Sangam

Sangam (1964) : Brief Review -

A certified Blockbuster in confluce of True Friendship and Love Triangle. Sangam was the 2nd biggest Hit of the 60s decade after Legendary 'Mughal E Azam' and reasons could be so many. It came exactly on time when audience was ready to see sacrifices done in a Love Story/triangle post Eternal Love Saga in Magnus Opus Mughale E Azam. Also, the cast of Sangam looks terrific with Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Vaijayantimala coming together. Sangam is story of 2 close friends falling in love with the same girl. One friend has to sacrifice his love and then shadow of doubt post Marriage follows subsequently to make one of them to sacrifice again. Raj Kapoor as Sunder looks damn too handsome and performs well. Rajendra Kumar gets to play more emotional part and his role surely works close to heart. Vaijayantimala sizzles hot in the Red Bikini scene and then in white saree throughout the film. Her fairy looks and black eyes does trick therefore making her expressions talk more than words. Music of Sangam is nothing less than a Chartbuster Album with timeless magic. 'Bol Radha Bol', 'Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega', 'Dost Dost Na Raha' and 'Yeh Mera Prempatra' these 4 songs were Super Hits and are evergreen. The length of Sangam sound like a problem. The film is produced, edired and directed by Raj Kapoor so he could be blamed for that. I am not saying it's damn too lengthy or boring but in long runtime of 229 Minutes almost 30 minutes shot in Foreign Countries doesn't really seem necessary. May be Raj Kapoor wanted to show exotic and expresive Locations to Bollywood audience but if not that then it was useless i say. Raj Kapoor as Director can never fail even if he has typical storyline he will surely find a way to make it look different and more attractive with his directing skills. It was actually very close to 'Andaz' (1949) starring Raj Kapoor again but the conflicts and relationship between characters were far different. Andaz had a noir touch in the climax whereas Sangam has emotional ending. Overall, Sangam is a certified blockbuster product and if length is not an issue for you then you will have so many things to enjoy such as Friendship, Love Triangle, Importance of Marriage, Sacrifice and evergreen Music.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest

Gopal (Rajendra Kumar), Sunder (Raj Kapoor) and Radha (Vyjayanthimala) have been friends since childhood. When they become adults, both men fall in love with Radha - she loves Gopal. But Gopal, out of a flawed understanding of friendship and commitment, doesn't dare to speak his mind as Sunder, his best and closest friend, is also in love with Radha and is courting her. Many misunderstandings follow (especially by Sunder who seems to be completely blind to everyone around him and their feelings) that has as consequence that Gopal sacrifices both his love for Radha and her love for him. But the problem of the threesome remains by the close relationship of the two men with each other. Thus the ensuing conflicts can only be solved by a final breakup of this threesome...

On the surface a rather exasperating melodrama, but in depth one of the most unsettling stories of traffic in women between males (though I am not sure that the movie was really meant to be that critical). In this story, two men rather sacrifice a woman's happiness (and at least one of them his own) than bringing their own relationship - the emotional depth of which seems to go well beyond "ordinary" friendship - into jeopardy. They indulge in their own martyrdom and commitment to each other, while they use the (ostensibly beloved) woman as a gift to each other and as a proof of their mutual friendship/love. Though she sometimes speaks out her mind in quite a bitter way, she can never get what she really wants, no-one is interested in her feelings and wishes.

Though not a perfect film and sometimes even a bit unnerving by the constant misunderstandings in the plot, still very interesting (and unsettling) psychologically. Great food for feminist/gender analysis... :)

One of the best parts of "Sangam" is the honeymoon sequence in Europe, that is - in contradiction to the melancholy and fatality of most of plot - very lighthearted, with some pricelessly lovely and funny moments (Vyjayanthimala dancing in sexy "Western" clothing in a Paris hotel room) - and even a kissing scene (though enacted by non-Indians). The playback singers (Mukesh for Raj, Lata Mangeshkar for Vyjayanthimala, Mohd. Rafi for Rajendra) are great as always, the songs are beautiful.

When I first saw Sangam back in 1965 on its initial release in Malaysia, I was a young boy whose deep impressions of the film was the lady in a white sari. I saw it again in 1974 on its re release. For the second viewing, it was the music and the songs. Unfortunately I had seen "Bobby" by then and thought all the three leads looked far too matured for the "teenage" and "young" characters they were playing on screen. But that was the trend of those bygone days when older actors played younger roles. It is rare for any musical that every single tune is as enduring to the ears as in Sangam. Only "My Fair Lady' "The Sound Of Music" and "Bobby" (1973) comes to mind. Since then with the convenience of television and now the DVD I had seen watched it once every few years and I revisited the film again last night. The male bonding and the sacrifice of Rajendra Kumar is very Asian and may well be on its way to be extinct. This sense of Asian obligation and moral value was and to some extend still is prevalent is a sense of maintaining a status quo and not rock the boat in a bad situation for want of not turning it worse. It is not a wrong or right decision. Everything that needs to be said about the acting, about the cinematography and its importance in Hindi cinema by taking the musical numbers out of the studios to exotic locations has been elaborated in these pages. What strikes me is the way in which Raj Kapoor with the use of music and only three principal characters hold our attention for more than three hours. All other characters appear briefly solely for narrative development. Although it is not a masterpiece, it is an enduring example of a simple love story (which has been done a million times over); with its chemistry between the characters and its music does not seem dated and still shine above others more than 40 years after its premier.

Indeed, a love triangle with two friends falling for one beautiful lady is one of the most tedious plotlines and not just in India, but this one is different thanks mainly to the script and Kapoor's excellent direction. In Kapoor's able hands, what could have been a bland love story becomes a poignant story of love and sacrifice, a true portrait of friendship and marital conflict, and altogether pure classic entertainment. It's not perfect - some of the parts, particularly in the first half, including the entire track of Kapoor's character disappearing, being mistaken for dead and then reappearing in the most predictably convoluted of film twists - just don't ring true. Then the usual naiveté of his character and him not ever realising that she doesn't love him got on the nerves. One also wishes the film was just a little bit shorter, although it's a petty complaint, particularly for a Hindi film. The film's runtime is more or less decent for the story it tells but then the show is so engaging and entertaining that not much patience is required for the most part even if some parts drag a bit.

The reason that some of the flaws are easily forgiven is that Sangam is greater than the sum of its parts. It might be great in the eyes of many viewers for reasons related to its nostalgic value, but I dare any uninvolved party to dismiss its technical brilliance. Some of the shots are just breathtaking and too good to be true (for the time when it was filmed). The sound is as great and the high production values, coupled with the beautiful sets, costumes, and the overall quality feel of the film, make for a true visual treat. But it's not just all gloss, the film is meaningful and substantial in its emotional effect, some of the dialogues are phenomenal, particularly when the drama grows. And it indeed grows in the second half, much to the point of looking like a different film in each of its virtual episodes. Even the songs, pure classics of Indian cinema including "Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega", "Bol Radha Bol", "Ye Mera Prem Patra", "O Mehbooba", "Buddha Mil Gaya", and "Dost Dost Na Raha" - all fantastic and beautifully shot, but they contribute to the narrative and are always situationally relevant.

As a mainstream Hindi film made at a time when films started gradually losing their sense of realism, often relying more on the melo- than the -drama, the film still manages to tread that fine line to create a film that is as credible as it is sentimental. The actors, as part of this deliberate choice of style, work well opposite one another. Raj Kapoor is better as a director here but acts well although something in his lack of awareness of the girl's feelings towards him (or lack thereof) was annoying. His initial demeanor explained in a way why she didn't want him, but similarly his change explained her change of heart. Rajendra Kumar is the more interesting, reserved character, and he is excellent in a heartbreaking performance. Obviously though, it is Vyjayanthimala who steals the show as the centre of attention - the love interest, the lover, the conflicted wife. Her transformation throughout the story is the most interesting, and she shines all through. By the end, despite all the melodrama, I was surprised by how moved I was and how deep and affecting the story turned out to be. A Raj Kapoor classic.

A very stretched film, still makes compulsive watching. Beautiful songs, beautiful cinematography and very beautiful colours. And of course, the beautiful Vyjayantimala. With only three principal characters moving on screen, the director in Raj Kapoor still manages to avoid boredom with amazing skill. Hats off to him.