Tag Archives: movie-reviews

Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969)

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Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (ABGP) is based on a Marathi play by writer Vasant Kanetkar and is presented by Ashok Kumar. His brother Anoop Kumar is the producer and direction by Satyen Bose. ABGP is a tale of principles, the right way and the wrong way. What happens if your life long principles crash in an instant? Where does this lead you?

The Plot

Principal Vidyanand (Ashok Kumar) is the “adarshwadi” college principal. He was appointed by the current trustee Seth Dharamdas’s father on account of his honest and non-corrupt nature. He has dedicated his life to the well being of the college. The vice principal Shyam Rao (Anoop Kumar) has been Vidyanand’s protégé and is like a family member. Vidyanand’s wife Sumitra (Nirupa Roy) is a doctor. And he has a not so shareef friend Shambhu (Pran) with a third wife Neelam (Helen).

Things are happy going. Vidyanand and Sumitra have lost their own son and treat the college children as their own. 

There is an extra smart student Chandrashekhar/Chandu (Deb Mukherjee) who keeps playing new pranks like coming to college on a donkey. He is a poor boy who aims to be educated as well as rich one day. His love interest is played by Krishna (Alka). The other professors are fed up of Chandu’s antics and complain to Vidyanand.

Vidyanand has a strong conversation with Chandu regarding his ongoing education and future plans. He admonishes him of his casual approach towards education and money. He has to be clear of his life’s ambition and how to pursue it. The dialogue between Vidyanand and Chandu is one of the more impactful scenes of the movie.

Later, Chandu is selected for police training and leaves the city. He is happy he has found new parents in the form of the kindly principal and his wife. And has assurance from Krishna she will wait for his return and they can get married. Which they do!

But things cant be calm for long. Seth Dharamdas (Raj Mehra) is the college trustee and main antagonist. He wants a free hand in the running of the college and invest in new buildings meaning more profit. But Vidyanand is not agreeable as the building contractor is Dharamdas’s close relative with a dubious reputation who was recently involved in a newly constructed building’s collapse.

One thing leads to the other. Dharamdas manages to corrupt the other professors including Shyam to do his bidding. Shyam gets Vidyanand to sign a blank cheque. The police arrest Vidyanand for the embezzlement of college funds worth Rs 1,35,000. Vidyanand assures Sumitra and Shambhu that Shyam will tell the truth in court and all will be sorted. But Shyam points to Vidyanand as the source of the crime leaving Vidyanand shattered. In a fit of rage and disbelief, he admits to the crime.

Vidyanand is jailed and after release has only one ambition – to destroy Seth Dharamdas. He joins hands with Shambhu and Neelam, open up a luxury hotel and engage in shady activities including gold smuggling. His various tips about Dharamdas’s smuggling operations help the police come closer to the villain. Things reach a point when he kidnap’s Dharamdas’s son Naveen and is ready to kill him in order to save himself. Shambhu is not agreeable to the scheme as murder was never supposed to be part of the revenge saga. He tells Vidyanand he should consider leaving the country.

This leads to an interesting climax at the airport involving Vidyanand and the newly appointed DSP Chandrashekhar, who happens to be his old student and has looked up to him for his infallible ideals and principles all these years.

The Music

Songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. There are 5 songs which slow the progress of the story. The duet “Jaane kaisa hai mera diwana” is well known.

There are 2 songs picturized on Helen. One of them Meherbaan Mehboob dilbar janeman is the last song of the movie and is performed wonderfully by Ashok Kumar and Helen. It is placed at an important plot point in the story.

My Thoughts

The movie showcases the tale of morals and principles nicely. Ashok Kumar brings out the shock of betrayal with his exaggerated mannerisms. From the non-corruptible principal to seasoned smuggler, Ashok Kumar plays both roles impactfully. Vidyanand goes on his revenge spree and doesn’t know where to stop. Here he displays a different kind of anguish as he seems to have lost control and is even ready to justify murder. Thankfully he receives redemption at the end bringing him peace. He shines in the climax scene.

Deb Mukherjee, with his unconventional looks actually acts well in the movie. His initial irritating character to his transformation as a police officer is remarkable. Alka doesn’t have much to do.

Pran, Nirupa Roy, Helen are excellent. The villains are the weak link and appear as caricatures. There should have been a stronger character to take on Vidyanand which would have made it a more convincing watch.

Swami (1977)

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Swami is a Hindi language movie based on an adaptation of Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s story by the same name. The movie’s producer is Hema Malini’s mother Jaya Chakravarthy and directed by Basu Chatterjee.  The movie brings out an interesting theme whether a man or woman can be independent after marriage and the obligations they have towards each other, their families etc.

The Plot

The movie, in a Bengali setting, begins with Saudamini “Mini”(Shabana Azmi) narrating her story. It’s been 6 months since she got married. She was one year old when her father passed away. After which, she and her mother (Sudha Shivpuri) went to stay with her uncle (Mamaji) (Utpal Dutt). Later Mamaji’s wife also passed away. Mamaji treated her like his own daughter, educated her, and wants her to complete her B.A. (graduation).

Brought up as a progressive and educated girl, Mini indulges in literature induced chats with her uncle. Joining them is the local zamindar’s son and neighbour Naren (Vikram). Mamaji is aware that Vikram’s frequent visits are not for the purpose of chatting and bringing books, but Mini is part of his agenda! Mini too falls for Naren and are hoping to get married.

Mamaji himself is progressive and stays away from orthodox beliefs and rituals. He wants Mini to complete her graduation before getting married. Mini’s mother on the other hand is an orthodox lady, and wants Mini to get married soon and settle down as a normal housewife.  

Fed up with his sister’s pestering, mamaji visits Madhupur for a proposed match. Mamaji assures Mini he will reject the match as he knows about her and Naren.

The proposed groom Ghanshyam (Girish Karnad) is a food grain trader and less educated than Mini. This is his second marriage. He is the eldest son of the house staying with his step mother (Shashikala), who has a married son (Dheeraj Kumar) and a daughter Charu (Preeti Ganguli).

Unfortunately, mamaji suffers a heart attack while returning from Madhupur. On his death bed, he tells Mini that Ghanshyam is the right match for her. He advises her “Naren can provide her love but Ghanshyam can carry on the responsibility brought by marriage.” Mamaji passes away leaving Mini shattered.

Her marriage to Ghanshyam is a forced marriage and she needs time to adjust in her in-laws’ home and more importantly accept Ghanshyam as her husband. Her husband is the major bread earner of the house who slogs throughout the day. But its his stepbrother Nikhil who gets all the attention. Ghanshyam accepts everything patiently.

While she slowly accepts the situation, Naren comes visiting as Nikhil’s friend to complicate matters. Things reach a point when Mini decides to leave the house with Naren while Ghanshyam is away. And this leads us to the movie’s climax where a lifelong decision awaits Mini.

The Music

Rajesh Roshan is the composer with lyrics by Amit Khanna.

2 songs that stand out are Pal bhar me ye kya ho gaya by Lata Mangeshkar and the classical music thumri “remake” “Kaa karoon sajani aaye na balam, passionately sung by K.J. Yesudas.

My Thoughts

The film belongs to Shabana Azmi. What a performer she is! She starts off as the impressive and chirpy Mini but has to mellow down after the sudden forced marriage. She is ready to tackle her mother-in-law when required and live on her terms. Gradually, she is impressed by her husband’s nature and his progressive views especially on how women need to be treated. This leads to the first thaw in their strained relationship. And we see a more mature Mini blossoming. But things take a turn for the worse when Naren arrives and she takes a stand against the whole house.

Girish Karnad appears too down to earth in the beginning but gives space to his new wife to settle down amicably. He is clear on what is right or wrong and doesn’t back away from expressing his stand to Mini or other members of the family. He brings out the balanced character nicely.

Other cast members including Utpal Dutt and Shashikala are good. 

Overall, this is an entertaining movie from Basu Chatterjee. It somehow reminds me of his another movie Apne Paraye (1980), also based on a novel by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee.

Trivia Shot – Dharmendra & Hema Malini appear in cameos in a song. They had played cameos in another Basu Chatterjee movie Chhoti Si Baat (1976) and can be seen in the song Jaaneman jaaneman tere do nayan.