Today’s post is dedicated to Madhuri Dixit (MD) who celebrates her birthday on 15 May. I will be covering a film which is not spoken of much. Sangeet is a rare film as it features MD in a double role. She plays the roles of the mother and daughter.

The film was made by Gulshan Kumar under his T-Series banner. It was directed by the reputed K Viswanath, who also directed Sur Sangam (1985) among others. Both films have the common theme of music and dance that binds its main characters. The film was different from the normal Hindi film of those times and MD put in a memorable performance.

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The Plot

MD plays Nirmala, a middle aged lady. Nirmala is a singer cum dancer and a lover of arts. She has the habit of meeting artists, inviting them home and appreciating their talent. She is married to Yash (Shafi Inamdar), a businessman who runs an ad agency. Yash likes to exploit his wife’s singing talent for entertaining his business clients and inducing them to make a good deal with his agency.

In one instance, he makes Nirmala go back and dress “appropriately”, so that the client will be impressed and agree on a big deal. Nirmala accepts this meekly. It is evident there is no romance in their marriage.

Nirmala has a back story. Before marriage, she was in love with a boy called Upendra Joshi (Nitish Bharadwaj) who was her neighbour. Apparently, Nirmala’s family background was questionable whereas Upendra came from a reputed family. His father (played by Achyut Potdar) gives him the ultimatum to either choose Nirmala or his family. Nirmala hears this and advises him to choose his family for the sake of his future. They have a tearful parting.

It is revealed that Nirmala is expecting Upendra’s child. Her mother and uncle (mamaji – Anjan Srivastav) don’t want to do anything with the child but her maid Shanta (Aruna Irani) steps in. She requests them not to abort the child as it may not be safe for Nirmala’s life. It is agreed that Shanta will take the child with her. Nirmala will be informed that the child did not survive.

Years pass. Nirmala’s daughter grows up to be a young woman called Sangeeta (Madhuri Dixit). Unfortunately, she is blind. Shanta has brought her up like her own child and Sangeeta doesn’t know the truth. Due to economic compulsions, Sangeeta earns money by dancing and singing on stage. But the performances are attended by shady people, who lust for Sangeeta’s young figure. Shanta is aware of this but she has no alternative. She is helpless but wishes that Sangeeta lead a respectable life.

Enter the saviour called Seturam Sargamwala (Jackie Shroff). Seturam is a Rajasthani folk singer who has come to the city to make a living. He goes to see Sangeeta’s performance and is saddened to see the reaction of the public to her dance moves. After the performance, a few men rush to the stage and trouble Sangeeta. An angry Seturam comes to her rescue and sings a song lecturing the audience about treating women with respect etc.

Next day he goes to Sangeeta’s house. He is impressed by the simple girl and her beauty. It is then he realizes that she is blind. Shanta tells him about their plight and dependency on Sangeeta for earning money. She adds that if they refuse to agree to the theatre manager’s terms, he will ask them to vacate their house. Seturam hears all this and offers a solution.

He tells them that an artist has to help another artist. Why don’t they come and stay with him? After arriving in the city, Seturam had occupied an under construction building and made it his residence. He suggests Shanta to come and live in the same building. She agrees and Shanta and Sangeeta shift to the new premises.

Coincidentally, Nirmala’s husband had been planning to purchase the same building and she had come to see the site. That is where she had first met Seturam. Seturam tells her that he is a musician. She is impressed by his sincerity and innocence. Instead of being angry at the illegal occupation, she invites him home to perform at a party that evening (it’s her marriage anniversary). Seturam puts in an impressive performance. Nirmala is happy to have made his acquaintance.

One of the party guests is music director Dhrupad Prasad (Satish Shah). He adds some comedy touches with the help of mamaji. Dhrupad is engaged in lifting tunes and passing them as his own. He tries the same with Seturam, who threatens him with dire consequences.

It is not long before Seturam and Sangeeta get attracted towards each other. Seturam introduces Sangeeta to Nirmala. Nirmala proposes that Seturam and Sangeeta form a pair and start performing. She is ready to train Sangeeta. Things are fine until one day Sangeeta falls down from the building (while dancing) and needs to be operated upon. Nirmala and Shanta come face to face after many years. Shanta reveals the truth to Nirmala.

Nirmala takes care of Sangeeta until she recovers. Sangeeta is still unaware of her connection with Nirmala. Nirmala wants Seturam and Sangeeta to get married at the earliest before they begin their foreign tour as performers. But there is bound to be a twist. In a weird development, Seturam and Nirmala are planning to commit suicide (separately!), so their eyes can be donated to Sangeeta.

Will this plan succeed? Will Sangeeta know the truth about her mother? Will she marry Seturam and settle down blissfully?

The Music

Anand Milind have composed the music. The songs are sung by Anuradha Paudwal, Suresh Wadkar, Jolly Mukherjee and Pankaj Udhas. Some songs had become popular like the Anuradha Paudwal solos Aap chahe toh humko meeta dijiye and Main tumhari hoon. Jolly Mukherjee sings the folk based number Sun O hasina..main awara ik banjara whereas Suresh Wadkar sings the moving Naari ko jahan pooja jaata us desh ka rehne wala hoon. Other duets include Ho Rama haye re, Saat suron ke taar ban gaye, Jo geet nahin janma and Chali aiyyo Radhe Rani. Some songs are based on classical ragas. Being a K Viswanath film, I was reminded of Sur Sangam and its rich classical based songs by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Unfortunately, Sangeet’s songs sound weaker in comparison and fail to leave a mark.

My Thoughts

Sangeet is not a bad film but it could have been better. Some parts are not explained clearly leaving the viewer disconnected. Why does the young Nirmala ask Upendra to leave her when she knows she is expecting his child? How is her marriage arranged with Yash and how does their relationship deteriorate? Also, when Nirmala sees Sangeeta, doesn’t she notice the obvious resemblance and feel curious about it? Nirmala’s reactions are too mild and boring(!). The film is slow and there is an absence of drama or it seems toned down in the crucial scenes. Things just keep happening smoothly. The eye donation sub plot seems stretched.

The acting performances are good and all are well known actors. I felt MD is more convincing as the older character of Nirmala. Her body language, expressions and dialogue delivery suit the character perfectly. Her effort is noticeable. It is sad that she got few opportunities to perform such roles. The focus always remained on her glamorous persona and dancing. But yes, Sangeet is an interesting chapter in her long career.