+++ Aandhi - Ek jazbaat ka toofaan +++. Review on Aandhi -Bollywood

Since time immemorial, man has struggled to achieve Fame and Power, either by fair or by foul means. One of the easiest way is through Politics but this doesn’t come without any hiccups, one may have to give up something to achieve that one desires above all.

Gulzar is  a master when it comes to handling of human emotions and relationships. He dared to make films on topics which very few people would touch. Aandhi is one such beautiful film which was loosely based on life of Indira Gandhi. The film was banned by her Government, he started making some changes and by the time he finished, the Government had changed. The Janta Party came into power, the ban was revoked and Gulzarji heaved a sigh of relief. It is one movie which will never lose it’s relevance anytime, a movie which was loved by masses as well as classes.

Aandhi is about the personal tumultuous relationships that people undergo, the opportunity cost (in economics, it means giving up a thing to get another thing in lieu of it) involved, a woman torn between love for her father and her husband, her home and her ambitions.

Politics is like Lorelei alluring the men on the passing ship, all the while knowing about the impending doom but the men are unable to resist being lured. Very few can resist politics as it opens the numerous avenues for them which they can utilise for self gains. Mr Bose(Rehman) is such a man who thinks, politics is a ladder through which he can scale the height in the world of business. He is a very ambitious man, who wants his daughter Aarti(Suchitra Sen) to join politics for his personal gains but she wants to join politics to serve her country.

Once someone plays mischief by adding alcohol to Aarti’s Coca Cola and she had to take refuge in a hotel where JK( Sanjeev kumar) is the Assistant Manager as she couldn’t go home in a drunken state. He very discretely takes care of her and after that they meet very frequently finally falling in love with each other. Bose is very unhappy with Aarti’s decision to marry JK as he thinks that she is wasting her degree that she earned at Oxford. After seeing that she is adamant to marry JK, Bose half-heartedly agrees to their marriage but keeps involving his daughter in politics.

Her involvement in politics was never made an issue by JK until she gives birth to a daughter Mannu, he doesn’t like her neglecting her child. The last thing he ever wanted was to join politics, his FIL makes him Honorary President of some committee without even informing him. That was the last straw and he couldn’t control his anger on her, he issues an ultimatum and she is forced to choose between her family and ambitions. She leaves them and goes back to pursue her ambitions.

Ten years elapse and Aarti Devi, now a renowned politician, comes on a visit to her constituency to campaign for the forthcoming elections(it’s usually this time you get to see the faces of the leaders). Her campaign Manager, Lallu Laal(OM Prakash) arranges for her to stay in Aashiyana(What an irony, it means abode)  Hotel and she finds that her separated husband is the Manager of the hotel. They start meeting again and the opposition leader Chandrasen(Om Shiv Puri) somehow lands up with the photos of Aarti and JK together.  He takes advantage of their situation by spreading rumours, putting up posters thereby trying to woo the voters in his favour  and creating fodder for the controversies. How she tackles those rumours and whether she returns to her husband or not, you have to see the movie to find it out.

The story(co written by Bhushan Banmali) and direction of the  film is by Gulzar, he has written some brilliant dialogues. He has deviated a little from his norm as several dialogues are in English, he usually leans towards Urdu. Direction by Gulzar is flawless, he has made use of Flashbacks but there is no discontinuity in the narration. This is one film devoid of dance a saving grace ;)  The credit also goes to Waman Bhosale and Gurudutt Shirali for their brilliant editing, it is their handiwork that can make or break a movie.

The regal Rehman suits his role perfectly of Mr Bose with just the right degree of haughtiness. Sanjeev Kumar always gave his best to Gulzar maybe coz of their great friendship in real life. Suchitra Sen is a brilliant actress who performed her role with grace and emoted perfectly when required. A K Hangal as Binda Kaka was his humble self. Saw another facet of Om Prakash as a calculative Campaign Manager. Manmohan as Agarwal, who has an eye on Aarti and Om Shiv Puri as Chandrasen who was the Opposition leader. The cast was chosen with care as each actor fitted the role perfectly.

R.D. Burman as usual in full form and mood to create magic from the beautiful lyrics, these songs are hard to forget. I always felt that the Burmans gave their best to Gulzar if you see oops hear their other songs. Some beautiful compositions in the film are -

tum aagaye ho noor aagaya hain - 2

nahin toh charagon se lau jaarahi thi

jeene ki tumse wajeh mil gayi hain

The rivulets of words flow through his pen, creating the magical romance in Tum aagaye ho noor aagaya, yes these are the emotions and feelings of the people in love, who feel the magical change in their surrounding in the presence of their loved ones. Love and togetherness gives a sense of belonging and purpose to life yet Aarti sacrificed her love for her ambitions.

tere bina zindagi se koi, shikwa, toh nahin,

shikwa nahin, shikwa nahin, shikwa nahin

tere bina zindagi bhi lekin, zindagi, toh nahin

Was Aarti right in leaving her husband and daughter to pursue her ambitions? Was this worth the sacrifice that she had to make ? Was it too late to realize what she had missed? Did she have any complaints about the life that she was leading? In the middle of the song there is converstion between them highlighting the  engravings on the walls of the ruins that they were seeing. This could have been termed as interruption but I feel this is the attraction of the song.

yeh sochke baithi hoon ik raah toh woh hogi

tum tak joh pahunchti hain

Will they tread on the same paths again like before? She is still waiting for him, she wants to cover the remaining journey of  life together with the person she loved but had left him stranded midway. Did their separation reduce their love for each other? Do they want to resume their life together? See the movie to know it(if you have not seen it earlier).

yeh  paanch saalon ka dene hisaab aaye hain

hamaare vote khareedenge, humko ann de kar

This is the surprise of this film, I had forgotten this song completely. This is a sarcastic qawwali which makes a dig at those politicians who show their faces to the voters only at the time of elections. This qawwali portrays frustration and anger by the youth towards the politicians.