Hum Dono

Dev Anand enlists in the army and leaves his mother and lover behind. There he meets his lookalike, and both develop a deep bond. During war, his doppelganger dies and leaves Dev Anand with a duty both towards his family and that of his dead friend.

Love is the thread that binds the film together. Every character in the film is pining for it, in one way or the other. It's this emotion which underpins the second half of the film. Lead actor performs a top notch double role (I would argue his acting in this matches that in the 1965 classic 'Guide') with wonderful songs to boot. From 'Main Zindagi Ka Saath' to 'Kabhi Khud Pe Kabhi Halat Pe', the songs showcase the halcyon days of Hindi cinema.

The highlight of Hum Dono is its soundtrack by Jaidev and subtle lyrics of Sahir Ludhianvi which blend beautifully into Dev Anand's character."I am going along with life", spells a philosophy of living life,while"Do not leave now..", is a beautiful duet on love and separation. DevAnand's double role play, although a repeated, unrealistic Hindi film situation, is still endearing, it is easily one of his best acted films, apart from"Kalabazaar", "Funtoosh" and "Jewel Thief." The musical lighter in the movie belonged to music director Jaidev. The lyrics" Where there is no disparity between joy and sorrow, I am taking my life to that stage..,"is sublime.

A very beautiful movie. Though this movie is about war and its effects you are actually moved by the message of non violence in this movie. The story is again a sort of Shakespearean comedy of errors. Well the plot is forced and this movie depends upon lot of forced coincidences. The inimitable Dev plays dual role in this movie. The heroines Sadhana and Nanda are very likable and have done a good job. Very strangely the entire length of this movie is tinged with a mood of sadness and nostalgia. How such an effect has been brought about is a topic worthy of research.

And above all, this movie is a musical bonanza. Right from the word go composer Jaidev scores. The title music is so haunting and a wee bit sad. Jaidev as usual relies mostly on Indian classical music to bring about a haunting effect. The songs and their celluloid presentation lingers on in your heart and mind long after the movie is over. The bhajan song "Allah tero naam" is a trend setter. A very curious fact about these songs from the golden age of Bollywood is that almost all of them are immortal. The same cannot be said of the current Bollywood songs. In a nut shell, a thoroughly enjoyable fare.

Hum Dono (1961) : Brief Review -

I doubt Indian cinema can ever find a better "double role" formula than this. I can remember many old Hollywood films based on "double role," or, as some people say it, Shakespeare's "comedy of errors" formula, and many of them have been adapted very well in Indian cinema too. I can recall many popular double-role movies, and most of them would be comedies. Right from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even 00s, we have seen this formula repeated again and again on the silver screen. Since I am done watching most of these films, I think I am at liberty to say that Hum Dono is the best written film ever based on the double-role formula. A poor boy joins the army after being humiliated by his future father-in-law for money, and there he meets his lookalike Major. The tragedy strikes as the Major disappears during a cruel battle with enemies, and his lookalike boy now has a responsibility to inform his mother and wife. In the meantime, his own girlfriend, whom he had left unsettled, is living with his old mother. The mother dies, and the boy now believes that he should go to the major's house to inform them about his supposed death. There, he finds himself stuck as the mother and wife assume him as the major, and due to the wife's critical health condition, he has to stay there and pretend to be the major. I found the script highly intelligent, as it deals with multiple conflicts by tracking the core of every situation. There are moments when I silently yelled, "Ye hoti hai Hindustani aurat." We have a rich girl leaving her father's house, a married woman believing in spiritual love rather than physical love, and then we have two men fighting with lives and multiple social norms. What a freaking great mix of so many things it was. Vijay Anand has written a complete script, especially that philosophical touch in the climax. Well done, Amarjeet, Dev Anand, Sadhana, and Nanda.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

How an ordinary and predictable film can be elevated by a well executed climax is proven by this film. Watch it for the classic songs (each of them in the film which is truly rare) and the last 10 minutes of the film.