Bobby

Review By Kamal K

It is perhaps because Bobby was so ahead of its time that the film - which introduced Bollywood to the concept of young romance - doesn't seem to have grown old even now. It set countless trends for films that failed to replicate even a fraction of the success that Bobby enjoyed. It took 15 long years for the Hindi film industry to come up with a young romance that could match Bobby in its freshness, innocence and impact - Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, in which Mansoor Khan launched his nephew Aamir Khan, and Juhi Chawla, as two star-crossed lovers who elope to escape their parents' wrath.

Rishi Kapoor, who made his debut in Bobby, has admitted that Aamir's debut, followed by that of the other two Khans - Salman and Shah Rukh, sounded the death knell for his stint as a romantic hero. As the Khans took over as romantic leads, Rishi had to take a backseat and reinvent himself for roles more suited for his age. However, he is proud of being instrumental in changing the tone, language and texture of Bollywood romances with Bobby. He pointed out that before Bobby, the hero and heroine were a man and a woman. But after Bobby, filmmakers and audience realised that the hero and heroine could also be a boy and a girl

This is the love story of a pretty, smart and headstrong Christian school-girl named Bobby, and a romantic, rich and well-mannered young man named Raj, who, unlike most of his contemporaries, prefers to sit at home and write poetry. He falls in love with her the first minute he meets her, and surprisingly enough, it does not look clichéd. The story shows how they start dating each other and how they later fight parental opposition.

Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia have great charisma. Yes, the performance was plausible but what makes it super is originally the casting. The two of them are real teens. Being in the right age for a romance was always a problem in movies. The bet at the newcomers here was right. Sadly I didn't see both of them as bright except very few times later. And last but not least, the direction by our showman Raj Kapoor. It was great; every scene is directed and edited with care, in order for the movie to be organized as well as entertaining. Some scenes made me cry. The character development is displayed well through the direction.

The hit song "Mein Shayar Tho Nahin" is composed perfectly...the lyrics are quite nice too. "Na Chahoon Sona Chandi" is quite entertaining, Manna Dey sings very nicely

The film's cinematography is effective, the editing is good as well, and the art direction is fantastic. The characters are well-written, and most importantly - the music is simply outstanding. All in all, Bobby was a trend-setter, and it still remains an all-time sensational and fresh love story, which will never look dated.

With 8 songs running for nearly an hour, Bobby definitely feels long when watching in 2024. A 16-year-old canoodling with a 19-year-old is also a thorn that sticks out of this hugely entertaining drama that has every reason to be called a classic. I am fascinated by Dimple Kapadia's performance here more than anyone else's as it's evident that she put her best into it, whether it's her dialogues or her dancing. Rishi Kapoor looks nervous in the initial sequences but he manages to match Kapadia's energy, and together they succeed in creating a film that's a love letter to today's lovebirds. Was heartening to see Aruna Irani and Farida Jalal as youngsters. A definitely great watch 50 years later.

The film Bobby is a love story of a rich boy and a poor girl which remains fresh for the generation of 1990s & 2000s too. The character Bobby pretends to be a 21st century girl which is based on prediction of the lifestyle of girls who would live after 27 years. The plot is about the misunderstanding between lovers in the first half and superiority and inferiority complex between parents of the lovers in the second half of the movie. It shows how parents get united due to the strong love between their children. Bobby is suitable for all ages as it shows multiple perspectives i.e, perspectives of both children and parents. So, do watch it to understand self and others.

A completely crazy Romeo and Juliet-style story about two teenagers, him rich and her poor, who fall head over heels for each other and defend their love against all adversity. Maybe not Raj Kapoor's best, but certainly interesting and groundbreaking for its time. This was actually the first Bollywood film I ever saw where it was clearly expressed (even though through a song and dance scene) that the pair was sleeping with each other - even more unusual as the couple consisted of two teenagers! Very Seventies in style with a severely overacting cast, but great fun nevertheless. In many ways a movie of a much freer and more uncompromising spirit than most Bollywood fare of today - but then, it was the Seventies...

"Bobby" is a fresh teenage love-story that has all the elements to make it a commercial, yet unique film.

Raja (Rishi Kapoor) is the son of a rich family. He was naughty in his childhood, and is sent to boarding school. He was never truly given the love of his own parents.

He grows up and comes back home. In his birthday party he catches a glimpse of Bobby (Dimple Kapadia). Raja is swept away, and for him, it's love at first sight.

Raja finds out that Bobby is the granddaughter of his governess Mrs. Briganza (Durga Khote). All his life, Raja had treated Mrs. Briganza more like his mother than his own mom, Sushma (Sonia Sahani). Bobby's dad is a fisherman named Jack Briganza (Prem Nath), who definitely likes his rum. He longs nothing more in the world than his daughter to be happy.

Raja and Bobby start to get to know each other better. And as they had suspected, they were soul mates. Now all they needed was permission to get married.

But they soon learn that the road may not be as smooth as they'd predicted. Raja's dad, Nath (Pran), has a lot of pride in his money and his "khandaan". Nath doesn't get along with Jack...and because of this, Raja and Bobby and prohibited from seeing each other.

But as the world knows, love has no boundaries...but in this case, could it be possible that Raja and Bobby can never be together? Was money that big of a deal? Or will it be a happy ending? Watch Bobby to find out!

I certainly loved this movie! The star cast was chosen nicely. Rishi Kapoor delivers a strong screen presence all while being pinch-my-cheek cute! Adorable I tell ya! Dimple Kapadia also looks cute in many scenes, and acts pretty good. Aruni Irani is wonderful in her role, and the character she played was expressed very well through her actions. Pran, well, what can I say? Akhir Pran hi tho hai! Woh hume kabhi disappoint nahin karega! Prem Nath acted nicely, and so did Durga Khote. Sonia Sahani had a small role, but she played it well to a nice extent. Farida Jalal had a significant special appearance. She played it perfectly.

The music! My god the music! Laxmikant-Pyarelal made beautiful evergreen tunes! The songs...the background music...everything was absolutely perfect. Well, except one thing. This is my opinion, but I didn't think there was any need to use Shailendra Singh for these marvelous songs. I think even more beauty could have been added to the songs if someone like Rafi, Kishore, or Mukesh had sung the songs. Besides, SS's voice didn't even suit Rishi that well.

I just have to talk about Lata of course! She once again proves how extremely flawlessly beautiful her voice is. When I finished watching the movie, her melodious voice continued to sing in my head. All the duets like "Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein", "Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai", and "Jhoot Bole Kauva Kaate" are sung perfectly by Lata. Her solo "Aye Phansa" is quite enjoyable too, it shows her versatility. Her one-line song, "Akhiyon Ko Rehne Do", is quite effective in the movie.

The hit song "Mein Shayar Tho Nahin" is composed perfectly...the lyrics are quite nice too. "Na Chahoon Sona Chandi" is quite entertaining, Manna Dey sings very nicely.

And last but not least, the direction by our showman Raj Kapoor. It was great, every scene is directed and edited with care, in order for the movie to be organized as well as entertaining. Some scenes made me cry. The character development is displayed well through the direction. One flaw though, and this is just my opinion. Sometimes the shorts/skirts for Dimple are just too short, and tended to give her a sleazy look. I was just waiting to see her in a pretty sari, but unfortunately I didn't get to see that.

But anyway, "Bobby" is definitely a classic. I give it a nine out of ten. Definitely worth watching.