Khamoshi

"Khamoshi" is a psychological tale which harbours somewhere between the Stockholm syndrome and the hunter eventually becoming the hunted.

"Khamoshi" belongs to Waheeda Rehman, period. Not two ways to that. Just about nursing her broken heart in realm of questioning the virtue of thankless job and grudges against the ungrateful world, her life as a nurse gets thrown into a quagmire when a patient bearing similarities to her former lover turns up in the rehab ward leading to the dilemma of duty versus obligation. The finer nuances used to communicate the whirlpool of emotions insides her and yet holding the reigns deserve a standing ovation.

For Rajesh Khanna "Khamoshi" was an opportunity of a lifetime that could have won him accolades endless. Sadly he is completely out-of-character to the extent of being termed as miscast. Dharmendra's role can be categorised as "blink-and-miss" though bears a lasting impact in the narrative.

Nasir Hussain, Iftekaar, Lalita Pawar lend adequate support. Anwar Hussain and Deven Varma attempt to humour but sadly works against the narrative. The initial reels and the relief moments should have been done away with. More footage was warranted to showcase the bonding between the nurse with the patient(s). The plot is solid intellectual and the narrative is loaded with references to Freud which makes the content non-succulent therefore not appealing to general audience.

Hand over heart, the sole reason I watched "Khamoshi" were the melodious songs which have been haunting me since my childhood. "Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi", "Humne Dekhi Hain", "Tum Pukaar Lo" - the credit for the immemorial classics goes to soulful composition by Hemant Kumar to the gems penned by Gulzar. If you haven't watched it, your best bet is to start off by listening to the songs and be rest assured you'll be drawn to a dimension of silence whose decibels have the power to awaken the manifestation of metaphysical within.

Waheeda Rehman has acted supernaturally in this movie. She sure knows how to hold an audience and make them use their lachrymal glands again and again. I would rate her as one of her kind, and this movie is an excellent example other than Kagaz Ke Phool.

********** Stars

A powerful insight into the strain put on a nurse (Waheeda Rehman) as she uses 'experimental' treatment methods to save a patient from tumbling into the abyss of madness using trust, dedication & affection as her only tools she combats desperation, paranoia, & animosity. Her patient unable to express his feelings to a woman who mistreated him by lulling him into web of deceit, where she uses him for his talents then discards him. The nurse tries in vain to convince the woman responsible for the affliction her patient suffers from that she is needed for his rehabilitation only to be admonished by the head of the hospital saying that she cannot solve societies problems even though society seems to be responsible for the constant stream of patients the hospital receives. This draws her down a spiralling staircase of depression as she is told to forget/deny her true feelings for a patient under her treatment which ultimately leads to her demise as she remains forced into silence (Khamoshi) instead of venting the emotions that she feels for the man that she loves...

An exquisite soundtrack from Hemant Kumar (composer & producer) along with songs such as Tum pukar lo.. (Hemant Kumar & Kishore Kumar) & Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi (Kishore Kumar) make this film an enduring classic which stands the test of time.

"Khamoshi" tells the story of a nurse Waheeda Rehman who is used by her Doctor, Nasir Hussein to test his theory on the treatment of male mental patients by showering love on them by female nurses. He conveniently ignores the fact that the nurse herself might fall in love with the patient. After successfully treating Dharmendra, Nasir wants Waheeda to treat Rajesh Khanna . She refuses as she had fallen in love with Dharmendra - who considered Waheeda only as a good nurse and wed his girlfriend, shattering Waheeda. But Nasir pressurizes her to take up the case of Rajesh Khanna. She tries to remain aloof from Rajesh but finds herself being drawn towards him. She cannot express her feelings to him as she is forced to accept that she is performing just a job. The "khamosh" feelings play havoc and she herself turns mad. She shrieks at the Doctor and tells him that she had not acted but had really loved Rajesh Khanna. Tragically, only by becoming mad was Waheeda able to remove the veil of "Khamoshi" on her feelings. The climax deeply pains & touches the viewer's heart.

Khamoshi, one of the great classics of Hindi cinema, revolves around Waheeda and its her best performance ever. With Dharmendra she is gay & chirpy, but with Rajesh she is sad & aloof, her eyes betraying the pain of unrequited love and foreseeing the impending doom. Gulzar's exquisite lyrics were beautifully composed by Hemant. The haunting music & beautifully etched performances linger on. It is a remake of a Bengali film "Deep Jale Jaaye" starring Suchitra Sen, directed by Asit Sen.

I will rate it 9 out of 10

This is an outstanding movie about the life of a nurse at a mental rehab centre. Extremely good performances from all concerned with the movie. The movie really evokes emotions that you though didn't exist. Add to that the excellent soundtrack and you have a masterpiece on your hands.