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.

Why Rajnigandha is a cult classic?

A movie which never in its entire film length made me laugh or cry. But I just couldn't take my eyes off from its simplicity. Superb starcast, fresh ofcourse in 1974. No unnecessary infused humor. Simple storytelling at its very best.

Vidya Sinha's frustration can be felt throughout. She is most beautiful yet Simple heroine ever captured by camera in a Saree.

One woman, one lover and an ex flame. This beautiful movie will be with you always . That's Basuda's magic. Two songs both classic.

Just watch it in one go and keep your kids and mobile aside for two hours...

Review By Kamal K

Nothing great about this film but still there is something so contemporary about this film that it somehow doesn't feel like a story specific to 70s India. The actors are fine. Both the leads have nothing great to offer except that they are quite decent. This movie,as it went along,grew on me. At the start,I didn't find the film good and the mediocre production quality didn't help as well. But as the story progresses and Vidya Sinha goes for a job interview in Bombay then the story becomes watchable and interesting as well.

The inclination and the strong pull towards reliving the past (which maybe painful but incredibly seductive) with her first love as compared to the relatively mundane yet trustworthy and reliable present is the primary focus of the film which is done is a very neat manner in the film especially considering that the film was made in the 70s. And in that respect,it was a film ahead of its time in relation to the themes, characters, some dialogues, techniques (although an inarguably poor production quality with some qustionable cinematography). I really liked the idea of freeze frames which is was really a new thing in Indian cinema. Surprisingly,I enjoyed the music in the film quite a bit as well as the song towards the end of the film. But all said,this was nowhere near to Basu Chatterjee's best film but still a good watch.

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.

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.