Hat tip to Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar for pulling off a meaningful film based on friendship and betrayal, against the backdrop of capitalism vs. trade unionism, sans overt romancing and singing that was the hallmark of the early 70's, all with some top commercial stars of the era! Flawless in execution, tracing the emotional arc of the two protagonists, Vicky and Somu.
Amitabh as Vicky is intense and possessive. Rajesh as Somu/ Chander is exuberant and people-friendly. The emotional bond between them transcends mellow understanding of each others needs, it covers the gamut. It would be insultingly incestuous to call this bond 'brotherly'. If this movie were made in contemporary times high voltage passion bordering on obsession would be central to the Vicky-Somu relationship!
Vicky has faced the biggest humiliation of his life to date from the union leader Hangal. He flies from Bombay to Delhi and waits in Chander's bedroom to unburden. And Chander, stricken to see Vicky in tears, decides to 'infiltrate' the trade union and dethrone the leader. Later, one night, covered in an old blanket, Vicky pays Somu a visit in his basti. His fleeting reactions on seeing Somu flirt with the neighbor's girl (Rekha) should be seen to understand the depth of his feelings. The most poignant yet understated scene comes towards the end of the movie, where Vicky is grateful to his friend (Simi) for her ability to understand the transformation in Somu while he himself is unable to grapple with it!
If all of the above is not obsessive love, what is? When movies of those times shied away from showing kissing/ bedroom scenes even between a man-woman how could they have shown one between two men? Plus a man-man relationship had full societal sanction as long as any sexual attraction was shrouded in 'total denial'. While we know not if this was the director's intention there is more than mere sub-text in this movie, to suggest deep love transcending teh platonic between the two characters. And I say this in a noble way not judgmental, not fantasizing.
In contrast, Vicky's feelings for Simi are unshakably platonic, even though she harbors a romantic interest. Somu's flirting with Rekha does not culminate in any more intimacy either. It was the height of irony to watch the two scenes where both Amitabh and Rekha (who reportedly engaged in a real life romantic relationship a few years later!) grief strickenly watch their common object of love (Rajesh) who is in pain!
Asrani, Hangal, Manmohan, Raza Murad and Om Shivpuri lend strong support, making their characters credible. RD Burman's music has 3 chartbusters sung by Kishore and picturized on Rajesh Khanna. The mujra song however is utterly forgettable. The sequence was unnecessary as well, and probably added on for commercial reasons only. One of the reasons why I did not give the movie a 10 star rating.
Both Amitabh and Rajesh have 'lead' roles. Since Rajesh was a bigger star at the time, Amitabh was billed a supporting actor. While both give flawless performances, Amitabh does make the bigger impact of the two. His brooding role tinged with sorrow, the lower expectations attached to him at the time, that he was present in both the first and last frames of the movie, may all have contributed to this impact.
Amitabh as Vicky is intense and possessive. Rajesh as Somu/ Chander is exuberant and people-friendly. The emotional bond between them transcends mellow understanding of each others needs, it covers the gamut. It would be insultingly incestuous to call this bond 'brotherly'. If this movie were made in contemporary times high voltage passion bordering on obsession would be central to the Vicky-Somu relationship!
Vicky has faced the biggest humiliation of his life to date from the union leader Hangal. He flies from Bombay to Delhi and waits in Chander's bedroom to unburden. And Chander, stricken to see Vicky in tears, decides to 'infiltrate' the trade union and dethrone the leader. Later, one night, covered in an old blanket, Vicky pays Somu a visit in his basti. His fleeting reactions on seeing Somu flirt with the neighbor's girl (Rekha) should be seen to understand the depth of his feelings. The most poignant yet understated scene comes towards the end of the movie, where Vicky is grateful to his friend (Simi) for her ability to understand the transformation in Somu while he himself is unable to grapple with it!
If all of the above is not obsessive love, what is? When movies of those times shied away from showing kissing/ bedroom scenes even between a man-woman how could they have shown one between two men? Plus a man-man relationship had full societal sanction as long as any sexual attraction was shrouded in 'total denial'. While we know not if this was the director's intention there is more than mere sub-text in this movie, to suggest deep love transcending teh platonic between the two characters. And I say this in a noble way not judgmental, not fantasizing.
In contrast, Vicky's feelings for Simi are unshakably platonic, even though she harbors a romantic interest. Somu's flirting with Rekha does not culminate in any more intimacy either. It was the height of irony to watch the two scenes where both Amitabh and Rekha (who reportedly engaged in a real life romantic relationship a few years later!) grief strickenly watch their common object of love (Rajesh) who is in pain!
Asrani, Hangal, Manmohan, Raza Murad and Om Shivpuri lend strong support, making their characters credible. RD Burman's music has 3 chartbusters sung by Kishore and picturized on Rajesh Khanna. The mujra song however is utterly forgettable. The sequence was unnecessary as well, and probably added on for commercial reasons only. One of the reasons why I did not give the movie a 10 star rating.
Both Amitabh and Rajesh have 'lead' roles. Since Rajesh was a bigger star at the time, Amitabh was billed a supporting actor. While both give flawless performances, Amitabh does make the bigger impact of the two. His brooding role tinged with sorrow, the lower expectations attached to him at the time, that he was present in both the first and last frames of the movie, may all have contributed to this impact.