Age no bar (Professor)

It's a close match. Suave and sexy Preetam is pitted against wobbly but clever Prof Khanna. The wages are high, the competition is tight...
Preetam has to quickly find a job to send his ageing mother to a sanatorium. For that, he has to hoodwink a dictatorial woman and glib his way to her house posing as an old professor. He then has to learn the ABC of Sanskrit to teach two giggly young girls and handle the tantrums of two small boys.
All this, as the old Prof Khanna! Yes, young Preetam, struggling to get a job, charades as an ageing bachelor and enters the household of the martinet Sita Verma, and in the process, sets off a series of hilarious incidents. Rankled initially by the strict regulations set by his employer, Prof Khanna unconsciously breaks all those rules and even manages to make Sita Verma fall in love with him!
So, who wins?
Preetam or Prof Khanna. I say, it's a comfortable draw. For, one is incomplete without the other. Or rather, Professor, Lekh Tandon's 1962 romantic comedy, would be deficient without the irrepressible Shammi Kapoor.
A smart spin-off on the lovable Hollywood classic The Sound of Music, Tandon gives an appropriate twist to the Von Trapp saga to gain approval of the Indian audience. And man, does it appeal. For, this film, screams entertainment. Set in the picturesque hills of Darjeeling, the film is thoroughly enjoyable. Lalita Pawar in her stern avatar, Kalpana with her perky ebullience, Parvin Choudhury with her spontaneity, Shankar Jaikishan with their award-winning music (they tipped Hemant Kumar and his Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam score to win a Filmfare best music award) and most importantly, Kapoor with his fast and furious flamboyance.
Neena (Kalpana), Rita (Choudhury) and their two brothers are in the care of Sita Verma, a martinet who hates men (like her role in Mr & Mrs 55). She ensures that her house is run on military principles; eat on time, sleep on time, no fun, no music, and no talking back. She maintains a stern approach towards the youngsters and discourages them against all enjoyments. Even if she is concerned for their wellbeing, she shrouds it with her dictatorial behaviour. Hence, she incurrs the wrath of her wards. In fact, she is on the lookout for an old professor who can drill Sanskrit lessons into her nieces' heads. Prof Khanna turns out to be the apt man. But Neena and Rita will have nothing to do with the boring professor. They pull off one prank after another to get rid of him.
The two girls are introduced with the bouncy folk number Humre gaon koi ayega (Asha Bhonsle and Lata). Resplendant in their vibrant costumes, the two young girls dance away in frenzy hoping that some day a young man will come and rescue them from their fettered life with their guardian. And right then, Preetam steps into Darjeeling!!
The old professor, meak and helpless that he is, tries his best to just do his duties. But, the two girls, especially Neena, drive him up the wall. They force him into the jugalbandi Yeh umar hain. It's hilarious. The girls and their friends dance around him to test how young is he at heart. The professor takes up the challenge and matches his wobbly steps with the chirpy girls. Shammi Kapoor is oh-so-funny. His perennial pout breaks into this song as he tries proving to the girls that he is still youthful. Clutching his walking stick, and awkwardly twisting way, Prof Khanna has a field day. Manna Dey's voice is so well matched to Kapoor. He brings out the fun flavour in those trembling lines so well. If only the gang wouldn't have been stopped short by the sudden appearance of Sita Devi...Prof Khanna is back to the sphere of constant trepidition, trembling and tension...
Taking the cue, Prof Khanna decides to teach Neena a lesson. He temporarily drops his charade and meets her as the handsome Preetam in a tailor shop. Now, he is the one playing pranks with her. He playfully blackmails her with a note and she is at a loss as to how to handle this smart guy. Even though she tries to fix him with her Main chali mein chali stance, he steals her thunder with Aye gulbadan. These two songs are remarkable. Picturised on Kapoor and Kalpana, while the first one stands out for its playful naughtiness, the second one stays etched in the memory for its beautiful lyrics and subtle chemistry between the leads. In Main chali Kalpana looks chic in her fitted capris and top and Kapoor is natty in his green shirt and white cravat. Yes, those cravats add that extra oomph to his character!! Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd Rafi create magic.
Even more special is Aye gulbadan (awesome poetry by Hasrat and Shailendra). Preetam pays a delicate tribute to Neena's beauty with this poignant ballad and you see the damsel slowly turning into jelly. He sings, "Kya haseen rang mein saj rahin hain khudai, har cheez malik nein sundar banai..." A wonderful way of honouring God's creation of nature and his prospective sweetheart...
While Preetam is playing havoc with Neena's senses, Prof Khanna gradually succeeds in softening Sita Devi. On one instance, he even silences her when she is cruelly beating up the boys. He shouts, "Chillaiye mat..." and the disciplinarian is dumbstruck. He goes on, "Yaad rakhiye, sirf pyaar se hi aap inhein apna bana payenge..." Are we reminded of Maria telling the Captain, "Oh love them, love them Captain," when she is confronted by her employer?
Nevertheless, Sita Devi suddenly finds her heart stirring. She listens to old romantic ditties and takes extra care to dress up when she is meeting the professor. The results guarantee splits. Prof Khanna feels awkward with this attention and is baffled by his employer's constant care and fuss.
The scene shifts to Mumbai where Preetam and his alter ego ensure some more fun. Handling Neena on one hand, and Sita Devi on the other is no cakewalk. But, Preetam is no ordinary man either! He changes clothes with the speed of light, puts on his makeup in a flash, mouths those quick and clever one-liners and floors all and sundry. And, whenever things are slipping he starts those kapkapis. Outrageous!!!
The culmination of the love plot between Preetam and Neena happens with the fantastic Khuli palak mein. What a beautiful song! Kapoor's eyes are breathtakingly intense, he waltzes like a dream and romances with panache. Neena, is relishing the attention and adoration and knows that she is a lucky girl. His song is an apt tribute to her atractive face and her soft charm. When he sings, "Ise meri baat na samjho, banta kya baat banakey, kuch kehna tha mere dilka, jatahoon wohi dohrakey..." you know that he is professing his love from his heart...
The fun really starts when Sita Devi cannot contain her affection for the old professor. But, aware of his constraints, Preetam has to continue the charade. Not for long though, courtesy the exploits of the immature Rita and her spineless boyfriend, Ramesh (played by Nasir Husain's son, Salim).
There's haunting melody in Awaaz deke humein tum bulao, a beautiful tribute to the pain of separation that lovers go through. The words, and Neena and Preetam's eyes, aptly express the yearnings of love.
An absolute joyride, Professor is a proof of the brilliance that Kapoor was capable of. A role that demanded an equal dose of charisma (Preetam) and subdued approach (Prof Khanna), the makers were spot on in casting Kapoor. He is dropdead handsome as Preetam, and smooth, with a plethora of attitude. But, as Prof Khanna, he just shines. With a constant pout, his eyes widen when he faces the strict Sita Devi. No matter what she says, he goes, "Ji bilkul. bilkul..." He carries a slight hunch on his tall frame, walks with a mild limp and modulates his voice impeccably. Simply fantastic!!! He hates being referred to as ponga pandit and looks with a bewildered expression when Sita Devi's friend announces his engagement with the old lady...
Flamboyance isn't restricted to age. Preetam, Prof Khanna, or should we say, Shammi Kapoor, bears solid testimony to that...