Anand
With tears flowing, I finished one of the most infamous classics of Bollywood and OH MY GOD, What a beauty this movie is! Each scenes feel like it's been woven with so many emotions and I haven't felt such waves of strong emotions while watching a movie.
The plot is simple and we all know how it would eventually end as well, but the beauty behind it lies mostly in the emotions filled dialogues and great screenplay by Gulzar, soul stirring performances by both Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan and a fantastic direction by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Rajesh Khanna as Anand Sehgal brings his enthusiasm and witty charm in every scene, just like his name in the movie brings joy and happiness that seeps through your soul. He embodies the soul and heart of the movie, a guy who stays with you forever, leaving an imprint in your soul for the rest of your life. A brutal contradiction with how a person with limited time in a hopeless situation exudes so much more life and hope not just for himself but everyone around him. As much as he tries to spread happiness around, he will still hide his pain without batting an eye.Johnny Walker's dialogue perfectly captures his character "Dukh Apne Liye Rakh, "Anand" Sab Ke Liye". Absolutely won me over with this role.
Amitabh Bachchan as the Dr. Bhaskar Banergee plays great second lead to the movie. A stoic doctor whose life hits a hurricane when he runs into Anand. His chemistry with Anand makes this movie so much beautifully painful. You see change in him internally as he spends more time with Anand and the way his character arc slowly reaches an end left me destroyed. His acting at the end left a truly deep impact on me and reassured me, why this man is celebrated and respected till this day.
The side cast is spectacular and Gulzar's dialogues and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's story keeps pushing that dagger in your chest before slashing your heart when the movie ends. Such beautiful interactions are what makes this movie so emotionally powerful without making any random plot shifts.
In the end, the movie had me bawling my eyes and my head hurts as I write this review, What a phenomenal movie and truly a gem of the golden age of Indian Cinema. Love it deeply!!