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There are movies and then there are movies which touch my heart. To be honest, I am more of a music lover than a movie lover. I love listening to Hindi movie songs, both old and new, though I have a soft
corner for the oldies. But as far as movies is concerned im not really a movie freak.
In the hey days of DD, when it was the only option I would often sit through every Hindi movie that was screened just to catch hold of some good songs in them. But now a days have neither the time nor patience to sit through interminably long movies with their over the top acting and clichéd situations. But still there are movies which I wouldn?t mind seeing again and again ,in fact I never tire of seeing those movies umpteen times.
Aandhi is one such movie which remains my all time favorite. Directed by one of my favorite directors Gulzar, this remains to me one of Gulzar?s best works along with ?Koshish? ,?Mere Apne? and ?Angoor?. I saw it for the first time on Zee TV and this remains one of those rare movies on TV for which I have never reached for the fast forward button.
The Story
Aarti Devi( Suchitra Sen) is the daughter of a prominent politician(Rehman) who wants his daughter to follow his same path. In the mean time she falls in love with a small time hotel manager J.K(Sanjeev Kumar) . Her father is dead against the marriage and asks her not to sacrifice her future in politics. She nevertheless follows her heart and the two marry. She gives up all thoughts of her political career and settles down to a life of domestic bliss. But trouble starts coming when Aarti starts to plunge into politics much against J.K.?s wishes, who doesn?t want his wife to get involved in that. Egged on by her father, her own ambition, the couple separate finally.
All this comes through in a series of flashbacks when Aarti lands at the same hotel where JK is a manager now, while Aarti is a big shot politician.
The hotel is the backdrop for Aarti?s political campaign against a wily ruthless opponent Chandrasen(Om Shiv Puri) who would leave no stone unturned to win the election. Aarti has an equally wily campaign manager(Om Prakash) who tries his best to exploit the situation. Aarti?s and J.K.?s reunion rekindles memories of their life together, and the two keep meeting in private. Chandrasen gets wind of this and starts spreading scandalous rumors about the couple. The rest of the movie is how Aarti deals with the rumours and whether she goes back to JK or not.
The Movie
Gulzar has a style different from typical Bollywood movie making. No high handed rhetoric or over the top dramatics in his movies. He is one of the few movie directors who tends to underplay the emotional angle in a very subtle and sensitive manner, yet they touch you in a manner like none other. Aandhi is not a movie where I would single out a couple of scenes as good, in fact every frame of the movie is shot so beautifully and lyrically that not one single shot seems out of place.
Gulzar uses his favorite technique of intermittent flashbacks throughout this movie to narrate the romance between Aarti and JK, their marriage and finally their break up. Some of the best scenes in this part are the first encounter between Aarti and JK, where she ends up in the hotel room fully drunk and JK helps her out. Aarti?s dad advising her not to give up her career and the split between JK and Aarti. Also the split doesn?t come about all of a sudden, but is built up slowly, with disagreements over minor issues and then finally major disagreements. Again no over the top dramatics between husband and wife here, what you tend to see is just two normal people arguing it out.
And the scenes after JK and Aarti reunite are also handled very sensitively with a degree of warmth and subtlety. Especially unforgettable is the dialogue between JK and Aarti at the desolate ruins, where they meet. I don?t remember the exact dialogue and I would be happy if some 1 could get me that piece of dialogue.
Aandhi is not exactly a movie about politics though its against a political backdrop. Its more to do with relationships and emotions set against a political backdrop. And the ending is quite ambiguous, where Aarti goes back to her real world. It seems as if both the characters have adjusted to the bitter reality that they could never love together, but they do still love each other.
The performances are just too good. Sanjeev Kumar as usual excels in the role of JK, a person who matures from a young lover to a married husband, to now an ageing hotel owner coming to terms with his loneliness. As the woman torn between her ambition and love for her husband, Suchitra Sen comes up with an equally good performance, never overplaying at any time.
Om Prakash as Aarti Devi?s campaign manager, Om Shivpuri as the wily opponent, A.K.Hangal as JK?s Man Friday and Rehman as Aarti?s father put in good performances too.
And yes the songs are just too good. ?Is Mod Pe Jaate Hain? deals with the dilemma of Aarti on the path to take while JK advises her to listen to her heart. ?Tum Aa Gaye Ho ? is a lovely romantic ditty and yes of course my all time favorite ?Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi? which is so haunting and emotional. No song expresses the pain of separation so beautifully than this one. RD-Gulzar-Kishore-Lata combine to make this album a winner from the word go.
All in all this movie is a must see for any lover of good cinema. And cons, hmm, I couldn?t think of much, unless you are the type who likes to dissect every movie intellectually. And I must confess my intellectual ability is quite limited.
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Pros: |
Good direction,lovely songs, great performances
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Cons: |
Not much i could think of
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Family
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