Aap Ki Kasam

Review By Kamal K

Aap Ki Kasam is a very emotional story which alternately enraged me and then made me cheer, and it isn't one of those "happily ever after" films you sort of expect from 70s Bollywood. It highlights several of Rajesh Khanna's finer qualities: he picked unusual films and scripts-with unusual roles for a "hero"-and he didn't mind sharing screen space with equally adept actors like Sanjeev Kumar.

RD Burman's music is fabulous as well. I especially love the exuberant song "Jai Jai Shiv Shankar.

Sanjeev Kumar in this itsy bitsy role is absolutely wasted. They should have opted for someone else. Sanjeev Kumar is too good an actor for this small supporting role. The comic interludes starring Kesto Mukherjee should have been cut out. They eat into the narrative.

Rajesh Khanna exercises restraint as the jealous husband. Mumtaz is very good as Sunita. She looks a bit old in those westerns but in her performance she is top-notch. Especially when she lands a proverbial slap on Kamal's face by walking out on him, I feel like running and hugging her. Yes, her actions and expressions deserve an applause there...

Aap Ki Kasam has Super Star Rajesh Khanna playing a role of a man who falls in love with Mumtaaz. He marries her and then starts suspecting that she is having an affair with his friend Sanjeev Kumar. In the process he ruins his married life. Ranjeet then makes him realise that he was the reason for Rajesh Khanna to suspect his wife. Ranjeet was having an affair and used to go through Rajesh's house. Rajesh repents but it is too late. He then makes good his life by sacrificing it trying to save his daughter. An excellent movie which is a must see for all husband and wives. Rajesh Khanna excels in his performance as a suspecting husband and captures all sympathies. He is ably supported by Mumtaaz, late Sanjeev Kumar, Rehman and Ranjeet. The music by R D Burman was a great hit and all the songs are still remembered today like "Jai Jai Shivshankar", "Karwatein badalten rahen", "Zindagi ke safar mein" etc.. A great movie of 1970s and a must see.

Suspicion is the worst thing to happen in a happily married life. However prior to the movie under review, this issue had not been honestly and properly dealt with in bollywood movies. Aap Ki Kasam (1974) was the first movie which (perhaps by default) dealt with this issue boldly and refuted male chaunivism with conviction. It was the first bollywood which was free from male bias and declared the worth of a woman's self-respect and dignity.

Director J. Omprakash (who happened to be the father-in-law of Rakesh Roshan and maternal grandfather of Hritik Roshan) always made movie whose names started from the letter - 'A' and which were of the social drama genre. Since he always aimed to make entertaining musicals (or rom-coms in today's lingo), this movie seems to have become a path-breaking one just by default. However end result is the most important thing and that is a thought-provoking, sensitive and interesting movie.

Kamal (Rajesh Khanna) is a financially weak student who falls in love with his college-mate, Sunita who comes from a well-off family. They get married, Kamal gets a decent job and they start their happy wedded live in a new house with Kamal's friend, Mohan (Sanjeev Kumar) being the neighbour. Mohan's marital life is in doldrums because of his wife's promiscuous nature and activities. The decent nature of Mohan and the common factor of music brings Sunita and Mohan closer and they become good friends. However Sunita's friendly gesture towards Mohan is sisterly only and Mohan too has nothing clandestine in this regard. However this pious human relationship becomes the basis of suspicion in Kamal's heart. This suspicion leads to pregnant Sunita's leaving Kamal and going back to her father's home. Misunderstandings prop up, cracks and distances in their relationship get widened and finally, a depressed Sunita gets divorced from Kamal and gets married to the doctor who has been treating her. When Kamal comes to know the truth and his mistake, he repents a lot but now the wheel of time cannot be rolled back. Years later, Kamal meets his tragic death while saving his own daughter from a fire broken out in her marriage.

The story plot is just very good and the director has done full justice to it after the initial dragging. The second half of the movie is engrossing and does not allow the viewer to skip it even for a minute. However the first half is marred by the overdoz of romance and comedy. I feel, the director was carried away by the norms prevailing in those times of making at least two and a half hour long movie. Else he would have trimmed it by at least 20 minutes. There are many songs (though they are quite good), romantic scenes and comedy too before the real story takes off. However once the take off is done, the flight is swift and gripping.

The efforts of the writer and the director have been ably supported by the talented performers. I consider this movie among the three best performances of Mumtaz (the other two being Tere Mere Sapne and Aaina). Whether in the form of the young sweetheart or the newly wedded and highly romantic wife or the clean-hearted and kind woman, sympathizing with the lonely and aggrieved neighbour who happens to be her husband's friend or the woman of self-respect, not ready to furnish any dignified clarification to her unduly suspicious husband or the torn lady in her father's home or the mature mother, marrying her daughter and still longing to see the father of her daughter; Mumtaz is simply outstanding. Saying anything about Sanjeev Kumar is always trying to show lamps to the sun. He was one of those rare actors who could never act bad. And now about Rajesh Khanna, despite the criticisms, I always considered him a good actor. At least in this movie, he has acted brilliantly in the role of first a loving and later a suspicious husband and further later a repenting person, striving for atonement and making amends. The supporting cast including the comedians has done well. Even the leading pair has done hilarious comedy in the song - Jai Jai Shiv Shankar.

The music is highly admirable. Apart from Jai Jai Shiv Shankar, songs like Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar Jaate Hain Jo Mukaam, Karvaten Badalte Rahe Saari Raat Hum, Suno - Kaho etc. are melodious, meaningful and memorable songs. Lata and Kishore have given voices for the lyrics of Anand Bakshi composed by none other than Pancham Da, i.e., R.D. Burman.

Technically and production value wise, the movie is decent as expected from J. Om Prakash. It's a nice entertainment with a message no doubt.

Finally, while recommending the movie to all, I reiterate my stand which I had mentioned in some earlier review - Communication gap is the biggest enemy of all relationships. It's better to communicate and clear the things propping up in your relationships, especially close and important relationships, instead of fostering suspicions and misunderstandings in your heart. Just take a lesson from the character of Kamal in this movie and never allow suspicion to creep in your significant relationships.

Aap Ki Kasam is an emotional family drama directed by J.Om Prakash.It is the story of a married couple Kamal(Rajesh Khanna) and Sunita(Mumtaz). Kamal is very possessive about Sunita.Initially they are happy in their marriage,but until cupid strikes.Kamal starts suspecting an affair between his wife and his close friend Mohan(Sanjeev Kumar),which is not true. This creates a rift between both of them.One day,Kamal sees a man running out from his house compound and misunderstands him to be his wife's lover.This acts as the final blow in their already strained relationship. She leaves home and later both of them get divorced.Later,Kamal gets to know the truth,but he is too late now.Why and what happens next forms the plot of the remaining portion of the story.

The film is a remake of a Malayalam film Vaazhve Mayam.The story is good, but the screenplay of the movie is very bad.The film is no sugary tale of happy endings,and that is good for a change.J.Om Prakash's direction is average.The music by R.D.Burman is good,but the songs 'suno kaho', and 'paas nahin aana' could have been done away with.But still they are good songs.The editing could have been crisper.The cinematography is average.The lyrics and dialogues are good.

Coming to the performances,Sanjeev Kumar stands out.He is very good and gives a very realistic performance as always.Rajesh Khanna is also very good.Mumtaz gives a very good performance.The supporting cast comprising of Rehman,Ranjeet,Dina Pathak,Ruby Myers,Ranjeet,Lolita Chatterjee, Asrani,Satyen Kappu,Jayshree.T.,Keshto Mukherjee,Murad,A.K.Hangal, Sunder, all of them have acted well.The film should have concentrated more on the post-marriage plot and the movie could have been shorter.

On the overall,the movie is an above average movie.The story is very good but hasn't been treated well.

Kamal is a small town guy who also has a lot of respect during his days as a youth. This plot somehow connects to the time when his friend Mohan Babu offers him a job and place to live which he willingly takes up but has always been stuck there in his mind. Sunita is a well off , beautiful and open minded girl who gets along with Mohan Babu in a very casual neighbor relation. Here the plot on Mohan Babu who has a disturbed marriage has been used as the seed that makes Kamal dubious about the closeness between his wife and Mohan Babu as a close possibility. He is mystified by the mistrust building up inside him and his manhood relents to get him out of the zone. The Story quickly takes a steep turn when he is faced with reality again pitching in the negative side of Kamal thereby filling him with a sense of regret and failure. He finally is able to fill his regrets when he dies in the arms of his own daughter and touching the feet of his ex-wife Sunita.