1970s Bollywood Must See Movies

1970’s BOLLYWOOD: THE 50 MUST SEE HINDI MOVIES

1970’s Bollywood: The 50 Must See Hindi Movies Copyright © 2015 by Sabeha Peach All Rights Reserved Published by Taylor Mountain Trading

For my husband, Charles, my mother Zorena Ishmael who loves Indian movies and my children, Fardeen, Sofia, Tariq and Sameer.  To my father, Shareef Ishmael, in loving memory.

Table of Contents A Note from the Author Introduction 1.  Awesome, Amazing, Astounding- The Three A’s 2.  The One with the Maddest, Baddest and Most Dangerous To Know Villain 3.  The Ultimate Teenage Dream Love Story 4.  The One with the Girl on the Swing in the Pouring Rain 5.  Endless Loving 6.  The One with the Ultimate Funk Out Track 7.  Have Another Toke? 8.  Bullets and Brothers 9.  The One with the Butt Kicking Heroine 10. Brothers Where Art Thou? 11.  It is Not Difficult to catch him, it is Impossible! 12.  Diamonds, Dames, Dudes and Dancing 13.  The Courtesan and her True Love 14.  Love on the Run 15.  Doomed by Jealousy 16.  Love’s Labor Lost – A Tragedy 17.  Love is….Building a Palace for Her 18.  The Sins of Thy Father 19.  The Godfather Revisited

20.  Second Chances 21.  With Friends Like That Who Needs Enemies? 22.  Two Wives, One Husband 23.  When a College Prank Goes Wrong 24.  The One with the Jumbo Four Legged Buddies 25.  Starring the Bengal Tiger of Cinema 26.  Robin Hood on a Motor Bike 27.  No Man of her Own Clone 28.  The Spoilt Rich Boy and the Flower Girl 29.  Why Don’t We Steal Away? 30.  The Ultimate Bromance 31.  The One with the Ultimate Striptease 32.  Some Like it Hot Bollywood Style 33.  The One with the Heart that is Beating, Keeps on Repeating 34.  The Angry Young Man Has Arrived 35.  Before Romeo and Juliet There Were… 36.  The Hero Holds Out for the Happy Hooker 37.  Love Wears a Disguise 38.  The Moral Criminal 39.  The Gypsy and the Runaway Heiress 40.  The Nerd Strikes Back 41.  Sexy Cougar and Young Hunk Get Acquainted 42.  The One with the Ultimate Flashback 43.  The Heroine is the Villain

44.  The One with the Song Sampled by the Black Eye Peas 45.  Boy Gets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Gets…Arrested? 46.  The Mystery of the Missing Heroine 47.  Husbands & Wives & Ex-Boyfriends & Ex- Girlfriends 48.  The Ultimate Whodunit 49.  The Country Girl Vs the Murderous Villain 50.  A Friend’s Betrayal? About the Stars- A Lagniappe

A Note from the Author I grew up in the twin island country of Trinidad and Tobago where Indian culture is a fundamental part of our melting pot. It is also an English speaking Western leaning country which no doubt influenced my taste in films. My mother is a major fan of Hindi motion pictures and I saw my very first movie and many more with her. Going to the movies was a weekly ‘lime’ – the Trinidadian word for hangout. I can still recall the unbelievable crowd outside the Eros cinema in Tunapuna to see Roti Kapada Aur Makaan in 1975 (it usually took months before movies made it to our shores after their release in India.) It matched the crowd at a nearby cinema that was playing Jaws on the opening weekend. Decades later, here in my home state of Idaho, when I chose to revisit these films from the 1970’s on DVD I was amazed to discover that I enjoyed them the same or even more as I understood them better viewing them as an adult. The movies that made the cut on my list are the ones that I loved the most both as a kid and as a grown-up. Please visit my website, 1970’s Bollywood Must See Movies, for updates and additional content.

Introduction This book is for everyone who loves movies. It was written to pay homage to my favorite Indian stars who lit up the darkened cinemas with their presence on the silver screen. A heartfelt thank you for the movies (in no particular order) to : Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Rishi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh, Raakhee, Rekha, Shashi Kapoor, Dev Anand and everyone else whose films brought me joy. I hope this book, a love letter of sorts to the actors and actresses I love put a smile on their faces wherever they may be. Sadly some of them are no longer with us in body but they continue to live on in the hearts of millions of fans everywhere. Bollywood films are all musical and melodramatic extravaganzas with action, romance and of course drama. The ones from the seventies decade treaded the tight rope between Eastern and Western cultures like a flawless trapeze artist rocking the American ‘far out’ fashion with the same passion as the wet sari in the rain. They came with high doses of immortal love, broken hearts, mean or self-sacrificing parents, exceptionally vicious villains, a thirst for revenge, comic situations and no shortage of subplots (many of them involving finding long lost family members.) In the middle of all of this, the stars burst into songs which more often than not are the highlight scenes. My list of the 50 must see Bollywood movies of the 1970’s were chosen and rated based on the following criteria – entertainment value, storyline, star power, acting prowess, songs and song scenarios (called picturisations in Bollywood), setting and anything that added to an overall positive viewing experience. The motion pictures were not judged by how many awards they won nor on their box office collections. Neither were they selected because they are considered classics by other media. In fact, a number of these so named “classics” are not on this list but some I consider to be hidden gems are. Naturally many of the big hits and ones that received accolades are included but only because they really are must see films.

These are movies everyone should see at least once although most of them can be enjoyed multiple times. So, let’s get on with how they were categorized. They were listed in order starting with the number one must see film numerically going all the way down to 50 . There’s the title of the movie and the year it was released. Then we have the major credits – names of the leading stars, director, music director and lyricists. The Plot is next. This describes the basic storyline of the film. I steered clear of including spoilers because I want you to enjoy the movie at least as much as myself. The plot descriptions may leave you hanging and/or may have questions at the end of it which I hope will intrigue you. Anand is the exception to my plot description rule. The Commentary is basically my take generally on the movie itself, the actors, characters, scenes and anything noteworthy. The last sections are all about the music. The Eye Candy Musical Number is exactly what it sounds like – a song picturisation that stands out for any reason such as incredible dancing, amazing scenario, the much loved wet sari scene or something that was visually striking. I have also included the names of the actors featured in the songs and the singers who actually sang the songs (aka playback singers.) Playback singers are commonly used in Bollywood unlike Hollywood where even a reportedly reluctant Jennifer Lawrence had to use her own pipes to sing “The Hanging Tree” for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. The Best Download Worthy Song is the number one pick off the entire soundtrack. The actors and the singers who were involved on these tracks are also credited. Lastly, there’s the Soundtrack rating which goes from five stars to two stars. Here’s the breakdown - Five stars - excellent, a must have album. Four stars – Very good – nearly all standouts; there might be only one song or so that’s ‘average.’ Three stars – About three good - average songs, with just “one must have” track. Two stars– below average soundtrack – one or two good tracks at best or a couple of average tracks. That about sums it up. Let’s go to the movies!

1.  Awesome, Amazing, Astounding- The Three A’s TITLE- AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY (1977) STARRING – Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi, Neetu Singh DIRECTOR – Manmohan Desai MUSIC DIRECTOR – Laxmikant Pyarelal LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT – Kishanlal (Pran) takes the rap for his boss’ crime and goes to jail. In circumstances that came about as an end result of that, his three sons have gone missing. After his children gets lost and his wife disappears, an enraged Kishanlal kidnaps his boss’ young daughter, Jenny (Parveen Babi), and ends up raising her as his niece. His aim in life is to ruin Robert (his boss) the way Robert ruined his family and he gets a good start when the car he stole from Robert to escape in was loaded with a fortune in smuggled gold bars. When the vehicle crashed and went up in flames Kishanlal was thought dead so Robert stopped hunting him down. In the meantime the three brothers were found and renamed accordingly. A Hindu policeman adopted Amar (Vinod Khanna) who grows up to become a policeman; a Catholic priest discovered the second son, Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan) who is something of a scofflaw and the third son, Akbar (Rishi Kapoor ) who was raised by a Muslim man is a Qawwali singer . Their lives coincide at various intervals. Akbar and Anthony are friends whereas Anthony and Amar who are on opposite sides of the law have some not so friendly run-ins. They are also closely acquainted with a blind woman, Bharati (Nirupa Roy) who they all donate blood to not knowing she is their mother. There are a number of romantic complications along the way. There’s Anthony falling in love with Jenny, having to deal with her threatening bodyguard who wants her himself not to mention his ignorance about Jenny’s ‘adopted uncle’ and who her father really is. Akbar is being

rejected by the father of the woman he loves, Salma (Neetu Singh) and Amar gets involved with a small time con artist, Laxmi (Shabana Azmi.) Tragedy happens when Amar’s policeman father gets shot and the Catholic priest who raised Anthony gets killed. All roads point to Kishanlal. He becomes targeted by his own sons and Robert who has found out that Kishanlal is alive and well. How does the family get reunited and avenge the evil Robert? Do they win the women they have fallen in love with despite opposition? COMMENTARY - This movie is like a Las Vegas buffet with something for everyone. It combines all the ingredients to make it a heartwarming action comedy topped with a stellar cast and a soundtrack to match. There was an underlying universal message of goodness from all walks of life needing to come together in order to fight evil. A major star turn for Amitabh Bachchan who reveals himself as an actor with great comic timing (on top of everything else.) He won the Best Actor Filmfare Award for this movie. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER- My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves - Amitabh Bachchan. Playback – Kishore Kumar. This entire performance is sidesplitting funny with a touch of romance. Listen for Amitabh’s rendition of the most nonsensical speech in English ever! BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Parda Hai Parda -Rishi Kapoor. Playback - Mohammed Rafi. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS

2.  The One with the Maddest, Baddest and Most Dangerous To Know Villain TITLE- SHOLAY (1975) STARRING – Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan. DIRECTOR - Ramesh Sippy MUSIC – R. D. Burman LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT –Two former jailbirds are hired by a mysterious landowner to capture a vicious dacoit/outlaw who is terrorizing his village. They find themselves in situations where they may have bitten off more than they can chew but the promised reward money and the bonus of newly found love are among the reasons why they stick around. COMMENTARY - While the storyline was not unlike the 1971 Hindi film Mera Gaon Mera Desh not to mention the similarities to Hollywood’s The Magnificent Seven from 1960 and the 1954 Japanese film, The Seven Samurai, Sholay was still a phenomenon all on its own. Then unknown actor Amjad Khan played the villain Gabbar Singh with a casual yet chilling intensity who could scare the dead into dying again. He was The Villain amongst villains hands down. His evil played perfectly against the restrained but never impotent hatred of Sanjeev Kumar’s Thakur Baldev Singh. The buddy chemistry between Dharmendra as Veeru and Amitabh as Jai was heaven made. Hema Malini who played the larger than life Basanti was unforgettable on the Haan Jab Tak Hai Jaan song picturisation where she was forced by Gabbar Singh to dance under a blazing sun on broken glass to prolong the life of her lover. Jaya Bhaduri played Radha, (the polar opposite of Basanti)

with a quiet strength. All these essential spices combined to make the ultimate curry western. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Mehbooba Mehbooba - Jalal Agha. Playback - R. D. Burman killed it in off the hook vocals that fused Indian and Middle Eastern rhythms. It featured a hotter than hell dance by Helen (even by her standards.) BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Yeh Dosti - Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan. Playback - Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey.  SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS

3.  The Ultimate Teenage Dream Love Story TITLE- BOBBY (1973) STARRING – Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia DIRECTOR – Raj Kapoor MUSIC DIRECTOR – Laxmikant Pyarelal LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT- Raja (Rishi Kapoor) is the neglected son of rich, busy parents who sends him away to boarding school at age six. When he returns home after completing school a dozen years later he is smitten when he lays eyes on Bobby (Dimple Kapadia) at his 18th birthday party. She turns out to be the grand-daughter of his beloved nanny whom he had always thought of as his mother. They fall in love much to the chagrin of his wealthy parents who scorn the idea of their son falling for a fisherman’s daughter. They try to separate them and arrange for Raja to marry a rich man’s daughter. How Raja and Bobby try to resolve their trials and tribulations lead them to the unexpected. COMMENTARY – Love Story from 1970 starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw had done well in India. Did it give Raj Kapoor the confidence to go with Bobby as a teenage love story after the debacle of his magnum opus Mera Naam Joker? If so, it was a good decision as Bobby turned out to be the biggest money maker of the year. Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia were pure on screen magic who looked like they were made for each other and that essentially is what makes Bobby work so monumentally. Can you imagine anyone else but Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic? Also, it didn’t hurt that the curvaceous Dimple Kapadia donned a multitude of short dresses AND a sexy red bikini that was designed to get the buzz going. (It did.) The simple storyline

(different from Love Story) and characterizations have more depth than you can put in writing and makes you personally involved. Rishi Kapoor won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and Dimple Kapadia tied with Jaya Bhaduri for Best Actress. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER and BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG- Chabi Kho Jaye –Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. Playback- Shailendra Singh and Lata Mangeshkar. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS. Rishi Kapoor later moved on to Kishore Kumar as the playback for most of his songs but Shailendra Singh’s voice is forever associated with him thanks to the blockbuster Bobby album.

4.  The One with the Girl on the Swing in the Pouring Rain TITLE- ROTI KAPADA AUR MAKAAN (1974) STARRING - Manoj Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Moushumi Chatterjee. DIRECTOR – Manoj Kumar MUSIC DIRECTOR – Laxmikant Pyarelal LYRICS – Santosh Anand, Verma Malik PLOT - Manoj Kumar plays Bharat, an educated, honest and patriotic man who gets nothing for his idealism. He is jobless and in charge of providing for his family of siblings including his cynical brother Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) who takes to crime. His girlfriend, Sheetal (Zeenat Aman) eventually leaves him for a rich tycoon Mohan Babu (Shashi Kapoor.) It’s the last straw and an embittered Bharat gets tempted into the Dark Side. COMMENTARY - Manoj Kumar also wrote the screenplay of this socially moral tale which incidentally kick started the multi-star cast film craze of the seventies, as it was the biggest hit of 1974. The amazing thing is how did he get such leading stars to play second fiddle to him? The uber sexy Zeenat Aman was a casting coup for him as his girlfriend, Sheetal. She played off his staid Bharat like fire on ice which made them perfect together on screen. You did not want her with the sophisticated Shashi Kapoor (whose wife Jennifer Kapoor made him stand out in that all-star cast with her clever decision about outfitting him in that trademark white suit.) Amitabh Bachchan does justice to his bad boy does redemption role and Moushumi Chatterjee does a realistic portrayal as the rape victim who can’t help her crush on Bharat. All of the characters connect in some way thanks to Manoj Kumar’s masterful script. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Hai Hai Yeh Majboori - Zeenat Aman. Playback- Lata Mangeshkar. The Ultimate Wet Sari

scene! OMG, watching Zeenat standing on that swing shaking her moneymaker as the rain pours down in all its glory isn’t something that’s going to leave your memory anytime soon. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Maina Bhooloonga - Manoj Kumar and Zeenat Aman. Playback -Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar There are two versions of this song in the movie. Either one will do. SOUNDTRACK -5 STARS

5.  Endless Loving TITLE- KABHI KABHIE (1976) STARRING – Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Waheeda Rahman, Simi Garewal, Parikshat Sahni and Naseem. DIRECTOR – Yash Chopra MUSIC DIRECTOR – Khaiyyaam LYRICS – Sahir Ludhianvi PLOT - A poet Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) falls in love with Pooja (Raakhee) and they wish to get married but her father wants her marry someone who is more likely to give her a financially better off life. So, Pooja bows to the pressure and marries pragmatic engineer Vijay (Shashi Kapoor.) Time goes by and their grown up son Vikram / Vicky (Rishi Kapoor) meets and falls in love with Pinky (Neetu Singh.) They plan to get married with their parents’ approval. However, when Pinky find out she is an adopted child of her parents, Dr.Kapoor, (Parikshat Sahni) and Shobha Kapoor (Simi) she runs away in search of her birth mother. Vicky goes after her but she is confused about her identity and rejects his love. Her mother who bore her illegitimately turns out to be Anju (Waheeda Rahman) who is now married to Amit. He is no longer the romantic poet but the serious, practical contractor. What goes around, comes around and the plot leads to Amit meeting Pooja again and Vijay finding out about his wife’s first love. Does Amit find out the truth about his wife’s secret child? Then there’s a new love triangle that ensues with Pinky, Vicky and Sweety -Amit and Anju’s daughter (Naseem.) How this all plays out is Kabhi Kabhie. COMMENTARY - A cast as perfect as you can get and a movie that was a breath of fresh air. There were no throw downs with the Prem Chopra/Pran/Premnath troika of villains. Sure these guys served their purposes well in other movies but Kabhi Kabhie was a welcome break from all of that.

This movie could have been a lot more intense if Yash Chopra had decided to capitalize on the love triangle with Amit, Pooja and Vijay. Maybe it would have been too messy (and made the film too long.) Come to think of it, Kabhi Kabhie is like two movies in one or a mini- series. Anyway, Chopra chose to prolong only one love triangle conflict which was with the second generation – Vicky, Pinky and Sweetie. It worked but as a viewer I was committed to the lost love between Amit and Pooja and their aftermath feelings should have been explored a bit further. Chopra incidentally tried to do just that with 1981’s Silsila (The Affair) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha and Jaya Bhaduri (the casting choice was a case of fact meeting fiction but that’s a story for another book or at least an idea for a Taylor Swift kind of song!) EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER and BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Kabhi Kabhie -Amitabh Bachchan and Raakhee. Playback Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS.

6.  The One with the Ultimate Funk Out Track TITLE- APNA DESH (1972) STARRING – Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz DIRECTOR – Jambu MUSIC DIRECTOR – R. D. Burman LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT – A very topical storyline involving crooked politicians and how they manipulate the public. Akash (Rajesh Khanna) is an educated and honest government employee. He lives with his brother, sister in law and their two children in a modest house. When Akash finds out about the illegal doings of his brother’s boss who is a prominent, well respected man he tries to take him down. His brother, angered by Akash’s actions kicks him out of his house. A now homeless Akash is offered shelter by an illiterate coconut seller Chanda (Mumtaz) whom he had met earlier during some trying circumstances. She believes in him and persuades him to go up for election against the corrupt politician he had earlier tried to expose. He wins the election but is later forced out because of his refusal to accept bribes. Apna Desh, in a highly entertaining style shows just what Akash and Chanda resort to next as they plot against the corrupted politician and his cronies. COMMENTARY - This was the most entertaining of the Rajesh Khanna / Mumtaz starrers and that’s saying a lot because these two went together like champagne and caviar. Out of all their superlative movies, this is the one I can watch multiple times and it’s unthinkable to even consider other stars doing their roles for this film. For fans of those WET SARI songs there’s Kajra Lagake (picturised on Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz) and sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. It’s a highlight scene with Rajesh Khanna and a

smoky eyed Mumtaz running around in the rain wearing a mostly backless knee high sari number. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Duniya Mein - Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz. Playback - Asha Bhosle and R. D. Burman. The song was on a mission to funk your brains out! Unlike many heroines of her time, Mumtaz was never afraid of vamping it up and yeah, she funked it up for you on this track. She sings about slithering like a snake and gets down on the floor and does just that. Wicked! BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Suno Champa Suno Tara - Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz. Playback - Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. An absolutely delightful and melodic village dance song and scene where Mumtaz shows off her always impressive dance moves. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS. Consider it equivalent to striking gold if you find an original mint vinyl issue of this golden nugget. The album’s cover picture features a scene from the Duniya Mein picturisation.

7.  Have Another Toke? TITLE- HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA (1972) STARRING – Dev Anand, Mumtaz and Zeenat Aman DIRECTOR – Dev Anand MUSIC DIRECTOR – R. D. Burman LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT- A brother Prashant (Dev Anand) and his younger sister Jasbir (Zeenat Aman) are separated as kids when their parents get divorced. The movie is about the now grown up Prashant’s quest to locate his sister who has run off to a hippie commune in Kathmandu, Nepal and bring her back home to their father. He finds her but realizes she has no recollection of their childhood together and she now calls herself Janice. Prashant meets and falls in love with Shanti (Mumtaz) who is suspicious and jealous of his apparent obsession and involvement with the hippie lifestyle and particularly Janice (not knowing she is Prashant’s sister). In the middle of all this is a crime ring specializing in stealing religious artifacts. Does Prashant ever get his sister back or is it too late for her? COMMENTARY- This movie is noteworthy on other levels but first and foremost it launched Zeenat Aman into the stratosphere of being India’s premier sex symbol. A rebel without a cause who dared not just to push the envelope of the conventional Indian heroine but to tear up the whole thing and throw it to the wind. Get this, Zeenat Aman managed to make you forget the presence of Mumtaz in this movie, the then reigning queen of Bollywood. In all fairness though, Mumtaz’s role was minimized as just the obligatory love interest of the hero. If she had done Zeenat Aman’s role it would have changed the history of Bollywood! The setting in Kathmandu, Nepal was a unique one in Hindi cinema and Dev Anand chose it to explore the hippie drug culture of the decade. He used the explanation of a broken home as a primary reason for Jasbir’s fall from grace. It’s a message not to judge people for their actions for we know not what

they have gone through. Dev Anand in his autobiography, Romancing With Life, tells how he came up with the Jasbir/Janice character. He was in Kathmandu and his eyes fell upon a singular Indian girl amongst all the foreigners. She was wearing a loose but revealing top as she sat on the grass with her partner. Then she inhaled. Splendor in the grass indeed! Anyway, an idea began to germinate and Dev Anand tracked her down. Her name was Janice (she changed it from Jasbir.) Her parents were divorced and she lived with her mother in Montreal, Canada. She considered herself a rebel, someone belonging to the new generation and after a big fight with her mother, she helped herself to some cash and headed for Kathmandu. Maybe there was a lot of fact in the fictional Hare Rama Hare Krishna. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER and BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Dum Maro Dum - Zeenat Aman. Playback - Asha Bhosle. Arguably the coolest song to come out of Bollywood. SOUNDTRACK -5 STARS

8.  Bullets and Brothers TITLE- DEEWAAR (1975) STARRING – Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi DIRECTOR – Yash Chopra MUSIC DIRECTOR – R.D. Burman LYRICS – Sahir Ludhianvi PLOT - Two brothers in conflict. The elder, Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) got lured into a life of crime as he struggled as a kid to care for his mother and younger brother Ravi (Shashi Kapoor.) Ravi becomes a police officer and is given the case file of catching a certain notorious criminal. He is shocked to discover that it is his own brother. COMMENTARY – Amitabh Bachchan gives a powerhouse performance as Vijay, groundbreaking, as the antihero you can root for. No one else could have possibly played Vijay the way Amitabh Bachchan did. Shashi Kapoor was commendable as Ravi but his role could have been carried by other actors such as Rajesh Khanna or Rakesh Roshan. Neetu Singh was underused, playing a one- dimensional routine girlfriend part. Parveen Babi, in a small role as the chain smoking, uninhibited Anita whose wish is to marry Vijay gives us the heroine you care about. Amitabh had chemistry with a number of other leading ladies but he looked best with Parveen whom I think suited only him. They shared a rare for Bollywood bed scene together featuring a shirtless Amitabh. Parveen laid there with a cigarette between her lips…smoking after sex…oh yeah…. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER - None BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG - Kehdoon Tumhen - Shashi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. Playback - Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. Catchy little ditty but all the ‘singing’ is done while

Neetu is driving a jeep and Shashi is riding along in the passenger side and then they swap places. A waste of a good track. SOUNDTRACK – 2 STARS

9.  The One with the Butt Kicking Heroine TITLE- SEETA AUR GEETA (1972) STARRING – Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra DIRECTOR – Ramesh Sippy MUSIC – R. D. Burman LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT - Twin girls get separated at birth and unwittingly end up trading places as grownups. Quiet Seeta (Hema Malini) lives in her mansion where her cruel aunt mistreats her horribly and has her working like a servant. They humiliate her when a suitor Ravi (Sanjeev Kumar) comes to meet her. Geeta (Hema Malini) on the other hand is a happy go lucky, fun girl who lives a contented life with her poor ‘mother’. She works with Raka (Dharmendra) as a street performer to make ends meet. One day in an act of desperation Seeta escapes and in a humorous chain of events the sisters swap places. Raka who was always fighting with Geeta finds himself inexplicably falling for Seeta and Ravi is bowled over by the vivacious Geeta so different from the first time they ‘met’. The fun starts when the evil aunt thinks Geeta is Seeta and thinks she can continue her cruel treatment. Geeta turns the tables on her in a hilarious fashion. Trouble comes to Geeta when she is exposed as a fraud and Seeta is kidnapped. How this is resolved is the rest of the rollicking Seeta aur Geeta. COMMENTARY - Hema Malini can kick butt! She managed to push not one but two top male stars aside (one was even Dharmendra!) and made herself the one who handled the major action. She was totally about bringing the awesome especially as Geeta. This was her movie through and through. She made you laugh and cry in the process too. Reportedly, Hema even had Sanjeev Kumar falling for her in real life during the filming. Sure the

film had elements of Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam but the vibe was totally different thanks to the beautiful and charismatic Hema Malini. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER and BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – O Sathi Chal -Hema Malini and Sanjeev Kumar. Playback- Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS

10. Brothers Where Art Thou? TITLE- YAADON KI BARAAT (1973) STARRING – Dharmendra, Vijay Arora, Zeenat Aman, Tariq, Neetu Singh DIRECTOR – Nasir Hussain MUSIC- R. D. Burman LYRICS – Majrooh PLOT – Three brothers escape getting murdered but get separated when their parents get killed after their father witnesses a murder. The oldest Shankar (Dharmendra) is a petty criminal bent on revenge. The middle brother Vijay (Vijay Arora) is a happy go lucky guy who finds himself on a love rollercoaster with a rich girl Sunita (Zeenat Aman). The youngest brother played by Tariq is a singer in a hotel. Every night he sings the song their mother used to sing to them in the hope that one day his brothers will hear the song and they’ll be reunited. COMMENTARY - There’s the clichéd long lost brothers looking to get reunited theme. It worked like a charm but the music is why this movie is great. Neetu Singh got her heroine status back after her killer dance performance on the memorable Lekhar Hum Deewana Dil. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER –Lekhar Hum Diwana Dil - Tariq and Neetu Singh. Playback- Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. An onstage song and dance extravaganza with Neetu Singh not being shy about showing some leg. Her second best dance on the silver screen. Read on to see which one I feel is her best. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Chura Liya Hi Tum Ne - Zeenat Aman and Vijay Arora. Playback - Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle. Another all-time classic song featuring Zeenat Aman with a come hither smile in a sexy white dress slowly strumming a guitar.

SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS. If I could give this 10 stars I would. R. D. Burman is at his funkiest best. This soundtrack is to Bollywood what the Saturday Night Fever album is to Hollywood. A must have in a nutshell.

11.  It is Not Difficult to catch him, it is Impossible! TITLE- DON (1978) STARRING – Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman DIRECTOR – Chandra Barot MUSIC – Kalyanji Anandji LYRICS – Anjaan and Indeewar PLOT - Only the DSP knows that notorious criminal Don (Amitabh Bachchan) is dead. He later comes upon a country bumpkin Don lookalike named Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan). He secretly recruits him into impersonating the deceased Don and promises to care for Vijay’s adopted children. Meanwhile Roma (Zeenat Aman) whose brother was killed by Don wants payback and she manages to scam her way into Don’s gang. When Vijay makes his reappearance as Don he fakes amnesia as a way to explain his unfamiliarity with his surroundings. Roma pretends to romance him and he falls for her causing Don’s former lover to grow jealous and she raises her suspicions with the other gang members. Then the DSP is killed and Vijay/Don becomes a suspect. Now Vijay is in a race for his life to escape the gang, prove his innocence and get Roma to believe the truth. COMMENTARY - Amitabh Bachchan kept the thrills coming at you and he was at his dashing best in Don. Zeenat Aman’s Roma was no damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. On the run she kept up with Amitabh’s Vijay all the way. Aesthetically they are well suited and looked as good as Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway did as Bonnie and Clyde. Shahrukh Khan starred in the 2006 remake which was also called Don. He used Bachchan’s famous line from the original in the remake, “It is not difficult to kill Don, it is impossible!”

EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER - Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana – Helen. Playback- Asha Bhosle. Yet another one of Helen’s fabulous “item numbers” (as they’re called in Bollywood.) BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Jiska Mujhe Tha Intezar - Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan. Playback - Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS

12.  Diamonds, Dames, Dudes and Dancing TITLE- HUM KISISE KUM NAHEEN (1977) STARRING – Rishi Kapoor, Kaajal Kiran, Tariq DIRECTOR – Nasir Hussain MUSIC – R. D. Burman LYRICS – Majrooh PLOT - Kishorilal is a rich criminal who is in charge of handing over a money belt filled with diamonds that a father left to his son, Rajesh (Rishi Kapoor.) He intended to keep the diamonds but in a series of mishaps, the treasure ends up ‘lost’ in the tool box of the bicycle belonging to Sanjay (Tariq.) Sanjay, it turns out is the son of Kishorilal’s old friend from the poor village where they all lived many years ago. Sanjay still lives there with his father and hasn’t forgotten that he and Kishorilal’s daughter Kaajal (Kaajal Kiran) were close as kids and were betrothed to each other by their parents. Kaajal hasn’t forgotten this either and longs to meet with Sanjay. They do meet but Kaajal is unaware of his true identity. An international criminal ‘befriends’ Rajesh and uses him as a pawn to get the diamonds back from Kishorilal. As part of the plan Rajesh pretends to romance Kaajal (though he loves someone else) and she falls for him though her feelings are conflicted regarding Sanjay. Does Rajesh get his diamonds? Who does Kaajal end up with? COMMENTARY - The suspense paired with the romantic triangle would have been enough to keep the audiences hooked but this is a Nasir Hussain film. So, it was the music that ruled this piece of cinema. In other words, it was all about the bass (and the treble too for that matter) to paraphrase Megan Trainor. Look out for the show stopping Rishi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman (!!) qawwali performance of the title track. The Sanjay/Kaajal plus Rajesh/Kaajal issues were tied up too quickly – more time should have been spent resolving

that. With very few exceptions that’s a common problem with many of the listed Bollywood movies. Neither Kaajal Kiran’s nor Tariq’s career took off despite starring in this blockbuster and Rishi Kapoor got stuck with a lot of singer/dancer roles after this. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – A medley on stage performance of Chand Mera Dil/ Ah Dil Kya Mahfil Hai/Tum Kya Jano/Mil Gaya Ham Ko Saathi - Rishi Kapoor, Kaajal Kiran and Tariq. Playback – Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, R. D. Burman and Asha Bhosle. Mil Gaya Ham Ko Saathi had a strikingly similar melody to the 1975 ABBA song, Mamma Mia. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY TRACK – Kya Huwa Tera Wada -Tariq. Playback – Mohammed Rafi. A haunting, heartbreaker of a ballad that revived Rafi’s flailing career in the ‘70s. SOUNDTRACK – 5 STARS. This is another one I could easily give 10 stars to. It’s the Michael Jackson Thriller of Bollywood. Every song on this album is a must have just like Thriller. R. D. Burman at his Mt. Everest and that’s saying a lot.

13.  The Courtesan and her True Love TITLE- PAKEEZAH (1971) STARRING – Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar DIRECTOR – Kamal Amrohi MUSIC – Naushad and Ghulam Mohammed LYRICS – Majrooh, Kaifi Azmi, Kamal Amrohi and Kaif Bhopali PLOT - The story of Sahibjaan (Meena Kumari), a courtesan with a pure heart who was born into this life. She is desired and wooed by the rich and powerful but yearns for the one man who said something special to her on a train and created something in her that did not exist before. A desire to love and be loved by him. What does she do about it? COMMENTARY - Much of this period piece motion picture ran like a dreamlike poem which could make it an acquired taste for some. It completely went against the grain of the Western oriented trend of 1970’s Bollywood. The poignancy of Pakeezah (directed by Meena Kumari’s estranged husband) was certainly one reason for its cinematic success -it was Meena Kumari’s swan song (she died soon after the movie came out.) She was quite ill during some of the filming and had a stand in (Padma Khanna) do some of the dancing for which the movie is noted for. Decades later Pakeezah is considered a masterpiece and is a testament to Meena Kumari’s immortality as an icon of the Hindi film industry. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Chalte Chalte - Meena Kumari. Playback – Lata Mangeshkar. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Chalo Dildar Chalo- Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar. Playback - Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi.

SOUNDTRACK – 4 STARS. This is pure Indian music. No fusion. No funk. A true appreciation of music is all that is needed to enjoy this collection.

14.  Love on the Run TITLE- CHOR MACHAYE SHOR (1974) STARRING – Shashi Kapoor, Mumtaz DIRECTOR – Ashok Roy MUSIC- Ravindra Jain LYRICS –Inderjeet Singh Tulsi and Ravindra Jain PLOT - Vijay (Shashi Kapoor) an engineer is in love with Rekha, (Mumtaz), the daughter of a multimillionaire who refuses when he asks for Rekha’s hand in marriage. Vijay still intends to marry Rekha though so her father has him falsely arrested. To add salt to the wounds, none other than Rekha bears witness against him. In jail he befriends other convicts and they succeed in escaping jail. He faces down Rekha regarding her betrayal and ends up escaping with her and his cronies as they’re being hunted by the police. They all end up in a remote village where the villagers mistake them for workers here to help them fix their water problem. How Vijay proves his innocence, evades the police, helps the villagers and saves them from getting attacked by different convicts all form the conclusion of this highly enjoyable escapade. COMMENTARY – Chor Machaye Shor was a thrill ride slowing down only for the songs. Action, romance, adventure, it was all here. The drama was at an all-time high between Shashi and Mumtaz when he breaks into her room and begins unravelling the sari she’s wearing with the intent of having her as his revenge for her betrayal in the courtroom. The scene between Mumtaz and Danny Dengzonpa (as Raju Ustad) where she pretends to take up smoking and drinking is particularly touching as it shows the soft caring heart of the hardened criminal Raju toward Rekha whom he considers as a sister. This was Shashi Kapoor’s best solo hero movie of the seventies.

EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER and BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Le Jayenge Le Jayenge -Shashi Kapoor and Mumtaz. Playback Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Chorus SOUNDTRACK – 3 STARS

15.  Doomed by Jealousy TITLE- AAP KI KASAM (1974) STARRING - Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz and Sanjeev Kumar DIRECTOR – J. Om Prakash MUSIC – R. D. Burman LYRICS –Anand Bakshi PLOT – Kamal (Rajesh Khanna), a middle class college student and Sunita (Mumtaz) who comes from a rich home meet at college and fall in love. The parents on both sides approve their betrothal and they get married. Mohan (Sanjeev Kumar) who is Kamal’s best friend and his boss lives next door to Kamal and Sunita. Mohan and his wife have a tumultuous relationship because of her party girl nature. Sunita feels sorry for Mohan and lets him come over sometimes to talk. Kamal starts to get jealous and it all comes to a head when he spots a man in the dark jumping over their fence. The suspicion, anger and jealousy spiral out of control between Kamal and Sunita and they end up getting divorced. Sunita, unbeknownst to Kamal is pregnant with their child and she marries her doctor in a marriage of convenience. Kamal soon discovers Sunita was true to him and goes to her father to get her back but it is too late. He becomes a broken man and a wanderer. Does he get his chance to make amends? Find redemption and meet his daughter? COMMENTARY – Aap Ki Kasam epitomizes the saying, “It’s the calm before the storm.” It starts out too good, everything is hunky dory and it keeps getting better. When the storm hits, it’s OMG, you know there’s little or more likely no hope of coming back from this. Mumtaz outdid herself in this movie. Her restrained crying for Kamal in front of her second husband was at the perfect level. She didn’t bawl all over the place and humiliate him. Nor was she callous to Kamal. Her tears showed him how she felt. Khanna’s unreasonable Kamal should raise our ire but in end all we feel is deep sympathy because that’s how good Rajesh Khanna is. To me, Mumtaz never

looked more beautiful nor Rajesh Khanna more handsome as they did in Aap Ki Kasam. Check your pulse if you don’t get a case of the waterworks watching this. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Suno Kaho, Suna Kaha - Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz. Playback – Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. Watching Mumtaz run slo-mo in that yellow outfit makes you want to go back and see it all again when the movie is over. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Karavaten Badalte Rahe -Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz. Playback – Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. A memory sticker. Visually memorable as well with its Kashmir setting. SOUNDTRACK – 4 STARS

16.  Love’s Labor Lost – A Tragedy TITLE- MUQADDAR KA SIKHANDAR (1978) STARRING – Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Vinod Khanna, Rekha DIRECTOR – Prakash Mehra MUSIC – Kalyanji Anandji LYRICS – Anjaan PLOT - A convoluted tale of lost/ unrequited / misguided/ love and the dire consequences that follow. Sikhandar (Amitabh Bachchan) has never forgotten the childhood love that he shared with Kamna (Raakhee) despite her unfairly hostile parting from him. He has become rich as a grown up by collecting reward money for information on smugglers and buys a mansion opposite hers but she always shuns him and is unaware that he pays the medical bills her father incurs. When Kamna does find out she warms to him and Sikhandar sees his chance of finally winning her over. The illiterate Sikhandar get his best friend, the educated, Vishal Anand (Vinod Khanna) who happens to work for Kamna’s father to write a letter. However in a case of mistaken identity Kamna thinks the writer is Vishal (as she recognizes the handwriting as his) and Vishal, who doesn’t know the recipient of his letter for Sikhandar is Kamna is thrilled with Kamna’s interest in him. How Sikhandar responds to this leads to events that spin out of control. Meanwhile there’s also Zohrabai (Rekha) whose love for Sikhandar goes unnoticed because of his devotion to Kamna. A jealous admirer of Zohrabai thinks differently and is out to get Sikhandar. COMMENTARY - Amitabh Bachchan is at his angst ridden tragic hero best in this movie rather than in Deewaar. His character, Vijay in Deewaar didn’t have his heart broken in a million pieces like Sikhandar. Amitabh makes you feel the pain of the ill- fated

Sikhandar who did everything right but was a victim of everyone he was good to. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER - Salame-Ishq -Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan. Playback- Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY TRACK – Rote Huye Aate Hain Sab – Amitabh Bachchan. Playback - Kishore Kumar SOUNDTRACK – 3 STARS

17.  Love is….Building a Palace for Her TITLE- PREM NAGAR (1974) STARRING – Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini DIRECTOR – K.S. Prakash Rao MUSIC – S. D. Burman LYRICS – Anand Bakshi PLOT – Karan (Rajesh Khanna) lives a princely lifestyle. His mother, Rani Maa, (Kamini Kaushal) neglect of him from early childhood and her apparent preference for her older son, Shamsher (Prem Chopra) lead him to become an alcoholic and a chronic womanizer. One evening after a party he saves a woman who was being attacked by her boss. He is surprised when the woman, Lata, (Hema Malini) comes to meet him the next day to return his wallet intact. He hires her as his secretary but instructs her not to interfere in his bad habits. Despite his warning she does, as she senses a good heart below his outward decadence and eventually manages to reform him. They fall in love in the process and Karan even builds a majestic house of love for them both. Things fall apart for them when Lata is accused of stealing a priceless necklace belonging to Rani Maa. Karan defends Lata in her absence but is left confounded when Lata’s own mother returns the necklace. A bitter Lata feels betrayed by Karan for not standing up for her honor and she leaves him. Her abandonment leaves him bereft and he plunges into a dark depression of loneliness which seems to move him closer to death than life. Lata moves on and on the day of her wedding, he comes to her to say goodbye. Does Lata come to terms with her love for him? Is Karan left to live or die alone in the House of Love that he built for them? COMMENTARY – Prem Nagar marked the first time in 3 long years that the number one male and female leads were starring

together and that’s if you counted their brief tryst in 1971’s Andaz. Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini did not disappoint. They went together like Cinderella and Prince Charming on screen. Definitely a celluloid event for me. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER - Yeh Thandi Hawayen - Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini. Playback – Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Chorus. WET SARI ALERT SONG! BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Yeh Lal Rang - Rajesh Khanna. Playback – Kishore Kumar. Rajesh Khanna should have gotten an award just for his right on the mark tormented hero that he embodied with this song. SOUNDTRACK – 4 STARS

18.  The Sins of Thy Father TITLE- TRISHUL (1978) STARRING – Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rahman, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Raakhee, Poonam Dhillon, Sachin. DIRECTOR – Yash Chopra MUSIC – Khaiyyaam LYRICS- Sahir PLOT - Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) is the illegitimate son of construction magnate R.K. Gupta (Sanjeev Kumar.) His mother, Shanti (Waheeda Rahman) struggled to raise him alone and on her deathbed tells him the identity of his father and circumstances of his birth. Vijay sets out on mission to financially destroy his father in revenge for deserting his mother to marry money. The story then moves along to Vijay’s scoring contracts at the expense of Gupta and the hostile competitiveness between them. What’s the outcome of Vijay’s relationship of his father and siblings? COMMENTARY - In this large star cast where everyone gets their share of screen time, it’s still Amitabh’s movie. Shashi Kapoor (Shekhar) and Hema Malini (Sheetal) provide the requisite romance effectively. Raakhee as Geeta does not get any songs with Amitabh’s Vijay and although their simmering closeness is obvious it should have been expanded. The message about responsibility and forgiveness is given in a way that you can’t argue with and the action and suspense are shown with the Amitabh Bachchan brand of swagger. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Janeman Tum Kamal Karte Ho -Shashi Kapoor and Hema Malini. Playback – Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Gapoochi Gapoochi Gum Gum -Poonam Dhillon and Sachin. Playback – Lata

Mangeshkar and Nitin Mukesh. SOUNDTRACK – 3 STARS

19.  The Godfather Revisited TITLE- DHARMATMA (1975) STARRING – Feroz Khan, Hema Malini and Rekha DIRECTOR – Feroz Khan MUSIC – Kalyanji Anandji LYRICS- Indeewar PLOT - Ranbir (Feroz Khan) is estranged from his gangster father known as “Dharmatma” for his benevolence to the city he lives in. Unable to tolerate his father’s duplicity, Ranbir leaves his family as well as the woman who loves him, Anu (Rekha) and moves to Afghanistan. There he meets a beautiful tribal girl, Reshma (Hema Malini.) He is enamored with her and she feels the same but their cultural differences come between them. Ranbir fights to win her tribe’s approval of him and her hand in marriage. He succeeds but actions by his father’s enemies get in the way of their future together, leaving Ranbir to pick up the pieces. He now has to play the hand life has dealt him by handling the enemies of his father who are now his enemies. COMMENTARY – The story brings to mind The Godfather (1971.) With the Afghanistan setting however and a strong focus on Ranbir’s romance with Reshma there’s a different dynamic with Dharmatma. My one beef with this movie is that it opens with Premnath. Although he’s the title character he’s not a Marlon Brando and way too much screen time was spent on him. This is common in many Bollywood films of this era. Why were character actors allotted so much of the opening in movies when their story could be told in flashback? It seems like ages before Feroz Khan makes his appearance and even longer before we get to see Hema Malini, who is the heart of this movie. Must say if it was Khan’s intention to have Hema Malini look like a tribal princess from your fantasy, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Critics have accused her of not being romantic enough with her heroes (save

Dharmendra of course) but I beg to differ. She sets the harsh terrain of Afghanistan on fire when her eyes burn into Feroz Khan’s. Don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER – Meri Galiyon Se Logon Ki Yaari Barh Gayi - Hema Malini, Danny Denzongpa. Playback – Lata Mangeshkar and Mahendra Kapoor. BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Kya Khoob Lagti Ho, Badi Sundar Dikhti Ho -Feroz Khan and Hema Malini. Playback – Mukesh and Kanchan. SOUNDTRACK – 4 STARS

20.  Second Chances TITLE- ANDAZ (1971) STARRING – Shammi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Rajesh Khanna DIRECTOR – Ramesh Sippy MUSIC – Shankar Jaikishan LYRICS – Hasrat Jaipuri PLOT - Ravi, a widower (Shammi Kapoor) meets Sheetal (Hema Malini) who is his young daughter’s teacher. Sheetal also has a little son who is friendly with his kid. Finding that they have that in common he tries to woo her. Sheetal is resistant at first. She was in love with Rajoo (Rajesh Khanna) and they had wed in secret. His rich father did not approve of her and when Rajoo dies in an accident her father in law disowned her and her child. Ravi eventually wins her over and she agrees to marry him. Ravi is the step son of a rich woman and she refuses to accept Sheetal as she considers her a woman of questionable morals. Adding to his woes is a rape accusation. A village belle committed suicide after being raped and all signs point to him. What is the truth? What is the real background of Ravi’s birthright? What happens to Sheetal and her son? COMMENTARY - A movie that way back in 1971 dared tackle the Indian taboo of widow remarriage. Kudos to Ramesh Sippy and to Hema Malini, who was a very young and new actress then, for taking on the role of a young widowed mother, who after tragedy and rejection, moved on with her life. While it was one of Shammi Kapoor’s last film as the hero, Rajesh Khanna, in a cameo got all the attention and got to do the classic hit song too. Even when Rajesh wasn’t the leading man, Andaz still added another rung to the dizzying heights of the Khanna craze. EYE CANDY MUSICAL NUMBER and BEST DOWNLOAD WORTHY SONG – Zindagi Ek Safar Hai -Rajesh Khanna.

Playback – Kishore Kumar. The song’s appeal could be credited in part to the yodeling done by Kishore probably inspired by The Sound of Music. SOUNDTRACK -4 STARS