Well I know that all may wonder – why Sholay ?? – the movie is is as old as the hills and oft praised, but when my cable wallah CAS-t me out of my favourite channels, I was left with no choice but to repeatedly surf the limited bouquet that he provided, till I chanced on a pirated CD film screening of Sholay on one of the channels.
And as Veeru says ‘ Isme emotion hai, drama hai aur tragedy bhi’ (this story has emotion, drama and tragedy).
But I would like to side-step the undoubtedly fascinating aspects of this movie which have been reviewed by more worthy souls, to focus on what is most certainly the most beautiful lingering emotion in this movie – i.e the tale of love between Jai (Amitabh Bacchan) and Radha (Jaya Bacchan), the widowed distraught daughter-in-law of a hapless Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar).
This passionate love story weaves on the side-lines of the more popular love of Veeru (Dharmendra) and Basanti (Hema Malini), which has a full complement of songs and full-filled shenanigans.
But it is the unspoken passion between Jai and Radha that haunts everyone who watches the movie. The love which evolves over a distance, as Radha listens to the soulful, haunting tune of the harmonica played by Jai , while she dims the lights and their eyes meet and speak volumes of the forbidden love simmering just below the surface.
The love that Radha tries to deny given her status of a widowed bahu living with a kind Thakur who lives on in his hope of revenge. The love that Jai covets and understands but never overtly demands given the circumstances that prevail. A love which can only be understood by the lovers themselves and the depth of which even bosom pal Veeru never fully comprehends.
The complexity of the relationship adds to the tension in this beautiful love story which grows at a distance with two persons at the epicenter who are unable to control its progress .
The emotions break their floodgate when panic grips Radha’s heart when Jai returns wounded after a failed attempt at capturing Gabbar (Amjad Khan), and she runs pell-mell down the flight of stairs her eyes filled with fright and her white pallu askew, and then freezes on the last flight of stairs while Sanjeev Kumar turns towards her and takes in her dismay. And then she attempts to regain control and closes the door of her room behind her trying hard to grapples with the range of emotions which assault her and overwhelm.
The denial of love once again as frozen sobs clutch at her throat when Jai breathes his last , which she masterfully conquers, almost ………before the dam finally breaks and she turns to her father-in-law’s shoulders for comfort.
And finally when Jai is cremated and Radha watches the proceedings again from afar, from the first floor of her house and then shuts the window as if closing the doors on all that life has to offer………………………………this certainly has to be the most beautiful love story that Bollywood has come up till date.