On March 12th today, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the movie Anand, made in 1971.Without doubt the film was amongst the finest, most touching or soul searching movies ever to have flashed the Bollywood screen.In my view late Rajesh Khanna as'Anand' gave one of the finest performances ever on the silver screen. His co-actor Amitabh Bachchan as Babu Moshai, Bhaskar or Dr.Banerjee, too gave an outstanding performance. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed the film, who blended every ingredient in a film to compile a masterpiece. The movie reveals great mastery in direction with no element of melodrama, catharsis or dragging and humour instilled to make an audience pleased. It was made when Rajesh Khanna was at the helm of his career and literally ruled Bollywood in the manner of a great emperor. I do not have an adjective to do justice to the monopoly of the superstar or his impact on psyche of the masses. It looked almost like God sent him to the earth to join the film world. as he virtually looked like a manifestation of the transcendental. Khanna virtually gave birth to a new era. ‘Anand’ is the story of a cancer patient just a few months away from death. who even a the very end of his life bubbles with enthusiasm and invigorates life in a range of characters. The scenes are bifurcated with technical precision, not prolonging any part. With classical direction most of the scenes convey the spirit of a man incarnating in life itself -dying living rather than the other way around. In the philosophical sense it reaches realms of the sublime. It is very hard to visualize any cancer patient not only so lively himself but infusing life into others.Anand never gives glimpses of struggling in dark waters and is brimming with joy or humour., wiping that tear from his eye.
No doubt there are powerful shades of eccentricity in behaviour like when referring to a girl in his colleague Dr Banerjee's life and when casting jokes which irritate his friend. Rarely in a song has an actor's eye conveyed feelings so deeply as when'Anand' sings, touching he very core of your soul. To me the movie teaches us that no circumstances prevents us from living life to the fullest in the spiritual sense.Anand reveals that self -realization reaches boundaries never traversed before on the verge of death. The movie also has strong intervention of grief, but with no exaggeration. Human sensitivity is brought out to the very fore.
It is a testimony that Dr Banerjee is a crusader to save people's lives and summarizes how the social system had no place for the poor people residing in slums.
The movie reveals great mastery in direction with no element of melodrama or dragging and humour instilled to make an audience pleased. Rajesh Khanna brilliantly portrays exuberance and joy even in dire straits .He is often brash or outspoken but still has a subtle element of charm when talking to people.
I complement the ease Rajesh Khanna exudes when enacting ‘Anand.’Rajesh Khanna is at his best when enacting the song ‘Kahin na Door Jaye’ where his facial expressions virtually narrate the turbulences of his life, like poetry in motion. I complement Rajesh Khanna for expressing no inhibition in acting even if it was not classical in the conventional sense. No doubt he displayed his characteristic mannerisms but accompanied by expressions of sublime proportions. I can't visualize a cancer patient battling so hard even when death is a virtual formality. It is pertinent to see'Anand' behave differently with the different characters of the plot.Anand's mannerisms indifferent junctures reveal his condition nad the battle he is fighting within himself. It gives me memories of'Mera Naam Joker' when a clown makes the world laugh inspite of deep grief within. Even if short his encounters are most touching with Matron D’Sa enacted by Lalita Pawar and Suman Kulkarni enacted by Seema Deo.There is also a most humorous scene of Dara Singh intervening to punish a set of hoodlums . The movie ends with'Anand's death scene which creates tears in our eyes inspite of the precedent scenes giving minimal indication that'Anand' was on the verge of dying. Anand also portrays the spiritual essence of life and it is ironic that once he talks about learning a new dialect in his next life. He gives vibrations that spiritually life never has an ending, with the soul shimmering forever.
The songs composed by Salil Chowdhury and written by Gulzar and Yogesh take poetic virtuosity to region o f divinity.In ‘Kahin Door Jab’, introduces us to Anand’s pensive side as he gazes the setting sun with intensity at its highest volume. Yogesh's song has the terminally ill patient commenting on his surroundings from the sea to the beach. The song also expresses the anguish for the young man as he gives vent to his inner voice for the first time.In ‘Zindagi Kaisi Yeh Paheli’ Anand accompanies Dr Banerjee and his lady love Renu(Sumita Sanyal) to the beach. He walks away from the couple ravelling the mysterious element of the duality life in which feelings of sadness and happiness always exchange themselves. One may ask why Babu Moshai often reprimands his mate.'Anand' threw light on the state of the medical world and was made in the times when India was coming out of the idealism of the Nehruvian age, with poverty still at it's zenith. Maybe a classic film of this magnitude should have thrown more light on the social reality prevailing or roots of diseases within the unjust social system. The start of the film does touch upon the aspect of the social system denying proper health care.
One of the saddest scenes is that of Morarilal played by Johnny Walker Johnny Walker hearing about'Anand's fate and how he reflects on it. It also saddens me that Babu Moshai is not present at the moment of'Anand's death, leaving in pursuit to find a cure for his colleague, only to find his friend already dead.
I wish there could be a remake of ‘Anand’ fitting into the criteria of the modern times, incorporating or respecting the vast changes that have taken place. .However today in the Corporate ruled world Man is even more alienated, with even health becoming the virtual monopoly of the mighty and powerful. Materialism is more crass than ever toady with spiritual values thrown into oblivion. PLOT OF ‘ANAND’
Bhaskar, (enacted by Amitabh Bachchan)an oncologist treats the poor for no charge, but is often disheartened by the fact that he cannot cure all the ailments in the world. He becomes pessimistic after seeing the suffering, illness and poverty all around him. He is straightforward and won't treat the imaginary ailments of the rich. His friend, Dr. Kulkarni, follows a slightly different path. He treats the imaginary illnesses of the rich and uses that money to treat the poor.
One day, Kulkarni introduces Bhaskar to Anand, who has lymphosarcoma of the intestine, a rare type of cancer. Anand has a cheerful nature and despite knowing the truth that he is not going to survive for more than six months, he maintains a nonchalant demeanor and always tries to make everyone around him happy. His cheerful and vibrant nature soothes Bhaskar, who has a contrasting nature and they become good friends. Anand has the rare quality of attracting people and befriending them. In one of such encounter, he makes Isa Bhai, a theater actor, his friend. They enjoy each other's company and create an emotional bond.
Anand's condition gradually deteriorates, but he does not want to spend his remaining days in a hospital bed; he, instead, roams freely and helps everyone. He discovers that Bhaskar has strong feelings for Renu, whom he had treated previously for pneumonia. He helps Bhaskar express his love and convinces Renu's mother to bless their marriage. He tells Bhaskar that everyone should remember him as a lively person and not as a cancer patient. His end comes and he dies amongst his friends and everyone remembers him as a vibrant and lively person. Bhaskar becomes more philosophical and continues to treat patients with even more empathy and maturity.(Plot from Wickepedia)
EVALUATION OF RAJESJ KHANNA AS AN ACTOR
I often contemplate whether the late Rajesh Khanna was a superstar or a complete, consumate actor. To me it is also mysterious what phenomena elevated this character to a status of a God. I think the psychologists would struggle to live up to that challenge. Arguably he was more melodious than any star like a Beatles group performer. He could transfuse life into a role like few could ever do and energy of metaphysical proportions. No actor ever captured the eyes of the Indian public with as much depth or rung in their hearts. I ask myself what was the inherent nature within human beings themselves that made them worship Rajesh Khanna in the Freudian psychological light, Confucian religious cult or Hindu tradition. It almost appeared that Rajesh Khanna was a manifestation of the very soul of the masses and reminiscent of a transcendental energy.
Overall I apologize if unjust or subjective but I rate Rajesh Khanna a superstar rather than a genuinely great actor. To me Rajesh Khanna was endowed with great natural talent, but basically portrayed his brand more than the actual character.Inspite of flashes of brilliance he repeatedly deployed the same set of mannerisms or gestures, symbolising his image of a superstar rather than dong complete justice to the No doubt at his best he could sit with the gods of Olympus but generally had powerful stereotyped tendencies. Unlike Sanjeev Kumar or Dilip Kumar or even Amitabh Bachchan he did not consistently do complete justice to the character he portrayed. In terms of sheer talent he surpassed Amitabh but lacked his compatriot's sheer discipline or temperament. I feel Shahrukh Khan is very similar to Rajesh Khanna who became a superstar but mainly portrayed his own character. Ofcourse Khana did not fade out of the film arena completely and launched some successful films later like ‘Souten’ .
No doubt he gave outstanding performances in'Anand', 'Avishkaar.', 'Safar', 'Bawarachi', Ittefaq, and'Amar Prem'.He revealed great prowess in blending joy with sadness or humour with pathos. Khanna could infuse a life in characters few could do. In certain scenes his intensity could exude the sensation of an inferno while in others that of a lotus blooming I admire the detached manner he portrays character that literally creates a total metamorphosis of relationships within a family, like a doctor healing a wound. With great insight Ragu devolves into the variance characteristics of the family members . Although fans may not agree I do not hold Khanna's roles in'Kati Patang', 'Aradhana', 'Daag', 'The Train' or'Aap Ki Kasam" in the highest esteem. No doubt he took romanticism to it's highest pitch but the films did not reflect the moral overtones of it's time .It was basically a congolomeration of Rajesh Khanna's acting traits .To me it was too much romance at the cost of any social values. Sadly the superstar faded after 1975 with the rise of Amitabh Bachchan. No doubt he made some comebacks but could not ressurect the glory of the 1970's.Such movies were escapist films that could divert people from the important social issues of the day.
I was sad to know that he behaved very badly with film workers, posessing the most malicious temper. Repeatedly he went into fits of temper, reminiscent of a thunderstorm and had scant regard for fellow human beings. Such a feature is an ample illustration of the character of Bolywood which is most unscrupulous and alienates human beings. He would often even insult the director. Imagine the graceful'Anand' spitting venom on the downtrodden in real life. No doubt there were powerful reactionary elements in Rajesh Khanna which were products of the unjust social order.
I vehemently disagree with Naseerudin Shah running him down so much, feeling it was a scathing attack. It virtually places of all of Rajesh Khanna’s achievements into the ditch, giving scant respect.
Analysts were unable to transcend the psyche or idioms of the masses in the manner of Rajesh Khanna.Khanna could have also been a victim of the trait of the Indian masses to worship and in some ways it could be said it was they who made Rajesh Khanna the icon. It is sad that he lacked the grace of a Dilip Kumar or Dev Anand as a human being, or even Raj Kapoor.His personal character illustrated also how ruthless a person has to be to rule Bollywood.Khanna’s reign at the top was reminiscent of a the dynasty of a great emperor like Julius Caesar .
I cant express how touched I was when Amitabh Bachchan before you could say Jack Robinson left for Rajesh Khanna's house, moments after his death in 2012.It was testimony of the fraternity within Bollywood and how our hero never broke his bond with his compatriots, who were arch rivals in his day.
