Silsila

"Silsila" is a Bollywood film directed by Yash Chopra and released in 1981. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan, and Rekha in lead roles, the movie explores themes of love, relationships, and societal expectations.

"Silsila" revolves around the complex love triangle between Amit (Amitabh Bachchan), his wife Shobha (Jaya Bachchan), and his former lover Chandni (Rekha). The story unfolds as Amit and Chandni meet again after a long separation and find their feelings for each other rekindling. However, they are bound by their commitments to their respective spouses, leading to a tumultuous emotional journey as they struggle with their desires and societal norms.

One of the most notable aspects of "Silsila" is its stellar cast. Amitabh Bachchan delivers a remarkable performance as a man torn between his loyalty to his wife and his passionate love for another woman. Jaya Bachchan brings depth and vulnerability to her portrayal of Shobha, showcasing the pain and turmoil she experiences as she tries to hold her crumbling marriage together. Rekha, on the other hand, shines as Chandni, depicting a strong-willed and independent woman who is unable to let go of her love for Amit.

The film is known for its soulful and melodious soundtrack composed by Shiv-Hari, with lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar. Songs like "Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum," "Dekha Ek Khwaab," and "Rang Barse" have become iconic and continue to be popular even today.

Yash Chopra's direction in "Silsila" is noteworthy, as he skillfully handles the delicate subject matter and captures the emotional nuances of the characters. The film's cinematography and picturesque locations add to its visual appeal.

However, "Silsila" received mixed reactions upon its release, as it delved into a controversial topic that was rumored to mirror the real-life love triangle between Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, and Rekha. The film's unconventional ending also divided audiences, with some appreciating its boldness, while others found it unsatisfying.

Overall, "Silsila" is a poignant and thought-provoking film that explores the complexities of love, loyalty, and societal expectations. It stands as a significant contribution to Indian cinema, showcasing the talents of its stellar cast and the directorial finesse of Yash Chopra. If you enjoy romantic dramas with emotional depth and captivating performances, "Silsila" is definitely worth a watch.

This film is amazing in so many ways. Acting, chemistry of Rekha and Amitabh, songs and the beautiful scenery. I discovered this film from the song Dekha Ek Khwab, which was also originally mentioned in the Netflix documentary The Romantics. I wonder why the film didn't do well in the box office. The only thing I'm doing to say is that the ending could have been better. Shobhas character is shown to be dependent on Shekhar and marries her younger brother as she is becoming a mother. I feel like this part makes no sense because you should be able to show a woman that she can be independent. And the ending could have been better. Instead of showing Amits character going back to Shobha because she is expecting again, they should have shown that they parted ways and that Amit goes back to Chandni.

People call Lamhe Yash Chopra's biggest risk but in my opinion Silsila was his biggest risk. That is because with Silsila he tried to make us feel sorry for adulterers Amitabh and Rekha. He succeeds in achieving that, we as the audience are made to feel that they are not bad people and it is more of a case of unfortunate circumstances. That is one problem I had with KANK, they way it was written I failed to garner any sympathy for Shah Rukh and Rani and that is a major flaw.Amitabh and Rekha are lovers but Amitabh marries his deceased brother's wife who is carrying his child leaving lover Rekha heartbroken. They actually try to forget about each other but fate has other plans for them and they are soon reunited.

The music, as per usual in a Yash Chopra production is exceptional and perhaps the music he has had in any of his movies. My favourites are either Dekha ek khwab or the holi classic Rang Barse. Speaking of Rang Barse I love the acting of Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachan in that song. When the song starts they are happy with Amitabh's and Rekha dancing together but towards the end they start to get insecure, such great acting. Now onto the acting, Amitabh,Jaya Bachan,Rekha and even Sanjeev Kumar were all exceptional.

When released it flopped but made its money back through reruns. Apparently people were unhappy about the fact that after Amitabh spends all the movie thinking about Rekha when they do run away together he ends up going back to his wife. That in my opinion was Yash Chopra's only fault and yet I still enjoy throughly despite the ending. After this movie was released rumours started to circulate that Amitbah and Rekha did have an affair during the filming of Silsila. I can't say whether it's true or not, its just some interesting trivia. In my opinion Silsila is the best Bollywood movie based on adultery and is miles better than Karan Johar's KANK.

I've been dreaming of watching Silsila since 1981 and recently it has come true. I read an annotation in CineBlitz and Yash Chopra's interview in one of the Russian newspapers and thus expected to see something outstanding. Unfortunately I was disappointed at the plot. Shobha turned out to be a 100% selfish person. Amit was striving for his happiness and love but did not have enough strength and courage to win. Chandni was tearing apart yet she made her choice however Amit betrayed her again... Yash Chopra challenged moral principles speaking about adultery but even here those principles (or maybe stereotypes??) were not broken. How happy Amit and Chandni were when dancing at the festival! Do they not deserve to be together? I think they do. And remember the last words of Amit that he has burned his love and that Shobha is his wife and he is her husband. Looks like there is no parallel between love and marriage. And that is sad. However I got a pleasure from watching the movie. Nice actors and tears-provoking acting but not good to watch second time due to the above said.

After the death of his elder brother, Amit finds out that his late brother's fiancée, Shobha, is pregnant. Taking pity on the devastated young woman, he decides to marry her, leaving behind the love of his life, Chandni. Chandni later marries a famous doctor. An accident during which Shobha loses her child and is taken care of by Chandni's husband, causes Amit and Chandni to meet again. There begins a new extramarital relationship between the two, through which the story deepens and grows.

This is Silsila, Yash Chopra's take on relationships and adultery in a modern 80s India. A romantic drama, it is quiet, serious and focused, and is shot beautifully like every other movie made by Chopra. What I particularly appreciated about this film was the matter-of-factness with which it was made and executed. There was not any overdone melodrama, no unnecessary subplots, and the writing did not go overboard. The story is simple to follow, the script and the characters are very well written, and the film is generally subtly made.

Chopra's portrayal of relationships is very well done. The dialogues are excellent. At times some proceedings were difficult to relate to or identify with, but who knows, maybe one should really be in a particular situation to understand its meaning and its effect on people at times of pressure. This is the reason I believed the story. Leaving the seriousness aside, as a film, Silsila is simply entertaining. It flows well, it is interesting, and is aided by several melodious and memorable songs composed by Shiv-Hari.

Rumour had it that Silsila was based on the true triangular story of Amitabh-Jaya-Rekha. Jaya Bhaduri is Bachchan's real-life wife and Rekha was rumoured to have been involved with him back then in an extramarital affair. This adds to the film's authenticity, but more than anything, the acting is natural to make it work the way it did. Bachchan is as great as always. Jaya Bhaduri is brilliant as his intelligent, sensible and smart wife Shobha, and displays her character's fear, strength and determination with great depth and conviction and as naturally as ever. Rekha gets less scope, yet she is wonderful in her restrained portrayal of Chandni. She is extremely beautiful and acts with grace.

Silsila has some other limited appearances by Shashi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar, the former being fine and the latter being exceptional. The main complaint with the film was its ending, but I quite liked it. The viewers must have been torn between two probable versions. The reason behind Amit's decision was a bit unjustifiable, but anyway, this is one of the better and more interesting works of Yash Chopra. It is well written, directed and acted. I recommend.