Year: 1970

Director: Hrishikesh Mukherji

Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal

Music: Salil Choudhury

 

1970-film Anand ranks amongst the best emotional dramas in Indian cinema. Director Hrishikesh Mukherji’s mastery over portrayal of complex human emotions and his ability to tell a touching tale with multiple well-etched characterizations make this film an all-time classic.

 

Anand (Rajesh Khanna) is a happy-go-lucky person, making friendship in an instant with absolute strangers and always ready to come up with a quip to make everyone smile. But over that charming smile looms the shadow of death- he is suffering from an incurable tumor- Lymphosarcoma of the intestines! This very characterization of Anand- a man so full of life and yet so near death- gives the film its emotional strength. So from the very beginning of the film, audience is made aware of Anand’s ultimately tragic end and yet, such is Anand’s endearingly positive approach towards this inevitability that this emotional journey becomes an uplifting celebration of life instead of becoming a dreary, depressing, downhill count-down to death.

 

Babu Moshai (Amitabh Bachchan)- as Anand fondly calls him, is Anand’s brooding doctor, who is least amused by his patient’s antics. The angst of this doctor is more towards his inability to conquer fate. ‘What is the use of all my knowledge if I am unable to save my patient?’- is his real grouse. As the days progress, the doctor and the patient come closer forming a unique bond of friendship. Anand teaches Babu Moshai to look beyond the hard reality, to find joy in small things, to express his suppressed emotions. Just when we are enjoying the new-found happiness in their lives, death knocks at the door with the final curtain call!

 

Anand and Babu Moshai are two most enduring screen portrayals, performed by two fine actors who went on to become superstars of the era. In fact, now looking back we find Amitabh’s intense supporting performance as Babu Moshai, in just his second film to be at par with by then already a superstar Rajesh Khanna’s author-backed central role as tragic-comic Anand. Both actors went on to win Filmfare awards for their roles.

 

With great songs like Na Jiya Laage Na, Maine Tere Liye, Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye and Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli, composer Salil Choudhury provided the perfect musical foil for this emotional roller-coaster that told us- ‘Death is inevitable but life is greater than death!’