Film: Anand (1971)
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Producers: Hrishikesh Mukherjee/N.C. Sippy
Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Deo, Seema Deo, Sumita Sanyal and Johny Walker
Poignant PLOT:
The story revolves around the terminally ill Anand Saigal (Rajesh Khanna), who chooses to celebrate his numbered days rather than spend them in gloom. The narrative begins with oncologist Dr Bhaskar Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) receiving an award for his book titled Anand, based on the diaries of his now deceased patient. Via flashback, we’re told that Delhi-based Anand came to Mumbai suffering from a rare cancer – lymphosarcoma of the intestine. Cognisant of his imminent mortality, he opts to remain cheerful, cherishing life, people, moments…
Anand befriends Dr Bhaskar, who’s turned cynical witnessing the suffering around him. The cheerful Anand affectionately calls him ‘Babu Moshai’ (great gentleman) and urges him to find beauty even in the grim. Bhaskar’s friend, Dr Prakash Kulkarni (Ramesh Deo), treats the rich hypochondriacs and redirects their fee to treat the hard-up. Seema Deo as Suman Kulkarni plays his supportive wife. Anand, with his warmth, touches the lives of these and that of the stern matron (Lalita Pawar), theatre actor Isa Bhai Suratwala / Morarilal (Johny Walker) and Bhaskar’s love interest Renu (Sumita Sanyal).
While Anand’s condition spirals down, his spirit remains upbeat. When he passes away, the tape recorder uncannily replays life truths he had shared, a reminder that people like Anand never die (Anand mara nahi, Anand marte nahi)!
Reel vs real:
Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee was reportedly inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese film Ikiru (To Live), which spotlights an ill bureaucrat and his quest for meaning. Also, there was a real-life inspiration. The persona of Anand was inspired by Hrishida’s close friend/filmmaker Raj Kapoor, who addressed Hrishida as ‘Babu Moshai’.
In fact, Hrishida wrote the story of Anand when Raj fell seriously ill in the ’50s. Hrishida feared he’d lose his friend. While Anand resonated with Raj’s joie de vivre, Dr Bhaskar, based on Hrishida himself, was sombre.
Casting circuitIn the early ’60s, Hrishida wanted Shashi Kapoor and brother Raj to play the two characters. But Shashi, fresh off the success of the romantic Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), didn’t want to play a tragic character. Also, Hrishida was ‘superstitious’ about seeing his dear friend Raj ‘die’ on screen. Even so, Hrishida paid a tribute to their friendship by dedicating the film to the ‘City of Bombay and Raj Kapoor’ when it released in 1971.
Coming back to the casting, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood (as Babu Moshai) were also considered. Hrishida went to meet Kishore to discuss the project. Apparently, he was shooed away by the doorkeeper due to some previous misunderstanding between the two. That also explains why Kishore, the preferred voice for Rajesh those days, was not made to sing any song in Anand.
After signing Rajesh, Hrishida wanted Sanjeev Kumar for Babu Moshai’s role. But on Rajesh’s insistence, Amitabh was roped in. Reportedly, close friend Mehmood advised Amitabh to grab the role opposite the superstar and just ‘feed off Khanna’. The rest would take care of itself.
The heavily committed Rajesh had no dates to spare. But he allotted an hour and a half every day for Anand. During lunch time, he’d leave the set of the film he was shooting for, drive to the Anand set, give the take and return. Hrishida completed the film in 28 days. Reportedly, Rajesh did the film for free but took the distribution rights of Bombay territory instead.
DIALOGUE FEAT
Gulzar’s dialogue in Anand, resonating the human plight, has survived time (every obituary on the late Rajesh Khanna included them). “Hum sab rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain, jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon mein bandhi hai. Kab, kaun, kaise uthega, koi nahi bata sakta,” underlining that life moves in accordance with a prewritten script. The fearlessness of death is mirrored in “Jab tak zinda hoon tab tak mara nahi, jab mar gaya saala main hi nahi… toh darr kis baat ka?” The futility of worry is aptly brought out in, “Hum aane wale gham ko kheech taan ke aaj ki khushi pe le aate hai.”
Another enduring piece of writing by Gulzar is the poem Maut Tu Ek Kavita Hai narrated by Amitabh in the film. It describes death not as an end but as a poetic tryst, an inevitable transition and an end of suffering:
Doobti nabzon mein jab dard ko neend aane lage… (When in the sinking pulse, pain begins to fall asleep)
Jism jab khatm ho aur rooh ko saans aae …(When the body perishes and the soul starts breathing)
Mujhse ek kavita ka vadaa hai milegi mujhko….(I have the promise of a poem, I will receive it)…
Musical Medley
Hrishida revived the careers of composer Salil Chowdhury and lyricist Yogesh with Anand. Yogesh’s song Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye was with a producer called LB Lachman. After much pleading, he parted with it. Sung by Mukesh, Kahin door… unravels Anand’s veiled vulnerability. Back in Delhi, Anand’s beloved is married to someone else. The dried flower in his book is a reminder of that lost love.
Yogesh’s Zindagi kaisi yeh paheli hai (Manna Dey) echoes the esoteric nature of life with laughter and lament being allies. Initially, intended only for the background, Rajesh urged Hrishida to shoot it with him against the Juhu Beach. The infinite horizon, the bright balloons spreading across the limitless sky and the unbounded innocence of children… conjure a mystical image.
Gulzar’s Maine Tere Liye Hi Saat Rang Ke Sapne Chune is an ode to friendship sung by Anand for Dr Bhaskar. Referring to the rainbow as a spectrum of joy and sadness, it’s real and rhythmic. While Lata Mangeshkar’s Na jiya lage na, based on raag Malgunji, is evocative of love and longing.
Why Anand is eternal:
Hrishida’s Anand is among the 17 hits of Rajesh Khanna between 1969-1971. Yet it stands apart. A modest success at the box office then, Anand enjoys a cult following today. For its message of carpe diem (seize the day). For honouring the vulnerability that binds people. For seeing the poetry in pain. “Kya udasi khoobsurat nahi hoti hai, Babu Moshai?” asks Rajesh Khanna’s Anand, a cancer patient with a wink and smile.
This tale of a brave-heart with a terminal condition became a precursor to similarly themed films (Mili, Ankhiyon Ke Jharokon Se to Kal Ho Naa Ho and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) hailing the human spirit. “Babu Moshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi,” says Anand to Dr Bhaskar, alluding to life in the years and not the years in one’s life.
If Rajesh’s Anand endears with his authenticity, Amitabh’s brooding Bhaskar adds gravitas to the ‘bromance’ between them. Casting the then superstar with his unsuspecting successor, Hrishida somewhere became a catalyst to history taking shape. Because two years later, when he cast the duo in his Namak Haraam (1973), the dynamics had changed. A bourgeoisie vs proletariat drama, Amitabh’s ‘angry young man’ smashed the ‘lover boy’ cutout. Reportedly, after seeing the film’s trial, an overwhelmed Rajesh told Hrishida, “Here’s the superstar of tomorrow.” It was a quiet passing on of the baton…
REWARDS & AWARDS:
- Six Filmfare Awards for Best Film (N.C. Sippy), Best Story (Hrishikesh Mukherjee), Best Editing (Hrishikesh), Best Dialogue (Gulzar) apart from Best Actor (Rajesh Khanna) and Best Supporting Actor (Amitabh Bachchan)
- National Film Award (1971) for Best Feature Film
- Bengal Film Journalists’ Association (BFJA) Award for Best Actor (Hindi) in 1972
- Rajesh Khanna received a Special Award in the Best Actor category at the Venice Film Festival (1971)
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: “Show Khanna, That Is Only Rajesh Khanna” – Moushumi Chatterjee Remembers Rajesh Khanna
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