Professor

Professor belongs to that era of Hindi cinema when Shammi Kapoor could do no wrong. He lip-synced great Rafi numbers, romanced Asha/Sadhana/Saira/Sharmila/Rajshree in picturesque Kashmir/Ooty/Darjeeling and at times Swiss locations and beat up Pran/Jeevan/Prem Chopra/Prem nath. This fluffy musical romance is no different than the others. He plays Preetam, a man forced to pose as a Professor twice his age due to job constraints. Giving him ample support in the eye-candy department is Kalpana. She looks good but at times gets onto your nerves because of her saccharine sweet voice. Lalita Pawar is great as the strict aunt in charge of Kalpana and her siblings. And the rest of the cast is adequate.

The things that stand out are the award winning music which included gems like "Aye Gulbadan", "Main chali main chali","Awaaz deke humne tum","Khuli palak mein jhoota gussa" and many more delights. Shammi Kapoor, nominated for an award for his performance, is charming and restrained.

Watch it for the songs and Shammi's performance.

This is one of the best movies of the 60's decade. Right from direction to camera work to art direction it excels in a way even the best movies of present year don't. And I haven't even talked about its music! Shanker-jaikishen produces magic with Lata mangeshkar, Mohd Rafi and Asha Bhosle singing Aye Gulbadan, Main Chali and Khuli Palak mein. The Director, Lekh Tandon, works on a script familiar to audiences even in the 60's, but manages to build in sub-plots, memorable songs, enough melodrama from Lalita pawar and extract superb acting from Mr.Kapoor to make us sit through enjoyable two and a half hours of cinema. Shammi Kapoor dances,fights and emotes his heart out as the old professor and the young unemployed heartthrob. The very first melodrama king is a natural at over the top acting. You will just love watching him at the way he eases through his roles with the spunk and energy. Don't miss this movie from Bollywood's most melodic and sparkling era.

Another Shammi Kapoor Entertainer. Indeed it is, just like his many other complete entertainers like Kashmir Ki Kali, Teesri Manzil, 3D, Junglee.

The film has a dramatic start but soon, within first 20-25 minutes, the mood changes from drama to comedy and then to romance.

I even had paused the film one day within 10 minutes because of its dramatic start, but few days later, I decided to watch it. And I was not disappointed at all when the film ended. It's a complete package - romance, drama, comedy, music, Shammi-Rafi duo, chemistry between the main leads.

It's sure a must-must-must watch film. I recommend.

Shammi Kapoor is natural self , absolutely charming and effortlessly portraying the young and old both, seamlessly shifting into the old professor get up and romancing with Lalita Pawar.And the young Shammi Kapoor romancing Kalpana especially in Main chali main chali filmed on the Darjeeling Toy Train.It's a window to a bygone era as it gorgeously showcases the Darjeeling Hill Station as it was in 1960's .Music by Shankar Jaikishan is top notch and cinematography by Dwarka Divecha is eye candy.Direction by Lekh Tanon and script by Abrar Alvi make this movie just awesome.It's innocence and fresh tender romance endear it to movie audience forever.

Lekh Tandon's Professor is overall an entertaining 1960s comedy. This is the story of a young man named Pritam. He must pay for his ill mother's tuberculosis treatment, but he is unemployed, and when he finds out about an appropriate job as a tutor to two young women and two school-going kids, he is desperate to get it. But the problem is that their strict aunt Sita Devi, who they live with after their parents' recent death, will never hire a young man for the job. Initially disheartened, he later hits upon the idea of disguising as an old man. And guess what, he gets the job. That's not the end of struggle. From then on, the story follows Pritam's double-life as both the old, single professor who charms the otherwise tough Sita Devi, and the young man who woos her beautiful niece Nina.

Professor is an entertaining and light-hearted film. The story is amusing and though it's clearly very unconvincing and hard to believe, this is not a major concern for me as this is just a fluffy comedy-romance which never takes itself too seriously, so neither should we. I think the appearance of the old professor is really superficially handled, as with just a fake beard and mustache, the job is done and he never looks particularly old. Having said that, the relationship between the old professor and Sita Devi remains my favourite part of the film and I prefer it many times to the typical romance between Pritam and Neena. Shakar-Jaikishan's wonderful soundtrack contributes to the film's feel-good mood. My favourite song is "Main Chali Main", an melodious tune which is unforgettable.

Shammi Kapoor does exceedingly well, but he is far better as the young Pritam, which he plays with restraint. He overdoes a bit the old Professor, but it's fun. Kalpana is pretty. Tun Tun is funny as ever in a small part. The show-stealer is Lalita Pawar, who is excellent as Sita Devi. She is strict and domineering, but she always lets us sense her soft inside, and she is the one who I ended up feeling for the most, as she really found a new hope in life. In one wonderful scene there is a brief moment when we see her looking at an old, young picture of hers. Her expression is so poignant and moving as in just a few bare seconds her eyes reveal the pain and nostalgia of a youth that is gone forever. The film's ending is disappointing, melodramatic and overdone, but Professor is overall a good watch.