga Khote and Sumita Sanyal. Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo as the family friends have given controlled yet strong performances. Good enough for the audience to shed a few drops of tear.
But the show stealer has been Johny Walker as Isha Bhai aka Murari Lal. For all of you, who have seen this movie, not much is needed to be said about him. For those, who have not seen the movie…. Well…. I don’t have words to express this character… For me, he was the ace in the sleeves in this movie.
Technical Side
Technically speaking, this movie has been a dream come true. Perfect story and script, backed by excellent editing and direction has made this movie a never before and never after phenomena.
Music
This movie was not a romantic drama. It was about the life and hopes of a man on death bed. Hence, there are totally four songs in the movie. Salil Chaudhury cemented his place as one of the greatest in the industry with this movie, which was one of his last.
Maine Tere Liye Hi:
The song, in which Anand talks of the value of small things in life. Though presented as a light (Not to be confused with comedy) song, this has very deep meaning when seen in context of the movie.
Naa Jiyaa Laage Naa:
I’ll rate this song as ok. Decent song though.
Kahin Door Jab:
A sad song from Mukesh that brings out the hearts content in Anand… The song that talks of the setting sun and the meaning associated with this.
Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli:
Manna Dey rendered his voice for this philosophical song, which is equally meaningful with brilliant picturisation…
My Favourite Scenes:
I loved the full movie.. There was hardly a single dull moment. But still, if I list the 10 most favourite scenes, they will be as follows.
The scene when Johny Walker meets Anand for the last time….
The last scene, when Amitabh enters after the death of Anand.
When Anand on death bed says, “Mein Jeena Chahtaa Hoon…”
Anand’s meeting with Mauni Baba
The scene, where Seema Deo prayes for the life of Anand.
The entry of Anand.
Anand’s first meeting with Asit Sen
All the scenes between Lalita Pawar and Rajesh Khanna
When Anand goes to Durga Khote with Amitabh’s proposal.
A simple line, where Amitabh says, “shaadi karne se to khaana behetar hai…”
End Note
I’ll like to end this review by saying that, it was a movie, which made people find the meaning of laughter in their tears, it was a movie made for all classes and all ages. It is a movie worth watching 100 times and still not get bored.
Finally, the text of the poem that Amitabh read out for Rajesh Khanna in the movie….
Maut tu ek kavitaa hai .
Mujhse ek kavitaa kaa vaadaa hai milegi mujhko ..
Dubti nabzon mein jab dard ko nind aane lage
Zard saa chehraa liye chaand ufak tak pahunche
Din abhi paani mein ho raat kinaare ke karib
Na abhi andheraa ho na ujaalaa ho
Na raat na din
Jism jab khatm ho aur ruh ko saans aaye
Mujhse ek kavitaa kaa vaadaa hai milegi mujhko …..