Bobby

A completely crazy Romeo and Juliet-style story about two teenagers, him rich and her poor, who fall head over heels for each other and defend their love against all adversity. Maybe not Raj Kapoor's best, but certainly interesting and groundbreaking for its time. This was actually the first Bollywood film I ever saw where it was clearly expressed (even though through a song and dance scene) that the pair was sleeping with each other - even more unusual as the couple consisted of two teenagers! Very Seventies in style with a severely overacting cast, but great fun nevertheless. In many ways a movie of a much freer and more uncompromising spirit than most Bollywood fare of today - but then, it was the Seventies...

"Bobby" is a fresh teenage love-story that has all the elements to make it a commercial, yet unique film.

Raja (Rishi Kapoor) is the son of a rich family. He was naughty in his childhood, and is sent to boarding school. He was never truly given the love of his own parents.

He grows up and comes back home. In his birthday party he catches a glimpse of Bobby (Dimple Kapadia). Raja is swept away, and for him, it's love at first sight.

Raja finds out that Bobby is the granddaughter of his governess Mrs. Briganza (Durga Khote). All his life, Raja had treated Mrs. Briganza more like his mother than his own mom, Sushma (Sonia Sahani). Bobby's dad is a fisherman named Jack Briganza (Prem Nath), who definitely likes his rum. He longs nothing more in the world than his daughter to be happy.

Raja and Bobby start to get to know each other better. And as they had suspected, they were soul mates. Now all they needed was permission to get married.

But they soon learn that the road may not be as smooth as they'd predicted. Raja's dad, Nath (Pran), has a lot of pride in his money and his "khandaan". Nath doesn't get along with Jack...and because of this, Raja and Bobby and prohibited from seeing each other.

But as the world knows, love has no boundaries...but in this case, could it be possible that Raja and Bobby can never be together? Was money that big of a deal? Or will it be a happy ending? Watch Bobby to find out!

I certainly loved this movie! The star cast was chosen nicely. Rishi Kapoor delivers a strong screen presence all while being pinch-my-cheek cute! Adorable I tell ya! Dimple Kapadia also looks cute in many scenes, and acts pretty good. Aruni Irani is wonderful in her role, and the character she played was expressed very well through her actions. Pran, well, what can I say? Akhir Pran hi tho hai! Woh hume kabhi disappoint nahin karega! Prem Nath acted nicely, and so did Durga Khote. Sonia Sahani had a small role, but she played it well to a nice extent. Farida Jalal had a significant special appearance. She played it perfectly.

The music! My god the music! Laxmikant-Pyarelal made beautiful evergreen tunes! The songs...the background music...everything was absolutely perfect. Well, except one thing. This is my opinion, but I didn't think there was any need to use Shailendra Singh for these marvelous songs. I think even more beauty could have been added to the songs if someone like Rafi, Kishore, or Mukesh had sung the songs. Besides, SS's voice didn't even suit Rishi that well.

I just have to talk about Lata of course! She once again proves how extremely flawlessly beautiful her voice is. When I finished watching the movie, her melodious voice continued to sing in my head. All the duets like "Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein", "Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai", and "Jhoot Bole Kauva Kaate" are sung perfectly by Lata. Her solo "Aye Phansa" is quite enjoyable too, it shows her versatility. Her one-line song, "Akhiyon Ko Rehne Do", is quite effective in the movie.

The hit song "Mein Shayar Tho Nahin" is composed perfectly...the lyrics are quite nice too. "Na Chahoon Sona Chandi" is quite entertaining, Manna Dey sings very nicely.

And last but not least, the direction by our showman Raj Kapoor. It was great, every scene is directed and edited with care, in order for the movie to be organized as well as entertaining. Some scenes made me cry. The character development is displayed well through the direction. One flaw though, and this is just my opinion. Sometimes the shorts/skirts for Dimple are just too short, and tended to give her a sleazy look. I was just waiting to see her in a pretty sari, but unfortunately I didn't get to see that.

But anyway, "Bobby" is definitely a classic. I give it a nine out of ten. Definitely worth watching.

Bobby review :

The debacle of Mera Naam Joker (1970) broke showman Raj Kapoor financially as well as emotionally. His semi-autobiographical and philosophical take was too heavy for the audience to digest. This is when he decided to give them candy floss.

A romantic musical is what he started next. Rajesh Khanna, the reigning superstar, was unaffordable to cast as the lead. Raj Saahab settled for his younger son Rishi who had acted as a school boy in Joker. Dimple, daughter of noted industrialist and Kapoor's family friend Chunnibhai Kapadia, was signed as the heroine. The intent was to keep the budget to the minimum and give audience what they would understand and absorb easily..

Bobby released at the prestigious Metro Cinema in Mumbai in September 1973 and became an instant blockbuster. Though the story of a rich boy falling for a poor girl and then eloping with her offered nothing new, the sheer innocence and freshness of the new pair (Rishi- Dimple) coupled with some awesome music score by Laxmikant Pyarelal worked big time in its favour. Raj Saahab gave some memorable supporting characters like Premnath's rum guzzling Jack Braganza with his ill-fitting suit and open trouser zip!! "AAVAIESSS", a Goan phrase he keeps repeating in the movie..

The sweet sixteen Dimple Kapadia became the national crush after Bobby. Her short skirts and teeny weeny bikini alongwith her fabulous performance got tremendous acclaim and awards that year. She was touted to be the next big star but shockingly, settled for a marriage with Rajesh Khanna. Later, she made a grand comeback in the '80s with Ramesh Sippy's Saagar (1985) and continued her glorious Bollywood innings right till the recent Brahmastra...the elegant lady is my most favourite Bollywood actress of all time!!

Coming to Bobby, "Mujhse dosti karoge?" became the popular pickup line of that time and "Hum tum ek kamre mein bandh ho" song is still referenced in Bollywood. I also love "Main shaayar toh nahi.." number where Shailendra Singh's voice suited the young Rishi so perfectly. Prem Chopra appeared in a cameo and his one liner "Prem naam hai mera..Prem Chopra!!" immortalised him just what "Mogambo khush hua" did to Amrish Puri later.

Personally, I consider Bobby to be Raj Saahab's most underwhelming effort. The film lacked the intellect and underlying social commentary normally associated with his each and every film. It is as if he was mocking the audience saying "You didn't like my masterpiece Mera Naam Joker, so eat this!!".

P. S. (Spoiler alert): Not many know that Raj Kapoor had filmed a sad ending where Rishi- Dimple die but heeding to his trusted distributor, Raj Saahab opted for a happy ending for the movie. After all, such an innocent sweet couple deserved to live happily ever after.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Raj Kapoor's "Bobby" will never get old. It is a brilliantly made modern teen romance. Raj Kapoor's direction and imagination are excellent, ditto for his realistic portrayal of the modern 1970s India and its middle-class Christian community. The romance is portrayed beautifully, injected with many youthful energies and further aided by colourful and vernal locations, beautiful romantic songs, comedy and drama, and two very charming fresh talents in the lead roles.

This is the love story of a pretty, smart and headstrong Christian school-girl named Bobby, and a romantic, rich and well-mannered young man named Raj, who, unlike most of his contemporaries, prefers to sit at home and write poetry. He falls in love with her the first minute he meets her, and surprisingly enough, it does not look clichéd. The story shows how they start dating each other and how they later fight parental opposition.

Interestingly, while Raj Kapoor made this film to launch his son on the big screen, he titled it after Dimple Kapadia, who impressed him very much and reminded him of his muse Nargis. In a documentary about the life and craft of Raj Kapoor, he said that Bobby's first meeting with Raj in the film was loosely inspired by Kapoor's first meeting with Nargis at her home. And I completely understand why the memory of meeting her stayed with him for the rest of his life when I see this scene. It is a magic moment.

Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia make for a very good couple. This is according to me Rishi Kapoor's best performance along with his role in Mera Naam Joker. Maybe his dad was the one who could extract his talent to the fullest. He is likable, impressive and very convincing as Raj. Dimple Kapadia's is undoubtedly one of the greatest debuts in the history of Hindi cinema. She was natural, compelling, beautiful and acted with total aplomb. Her western outfits and sex-appeal are still very memorable. The rest of the cast are excellent, with Prem Nath standing out in a wonderful comic act as Bobby's loving father. Pran was also very convincing as Raj's witty, proud and dignified father, and Durga Khote and Aruna Irani provided fantastic support. Oh, and how can one forget Farida Jalal's Alka Sharma? A five-minute role which stays with you forever just like the film.

The film's cinematography is effective, the editing is good as well, and the art direction is fantastic. The characters are well-written, and most importantly - the music is simply outstanding. My favourite songs are "Main Shair To Nahin" (as is Aruna Irani's wonderful dance for the song) and "Chabi Kho Jaye (Hum Tum)". All in all, Bobby was a trend-setter, and it still remains an all-time sensational and fresh love story, which will never look dated.

Review By Kamal K

It is perhaps because Bobby was so ahead of its time that the film - which introduced Bollywood to the concept of young romance - doesn't seem to have grown old even now. It set countless trends for films that failed to replicate even a fraction of the success that Bobby enjoyed. It took 15 long years for the Hindi film industry to come up with a young romance that could match Bobby in its freshness, innocence and impact - Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, in which Mansoor Khan launched his nephew Aamir Khan, and Juhi Chawla, as two star-crossed lovers who elope to escape their parents' wrath.

Rishi Kapoor, who made his debut in Bobby, has admitted that Aamir's debut, followed by that of the other two Khans - Salman and Shah Rukh, sounded the death knell for his stint as a romantic hero. As the Khans took over as romantic leads, Rishi had to take a backseat and reinvent himself for roles more suited for his age. However, he is proud of being instrumental in changing the tone, language and texture of Bollywood romances with Bobby. He pointed out that before Bobby, the hero and heroine were a man and a woman. But after Bobby, filmmakers and audience realised that the hero and heroine could also be a boy and a girl

This is the love story of a pretty, smart and headstrong Christian school-girl named Bobby, and a romantic, rich and well-mannered young man named Raj, who, unlike most of his contemporaries, prefers to sit at home and write poetry. He falls in love with her the first minute he meets her, and surprisingly enough, it does not look clichéd. The story shows how they start dating each other and how they later fight parental opposition.

Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia have great charisma. Yes, the performance was plausible but what makes it super is originally the casting. The two of them are real teens. Being in the right age for a romance was always a problem in movies. The bet at the newcomers here was right. Sadly I didn't see both of them as bright except very few times later. And last but not least, the direction by our showman Raj Kapoor. It was great; every scene is directed and edited with care, in order for the movie to be organized as well as entertaining. Some scenes made me cry. The character development is displayed well through the direction.

The hit song "Mein Shayar Tho Nahin" is composed perfectly...the lyrics are quite nice too. "Na Chahoon Sona Chandi" is quite entertaining, Manna Dey sings very nicely

The film's cinematography is effective, the editing is good as well, and the art direction is fantastic. The characters are well-written, and most importantly - the music is simply outstanding. All in all, Bobby was a trend-setter, and it still remains an all-time sensational and fresh love story, which will never look dated.