Deepak who? (Aabroo)

Seriously, was CL Rawal joking or something? He tags Deepak Kumar, the hero of his Aabroo, as the star discovery of that year. Deepak Kumar who? Never heard of him, never seen him in any film. And after watching this 1968 drama, I know why filmmakers never took a chance by casting him. He is excruciatingly bad as a performer. He has a wispy voice, a comical look on his face, his voice modulations are pathetic and every time he utters romantic nothings, I crack up! Actually come to think of it, he is almost like Mr Bean trying to do some serious Hindi film. Or rather Rowan Atkinson trying to sing, dance, act and cry in a true-Bollywood style. And yes, he is appallingly bad in all aspects!!

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Learning the ways of the house (The Householder)

The Householder, in my eye, is a coming-of-age tale. A delicate love story that highlights the trials and tribulations of a newly-married couple, the various hiccups that lead to their understanding of each other, the small misunderstandings, the sweet patch-ups, everything about Prem Sagar and Indu's relationship is reflective of how a couple, unaware of each other's feelings, likes and dislikes, gradually iron out their creases and grow to love each other. I'm not getting into the spiritual aspect of Prem's evolution as a thorough house-runner and the process of Indu's becoming houseproud. It is but obvious that there will be some channel all the time whereby the concerned parties would become enlightened.

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Saga of sacrifice (Anuradha)

Anuradha is much ahead of its times. At least in its stark representation of the wrongs doled out to a woman who innocently believed in the enormity of love. The director had the gall to show that not everything is achieved when you marry for love. There is certainly much to life for a wife than silently suffering under the shadow of an idealistic husband. In that Hrishikesh Mukherjee is bang on target. His 1960 President's Gold medal winner deals with such oft-forgotten issues in a subtle yet strong manner.

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