Anhonee

Raj Kapoor and Nargis once again play the lead roles in the film. The chemistry, as usual, between them is excellent. Nargis has a double role in the film which forms the basis of the film. But somehow the film lacks what it takes to become entertaining. The film, especially, in the first part moves slowly. Although the second part catches up and there are really some intense moments. The film also lacks good songs(something, which is odd because Raj Kapoor's films usually had top class songs). The film can be considered a one time watch, although, if you are not used to old movies, this could become become boring.

The film is about two half-sisters who grew up in different places as they have different mother. The sisters were replaced by the father after their birth and so, the first wife's daughter was brought up in local streets. Their way of life determined their behaviour and attitude. This affected their love. Here, Nargis played double role as both sisters. The teeth of Roop (elder) and Mohini (younger) were shown differently so that the audience can understand who is that particular character. The elder sister sacrifices marriage for younger sister which also lead to cheating towards the groom Rajkumar Saxena (Raj Kapoor) as he loves elder one. Thus Raj also sacrifices. When you start seeing, you may think that story is finished but the story actually starts from that point. Overall, the film is sacrifice for sacrifice.

An incohesive script greatly impairs the promising potential of the story. The film, like many of its predecessors, including Awara, aims to explore the question of whether one's human qualities are inherited or shaped by the environment. Indeed, the nature vs. Nurture debate, in addition to class prejudice, is a major motif in most films written by K. A. Abbas. Obviously, the dual roles played by Nargis give it another dimension in terms of its entertainment value. Dual roles in Hindi films have become over years a sub-genre of their own, and it has almost been a pre-requisite for actors to play twins with different personalities at some point in their career. However, this film suffers first and foremost from very poor technical handling of the dual presentation. The editing looks non-professional and a little shabby. Maybe it's got to do a lot with how dated it all looks and clearly one cannot expect films of the 1950s to have the same technical advantages of today, but some of the scenes were cut off so suddenly that it was not east to follow the story.

Sadly, the outcome does not live up to expectations. It is definitely nice to see Raj Kapoor in such a restrained performance, without the usual shticks, and he is excellent. His chemistry with Nargis, particularly in the romantic scenes, are phenomenally well etched out. Nargis is generally very strong as Roop, however, she is let down by the script in the way she is required to play the lost, vulgar sister. She looks a little self-conscious, stagy and uneasy in the role, which is not something you'd usually expect from an actress of her caliber. She is never bad, obviously, but I did expect more from such a challenging turn. This is definitely not her fault, Anhonee would definitely have benefitted from better direction. With all due respect to the great K. A. Abbas, his talent as a writer notwithstanding, the direction didn't do his story justice. The film drags on for far too long and I personally lost interest in it halfway through the show. Some absurdities along the way don't help much, although it all concludes on a predictable note.

The Story Is Basically About Twin Sisters ..How They Are Separated ...How Their life Is Effected ...Life is Good For Someone At The Same Time Worse For Other..This Was The First Movie Where A Lead Was Cast In Dual Role...Nargis Is Out Standing With Both Her Characters...Specially With Mohinibai ...In Some Of The Scenes She Looks Scary With Her Facial Expressions...Raj Kapoor Is Fine ...Chemistry Between Them Is Marvelous As Always... Music Of The Movie Was Given By Roshan ...Few Songs Are Good By Lata & Talat ....Script Is Well Written ...Everything Is Fine ...

Overall A Good Thriller ...Watch It For Nargis ...Watch If You're Thriller Movie Fan ..Else Skip.