Ittefaq

Dilip Roy (Rajesh khanna) who is a drawing artist held against charges of killing her wife. During court hearing he started act insane. He then sent to mental hospital. One day he managed to elope from hospital and coincidentally chose a house where husband has been killed by his own wife. This is really an expectional classic suspense movie which is so unpredictable till the climax scene.

It has been 50 years since the movie release and ever since then the movie has held its popularity as a cult classic over the years. The 2019 remake starring Siddharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha is a testament that the plot line is still relevant and still popular.

The movie revolves around a painter - Dilip Roy who has been convicted for the murder of his wife and is on the run from the mental asylum, he takes refuge in a lone house where a women is waiting for her husband who is expected to arrive later in the night. As the night progresses, the chemistry between the fugitive and the female evolves before secrets tumble out of the closet.

Despite multiple reruns, I still get impressed with the chemistry between Rajesh Khanna (Dilip Roy) and Nanda (Mrs. Jagmohan) and how Yash Chopra (the director) managed a script that breaks the stereotype of a murdered and her counter. Full marks to the supporting cast which involve many senior artists that make full use of the meaty plotline. The background score is scary and does full justice to the plot.

Ittefaq is a film directed by Yash Chopra. The film caught my attention as a remake was being produced in 2017 of the same name. Researching the film, I decided that I had to watch it. And after watching it I can say that I liked the film a lot.

Plot: Dilip Roy seeks shelter in Rekha's house after escaping a mental asylum. But Rekha too has secrets of her own.

Story and direction: The film being a remake comes as no surprise to me. But still for pulling of this kind of film requires guts. Releasing in an era where romance dominated and films had songs that were hummable is quite a challenge. But this film stood by every means. We get greatly woven characters and story. Which is what anyone wants in a film. You care for each and very character that is present on the screen. I remember being on the edge of the seat every minute. Being 105 minutes, the film utilized mostly every minute. And the editing is so great. It feels like the film took place in one shot. But this film has its share of flaws. Somewhere after 40 minutes have passed, the next 20 minutes have nothing much to offer. I felt bores during that time. But then the film gets a rise and again my interest for the film piqued. The background score wasn't much interesting too. It employed some strange sounds and music which was just noise to my years. Considering Salil Choudhary's calibre that wasn't expected.

Performances: Nanda was impressed. Her variations in her character clearly reflected in her acting. Rajesh Khanna again proved no matter what the role he can master it. Iftekhar and Bindu too provided some great support. Sujit Kumar was good too.

Favorite Scene: The scene where Dilip tells Rekha that we can live together in this world without any anger or hate. The way in which Rajesh Khanna said the dialogue and the setting made me attract towars this scene.

Verdict: Although with a few hiccups. Ittefaq is quite a decent watch. Considering the time in which it was made it is quite good. Yash Chopra still proved that why we still consider him as one of the great directors.

I am going with an 8.5/10.

Ittefaq was a successful and yet, for several reasons, was a bold experiment in Indian cinema. First and foremost for the fact it had no songs, secondly for the theme of the film, thirdly for portraying a leading character in the film as a negative one, fourthly it was a film totally different from what normally Rajesh Khanna or Yash Chopra used to do. Rajesh Khanna puts in an excellent acting performance in the role of a man accused of murdering his wife and on the run from the law for it. Yash Chopra (director) handles the film brilliantly and the viewer is kept on the edge and guessing right thru to the end. A must see for all lovers of Good Indian Cinema. (Hmmm Good Indian Cinema sound like a misnomer in today's Bollywood)

Yash Chopra's murder mystery Ittefaq is certainly a rare Hindi movie experience for its time. It has absolutely no songs, it doesn't have any subplots or attempts at comedy, it takes place mostly in one house during one night, and so it is only one hour and 45 minute long, an exception for Hindi films of that time. This helps to create a consistently gripping, interesting and focused picture, which gives the viewer an opportunity to concentrate on the proceedings without breaks. The script is well-written and taut, and Chopra's direction is very good. His attention to detail is quite impressive throughout (although there's a slight lack of it at times), and the film is enjoyably tense, chilling and suspenseful.

The film totally belongs to Nanda who is excellent as the ambiguous and highly appealing Rekha. Whether she is a lonely wife, a terrified captive, or a seductress, she is throughly convincing, but not less important, she is so smashing hot. I don't remember any leading lady of those times looking so effortlessly sensual. She wears only one saree throughout the film (which is also quite unusual), and yet she looks more and more attractive and alluring with each new scene, without ever being vulgar. Towards the end, when the truth is uncovered, her character is the one I personally ended up feeling the most for. Sadly, today people hardly give this talented actress the recognition she deserves.

Rajesh Khanna, on the other hand, is not consistently credible. He is very good at some scenes, but then quite terrible at others, struggling with a role that seems to be too demanding for him. The very first scenes of the film when he is accused of his wife's murder are quite an example to that, as he just shouts and screams very unnaturally that he is innocent. The supporting cast, however, is very good. Unsurprisingly, Iftekhar is the most impressive of the lot, getting a role that is more lengthy and substantial than the ordinary blink-and-miss parts he used to play in other films, and playing it with restraint and style. Bindu, Gajanan Jagirdar, Shammi, Sujit Kumar, among others, are all very good in smaller parts.

Towards the end the film does drag a bit, as it starts losing its sense of uncertainty and becomes rather predictable. The final sequences are more of a courtroom drama only that they take place in this very house. The ending discloses all the secrets and resolves all the conflicts in just a few shots, working a lot on convenience and being quite contrived. There are also some really cheesy dialogues which could have been avoided and this whole portion of the film feels too sugarcoated. That said, I frankly didn't expect something else because I had seen several of B.R Chopra's thrillers (who's the film's producer) and they had the same kind of ending. Ittefaq is overall a memorable and highly watchable suspense thriller.