Synopsis
Dr.
Bhaskar Bannerjee(Amitabh Bachchan) wins the Saraswati Award
for his maiden work as a novelist. Whilst accepting the
award, Bhaskar reveals that the character in his novel is
not fictitious but is actually based in a real person named
Anand. Anand (Rajesh Khanna), who was suffering from the
final stages of cancer, first came to Dr. Prakash Kulkarni
(Ramesh Deo), a close friend of Bhaskar. Prakash tells Bhaskar
about his reluctance to take Anand as his patient, but after
meeting Anand, he was astonished that a dying man could
have such a wonderful zest for life and happiness. Bhaskar
despite his education and success, is a brooding, bitter
and frustrated man. Anand's exuberence brings Bhaskar out
of his shell and even helps a tongue tied Bhaskar win over
his lady love, Renu (Sumita Sanyal). The two men becomes
fast friends and Anand, an interal part of Bhaskar's life.
Bhaskar tries hard to cure Anand but all his efforts are
finally in vain; ultimately Anand dies, but not before leaving
behind a universal message of love and happiness.
The film
Up
to Anand, though Hrishikesh
Mukherjee had arrived following Anari
(1959) and Anuradha (1960) and
was making films round the clock, barring
a stray Asli Naqli (1962), Anupama
(1966), Ashirwaad (1968) and
Satyakam (1969) which had their strong
moments, many of his films were largely
adequate and no more. Anand, however,
changed all that. Dedicated to Raj
Kapoor and the city of Mumbai (then
Bombay), it is undoubtedly Hrishida's masterpiece,
his greatest film.
Looking
at a man dying of cancer but who is determined
to make every moment of his remaining life
happy, Anand is a bittersweet film
with great compassion, a delicate balance
between hope and fear, between life and
death, between joy and sorrow, between humour
and pathos. The moral of the story is emphasized
via the recording of the hero's voice, replayed
after his death as he enjoins the audience
to value a large-hearted life over a merely
long one.
 It
is said that Anand was planned with
Raj Kapoor in mind. But Hrishida, a very
close friend of Raj Kapoor, felt it would
be too painful to see his dear friend die
even if it was on screen and toyed with
the idea of casting Shashi Kapoor before
deciding to take on Rajesh Khanna.
Today
as one views Anand, the film is unthinkable
without Rajesh Khanna. Take him away and
there is no film. As the selfless, boisterous,
humerous non-stop chatterbox changing the
lives of those around him in particular
Amitabh
Bachchan, or having his quiet, serious
introspective moments - Khanna is nothing
shot of brilliant. Anand's address of Bhaskar
as 'Babumoshai' was replete with affection,
warmth and had a teasing note to it. The
same playfully affectionate address takes
on profoundly tragic overtones when Anand's
recorded message tries to comfort Bhaskar
as he weeps over the death of his patient
who had also become his closest friend.
In Anand, Rajesh Khanna more than
justified Frank Capra's immortal observation,
"Tragedy
is not when actors cry. Tragedy is when
audiences cry."
Indeed
at the end of Anand as Amitabh sits
by Khanna's dead body and as the tape recorder
plays Khanna's voice, you cannot help but
cry along with Amitabh. Such was the impact
of Khanna's performance that apart from
winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor
for the film, when Star and Style held an
Essay Competition in the 1980s on 'the film
where a single performace carried the film
through', the top two prize winning entries
wrote about Khanna in Anand ahead
of even Nargis
in Mother India (1957)!
Khanna aside, Anand also sees a
brilliant understated performance by Amitabh
Bachchan acting in only his second film.
He beautifully captures the pain and frustration
of a doctor who knows his science can do
nothing to save a man who has become an
inseperable part of his life. Bachchan won
the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for the
film. Sumita Sanyal, Lalita Pawar, Ramesh
and Seema Deo, Durga Khote and especially
Johnny
Walker lend solid support.
A
major highlight of the film is Salil Choudhury's
music. Each of the songs - Maine Tere
Liye, Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye,
Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli and Jiya
Lage Na are extremely well written and
composed. Interestingly the three Rajesh
Khanna songs are sung by Mukesh
(Maine Tere Liye, Kahin Door Jab
Din Dhal Jaaye) and Manna Dey (Zindagi
Kaisi Hai Paheli) and not Khanna's regular
voice - Kishore
Kumar. But both Mukesh and Manna Dey
come through strongly and make the songs
their own.
Apart
from the Best Actor and Supporting Actor
Filmfare Awards, Anand also won the
Best Picture and Best Story (Hrishida) Filmfare
Awards as well as a National Award for Best
Hindi Film.
Anand
led to other films using the formula of
endowing the central character with a terminal
disease. In fact Hrishida himself revisited
the theme with Mili (1975) featuring
a terminally ill Jaya Bhaduri opposite a
cynical and alcoholic Bachchan.
Following Anand, Hrishida went on
to do some of his life's best work in the
1970s - with Guddi (1971), Bawarchi
(1972), Abhimaan (1973), Namak
Haram (1973), Chupke Chupke (1975),
Mili (1975), Golmaal (1979)
and Khubsoorat(1980). These films
show that Hrishada understood middle-class
mentality as very few others do. He poked
gentle fun at its outworn values, its failings
and foibles, and prodded his audience to
think. It was a golden period of his career.
All
in all, a great film by a great filmmaker.
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