Aradhana

Aradhana review :

I first saw Aradhana in early 80s on DD National. The film made an overnight superstar out of Rajesh Khanna and Kaka, as he was lovingly called, ruled Bollywood for full five years (1969 to 1973) delivering fifteen consecutive hits in a row. A still unbroken record!!

While I loved Aradhana in general, there were a few factors which made me watch it again and again :

First and foremost, the Mere Sapnon ki Rani song, with its lively tune and excellent picturisation. The handsome Rajesh Khanna (with friend Sujit Kumar) in the jeep flirting with the gorgeous Sharmila Tagore aboard the Darjeeling train defines romance for me. Super!

Second, the Roop tera mastana number when in a weak moment, Rajesh and Sharmila consummate their love which doesn't end up in marriage due to Khanna's death and instead ends up with Tagore mothering his child who grows up to be Rajesh Khanna again (double role, o yea!). The sensuality of the song and Kishore Kumar's voice make it unforgettable. Erotica redefined!!

Last but not the least, Sharmila Tagore herself, who has never looked more beautiful. Her character going from a youngster to an old mamma gives her ample scope to perform and she's earnest and sincere. I fell in love with her Aradhana so much that I hated that villain Manmohan for making unwanted passes at her.

For me, Sharmila was Aradhana and everything else about it was just an icing on the cake for me. Kaka included!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Aradhana is surely one of the best Hindi movies ever made with scintillating music by S.D Burman & RDB(uncredited).

The film belongs to sharmila tagore who has given one of her career finest performances. It has a strong storyline, lovely locales, great performances & out of the world music. It is ably directed by shakti shamantha.

However, the movie is remembered & will be remembered forever for 1 main reason - the advent of the superstar Rajesh Khanna. From the opening song "sapnon ke rani" till the climax, he stays in your heart. The charm, the style, the gait, the performance - simply superb.

The movies was a pioneering one in many ways :- 1. It resurrected the career of kishore kumar 2. "Roop tera mastana" happens to be the only song in Indian cinema which was shot in a single take.

3. The finest album by SDB But above all, it gave India its greatest's super star Rajesh Khanna

Let me start by saying that this is a masterpiece and arguably Rajesh Kahnna's best film ever along with Anand. The music is legendary and this was also Kishore Kumars comeback movie after actor Om Prakash had cursed him because Kishore would not act in his m ovie. The story about a girl (Sharmila) who falls in love with an army afficer (Rajesh Khanna) who dies while leaving her pregnant was unique in Bollywood. Especially the entry of her son after approx 20 years (also Rajesh Khanna) and the moving climax. I love classic movies and watch black and white movies regularly. Big was my surprise when i saw the movie TO EACH HIS OWN - a black and white gem of a movie in which a girl gets pregnant by an army officer who dies, she has to give up the child and meets him approx 20 years later. But believe it or not the climax of this movie is even better than Aradhana and they don't even use a song like Chanda Hai Tu. You must watch this gem of a movie.

This block buster movie discovered an Indian superstar. Thereafter, Rajesh Khanna instantaneously became a phenomenon. Movie after movie of his, hit on the box office and it seemed as if there is no stop to it. It was the first time that the screen idol - Dilip Kumar felt a real shock to his fame and his aura being eclipsed.

Aradhana was not only a milestone for Rajesh Khanna, but as a playback singer - Kishore Kumar became the most sought after singer with the legendary success of the peppy song "Mere Sapnoon ki Rani kab aye gi tu". The quixotic appeal of Rajesh Khanna reached its zenith in this superbly directed and choreographed film. Shakti Samantha extracted the best out of a young entrant (Rajesh Khanna) in film industry. Although, Rajesh did as many as four films before this flick but no momentous success came to his way. The same success befell on Sharmila Tagore, as well and she also won real acclaim, although she had acted as an old grey haired lady in the closing half hour of the movie.

Fantastic music and a dashing leading man aside, the main reason why Aradhana works is perhaps because of the wonderful story line and direction. Though this movie is more often remembered for shooting Rajesh Khanna into the big league, its Sharmila Tagore's subdued portrayal of Vandana Tripathi that stays with you. She richly deserved her Filmfare award for Best actress for this role. Farida Jalal and Madan Puri too chip in with good supporting performances. But of course the real winner here is the music, chart busters all of them. Must watch to know what Bollywood was once capable of yielding before inanities set in.