Rajnigandha

From the subtle nuisances to the gestures of communism. Dropping hints of a patriarchal society enveloped inside a romantic theme. We pride ourselves with a classic, none as apt in the current strata of society.

A relatable misgiving guided strongly by feelings of doubt,worry and suspicion. A familiar nostalgia grips the viewer around what the millennial would quote as "love come arrange union". A well crafted unison of Basu Chaterjee's brilliance backed by Manu Bhandari's intellect. The marriage of middle cinema of the 70's to the bitter preemptive urban and industrial literary works of the 50's ignites a spark of self discovery and conflict. A facade that remains as relevant today after half a century as it did back then.

The central theme revolves around Deepa (Played by Vidya Sinha) Who appears charmingly eloquent in her character when weighed against her love interest Sanjay(Played by Amol Palekar) who appears irresolute and tentative in her comparison. Their mild on-again off-again fervour is often marred by the contrasting qualities of their characters. As the intensity of story builds up, Deepa who exhibits a certain degree of strength and determination towards her sense of achievement goes to Bombay for her interview as a lecturer. Irony persists further as her unfinished Phd. Is carefully balanced in sync with her former love interest-a still incomplete chapter of her life. She is re-aquatinted here with Navin(Played by Dinesh Thakur) , her former lover from college days. Embedded with a persona of rebellion deeply rooted within as a result of his union days , the meeting almost immediately ignites a nostalgic spark between the two. An attraction towards the former-rebel current film -maker is made evident as the story unfolds further.Gestures by her former sequentially tear Deepa in two halves of herself and she starts to question her life with Sanjay. The contrast between Sanjay and Naveen is impeccable and One for which Deepa progressively seeks resolve.

Towards the end we realise the true symbolic nature of the title "Rajnigandha". An unequivocal ode to Deepa the Neo-Modern French Queen Marie-Antoinette herself, popular for her fragrance Sillage de la Reine containing tuberose(Rajnigandha). As we lastly inherit from Sanjay's routine gesture of carrying the ornamental and ever fragrant Rajnigandha- it's serene scent can sometimes become overwhelming for the wearer....a blatant truth for generations to come.

This is a Hindi film from the year 1975 starring Vidya Sinha.

To me the message of this film is: An idle mind is a devil's workshop.

The writer himself might have wanted to convey a take on fragility of human relationships.

But the way it's been directed or screen-played is how stories are written in women's magazines: roving thoughts and changing minds, saying something and thinking something else.

You feel unconvinced about the truth of film ending given the character's confused heart. Who knows if the erstwhile lover comes back to her life, she'd again see limitations in her would-be.

The songs are great and the view of Mumbai and middle class life in the 70's is nostalgic.

I have read the original Hindi story by Manu Bhandariand it's amazing that a full length movie was made on such a short story without compromising the integrity of the written original. In one line it's the mental turmoil a woman undergoes when she meets her ex after many years and finds she still has feelings for him. Beautifully picturised with beautiful songs the movie is a must watch.

Rajnigandha (tuberose) is a celluloid adaptation of the Hindi story - Yahi Sach Hai (this only is true) written by the lady author Mannu Bhandari who is a big name in the world of Hindi literature. The director has nowhere digressed from the original story and presented it ditto on the screen.

The story - Yahi Sach Hai revolves around Deepa who loves Nisheeth while living in Calcutta but he breaks up with her without explaining anything to her. Heart-broken Deepa moves to Kanpur and comes in contact with Sanjay. In no time, love blossoms between the two. However when she visits Calcutta for a job interview, she meets Nisheeth again and the fire of her first love is rekindled in her heart. She starts feeling that her love for Sanjay was just an attempt to give solace to her broken heart and her first love is only the true love. But her dilemma continues whether she should opt for Sanjay or Nisheeth whose feelings can only be derived by her through his gestures, not expressed properly. However the ending scene of the movie brings a twist in the tale with the realisation coming upon Deepa that the heart of a woman (like her) is too weak to take tough decisions.

In the movie, the locations have been changed from Calcutta to Delhi and Kanpur to Bombay and the name of the character Nisheeth has been changed to Naveen (perhaps because Nisheeth is an uncommon name). Rest there is hardly any change. While the good story was the director's advantage on one hand, its thinness was the disadvantage on the other because, after all, an interesting movie of a duration of two hours or more was to be presented to the Hindi movie audience. Hence here lay the challenge for him and the litmus test of his ability to keep the viewers tied to the screen throughout. And admittingly, Basu Chatterjee passed this test with distinction. He has directed many bad movies too but Rajnigandha is definitely one of his best works.

The name of the movie is fittingly Rajnigandha because the hero Sanjay is habitual of bringing the gift of tuberoses (Rajnigandha) for Deepa who loves these flowers. And the fragrance of love spreading in a woman's heart is no less than the enchanting fragrance of tuberoses.

The story (and the movie) tries to peep into a woman's heart and explores an answer to a question - Can a woman love two men at the same time ? The answer from the viewpoint of the storyteller (who is a woman) is - Yes. It may happen when one of the two men is her first love. The first love always remains in a woman's heart because of the fragrant memories it carries. However love is not just an emotion. It's a need for every human-being (from my viewpoint - every creature) which should be met. Hence, it's just not practical to spend the remaining part of one's life with a broken heart and memories of a bygone love affair. The lovelorn Deepa finds solace in the arms of the outspoken Sanjay whereas the bygone love of introvert and silent Nisheeth (or Naveen) is very difficult for her to discard from her heart . Yet, in the end, when she is almost tired of the wait for Nisheeth's letter, all of a sudden Sanjay breaks into her room with her favourite tuberoses and her craving need for love overpowers her abstract emotion. Then she feels that this love-drenched moment is only true, rest everything is (and was) false.

Personally (though I am a man), I feel Deepa comes across the truth in the end because we live (and relive) in memorable moments of life. A moment of victory, a moment of love, a moment of satisfaction or a moment of bliss overpowers an uneventful and repetitive routine of a lifetime. Hence the golden moments are not to be let gone or wasted. They are to be lived to the full. And the bliss gained in a few moments is better than a treasure of stale memories and false, unfulfilled expectations.

The emotional story has been told nicely on the screen and there is no boredom. All the three lead actors - Vidya Sinha as Deepa, Amol Palekar as the extrovert Sanjay and Dinesh Thakur as the introvert Naveen have delivered admirable performances.

Technically the movie is simple and simplicity itself was the pre-requisite of this emotional story of middle-class people. Hence acceptable. Music is a very big plus point of the movie. It contains only two songs, written by Yogesh and composed by Salil Chowdhury but they can very easily be counted among 100 best songs of bollywood - 1. Rajnigandha Phool Tumhaare Mehken Yun Hi Jeevan Mein, Yun Hi Mehke Preet Piya Ki Mere Anuraagi Mann Mein (sung by Lata), 2. Kai Baar Yun Bhi Dekha Hai, Ye Jo Mann Ki Seema Rekha Hai, Mann Todne Lagta Hai (sung by Mukesh). The lyrics have a high poetic quality and the music composition of both of them is just excellent.

All in all, Rajnigandha is a very good emotional watch. However, with my recommendation for the movie, I also advise those who can read Hindi and are fond of good literature, to read the story - Yahi Sach Hai which is a gem from the treasure of Hindi literature.

A beautiful young MA student from Delhi, who's been in a stable relationship with her boyfriend Sanjay, travels to Bombay to apply for a new job as a lecturer at a local college. She stays at a friend's residence and meets her old flame, Navin, an idealistic young man who had split with her several years back at a moment of fury. The presence of Navin in her life rekindles old feelings and she grows increasingly apprehensive about her relationship with Sanjay, often comparing the two men and unable to decide what she actually wants to do. This is the basic story of Basu Chatterjee's unusual psychological drama Rajnigandha. And it is indeed unusual and rare for the time and on so many levels.

A thinking man's picture, Rajnigandha is unusual in its complete focus on the leading lady's perspective, which is never judged or criticised, and it is her inner turmoil which drives the proceedings. Chatterjee, in his own, admirable style creates a film which is subtly realistic and beautiful both in how well it's shot but more in its engaging simplicity. The narrative style is somewhat similar to what we have today, no song-and-dance sequences, just two songs in the entire film, both playing in the background while the story is carried forward. Composed by Salil Chowdhury, the two musical gems, "Kai Baar Yuheen" and "Rajnigandha", are wonderfully performed by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar, respectively.

Portraying the lives of India's urban middle-class, Chatterjee manages to capture the aura of this milieu, its characters, comprising mostly worldly, intellectual individuals, and particularly the main protagonist's experience. The story flows incredibly well, mostly through conversational scenes, but it also gives its viewers a nice glimpse into the beauty of the cities it's set in. The cinematic experience is enhanced by both the cinematography and the setting. Bombay is photographed beautifully - its restaurants, beaches, and flats, are all wonderfully presented to contribute. The dialogue is very simple and casual. The film is altogehter a winning example of what they used to call middle-of-the-road cinema.

Vidya Sinha is well-cast in terms of both her appearance and graceful demeanor, but even though she is very good and effective within the parameters of the film, this difficult character could have been played with more conviction by a more competent actress. This role really requires a more mature actress who could register the complexity and the many shades of this conflicted woman - thinking of the great ladies of those years, such as Jaya Bhaduri, Shabana Azmi, and the likes, actresses who already showed how much they can convey by doing very little. This is not to say Singh isn't good - she is, but her lack of experience shows, even though she keeps growing on you as the story goes by.

The two men are played brilliantly by Amol Palekar and Dinesh Thakur. Palekar, in his debut performance, is nicely outgoing as Sanjay, and Thakur, quite his polar opposite - reserved and controlled - gives an excellent, grounded act as Navin. Although instantly engaging, Rajnigandha picks up toward its second half where it turns into a meaningful psychological drama. It just keeps building up and you just can't predict right till the very end how the story is going to conclude, and that's where the film scores. Despite getting some positive notice back when it released, Rajnigandha remains quite an underrated gem, and sadly so. It is a beautiful film, and I wish today's movie buffs would rediscover it, just like I did.