Khamoshi

"Khamoshi" is a psychological tale which harbours somewhere between the Stockholm syndrome and the hunter eventually becoming the hunted.

"Khamoshi" belongs to Waheeda Rehman, period. Not two ways to that. Just about nursing her broken heart in realm of questioning the virtue of thankless job and grudges against the ungrateful world, her life as a nurse gets thrown into a quagmire when a patient bearing similarities to her former lover turns up in the rehab ward leading to the dilemma of duty versus obligation. The finer nuances used to communicate the whirlpool of emotions insides her and yet holding the reigns deserve a standing ovation.

For Rajesh Khanna "Khamoshi" was an opportunity of a lifetime that could have won him accolades endless. Sadly he is completely out-of-character to the extent of being termed as miscast. Dharmendra's role can be categorised as "blink-and-miss" though bears a lasting impact in the narrative.

Nasir Hussain, Iftekaar, Lalita Pawar lend adequate support. Anwar Hussain and Deven Varma attempt to humour but sadly works against the narrative. The initial reels and the relief moments should have been done away with. More footage was warranted to showcase the bonding between the nurse with the patient(s). The plot is solid intellectual and the narrative is loaded with references to Freud which makes the content non-succulent therefore not appealing to general audience.

Hand over heart, the sole reason I watched "Khamoshi" were the melodious songs which have been haunting me since my childhood. "Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi", "Humne Dekhi Hain", "Tum Pukaar Lo" - the credit for the immemorial classics goes to soulful composition by Hemant Kumar to the gems penned by Gulzar. If you haven't watched it, your best bet is to start off by listening to the songs and be rest assured you'll be drawn to a dimension of silence whose decibels have the power to awaken the manifestation of metaphysical within.

If ever there was an haunting voice that had depth, resonance, it was Hemant Kumar. The song "Tum Pukar Lo," played on Waheeda Rehman and Dharmendra (a brief stint) is reflective of the melody that was the mainstay of Indian music composers the likes of Hemant Kumar, who preferred to sing his own compositions. Then there is Waheeda Rehman-God bless this woman for her eternal beauty and acting talent. She was incredibly convincing as the "mental patient." The scene where her face comes down on a barbed wire mesh-incredible piece of acting. Then we had the thespian of acting in a true sense of the word-Rajesh Khanna. Khanna and Rehman, were born actors and the duo were probably the best screen pair next to Guru Dutt and Madhubala. The movie is a bygone classic that very few appreciate. When you need some nostalgia and good cinema, this movie and "Anand" will take you back to the decade of the Indian cinema to be cherished since there will never be another Khanna, Rehman or maestro like Hemant Kumar.

Waheeda Rehman has acted supernaturally in this movie. She sure knows how to hold an audience and make them use their lachrymal glands again and again. I would rate her as one of her kind, and this movie is an excellent example other than Kagaz Ke Phool.

********** Stars

A very interesting idea. this film speaks of class. A story about a nurse in a mental institution whose revolutionary treatment's side effects get unnoticed. After falling in love with her first patitent and never telling anyone her love goes unnoticed as her patient moves on and another patient who after being betrayed by his first love is left on the brink of madness, is brought in. After failed attempts, her treatment is again called for but this time with disastrous consequences. A sad yet very moving drama.... a must see with a beautiful soundtrack.

A powerful insight into the strain put on a nurse (Waheeda Rehman) as she uses 'experimental' treatment methods to save a patient from tumbling into the abyss of madness using trust, dedication & affection as her only tools she combats desperation, paranoia, & animosity. Her patient unable to express his feelings to a woman who mistreated him by lulling him into web of deceit, where she uses him for his talents then discards him. The nurse tries in vain to convince the woman responsible for the affliction her patient suffers from that she is needed for his rehabilitation only to be admonished by the head of the hospital saying that she cannot solve societies problems even though society seems to be responsible for the constant stream of patients the hospital receives. This draws her down a spiralling staircase of depression as she is told to forget/deny her true feelings for a patient under her treatment which ultimately leads to her demise as she remains forced into silence (Khamoshi) instead of venting the emotions that she feels for the man that she loves...

An exquisite soundtrack from Hemant Kumar (composer & producer) along with songs such as Tum pukar lo.. (Hemant Kumar & Kishore Kumar) & Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi (Kishore Kumar) make this film an enduring classic which stands the test of time.