The movie starts with Kailashnath(Dilip Kumar) living happily with his wife.Kailash is
suffering from an eye ailment and his friend and doctor(Nasir Khan, Dilip
Kumar’s real life brother) advice him not to strain himself too
much.Kailashnath gets pain in his eyes very often but still does not take
appropriate rest.One day while driving the car with his wife sitting in the
car, he suddenly develops acute pain in the eye and he loses control of
the car.The car gets rammed in the tree and as a result of the accident
Kailashnath loses his vision. His wife gives birth to a set of twins.When
the wife is still unconscious Kailash’s doctor friend tell him that one of the
twins born is blind.Kailash feels that the world has come to an end.He
asks the doctor to kill his blind son before his wife regains
consciousness.He pleads to the doctor that he does not want his son to
suffer the life of a blind.The doctor fails to argue with him and takes the
child from there and tells Kailash that the son is killed. However, Kailash
suffers from guilt and is unable to hide this deed of his from his
wife.When his wife comes to know of this she dies of shock.Kailashnath’s
life becomes dark.
The blind child(Master Sachin) is taken care by a
village temple priest(Nasir Hussain). The boy grows up to become
Bholenath(Dilip Kumar no.2) who is a very big follower of Lord
Shiva.Althoughhe is blind, he is quite strong and beats the villain(Sujit
Kumar) when he tries to forcefully marryMunimji’s(Mukri)daughter.Bholenath works for Lalaji(P.Jairaj).Lalaji’s daughter Choti Malkin(Saira Banu) often teases Bholenath.Bholenath stays away from girls as he claims to be Bairaagi.However Choti Malkin’s games change into a silent love which Bholenath does not approve off.
Meanwhile in the city Kailashnath’s other son Sanjay(Dilip Kumar no.3)
grows up to be a modern day spoilt playboy.He claims of loving the heroine(Leena Chandrawakar) but does not mind sleeping with Lucy(Helen).His errant ways irriate Kailashnath but Sanjay has no intentions of mending his ways.He develops friendship with spoilt princeKunwar Pratap Singh(Prem chopra) and Lucy’s lover Jakarto(Madan Puri).
After a series of events Bholenath miraculously regains his sight
and leaves for thecity.On the other hand Sanjay fleds with Lucy and
lakhs ofrupees.Pratap meets Bholenath and asks him enact as Sanjay.All
this leads to double-trouble and Lucy ismurdered and Sanjay is the prime
suspect.After some songs, some comic scenes and action sequences the
brothers are united and they alongwith their blind father(no, he does not
regain his sight through some miracle) end the tyranny of Pratap Singh.
Bairaag released in the year 1976 was Dilip Kumar’s first release after a gap of 2 years since Sagina(1974).However people rejected it outrightly.I guess they
preferred to watch 3 top stars Amitabh, Shashi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor
in a single film Kabhi Kabhiethan watching3 Dilip Kumars in a single
movie.
Although the story as told has been inspired by a lot of earlier movies yet story writer S.khalil has written an overall interesting story.Before Bairaag only 2
comedians I.S.Johar and mehmood has attempted triple roles in Johny
mera naam and Humjoli respectively.Sanjeev Kumar had played 9 roles
in Naya Din Nayi raat but the characters are there only for a stipulated
time.It was first time in Bairaag that there was a triple role of a lead man
which lasted throghout the movie.In this sense it can be called a cult
movie as this genre was again attempted disastrously by Amitabh
bachchan in Mahaan, Rajni Kanth in John johny Janardhan and quite
succesfully by Kamal Hassan in Appu Raja.
Now for the performances.Dilip Kumar as Kailashnath shows the dramatic side of
Dilip Kumar.Although in some scenes, specially the climax he looks a bit
too dramatic, stil overall he gives a decent performance.Dilip Kumar as
Sanjay looks old to play a playboy and when he counters his dad anger
in a rather english accent he looks odd.However, the thespian being a
world class actor gives a performance which fits the role perfectly and he
looks good overall in a role which has shades of grey but is not a
villain.It is the role of Bholenath which is the title one and has the
maximum footage.Here also Dilip looks odd in a couple of sequences but
as the first 2 roles overall he does complete justice in a role which
requires him to do comedy, buffonery, action and melodrama.Infact
Govinda’s acting in most of his movies where he plays a bumpkin are
highly inspired by this performance of Dilip Kumar.So overall Dilip Kumar
carries the movie very ably on his shoulders and proves his verstality in
the most famous triple role Hindi cinema has seen.He got a Filmfare
nomination for his performance(s).He went into semi-retirement for 4 years after Bairaag.
So overall Bairaag is an enjoyable masala film which has all ingredients required for
a commercial film.The film has ben made famous by its many
re-telecasts.Nowadays the song ’’Choti si umar..’’has been remixed and
has become very popular.Another very important incident about the film
is that when the business magfazine Economist had to publish a story of
10 years of liberalistaion in India in 2001(a full 25 years after Bairaag got
released) they put Dilip Kumar-Saira banu shot from the film on its
cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What a tribute. If all this happens with a flop film who
wants to have a hit movie.
p.s.-I could not write many things on Bairaag due to lack of space so please read
the comments written by me on Bairaag which will give more information on the movie.