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Anand (1971 film)

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Anand
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHrishikesh Mukherjee
Written byBimal Dutta
Gulzar
D.N. Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Biren Tripathy
Produced byHrishikesh Mukherjee
N. C. Sippy
StarringRajesh Khanna
Amitabh Bachchan
Sumita Sanyal
Ramesh Deo
CinematographyJaywant Pathare
Edited byHrishikesh Mukherjee
Music bySalil Chowdhury
Distributed byDigital Entertainment
Shemaroo Video Pvt. Ltd.
Release date
  • 12 March 1971 (1971-03-12)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi[1]
Box office₹0.98 crore (equivalent to ₹47 crore or US$5.6 million in 2023)

Anand is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, with dialogues written by Gulzar. It stars Rajesh Khanna in the lead role, with a supporting cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo.

The film won several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film in 1972. In 2013, it was listed in Anupama Chopra's book 100 Films To See before You Die.[2] Anand is counted among the 17 consecutive box office successes of Rajesh Khanna between 1969 and 1971, adding the multistarrers Maryada (1971) and Andaz (1971). The film was a modest success at box office.[3] But it has since gained a cult following and is hailed as one of the greatest Hindi films ever made[by whom?]. Indiatimes listed it among the "25 must watch films Bollywood movies".[4] Anand is one of the only two films that Khanna and Bachchan have starred together– the other being the 1973 film Namak Haraam, which was also directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.[5][6][7]

Plot

At an award ceremony in Mumbai for his first book, 'Anand' , Dr. Bhaskar Banerjee is asked to speak about the book. Bhaskar says that the book has been written based on his diary excerpts when he met Anand and narrates to the audience his experience with him.

Bhaskar, an oncologist, treats the poor for no charge but is often disheartened by the fact that he cannot cure all the ailments in the world. He becomes pessimistic after seeing the suffering, illness, and poverty all around him. He is straightforward and won't treat the imaginary ailments of the rich. His friend, Dr. Kulkarni, follows a slightly different path. He treats the imaginary illnesses of the rich and uses that money to treat the poor.

One day, Kulkarni introduces Bhaskar to Anand, who has lymphosarcoma of the intestine, a rare type of cancer. Anand has a cheerful nature and despite knowing the truth that he is not going to survive for more than six months, he maintains a nonchalant demeanor and always tries to make everyone around him happy. His cheerful and vibrant nature soothes Bhaskar, who has a contrasting nature and they become good friends. Anand has the rare quality of attracting people and befriending them. In one such encounter, he makes Isa Bhai, a theater actor, his friend. They enjoy each other's company and create an emotional bond.

Anand's condition gradually deteriorates, but he does not want to spend his remaining days in a hospital bed; he, instead, roams freely and helps everyone. He discovers that Bhaskar has strong feelings for Renu, whom he had treated previously for pneumonia. He helps Bhaskar express his love and convinces Renu's mother to bless their marriage. He tells Bhaskar that everyone should remember him as a lively person and not as a cancer patient. It is also discovered that he loved a girl back in Delhi who is now married to someone else because of Anand's illness. The day she got married, Anand came to Mumbai from Delhi to move on from her but keeps a flower in his book in her memory. Anand becomes sicker and sicker with time and is now bound to the house. He records Bhasker saying a poem and himself delivering dialogue and both of them laughing together on tape. He is counting his last breaths as his friends gather around him but Bhasker is gone to bring medicines for him. He shouts for him and dies. Bhasker comes back just a few minutes later and begs Anand to speak to him. Suddenly, the tape starts playing with Anand's voice and his friends cry for him. A couple of balloons are seen flying away in the sky as Anand leaves the world and flies away in the sky.

Cast

Production

Mukherjee was loosely inspired by Ikiru, and initially considered Shashi Kapoor and his brother Raj Kapoor for the lead role in the early 1960s.[8][9] The character of Anand was inspired by Raj Kapoor, who used to call Mukherjee "Babu Moshay".[9] It is believed that Mukherjee wrote the film when once Kapoor was seriously ill and Mukherjee thought that he may die. The film was dedicated to Kapoor and the people of Mumbai.[10][11]

Later, Mukherjee thought of making the film in Bengali language, with Uttam Kumar as Babu Moshai.[8] When this plan also failed, he considered Kishore Kumar and Mehmood (as Babu Moshai) in lead roles.[12][8] One of the producers, N. C. Sippy, had earlier served as Mehmood's production manager. Mukherjee was asked to meet Kishore Kumar to discuss the project. However, when he went to Kishore Kumar's residence, he was driven away by the gatekeeper due to a misunderstanding. Kishore Kumar (himself a Bengali) was involved in a financial dispute with a Bengali event manager over a stage show. He had instructed his gatekeeper to drive away this "Bengali", if he ever visited the house. The gatekeeper mistook Hrishikesh Mukherjee to be this "Bengali", and refused him entry. The incident hurt Mukherjee and he decided not to work with Kumar.[12] Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well.[13] According to Dharmendra, he was also considered for the lead role before it went to Rajesh Khanna.[14] As a playback singer, Kishore Kumar had become the preferred voice for Khanna by this time, but Anand did not have any song by him.[8]

Hrishikesh Mukherjee shot the film in 28 days.[10] The screenplay of Anand was written by Gulzar (who also wrote the dialogue and the lyrics of a few songs), Bimal Dutt, D.N. Mukherjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.[15]

Later, Anand was remade in Malayalam, with the name Chitrashalabham.[16]

Music

The musical score and songs were composed by Salil Chowdhary. The lyrics were written by Gulzar and Yogesh. Gulzar wrote the poem "Maut Tu Ek Kavita Hai", which is narrated by Amitabh Bachchan.

Before confirming Chowdhary for songs, Mukherjee approached Lata Mangeshkar to get the songs composed, as she had already worked as a music director in Marathi films under the pseudonym of "Anandghan". She, however, politely refused the offer and decided to sing the songs in the film rather than composing them.[9]

Title Singer(s) Lyricist Duration
"Kahin Door Jab" (Male) Mukesh Yogesh 05:40
"Maine Tere Liye" Mukesh Gulzar 03:09
"Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli"[17] Manna Dey Yogesh 03:30
"Kahin Door Jab" (Female) Lata Mangeshkar Yogesh 03:48
"Na Jiya Lage Na" Lata Mangeshkar Gulzar 03:22
"Maut Tu Ek Kavita Hai" Amitabh Bachchan Gulzar 00:47

Awards

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result
1971 National Film Awards Best Feature Film in Hindi Hrishikesh Mukherjee and N. C. Sippy Won
1972 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Best Actor (Hindi) Rajesh Khanna Won
19th Filmfare Awards Best Film Hrishikesh Mukherjee and N. C. Sippy Won
Best Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee Nominated
Best Story Won
Best Editing Won
Best Actor Rajesh Khanna Won
Best Supporting Actor Amitabh Bachchan Won
Best Dialogue Gulzar Won

Home media

Numerous DVD editions entered the market by companies like "Digital Entertainment Inc.", Shemaroo Entertainment and "Eagle Home Video". These were released as non-restored, non-re-mastered editions and bare-bones, devoid of supplementary features.

Eagle Home Video came out with a restored edition on Blu-ray, preserving the original aspect ratio in 4:3 pillar box and a DTS Master Audio (HD) in 2.0. The restoration took place in Shemaroo Studios.

Impact

Till the time of the release of Anand, the star of the film, Amitabh Bachchan, was not recognized in public. Sharing the incident on Twitter, a fan reminded him of how he got recognition from the film. On the release day of the film, Bachchan went to a petrol pump to fill up the tank of his car and no one recognized him. But, after the release of the film in the evening, when he went to the same petrol pump for a refill, the public started identifying him. Bachchan posted on Twitter, "this is a true happenstance .. it was the petrol pump at Irla, on SV Road."[18][19]

References

  1. ^ Aḵẖtar, Jāvīd; Kabir, Nasreen Munni (2002). Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-19-566462-1. most of the writers working in this so-called Hindi cinema write in Urdu: Gulzar, or Rajinder Singh Bedi or Inder Raj Anand or Rahi Masoom Raza or Vahajat Mirza, who wrote dialogue for films like Mughal-e-Azam and Gunga Jumna and Mother India. So most dialogue-writers and most song-writers are from the Urdu discipline
  2. ^ Mazumdar, Arunima (16 October 2013). "Anupama Chopra's 100 favourite films!". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  3. ^ "BoxOffice India.com". 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Eight lesser known facts about Rajesh Khanna on his death anniversary". Hindustan Times. 18 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Revisiting Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer: The film that made Amitabh Bachchan". The Indian Express. 20 June 2017.
  6. ^ Raghavendra, M. K. (2014). Seduced by the Familiar: Narration and Meaning in Indian Popular Cinema. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199456307.
  7. ^ "It was Kishore, not Rajesh Khanna, who was to do the role of Anand". INDIA TV NEWS. 19 July 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d Anuj Kumar (18 March 2021). "Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Anand' lives on". The Hindu.
  9. ^ a b c Kaul, Vivek (19 June 2012). "A hand-me-down role in 'Anand' crowned Khanna's career". Firstpost. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  10. ^ a b "It was Kishore, not Rajesh Khanna, who was to do the role of Anand". India TV. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Anand was based on my relationship with Raj Kapoor, I wrote it when he wasn't well: Hrishikesh Mukherjee". The Indian Express. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  12. ^ a b Zaveri 2005, p. 133.
  13. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (2005). The Essential Guide to Bollywood. Lustre Press. ISBN 9788174363787.
  14. ^ "50 years of Anand: When Dharmendra was upset with Hrishikesh Mukherjee for casting Rajesh Khanna, drunk dialled him all night". The Indian Express. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  15. ^ Malhotra, A. P. S. (13 December 2008). "Anand (1971)". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  16. ^ "It was Kishore, not Rajesh Khanna, who was to do the role of Anand". Indiatvnews. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  17. ^ "It was an honour to sing for Rajesh Khanna: Manna Dey". India Today. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Amitabh Bachchan reacts to an incident that happened during release of 'Anand'". Times Of India. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  19. ^ Amitabh Bachchan [@SrBachchan] (12 March 2019). ".. this is a true happening .. it was the petrol pump at Irla, on SV Road ..🙏 https://t.co/6YtxipIVkF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

Further reading

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