Till death do us part (Yeh Vaada Raha)

As a teenager, I suddenly got gripped by Danielle Steel romances. It was then that her Promise impressed me. Fate construing against two lovers, only to have the tables turned back against it by the sheer power of their love-- this theme really touched my heart. Then one day, I saw a film called Yeh Vaada Raha, Kapil Kapoor's adaptation of this romance, and I realised how perfectly the story turned out in reel life. Here the love between the young souls appears even more sweeter, the mishap is much more unfortunate than it looks in the book and the incidents that count up to the halcyon ending is so well stitched together. Yes, this 1982 romance is one film I'd recommend to any hard-core mush lover.

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Love, after all the trouble (Blackmail)

It's quite funny that one song from Vijay Anand's Blackmail is celebrated as being one of the most erotic melodies of those times. Given the situation that the song is played in, and the circumstances the leads find themselves in, on any given day, one might be more than ready to sight it as signage of consummation. But then, for me, this song is certainly not one that will melt me into a puddle. I'd rather just call it a breaking of barriers between the protagonists, who till now, failed to unify, owing to the battery of misunderstandings concocted by the devious villain. In this song, the man and the woman realise that all shackles of bitterness are broken and if the circumstances so grant, they would be able to lead a blissful life together now. Well, for me, Mile do badan, is just about that.

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Sound suspense (Anamika)

I think I've managed to zero in on my favourite Jaya Bhaduri film. Easily, it's Anamika, the 1973 mystery romance directed by Raghunath Jhalani. There is something very charging about the Jaya Bhaduri here. She is different and immensely enjoyable. Not that in her other films she is not. But here, she is spontaneous, sprightly and extremely jaunty. Her character undergoes several changes in dimension and she slips from one mood to another with utmost ease. There are times when she is funny, clever, endearing, teasing, sad and angry. And this range is hardly ever visible in any of her other films. She wears some great clothes, rather experiments with her looks and makes a sweet romantic pair with Sanjeev Kumar. In Anamika, Jaya Bhaduri shines. But most importantly, it's the script that sails along so properly with the histrionics of its protagonist and the other characters. Yes, Jaya is great in and as Anamika...

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It happened one night (Jagte Raho)

It takes guts to invest your bucks in a film like Jagte Raho. But then, Raj Kapoor was no ordinary artiste. He always tread a unique path, with a vision that stood out from the hoi polloi. I'm sure when he decided to produce this Shambhu Mitra and Amit Mitra directorial venture, he knew he was hitting the right cinematic button. A film that has no lead pair, no romantic angle, no formulaic story, can only be successful if executed with utmost aplomb. And in that, Jagte Raho is a top draw. A stunning social commentary on the venality and dishonesty of most city dwellers, this story tells one sole incident in such a unique fashion that it is difficult not to sit up and take absolute notice...

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Clash of ideals (Saath Saath)

Once you've made it to the 40th minute of Raman Kumar's Saath Saath you can rest assured that there will be no boring moment from here on. The journey of Gita and Avinash get extremely engaging. The couple's daily chores throw light on the very routine lives that most of us spend today. They try to make ends meet, maintain a budget for their expenditures, take up jobs to meet the rising costs of food and living and share with us all and sundry experiences. In fact, these nuggets make the film so next-door and enhance its appeal.

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