Good spy thrillers have been rare in Hindi cinema. I think this genre slowly picked up in the 1960s after the successful launch of the James Bond series and our desi directors started thinking of adapting to the trend. Ankhen (1968) stands out as one of the best entertainers in this genre. The same year came Humsaya, an ambitious film of Joy Mukerjee. He launched Joy Mukerjee Productions and had the triple responsibility of acting, producing and directing the film. Unfortunately, the ambitions did not translate effectively on screen and the audience were left with a disappointing result.

Humsaya (meaning neighbour) was a kind of Cold War drama based on the period following the 1962 Indo China war and relations between the neighboring countries. The Chinese send a spy to India to locate some weapons and use them against the country by sending Chinese guerilla fighters. It is too complex a story and I will attempt to explain it with the help of its three main characters played by Joy Mukerjee, Sharmila Tagore and Mala Sinha.

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The Plot

As expected the plot is centered around Joy Mukerjee’s character and he plays a double role. He is Lin Tan, a Chinese military officer staying in Peking. He is in love with Sin (Mala Sinha), a singer and dancer. They get married at the beginning of the movie. It is their “suhaag raat.” They promise to always be together. Unfortunately, Sin is called to report for duty immediately. Poor Sin is left alone on her first night. Sin is taken to meet Comrade Chen Lai (or Leng?) (Madan Puri).

Chen Lai tells him that he has been selected for an important mission. Enter Shyam, an Indian and a lookalike of Sin. Sin is made to undergo plastic surgery so that his Chinese features can be altered and he looks exactly like Shyam. (Conveniently, Sin has Indian looks as his father became involved with an Indian woman). And who is Shyam? He is an Indian prince who was serving in the Indian air force as a squadron leader.

It so happened that Shyam was in love with Reena (Sharmila Tagore). Reena’s childhood friend Vijay Khanna(?) is also interested in her. She tells him clearly that she is interested in Shyam. One day Shyam arrives to confront Vijay in his house but gets mocked at. Shyam is angry, Vijay threatens him with a gun. They have a scuffle outside the house when Vijay gets shot by someone. Shyam picks up Vijay’s gun and tries to search for the murderer. Vijay’s father and Reena arrive at the scene.

Obviously, Reena believes that Shyam killed Vijay and leaves him. He is court martialled and sent to jail for two years. He doesn’t return home after his jail term and becomes a wanderer. The Chinese have been tracking him and Chen Lai meets him and takes him to a place near the Indo China border. That’s where he has been staying for some time. But Shyam has been biding his time. He acts as if he is sorrowful and drinks all day with Reena’s photo for company.

Lin is brought to the border town to meet Shyam. Both are taken aback by the resemblance between them. Its as if they are looking at a mirror. Being a Hindi film, their voices are also identical! Later, in private Chen Lai tells Lin about his secret mission. Apparently,  Vijay had been a Chinese spy. The Chinese had sent him arms and ammunition to be used against India. The plan was to send Chinese guerilla fighters who would use those arms to destroy India. (This is an extremely weird plan. That would be too much material for one man to handle and where is it all stored?) Anyway, someone else got to know about the whereabouts of the arms and killed Vijay. That is why the Chinese want Lin to go to India posing as Shyam and find who killed Vijay and retrieve the arms. Shyam hears all this secretly. He is a true Indian and will make all effort to thwart the plans of the Chinese.

The two men spend the next few days together and share details about each other including the details about the women in their life. Conveniently they have photographs of the respective women handy. Lin is forced to leave Sin and proceed on his mission.

The day arrives when Lin is ready to leave China and travel to New Delhi. He asks Chen Lai what they intend to do with Shyam. Chen Lai tells him that the plan is to administer opium to Shyam and kill him when he is unconscious. (Again, weird logic!)

But Shyam has a different plan. He attacks Lin, makes him consume the the opium. He wears Lin’s clothes and is ready to “disguise” himself as Shyam and go to India. Chen Lai sees the unconscious man and has some doubts whether he is meeting Lin or Shyam but Shyam convinces him that he is Lin and they need to proceed with the plan. Shyam i.e. Lin is brought out in the snow and shot. It is not clear what means and route does Shyam take to reach his destination. Surely, there would be border posts, he would need a passport etc.

Coming to the two ladies. Reena is played by Sharmila Tagore. She is shocked when Shyam kills Vijay. The Shyam chapter is closed for her.

When Shyam comes back she rejects his advances. He tries hard but she has no patience to listen to him. Apparently, she is facing an inner struggle. Shyam seems to be sincere but she can’t bring herself to face him. He tries a song to convey his state of mind and she mellows down a bit. Her father (played by Sapru) agrees to give him a last chance to prove his innocence. Vijay’s father calls Shyam to meet him but gets killed before Shyam can talk to him. The police nab the supposed murderer who confesses that Shyam did not kill Vijay. But he is killed when he is about to reveal the murderer’s name. After the revelation, Shyam is reinstated in the air force and and he and Reena get engaged.

The 3rd important character is Sin. She is eagerly waiting for her husband to return. And opportunity knocks. She is sent to india as part of a Chinese cultural delegation. Chen Lai accompanies the delegation as Professor Tao Kai Shen, his main purpose is to push Shyam to complete his mission.

She performs with her troupe in multiple cities. As expected she gets to meet Shyam. She is not aware that Lin has been killed and the man posing as her husband is an impostor. She attempts to flirt with him but he seems to keep a distancefrom her.

Poor Shyam! He has too many duties to perform. He has to focus on his spy mission and manage Chen Lai’s expectations. He has to play lover to Reena. More importantly, he has to control Sin’s advances as she doesn’t know the truth. He can feel her longing for her husband and the unbearable separation but he cannot be her husband. Being an Indian man, he is committed to Reena and will stay loyal to her. Reena displays jealousy and suspects Shyam’s intentions as she is not aware of his spy act.

There are other characters like Jagirdar, who plays the head of intelligence. Rehman plays Shyam’s uncle. He has been looking after the princely state after the untimely death of Shyam’s parents. He is like a father to Shyam and is relieved when Shyam returns home. A comedy touch is provided by Polson and Mallika.

And there is a mysterious man who doesn’t reveal his identity and claims to be responsible for Vijay’s murder. After Vijay’s removal, he wants to make a deal with the Chinese and supply them the hidden arms and ammunition.

The complex plot continues till the truth about Shyam is revealed. He takes over the Chinese fighters single handedly in the backdrop of the Himalayas. And Vijay Khanna’s murderer is revealed. The love triangle is resolved amicably.

The Music

Music is perhaps the only saving grace in the movie. There are 3 lyricists Shevan Rizvi, S.H. Bihari, and Hasrat Jaipuri with music by the dependable O.P. Nayyar. Many of Joy Mukerjee films had great music by O P Nayyar (including Ek Musafir Ek Haseena, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Dil Aur Mohabbat and Ek Baar Muskura Do).

There are 6 songs in Humsaya in the voices of Mohammed Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle. Mohammed Rafi sings the soulful Dil ki awaaz bhi sun and the romantic duet Mujhe mera pyaar de do. Woh haseen dard de do and Kitna Haseen Hai Ye Jahaan are picturised on Mala Sinha. The solo Kanhaiya O Kanhaiya features Sharmila Tagore. There is a beautiful love triangle song starring the 3 leads – Badi mushkil se kaabu mein. One female solo Aaja mere pyaar ke sahaare was absent in the film.

My Thoughts

Humsaya could have been a better spy film but it focuses on many things at the same time losing direction. It is evident Joy Mukerjee finds it difficult to manage many fronts inside and out of the movie. For some reason I was reminded of Jewel Thief (1967) which was a winning combination of many elements like crime and heist, romance, suspense and spy thriller. That’s why an accomplished director matters.

Sadly, Humsaya portrays itself as a spy film but apart from Joy Mukerjee and Madan Puri, it does not have other major characters to add spice to the secret agent plot. There are many inconsistencies and loopholes in the story making it seem scattered. Madan Puri portrays a weak villain.

There is the unwanted murder mystery sub plot. The audience stops caring when the culprit is revealed, his intentions are not very convincing. The climax seems hilarious. The love triangle looks stretched. Sharmila Tagore doesn’t have much to do. Comparatively, Mala Sinha is more impressive as she tries to get closer to the man she thinks is her husband until the truth is revealed. The songs provide the necessary relief but are not enough to save the film.