Abhimaan

Hrishikesh Mukherjee made this masterpiece of Indian cinema three years after the equally marvelous "Anand".

More than just a reflection of man's ego, his fall from grace, eventual defeat, surrender and redemption, it is a fine glimpse of the delicate balance and intricate nuances of marriage, and of course, extra-marital relationships. Subir, himself a successful singer, is unable to digest his wife Uma's rising fame and its slow eclipsing of his own career. He crumbles under the weight of his misguided ego and misplaced pride.

The mythological underpinnings of this film are simply superb. Chandru (played so well by Asrani) says that he's not just Subir's manager, but more like a brother! But even the sane, balanced Laxman can't save Rama from life's inevitable follies. He leaves when insulted by Subir, who then takes aim at Uma and casts aspersion on her integrity, her morality and even her dignity. The interchange between Chitra, the other woman (played by Bindu) and Uma is unusual -- there's no acrimony or jealousy, just unconditional love. If you truly love someone, you must be able to accommodate all their faults and forgive! Shyam may not belong to both Radha and Mira, but surely both have equal right to love him!! That is so incredible. Chitra once calls him 'Subi', she retains the right to use a before-marriage nickname. But what about the wife...?

The cinematography, the editing and of course S D Burman's rendering of each song into a heavenly ode, is just incomparable. Jaya and Amitabh soar to such heights in this movie, they are hard to surpass. The shots where she is singing, framed by the microphones (imprisoned by Subir?!) and those of Subir talking to CHitra, looming large in the foreground, seemingly taller than his own ego, are just great.

Hrishi-da fans will recall Guddi, Bawarchi, Gol Maal, Mili (a gem) and Khubsoorat, made in the 1970s. Along with Basu-da (Basu Chatterjee) and Shakti-da (Shakti Samanta), this golden era of Hindi cinema sadly came to an end in mid-80s, after giving audiences many memorable films, some of which also became all-time hits.

It has been 30+ years since Abhimaan, and 30+ viewings later, it still holds the same charm as always. A truly evergreen film.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee made his best movies with Amitabh and this is one of the best of the best. Though many would think that this is a remake of the movie A STAR ID BORN (and is does look like it), it is actually based on the life of the genius Kishore Kumar and his first wife, the mother of singer Amit Kumar. Kishore was offered the leading role first but things didn't work out so it eventually went to AB. The very last scene of the movie where Amitabh and Jaya walk out of the auditorium was actually filmed the day both of them got married anbd went out of the hall. The song TERE MERE MILAN KI JEH RAINA has an extra version a capella in the movie which is not available on the soundtrack. A gem

I finished watching Abhimaan 15 minutes ago.I just loved this movie.Amitabh and Jaya share an envious chemistry in the flick and it does wonders to what the film tried depicting.Hrishikesh Mukherjee was one of the best directors around that time,and this is one of his gems and a milestone in Indian cinema.This is a movie that people won't get tired watching even half a century after it was been made,because the issues that Hrishikesh Da tackled in his movies were very a part of an Indian middle-class society and they still do prevail.

Watch this movie to feel the warmth of good film-making. Hrishikesh Mukherjee leaves the audience in tears in the end,as he never gets tired of doing that.Wonderful,and lovely!

What can be said about this old time classic movie? Perhaps it can be described as one of the best movies that I can remember watching in Bangalore with my parents thirty six years back and even that after I had heard that Amitabh Bachchan had got married to Jaya Bhaduri. Watching this film, made me remember those childhood days. A professional singer, whose career is soaring, marries a girl from a village, who has learnt singing from her father and whose career, he takes care of. But then his begins to falter and leads to jealousy.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Asrani, David Abraham, Bindu, Durga Khote and A.K. Hangal, this is superbly directed by the late Hrishikesh Mukherjee, while the music is by S.D. Burman I still remember watching Bindu as a vamp in many of the films before this and it made a change to see her in a role, which could have led her to be the "other woman" in this, but she didn't and this made a difference in the story. Amitabh as the husband who becomes jealous is just superb and since this was released after "Zanjeer," he was by then very well known. Jaya Bhaduri was also perfectly cast as are Asrani and David Abraham.

The music by S.D. Burman is beyond any doubt as the best for this type of film and the songs – all of them are memorable even after thirty six years and while listening to and watching them, I was able to sing along, which nowadays is extremely rare to do so as many of the tunes are not so memorable. As the lyricist, Javed Akhtar, said recently, it is very rare to hear such tunes nowadays.

It's a shame that films such as "Abhimaan" are no longer being made and if they are, they wouldn't do very well as times have changed, peoples taste have also changed and they will keep on doing so even after you, the reader, and I are no longer around.

This is one of my all time favorite films. Amitabh plays the young heartthrob Subir Kumar - a famous pop singer - and he pulls it off with great panache and style. I saw the film as a young teenager and fell in love with the "Meet Naa Mila Re Man Ka" persona immediately! On a trip to a village he meets a young girl Uma (Jaya Bhaduri) and is mesmerized by her innocence and her singing. There is a quick romance and marriage and the happy couple are back in the glamor life of Bombay. Subir wants him and Uma to sing together and make a successful career. But a storm is brewing and we hear the veteran David remarking to someone that Uma is way more talented and this would be a mistake leading to a rift in the marriage. The predicted rift occurs when Subir's ego cannot swallow the fact that Uma is considered better, offered more assignments. Uma is heartbroken, pregnant and goes back to the village.. The ending is predictable but very very sweet.

Amitabh gives a dynamite performance, first as the heartthrob, then as the lover and finally as the egotistical husband. I rate this as one of his finest performances, way better and nuanced than those endless angry young man roles he bored us with. But the film belongs to Jaya - she does the whole gamut from innocent young girl, to lover, to rejected wife in one of the most realistic performances ever seen. Jaya had true talent that did not rely on mere looks - she shone in almost every film, but this is a tour de force. The supporting cast of Mr. David, AK Hangal, Bindu, Asrani all shine, making this a well acted excellent film. The story, dialogs are superb, the direction is fantastic. The music is by Sachin Dve Burman - and the maestro concocts divine music. ALL songs are true gems but particular standouts are "Meet Na Mila Re", "Nadiya Kinare", "Tere Mere Milan Ki Ye Raina". Hrishikesh Mukherjee proves yet again that he is a master director - even within the trappings of a celebrity life style and glamor he gives us a most realistic film. Abhimaan is worth many a repeat watch.. and touches me every time.