आराधना

Aradhana review :

I first saw Aradhana in early 80s on DD National. The film made an overnight superstar out of Rajesh Khanna and Kaka, as he was lovingly called, ruled Bollywood for full five years (1969 to 1973) delivering fifteen consecutive hits in a row. A still unbroken record!!

While I loved Aradhana in general, there were a few factors which made me watch it again and again :

First and foremost, the Mere Sapnon ki Rani song, with its lively tune and excellent picturisation. The handsome Rajesh Khanna (with friend Sujit Kumar) in the jeep flirting with the gorgeous Sharmila Tagore aboard the Darjeeling train defines romance for me. Super!

Second, the Roop tera mastana number when in a weak moment, Rajesh and Sharmila consummate their love which doesn't end up in marriage due to Khanna's death and instead ends up with Tagore mothering his child who grows up to be Rajesh Khanna again (double role, o yea!). The sensuality of the song and Kishore Kumar's voice make it unforgettable. Erotica redefined!!

Last but not the least, Sharmila Tagore herself, who has never looked more beautiful. Her character going from a youngster to an old mamma gives her ample scope to perform and she's earnest and sincere. I fell in love with her Aradhana so much that I hated that villain Manmohan for making unwanted passes at her.

For me, Sharmila was Aradhana and everything else about it was just an icing on the cake for me. Kaka included!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

This is story of devotion and sacrifice.

Sharmila Tagore did an outstanding job in this. Be it a mother or a lover, she was graceful in every avatar.

The music of maestro Sachin dev Barman was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.

This block buster movie discovered an Indian superstar. Thereafter, Rajesh Khanna instantaneously became a phenomenon. Movie after movie of his, hit on the box office and it seemed as if there is no stop to it. It was the first time that the screen idol - Dilip Kumar felt a real shock to his fame and his aura being eclipsed.

Aradhana was not only a milestone for Rajesh Khanna, but as a playback singer - Kishore Kumar became the most sought after singer with the legendary success of the peppy song "Mere Sapnoon ki Rani kab aye gi tu". The quixotic appeal of Rajesh Khanna reached its zenith in this superbly directed and choreographed film. Shakti Samantha extracted the best out of a young entrant (Rajesh Khanna) in film industry. Although, Rajesh did as many as four films before this flick but no momentous success came to his way. The same success befell on Sharmila Tagore, as well and she also won real acclaim, although she had acted as an old grey haired lady in the closing half hour of the movie.

A fairly conventional melodrama plot, but some nice parallel moments, almost shot for shot when scenes are repeated involving father and son (both played by Rajesh Khanna.) I liked him more as the father than as the son. A celebrated role for Sharmila Tagore as well. Her make-up goes through an evolution as her character ages. I got kind of obsessed with her eyeliner that resembles cat-eye glasses without the glasses. My real reason for watching this was the music. Again, the stagings don't seem that original (easy to say, 50 years later!) but the songs, the orchestrations and singing are quite nice. But of course, I don't understand Hindi...

Aradhana is both an entertaining and touching film. It has romance, love, dedication, but most importantly it's about the sacrifice of a mother for her child. The film has been known as one of the greatest classics of mainstream Hindi cinema, and it's easy to see why. It had a beautiful Sharmila Tagore, it had Rajesh Khanna making his first steps towards stardom, it had some fantastic songs (well, how can one forget "Roop Tera Mastana" and "Mere Sapno Ki Rani"?), and above-all, a very memorable story that carried the whole concept of humanity and love. I think these are the aspects that made the film unforgettable, although I think it could have been left without some overly melodramatic sequences.

It's frankly puzzling to me that die-hard fans of Rajesh Khanna write very biased comments here about the film being a Rajesh Khanna film, about him stealing the show etc., when actually it's clear that the film belongs to Sharmila Tagore completely. She is a lovely actress - beautiful, dignified, and she was convincing as both the young lady and the old mother, though clearly it's not her best role. The entire cast makes great appearances, from Khanna to Farida Jalal. The moments towards the end when the truth is revealed were very emotional and moving. This may be the film's highlight, which made up for its flaws. This one is a memorable picture, a picture that I feel many would enjoy watching.