Man, woman and doctor (Dil Ek Mandir)

It's not for nothing that Raj Kumar received a Best Supporting Actor Filmfare award for his portrayal of Ram in C V Sridhar's emotional drama Dil Ek Mandir. For, here is a man who despite being diagnosed with lung cancer and waiting on the brink of desolation and doom, is buoyant, pragmatic and jocund all the time. He is not afraid of death and he has no qualms in securing a stable and safe future for his wife after his death. He relaxes the tension in the plot with his amiable repartee and is a foil to the otherwise morose and dejected doctor who is suffering from the pangs of unrequited love. If you ask me, Ram is one of the main reasons why I was able to complete the film.

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More of Jubilee Kumar (Hamrahi)

My tryst with Rajendra Kumar continues...

This time I encountered Kumar playing a philanderer turned good husband. Did he do it well? I didn't get to reason that out because I kept feeling let down by the director's decision to cast Jamuna in the role of the leading lady. A good actress she is, but certainly not gorgeous in the looks department. And definitely not the person for whom Shekhar might be forced to rid himself of his frivolous ways, his penchant for girls and for plunging into total depression when she tells him how unfortunate she is that she had to marry this rich and spoilt individual. Throughout the film, I kept missing Sadhana, who would have added so much meat to the role of this defiant girl. And maybe then Hamrahi would have been so much more pleasing. Great cast, good story but the fun fizzles out in many parts...

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Super Shyama (Do Behnen)

I've figured that this has been mostly a Rajendra Kumar month for me in terms of blog posts. But I am loving it. Simply because I've managed to watch some very good films (and some tepid ones). I now agree that this actor did make a mark in the audience's mind through his own mettle and talent. He was a good actor (even if he was not the best looking among them) and did manage to star in some very likeable films. This post of course will talk about a film starring Rajendra Kumar, but will this time celebrate his co-star in the movie--- Shyama.  

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Sweet as Honey (Talaq)

I will not say that Talaq is a path-breaking film. It deals with the very sundry problems that may arise in a marriage when both parties fall prey to misunderstandings, are irrational on some count or the other and when there is that one nosey parker who spoils all the fun and love. In that, Talaq, directed by Mahesh Kaul, sticks to the tried and tested formulae. But, what makes this 1958 film stand out is the way in which the usual dramatics are handled. The narrative is rather engaging, the events are quite interesting and the actors look extremely real in their behaviour. The best part is of course the adorable child actor Honey Irani (for some reason she is credited as wonder child Ashwini) who plays the three-year-old son of the lead actors and who is a testimony to the trying state that a child may be in when parents quarrel like animals.

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Love in Lucknow (Mere Mehboob)

I had never thought that I'd like Rajendra Kumar. I had also not thought that a somewhat restricted Muslim society would throw up any likeable qualities about it before me. I had also not thought that despite the director squandering away the chance of using a super villain like Pran, I will forgive him. But I guess, there is always a first time. Here is a film that made me experience many firsts.

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Love... Set in Paradise (Arzoo)

How important is it to have a romantic ambience to make hearts flutter in love? If you take into consideration that Usha flips for Sarju (the man she found quite irksome inside a aeroplane in Delhi) while at the beautiful valley of Srinagar, you'd seriously think that the spectacular surrounding induces the tender feelings in her. With the verdant valley, the colourful flowers, the brilliantly azure sky and the breathtaking mountains to uplight her senses, it is but a matter of time when the young lovers will serenade in Kashmir. Not to forget the blissful Dal Lake and its magical power that makes every soul see stars in their eyes. Yes, I think there is something about Kashmir that is therapeutic in terms of falling in love. And I speak because I know what Kashmir and its awesomeness can do to you...

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Drama galore (Zindagi)

The best thing about Ramanand Sagar's Zindagi is Vyajyanthimala. Not only is she ravishing and dances like a dream, she actually makes you sit up and take note of her histrionic skills. She is utterly believable as the sensible Beena who reasons with her mother that acting as a profession needn't be slighted at. When she is loathe to barter her love for the sake of easy money, you really feel like lauding her wholeheartedly. She is brave, honest, hardworking and extremely lovable.

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Fending for answers (Gharana)

I need some questions answered. Why do all films from the Gemini stable start off with a punch and then degenerate into some regressive drama? Why are the women in their films projected as husband-worshippers? Why do they trust so easily? Why do they forgive even more easily? And yes, why does Rajendra Kumar carry a police constable's stick throughout his screen time in SS Vasan's Gharana?

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Long and very drawn (Sasural)

Blame it on my overtaxed brain. I've been choosing the wrong films for a few days now. When I most need a frothy entertainer with great songs and a charming lead pair, I'm making erroneous choices of social dramas that look engaging from outside, but are tedious and hollow once unraveled. T Prakash Rao's remake of Telegu hit Illarikam is one of those blunders that I'd better stayed away from. For, Sasural is long, monotonous and lacks the winning punch.

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Twisty tale (Palki)

Once you gloss over some of the ludicrous events that force the happenings in Palki, you might just like this 1967 film. At least I did. I chose to ignore the baseless decision made by the lead pair and watched on as they met their respective fates. And sometimes, the anticipation of whether Naseem and Mehrunisa would actually unite in the end was so high that I found myself fast forwarding through the melodious tracks composed by legendary Naushad...

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Tragic romance (Goonj Uthi Shehnai)

My brother believes that a tragic ending makes a romantic film even more memorable. And, if not sad, an expectant one, where the lovers' union is far from achieved. He is of the view that when the denouement is not rosy, it tends to haunt you. Call it poignance or what, I can sense the same when the end credits roll in Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai. When circumstances and society tear Kishan away from his sweetheart Gopi, you kind of feel a hollow in your heart. The pain increases when the two lovers meet their end far away from each other, only with the hope that in death will their union be possible. The love that stung the eyes of society shall be consummated in the jaws of death. Perhaps, that is why this Rajendra Kumar-Ameeta romantic tradegy continues to be so memorable...

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