Sometimes I wonder whether films that became blockbusters during their times would do as well if released today? Not if the treatment is as shoddy and half-hearted as I discovered in SMS Naidu's
Azaad. His romantic adventure flick, I read, was the highest grossing entertainer in 1955. A watch after I am yet to decipher whether the records are indeed indicative of how good a film is. For, apart from a few mushy moments between the lead pair, some melodious songs by C Ramchanda, a gorgeous Meena Kumari and a dishy Dilip Kumar, this film lacks the punch of say maybe,
Kohinoor or even
Aan. Patchy in parts and disjointed throughout, the film suffers from bad editing and a tediously stretched comic subplot starring Om Prakash and Raj Mehra. Wish the director concentrated more on the love angle than attempting to make his caper a well-rounded adventure film...
