The 70s is one of my most favourite decades due to many reasons. For one, I have seen many films of this era! But most importantly, this is the period which churned out such wonderful films that even today many films are made applying the same formula used then.
The decade began with some disasters and some good news. Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor’s most ambitious film hit screens in 1970 and flopped at the Box Office, sending shockwaves throughout the country. Raj Kapoorsaab was almost bankrupt. Also, it is said that many black ticket sellers had bought the tickets in bulk, thinking that the film is ought to get an audience in large numbers. But when that didn’t happen, many of these sellers committed suicide!
Amitabh Bachchan, who didn’t had a good start bagged Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand and Parwana in 1971 and Bombay To Goa which were runaway successes. But it was Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer which reshaped Big B’s career and earned him the title of ‘Angry Young Man’. The flick was written by the dynamic duo Salim-Javed who then became very popular and came up with stories of many successful films in the years to come. 1973 was also significant year for Big B as he married Jaya Bhaduri who had starred in Zanjeer and later also in Abhimaan.
Dev Anand continued his dream run in 70s. Johny Mera Naam (1970) was a huge success and he also dabbled in direction. His first venture Prem Pujari flopped but his next, Hare Rama Hare Krishna became one of the most popular films. It also marked the debut of Zeenat Aman, one of the most sensous actresses of Bollywood.
1975 was undoubtedly the most eventful year. Two films released in this year which were in true sense, ‘memorable’ and ‘truly unforgettable’! I am talking about Sholay and Deewar. Surprisingly, when Sholay released, the critics had given it a thumbs down and there was a fear that the film may flop. But the junta loved it and the film went on to become a major success. It ran for years in theatres with 100% occupancy. The dialogues, characters and songs were immortalized and even today people mouth them.
Deewar, released 8 months before Sholay, was also a huge hit. Performances of Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Royand not to forget, Parveen Babi were loved by all. The legendary dialogue ‘Mere pass maa hai’ was from this film!
Surprising it may sound but that year, Deewar took away most of the Filmfare Awards while Sholay bagged ‘Best Editor’ award only although Sholay was more popular than Deewar. And during the Filmfare 50 year celebrations in 2005, Sholay was given the ‘Best Film in 50 Years’ Award! Director Ramesh Sippy found it ironical that when the film had released, it was shunned by award jury but now is recognized as best film of 50 years!
After winning accolades for Deewar, director Yash Chopra went on to direct Kabhi Kabhie, Kala Patthar and Trishul, all of which were huge successes. All 3 films starred Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan also was a part of Don, one of the most amazing films of Bollywood. Written by Salim-Javed, the script was rejected by all major personalities of that time. The film had almost flopped when it released. But miraculously, the film jumped in the 2nd week and later turned out to be a huge hit! However, this was director Chandra Barot’s first film but he never directed any film untilPyar Bhara Dil (1991). Even after that, he quit direction altogether. Another such ‘one film wonder’ was actress Laxmi Narayan who starred in the musical hit Julie (SEE VIDEO BELOW). She was praised for his performance but she quit Bollywood post Julie forever. Even the lead actor Vikram, although seen in some films later, didn’t taste success as he did in Julie.
A number of actress debuted in this decade and stole the hearts. Hema Malini’s first flick was the 1968 film Sapno Ka Saudagar but she hit the bullseye in 70s withJohny Mera Naam, Seeta Aur Geeta and the legendary ‘Basanti’ act in Sholay. Same with Rakhee who became popular post-Sharmeelee in 1971. Other significant actresses who began their careers in 70s are Jaya Bhaduri, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, Rekha, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. All were hugely talented and had an amazing screen presence.
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