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Ajnabee (1974) Reviews

Coming across a stranger damsel
Oct 29, 2011 05:43 AM 7142 Views

Late Gulshan Nanda was the numero uno Hindi pulp fiction writer during 1960-1990 period when cable TV and internet were not available and therefore, a huge market was there for pulp-fiction novels. Since Gulshan Nanda had good networking in Bollywood also and he wrote screenplays of many Bollywood flicks (converted his novels only into screenplays), it was famous about him that whenever a movie was made on any of his novels, he went to watch that movie and found the plot of his next novel in that movie itself.


The team of Gulshan Nanda (writer), Shakti Saamanta (director), R.D. Burman (music director) and Rajesh Khanna (hero) had earlier given a blockbuster movie - Kati Patang (1970). This team reassembled for Ajnabee (1974) but could not recreate the Kati Patang magic. Rajesh Khanna was no longer the superstar and heartthrob of young females by that time. He was facing the downslide in his career. And the music, though good, was not at par with that of Kati Patang. Still, the movie is a nice timepass and worth the viewer's time and money invested upon it.


Ajnabee (stranger) starts with a stranger girl, Sonia (Yogita Bali) arriving at a small railway station at night (while on her way to Mumbai) where Rohit (Rajesh Khanna) is the station master. She seeks his help as certain goons are after her to snatch the precious jewellery in her possession. Rohit allows her to stay in his quarter for the night before she is able to catch the next available train for Mumbai. Rohit tells her about his separated wife - Rashmi (Zeenat Aman) and thereafter finds himself lost in the sweet and bitter memories of the bygone days in which he had first come across a stranger damsel who was none other than Rashmi only, then fallen in love with her, then served in the timber estate of her father, then got married to her, then had tussles with her corrupt brother-in-law (Prem Chopra), then they had misunderstandings related to her aspiration to become a successful model and a sudden accident of hers resulting in her pregnancy miscarriage and finally he had taken a solemn vow to return back to his estranged wife only when he has earned enough money to give her the life-style she enjoyed prior to their marriage.


Since by this time, he has not been able to earn sufficient money to be considered a rich man, a thought occurs to his mind that why not usurp the jewellery of Sonia. But before he could take any (wrong) step to put his thought into action, police reaches him in his office and arrests him under the charge of Sonia's murder because she is found murdered in his quarter. He is acquitted in the end when the real culprit is exposed and his reunion with his loving wife, Rashmi also materializes.


Ajnabee's story is based on Gulshan Nanda's novel of the same title. Since I have read the novel also, let me apprise the readers of the fact that the final part of the story has been altered while adapting the novel for its celluloid version. And that's justified too because the novel has a tragic end which is definitely not digestible for the Indian movie buffs. Hence an ending on the lines of - 'And they lived happily thereafter' was mandatory to make a movie according to the taste of the Indian audience. And there is little doubt that the movie is better than the novel.


Ajnabee is not a great movie and as I have asserted above, it could not rise to the level of Kati Patang, the earlier venture of Shakti Saamanta-Gulshan Nanda-R.D. Burman-Rajesh Khanna (and Kishore Kumar as well) team. There are two different tracks of the story - the first one being a family drama track post the romance and the marriage of the lead pair and the second (smaller) one being a murder-mystery track. Definitely the romance and family drama track is a better one containing some good songs and a formula-based, yet interesting narrative. The murder-mystery inserted in the story does not intrigue because the villains are well-known to the audience.


Ajnabee was made in the time of the seventies when modelling was not considered a respectful profession for the ladies in India. Though it was the time when due to absence of television in India, models were not coming on the screen (except for some advertisements being shown in the movies-exhibiting theatres which were attached to the news-reel) and only photo-shoots were there whose outcomes (still pictures) were used for advertisements in the newspapers and magazines, nevertheless the typical Indian male psyche (spread to females too) was that modelling was a bad profession for the females of 'decent' families. And that's something which today's youthful audience may find difficult to relate to. Still, the hero of the movie is not a typical male-chauvinist and he is happy to see his wife enjoying her time being a model. The only thing is that he does not approve of her aborting her pregnancy for the sake of the modelling profession.


Producer-director Shakti Saamanta has brought all his experience into picture while directing this movie and that's why this movie is interesting for the major part of it. A sizable chunk of the narrative is in flashback which appears to be apt. Editing is good. Cinatography is satisfactory. Production value is according to the repute of Shakti Saamanta's banner. The fashion parade shown in the movie in which the heroine of the movie, Rashmi wins the crown, is very impressive.


R.D. Burman's music does not touch the heights of Kati Patang. Still the songs are quite good. Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, Meethi Meethi Baaton Mein, Aisi Barsaaton Mein is a very romantic rain song. Another Lata-Kishore romantic duet - Hum Dono Do Premi Duniya Chhod Chale is also well known. However the best song is Kishore Kumar's highly popular song - Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se Yun Mulaqaat Ho Gayi (this way I happened to meet a stranger damsel). The picturization of this song is also very romantic and hilarious with Rajesh Khanna demonstrating his peculiar romantic mannerisms. I remember singing this song for the audience in a get-together that had taken place at the IAS coaching institute at Delhi on 26.01.1997 (I was aiming for the Indian Civil Services those days and living in Delhi while preparing for the exam.). The nostalgic memories of that evening still haunt me because my singing of this song was highly applauded by the listeners.


Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman have done well and perfectly complimented each other. The supporting cast is routine.


I recommend this formula-based movie to the movie buffs for light entertainment in the style of the seventies. Since late Gulshan Nanda commanded a huge readership among the Hindi knowing Indians, I recommend this movie to those also who have read his novel - Ajnabee because, as I have said earlier, the movie is an improvement over the novel.


Super Star Rajesh Khanna
Jun 27, 2008 03:03 PM 4434 Views

AJANABEE - 1974 Rajesh Khanna hasn’t been one of my favorites, partly because his characters are often chest-beating male chauvinist types. Here too he portrays a struggling young man who is attracted to and marries a strong-willed, high-spirited heiress, only to resent her for missing the comforts of her former life and wishing for some success of her own. This ends in tears and recriminations, of course. But the film is saved by the nuances of the relationship between the two(a Samanta specialty). Khanna’s performance is very good—he is convincing as a man torn between his inborn values and the woman he adores, and Zeenat Aman as his wife Rashmi is no martyred push-over! And the songs by RD Burman are just brilliant; they include two “tribal” dances and several lovely romantic songs.


The film opens with Sonia(Yogita Bali) arriving at a rural train station at night, where she just misses the train to Bombay. She is distraught and confides in the stationmaster Rohit(Rajesh Khanna) that she is running away from her mother’s stepson, who wants to steal her mother’s expensive jewellery from her. He puts the case containing the jewellery into his office safe, and offers his quarters as a place for her to spend the night before the next morning train. She admires a painting on his wall, and he tells her that it was done by his wife Rashmi who has gone away. He says that they married for love: He makes sure Sonia is comfortable and returns to his office, where he loses himself in memories of meeting Rashmi on his way to his cousin’s wedding. He is on his motorbike, she is driving a Jeep and he prevents her from passing him. She finally manages to pull up next to him and admonishes him sharply for hogging the road. As they argue(although he is clearly smitten) her jeep runs out of gas and dies.


He offers to give her the fuel from his bike if she will give him a ride to the next gas station—she agrees, but drives off without him after he’s filled her tank. He gets a lift with a passing truck driver and they catch up with her; he scolds her for her behavior and then continues on his way in the truck. They meet again at his cousin’s wedding ceremonies since it turns out that Rashmi is one of his cousin’s closest friends. He sings “Ek Ajanabee Haseena Se”—a very pretty song which has that typical RD Burman sound. At the wedding itself, she then casts him a wink and a smile and the romance begins. She convinces her father to hire Rohit as the manager of their timber estates. She tells Rohit that she thinks her late sister’s husband Moti Babu(Prem Chopra) is cheating them and sure enough, Rohit discovers discrepancies in the accounts. Moti Babu devises a plot to get rid of Rohit by setting him up as a rapist.


The plot works and Rohit is run out of town after being whipped by Moti Babu, but Rashmi discovers that he was framed and goes after him. She tells him that she loves him and will give up everything for him, and they move to Bombay and get married(accompanied by another lovely song, “Hum Dono”). At this juncture, Rohit’s memories are interrupted by the arrival of two men claiming to be police inspectors. They describe Sonia and ask if Rohit has seen her. He says no and asks why they are looking for her. They tell him she is accused of robbing a jeweller. Rohit puts them off, but after they leave he goes to find Sonia. He asks her who the two policemen are and she says that Sinha is the stepson who wants her mother’s jewellery. She says that Sinha is a goonda, not a police inspector, and that their ids must be fake. His suspicions allayed, Rohit returns to his office through the rain, thinking of Rashmi.


We return to his memories with another lovely romantic song, “Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein”: In Bombay, Rashmi and Rohit settle happily into married life, although Rashmi can’t cook and misses having servants. Rohit has found work with a modeling agent-photographer-advertising exec(it’s never really clear to me, nor do I figure out what it is that Rohit does for him, exactly). Rohit’s boss(Madan Puri) is a bit of a lecher and hilarious to boot, with an amazing wardrobe of truncated neckties and a flowery way of speaking. At this point the clothing on everyone begins to threaten to distract me from all else. Let the fashion parade begin! Pink suits! Polka dots! Crocheted hair accessories! At home, Rashmi has befriended a neighbor, one Chetan Kumar(Asrani), who is a painter.


As Rohit’s time is taken up more and more by work, Rashmi feels lonely. Inspired by Chetan, she starts a painting to give Rohit on his birthday. Chetan suggests that she take up modelling as well, since she’s so beautiful, and tells her that it pays very well. She brings up the idea to Rohit, but he’s not keen on it. They have a fight; Rashmi is tired of being poor and struggling, and she’s bored at home all day. He explains that in the world he comes from, it’s not something that “nice” girls do. But he realizes that she has sacrificed a lot for him and relents: Rashmi is thrilled, and Chetan helps her put a portfolio together. She catches the suspect attention of Rohit’s boss(who seems unaware that she is Rohit’s wife). Rohit struggles with this and her increasingly busy schedule and late hours. Then Chetan suggests that she enter a beauty pageant, where the prize is Rs 50, 000 and a trip around the world(this is the “fashion parade” of the credits and it doesn’t disappoint). When she wins, she is thrilled, but her first thoughts are of Rohit: He is happy for her, but as they celebrate, Rashmi feels ill and they call a doctor.


The doctor tells them that Rashmi is expecting a baby. Rohit is over the moon, but Rashmi realizes that a baby will curtail her success and change everything for her. She hesitantly suggests that maybe they “drop” the baby. Rohit is horrified and she lets the idea go, but a few days later falls down the stairs at home. Chetan takes her to the hospital, where she loses the baby. Rohit learns the news from a jealous “friend” of Rashmi’s, who tells him that she’s had an abortion. He rushes home to confront her. She tries in vain to tell him that it was an accident; but he is too angry to listen. He shouts at her that he hates her, and storms out. When he calms down a bit and goes home to apologize and talk to her, she is gone. She has left a note with the painting she had done for his birthday gift, and gone back to her father.


Chetan arrives, and tells Rohit that he is wrong, that she really did lose the baby by accident but didn’t call him to the hospital because she didn’t want to alarm him. Racked with guilt, he tries to contact her but she refuses to talk to him. He goes to her father’s but is told that the family has gone away. He receives a divorce notice in the mail, and takes a job as stationmaster in the middle of nowhere. When he does finally track her down and pleads with her to forgive him, her father and Moti Babu intervene. They tell him that he is not worthy of her, and Moti takes his whip to Rohit again. Rohit grabs it and beats up Moti instead. He vows that he will make enough money to be worthy of Rashmi, and then he will return for her. She watches from inside as he leaves. With this, Rohit returns to the present.


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