Jul 28, 2005 12:15 PM
4456 Views
(Updated Jul 28, 2005 04:46 PM)
There are two people you know –A and B.
‘A’ is full of live, mischievous, twinkle-eyed, full of life kind of a person. When he walks in a room, the atmosphere is instantly charged. He helps out people, talks loudly and jovially, jokes and laughs very often. He is hopeful about the future and looks forward to each day as it comes.
‘B’ is morose, quiet and sober. He walks in the room slowly with deliberate steps, he talks slowly. He weighs each sentence he says. He looks worried and unsure. He wonders about what the future will hold for him.
One of them has terminal cancer and knows it ? Who is it ?
It’s ‘A’.
Surprised ?
But that’s what is Anand all about.
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Story
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There is not much of a story. It’s about the last six months of Anand’s life, the people he meets, the impact he has on them and the underlying message of life.
Anand Sehgal (Rajesh Khanna at his best) who is suffering from cancer meets Dr. Bhaskar Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan). Though they are as different from each other as chalk and cheese but they develop a bond of friendship.
Bhaskar (or Babu Moshai, as Anand calls him) worries incessantly about Anand and tries everything to save his life. Anand lives each day as joyfully and happily as he can. He knows that his death is very close. Yet he has an enormous zest for life.
He lives. And how ! Though the end is inevitable – yet his spirit struggles against the ebb of life and flows free in the thoughts and memories of his loved ones.
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Performances
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Rajesh Khannawas brilliant. Period. He was simply outstanding. That cheerful smile, those twinkling eyes, those rapidfire way of talking, that crinkling of eyes endearingly – he personified Anand almost perfectly.
Amitabh Bachchan,as Bhaskar Banerjee, is the kind of friend and doctor everyone wishes to have. A grim, almost intimidating exterior concealed an intensely caring and loving person who spends sleepless nights worrying about his friend. His silences alternating with sudden burst of temper complemented Anand’s cheerful disposition.
This movie boasts of a terrific supporting cast : Johny Walker, Sumitra Sanyal, Lalita Pawar just to name a few. All of them had small roles and yet, displayed great histrionics. Every dialogue, every smile, every tear left behind an indelible impact on the viewers’ minds.
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Hrishikesh Mukherjee,is a man who can tell you the simplest of stories in the most spell-binding manner. He does not require props of lavish sets, beautiful costumes and grand song picturizations. There is a story and he tells it. Invariably, you may shed a tear, and sometimes smile through your tears. He knows how to move you with his movies – and Anand is his best.
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Music
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My favourite song in this movie is ‘Maine tere liye hi saat rang’ (Mukesh) – sweetness and innocence of love and friendship. Then there is a philosophical ‘Zindagi kaisi hai paheli hai’ (Manna De)and the romantic ‘Na...jiya jaaye na’ (Lata).But of course, the song that’s almost magical is the ethereal ‘Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye’ (Mukesh).
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The scene that lingers in my mind is Anand walking on the sea shore singing ‘Zindagi…kaisi hai paheli’ with a bunch of helium balloons in his hands, which he finally releases in a gust of wind, and watches them float away, smiling, his eyes twinkling.
I think that scene said it all.
Life is passing.
Just let it go.
And keep smiling.
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