Abhimaan

Hrishikesh Mukherjee made this masterpiece of Indian cinema three years after the equally marvelous "Anand".

More than just a reflection of man's ego, his fall from grace, eventual defeat, surrender and redemption, it is a fine glimpse of the delicate balance and intricate nuances of marriage, and of course, extra-marital relationships. Subir, himself a successful singer, is unable to digest his wife Uma's rising fame and its slow eclipsing of his own career. He crumbles under the weight of his misguided ego and misplaced pride.

The mythological underpinnings of this film are simply superb. Chandru (played so well by Asrani) says that he's not just Subir's manager, but more like a brother! But even the sane, balanced Laxman can't save Rama from life's inevitable follies. He leaves when insulted by Subir, who then takes aim at Uma and casts aspersion on her integrity, her morality and even her dignity. The interchange between Chitra, the other woman (played by Bindu) and Uma is unusual -- there's no acrimony or jealousy, just unconditional love. If you truly love someone, you must be able to accommodate all their faults and forgive! Shyam may not belong to both Radha and Mira, but surely both have equal right to love him!! That is so incredible. Chitra once calls him 'Subi', she retains the right to use a before-marriage nickname. But what about the wife...?

The cinematography, the editing and of course S D Burman's rendering of each song into a heavenly ode, is just incomparable. Jaya and Amitabh soar to such heights in this movie, they are hard to surpass. The shots where she is singing, framed by the microphones (imprisoned by Subir?!) and those of Subir talking to CHitra, looming large in the foreground, seemingly taller than his own ego, are just great.

Hrishi-da fans will recall Guddi, Bawarchi, Gol Maal, Mili (a gem) and Khubsoorat, made in the 1970s. Along with Basu-da (Basu Chatterjee) and Shakti-da (Shakti Samanta), this golden era of Hindi cinema sadly came to an end in mid-80s, after giving audiences many memorable films, some of which also became all-time hits.

It has been 30+ years since Abhimaan, and 30+ viewings later, it still holds the same charm as always. A truly evergreen film.

What can be said about this old time classic movie? Perhaps it can be described as one of the best movies that I can remember watching in Bangalore with my parents thirty six years back and even that after I had heard that Amitabh Bachchan had got married to Jaya Bhaduri. Watching this film, made me remember those childhood days. A professional singer, whose career is soaring, marries a girl from a village, who has learnt singing from her father and whose career, he takes care of. But then his begins to falter and leads to jealousy.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Asrani, David Abraham, Bindu, Durga Khote and A.K. Hangal, this is superbly directed by the late Hrishikesh Mukherjee, while the music is by S.D. Burman I still remember watching Bindu as a vamp in many of the films before this and it made a change to see her in a role, which could have led her to be the "other woman" in this, but she didn't and this made a difference in the story. Amitabh as the husband who becomes jealous is just superb and since this was released after "Zanjeer," he was by then very well known. Jaya Bhaduri was also perfectly cast as are Asrani and David Abraham.

The music by S.D. Burman is beyond any doubt as the best for this type of film and the songs – all of them are memorable even after thirty six years and while listening to and watching them, I was able to sing along, which nowadays is extremely rare to do so as many of the tunes are not so memorable. As the lyricist, Javed Akhtar, said recently, it is very rare to hear such tunes nowadays.

It's a shame that films such as "Abhimaan" are no longer being made and if they are, they wouldn't do very well as times have changed, peoples taste have also changed and they will keep on doing so even after you, the reader, and I are no longer around.

This is one of my all time favorite films. Amitabh plays the young heartthrob Subir Kumar - a famous pop singer - and he pulls it off with great panache and style. I saw the film as a young teenager and fell in love with the "Meet Naa Mila Re Man Ka" persona immediately! On a trip to a village he meets a young girl Uma (Jaya Bhaduri) and is mesmerized by her innocence and her singing. There is a quick romance and marriage and the happy couple are back in the glamor life of Bombay. Subir wants him and Uma to sing together and make a successful career. But a storm is brewing and we hear the veteran David remarking to someone that Uma is way more talented and this would be a mistake leading to a rift in the marriage. The predicted rift occurs when Subir's ego cannot swallow the fact that Uma is considered better, offered more assignments. Uma is heartbroken, pregnant and goes back to the village.. The ending is predictable but very very sweet.

Amitabh gives a dynamite performance, first as the heartthrob, then as the lover and finally as the egotistical husband. I rate this as one of his finest performances, way better and nuanced than those endless angry young man roles he bored us with. But the film belongs to Jaya - she does the whole gamut from innocent young girl, to lover, to rejected wife in one of the most realistic performances ever seen. Jaya had true talent that did not rely on mere looks - she shone in almost every film, but this is a tour de force. The supporting cast of Mr. David, AK Hangal, Bindu, Asrani all shine, making this a well acted excellent film. The story, dialogs are superb, the direction is fantastic. The music is by Sachin Dve Burman - and the maestro concocts divine music. ALL songs are true gems but particular standouts are "Meet Na Mila Re", "Nadiya Kinare", "Tere Mere Milan Ki Ye Raina". Hrishikesh Mukherjee proves yet again that he is a master director - even within the trappings of a celebrity life style and glamor he gives us a most realistic film. Abhimaan is worth many a repeat watch.. and touches me every time.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Abhimaan is a beautiful story involving many aspects of marriage, success and competition between close and related. When it happens between a husband and his wife, it's evident that it's gonna be a troubled relationship. In short, Amitabh Bachchan is a popular singer who falls for and marries a young and talented girl who can also sing. Post marriage, she finds her own success as a singer and soon surpasses his own. And that's when the problems begin. These problems are called envy, pride, ego (or hurt thereof), anger, and the destructive results of such feelings.

This is quite reflective of the real state of these artists at that point of time. While Amitabh was still struggling to pave his way to the top, Jaya was already a leading lady. Amitabh is excellent in his performance and brings forth the character's feelings effectively. He is quite tailor made for such roles, which are not overblown and are far more demanding and impressive than the AYM (angry young man) roles he would later play. But the real winner is Jaya, who is wonderfully understated. She is first a bubbly young girl, then a shy newly-married bride, then a successful yet humble artist, then a woman who intelligently understands her husband's feelings and despair and takes a firm decision, then a suffering wife who bears the brunt of her husband's envy and anger. She goes through it all, and blows it out of the park every time out by just living her character's struggle. An unusually different performance it must be noted comes from the part of Bindu, whose character is surprisingly warmhearted and lovely.

Abhimaan is a fine movie of 1973, and the way it was made, treated by the filmmaker and acted, makes it a must-watch for every cine-goer. It is only two hours long, an exception in Hindi cinema and as expected by a great director like Mukherjee, whose films are always realistic and balanced, never goes overboard.

This is a lovely little movie with really strong performances by Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri and the rest of the cast. It's about love, envy and understanding the dynamics of a relationship.

The film is beautifully and minimally directed, and the music is also lovely - my favourite is 'Bindiya'. The movie moves at a very nice pace, and the chemistry between Bachchan and Bhaduri is excellent and compelling. I understand this film was made around the time of their marriage, and it shows. They are adorable as a young couple in love who are torn apart by the vagaries of fame and success.

Jaya Bhaduri's subtle but comprehensive performance in this film is wonderful - for me, she is the star of this movie - the way she expresses herself with her eyes is powerful. Amitabh Bachchan supports her excellently with a nuanced and understated portrayal of his tragic character. Asrani is good too, I love the scene where he shows her the 'chhoti chhoti' socks.

I love the ending of this movie... redemption and rediscovery is so sweet! A satisfying and mature Bollywood movie.