Wrong pair (Mere Sanam)

Bengalis have a thing for Bengalis. But, my love for films is not parochial. If that had been the case, I'd be swooning over the likes of Biswajit and Joy Mukherjee. Instead, I find myself drawn to the flamboyance of the very Punjabi Shammi Kapoor, and Dev Anand. One, a robust romantic and the other a naughty charmer.
True, Mukherjee and Biswajit were two of the top draws in their times, but they fail to floor me. In fact, I feel these screen idols were plain lucky. They got to act in wholesome family dramas, made by talented directors, embellished with fantabulous music (many memorable Rafi songs) and got to romance pretty ladies.
One such film is Amar Kumar's Mere Sanam. This 1965 technicolor entertainer stars Biswajit and Asha Parekh, with some great support from Pran, Achla Sachdev, Laxmi Chhaya, Nazir Hussain and Mumtaz. Though the plot is slightly borrowed from
Robert Mulligan's 1961 romantic comedy, Come September, the director throws in appropriate twists to suit Indian tastes. The film starts of as a sweet romance, before a conniving Pran incorporates enough villainy to ensure an action-packed climax.
The film's lead pair is inadequate. While Asha Parekh is a spunky Neena, Biswajit is hardly apt as Kumar. There are reasons. Biswajit is overtly fair and has pink lips (not a fine example of a handsome Indian hero! In some scenes, he is even fairer than his ladylove)!!! His diction is irritatingly accented by Bengali intonations and he is not convincing as the intense lover. While Parekh is confident in Neena's shoes, Biswajit's act is wobbly. And when he starts dancing, all hell breaks lose. This is not Shammi Kapoor, whose dance has attitude (this script so demands him!!). You have to have the chutzpah to match Parekh's nimble footing. She is kickass as a dancer. Her moves are fluid, her expressions spot on. So, you can't fool around with those grooves when you share screen space with her. And, Biswajit does just that. His steps are clownish, without any style. In fact, when he just watches his sweetheart shimmying, he looks best. In the scene where Neena twists with an Elvis lookalike to make Kumar envious, she is great. Thank god her partner (and not Biswajit) is nifty too.
When you want to flaunt your frame, you have to be dead sure that you have the brawn for it!! Biswajit is not. There is a sorry sequence where he has to scamper home with just his knickers on because the girl he is relentlessly pursuing played a nasty prank on him and vanished with his clothes!! Not a great sight!!
But yes, Biswajit is tolerable in some romantic scenes. Not passionate enough but goes with the flow of Parekh. She is a stunner in Mere Sanam. She lends appropriate doses of spunk and charisma to the personality of Neena. Initially she is a prankster, then a mellow sweetheart, then a defiant daughter and then a brave girl who snatches her lover from the jaws of death. Her arguments for love are solid, her eyes emote too well and she is a lovely sight to behold. Skilled in both Eastern and Western dances, Parekh beautifies the melodious tracks by OP Nayyar further.
In Pukarta chala hu main, she defines vanity on a bicycle, enjoying the attention by an attractive stranger (Rafi is awesome)!
In Hum dum mere she makes jelly of Biswajit (two left feet). A spangled red gown accentuates her curves, while she shimmies with grace.
In Hue hain tum pe ashiq hum, she is haughty. With her big eyes (affected with anger for being hoodwinked by her wooer) shunning Kumar's advances, Neena knows how to give it back!
Altercations sorted, the two embark on their romantic trip. Then you have the buoyant Roka kahin bar maine dil ki umang. Here you get to see how lithe Parekh is and how inept Biswajit looks as the dancing romeo! Asha Bhonsle's Jayiye aap kahaan jayengi is a masterpiece. With the beautiful valleys of Kashmir as the backdrop, Neena calls out to her lover with this mellifluous song!! And Kumar can't help but get ensnared in this lovely web of love!
Love brings with it a fair share of misunderstandings, longings and sorrows. Tukde hain mere dil ke is a representation of that. An ideal love song signifying the security of love, this one stands out for Parekh's vulnerable looks and Rafi's superb voice modulation.
Haji haji, performed by a scintillating Neena is a resplendant Arabic garb, is a typical round-up to the entertainer. Trying to fish her lover out of the scheming villain's den, Parekh's moves are simply delightful.
Here, we come to Bhonsle's Yeh hain reshmi zulfon ka andhera, a first-of-its-kind item track. It's sexy, slow, teasing nature hooks you right away. Coupled with the honeyed voice of the singer and Mumtaz's voluptous beauty. She is extremely glamourous in her figure-hugging copper costume and is blatantly seductive with her eyes and body! If only her wig was not as ludicrous!
Mere Sanam stands out for being a reliable family entertainer, with a tolerable plot and memorable music. And of course, Pran. Biswajit pales in comparison to this dashing crook. The otherwise tame drama gets a wickedly smart twist, courtesy the odious glibtalker Shyam (Pran) and his scheming plots. A smooth criminal this, in MJ's words...