Amar Prem

Heartwarming is a word which would best describe Shakti Samanta's Amar Prem. The film is about love, humanity, compassion, and how all these terms are condemned by the cruel society of those times. This is the story of Pushpa, a young woman who runs away from her husband's house after the latter marries again and starts abusing her. She is later brought to a brothel in Calcutta by her village-uncle. There she starts singing while all the passers-by walk and get enchanted by her voice. That's her new job, and there she meets Mr Anand, a young bitter and unhappily married man whose wife does not even care about. Another man from the same village she comes from named Sharma resides close to Pushpa's house. There she meets the little boy Nandu, Sharma's son from his first deceased wife, who is maltreated by his stepmother while his father is at work. A great relationship grows between Pushapa and Anand, and even a greater mother-son relationship grows between Pushapa and Nandu. But the cruel society won't leave it at that.

Amar Prem is a melodramatic movie, but it is a beautiful and sincere melodrama, not a clichéd one. The relationships in this movie are superbly portrayed, my favourite relationship being the one between Pushapa and Nandu. Samanta uses symbolism to illustrate the story. The film is good in writing, dialogues, music and acting. RD Burman's music never disappoints. Where acting goes, this is Sharmila Tagore's movie and she kind of reprises her role in Aradhana, that of a selfless and caring woman, who epitomises Indian feminine beauty. She is indeed beautiful and convincing throughout the movie. Rajesh Khanna is excellent as Anand and does particularly well in the film's final sequences. The child actor who plays Nandu is wonderful. Vinod Mehra does very well as the older Nandu. Amar Prem is a worthy film. It is both moving and enjoyable, and should be a real cinematic treat for lovers of classic Hindi cinema.

I don't claim to be an expert in Bengali literature (far from it), but I have always found stories coming out of Bengal to be a class apart. The characterization, the depth of the plot, the sincerity of the human emotion in those stories are the among the finest to be found anywhere. Kabuliwala is another such great movie to be based on a Bengali story.

Sharmila Tagore is superb, Vinod Mehra plays the grown up Nandu with great sincerity. Rajesh Khanna lends a lot of credibility to Anand-babu despite having turned a major superstar during the making of this movie. Om Prakash is always a pleasure to watch although his role is very small. R.D.Burman and Kishore Kumar top it all off with the great music!

I have recently become more disillusioned that ever with Bollywood and its invariable churning of sugar-coated, feel good products, which lack a heart and soul. but if someone was pick up one film, as a beacon, as an example of the great emotional and spiritual waves that flow though India, it would be this one.

A poignant yet everlasting drama of love and the power of compassion and humanity. it tells the story of a woman (Pushpa), who is ostracized and eschewed by society and its establishments, to rot away on the notorious fringes of it. Yet within the brothel she resides, she builds a temple of love and care for those two people that come to see her. Nandu and Anand are members of society, yet only ostensibly, yearning for the compassion that their families fail to provide them, and in search, they come to Pushpa, whose abundance of love and human sympathy far overshadows her disreputable social standing. They alone see her inner beauty, while society maligns her, yet as the director points, cannot provide the qualities of love, happiness and tranquility for members like Nandu and Anand. Pushpa's relationship with Anand is certainly one of the most beautiful you will see. Theirs is a purely platonic relationship, which succeeds where the social union of marriage - for both - fails.

As they continue to meet, their bond grows, and beyond their own socially certified families, they create a little family of true love, depth and care. They receive from each other the love they so desire - motherly love for Nandu, a true companion for Anand, and a child and husband for Pushpa - though their relationship with each other has no social legitimacy. Samanta succeeds in creating a cynical presentation of society as one that compels people to stay within the confines of its social institution of family yet cannot provide for the very emotional, and spiritual ingredients that constitute it. Add the fact that it is society after all that created the brothel, where unquenched desires can be fulfilled, and what you have is a representation that makes Pushpa's relationship with Nandu and Anand all the more 'holy'.

This film tackled a theme that was very much taboo in Indian Cinema, and succeeds in presenting a mature, yet never over-the-top, nor didactic story that ultimately every Indian household can identify with. The music is an absolute delight and adds to the melancholic yet redemptive nature of the relationship between the three protagonists. Setting presentation is class, with nothing done to hide the vividly grotesque nature of the red light district and the people that patronise it. It has its fair share of stereotypical characters, who function very much as symbols of the unscrupulous, cunning nature of society. Yes, you get doses of the typical Hindi film melodrama, but its very much reserved to a modicum. Where it succeeds is in teaching you about human relationships and that it is love, togetherness and understanding that makes family, and not a social ceremony or some legal document. This is a film for all generations who appreciate human relationships and its power to transcend social boundaries.

Dear IMDb,

Going through your site on the Movie "Amar Prem" I regret that the name of the Child Actor who portrayed "Nandu" as a child has been completely omitted. Kindly revise the site to include this information. I have checked other sites as well. Since I consider your site to be comprehensive, I would imagine it contain complete information. Needless to mention, this Child Actor has appeared in some other movies as well. Maybe you can suggest other ways of myself receiving this information. Thank you for your reply in advance. I regret that this request is not really a Review. It was the only way I could think of getting the information I have requested. Sorry for the inconvenience, if any. If you do not add the information I seek, to your site, I will not be offended. But I will be disappointed.

A real image of the society showed by the director in this movie,Hats off to the plot,not even a single minute bored me,Om Prakash gave a good performance as always,The lyrics and music of all the 6 songs were best,Amar Prem movie makes it place amar in the history of bollywood cinema.