This Old Black & White Movie Was Interesting, Even Now!

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This old black & white movie,  'Anupama' brought back many memories for me...some happy and some are not so happy...I was in school when this movie was released (1966).  I had started admiring (!) Dharmendra and my mother went to this movie in Ashok theatre (Chennai) with her cousin, without telling me and I remember crying and not talking to her for some time! Feel silly now! No, we were not going/taken to movies regularly (we were 5 siblings!), but mother used to take us to good movies.  This movie had become famous mainly because of the songs (courtesy: Binaca Geet mala, radio prog.) I didn't get the opportunity to watch it until now!

My ankle has got a ligament tear now which needs lot of rest, so I seem to be watching movies in most afternoons! Because this is a black & white movie, I was postponing, though watched Gurudutt's 'Pyaasa' and some other black & white Bengali movies.

I think I need not go into the full gist of the story of this movie.  This is a 'father-daughter' relationship story, mainly.  The father gets married very late in his life and is very attached to his wife.  She delivers a girl baby and dies.  The father (Tarun Bose), who is quite rich,  hates the sight of his daughter (Sharmila Tagore) because he thinks that she was the reason for his wife's death! he becomes an alcoholic.  She is brought up by their house help.  Because of her father's hatred for her, she becomes an introvert and never mingles with anybody.  Because of the heavy drinking, he falls  ill and is asked to take a break and father and daughter go to Mahabaleshwar.  There, the hero Dharmendra (Poet and teacher) enters.  He is the friend of Arun (Deven Verma) who is supposed to marry Sharmila as per the father's choice! But Arun falls in love with Anita (Shashikala), the father's friend's (David) daughter...oooof...too confusing?!! Well, Dharmendra meets the beautiful eyed, silent girl Sharmila and their love blossoms!

You can see Dharmendra, a bit plump and young one, watching Sharmila, in the above song. 

I remembered this song (the tune led me to this song...the music directors are different, though) by Mubarak Begum.  Lovely song, my favourite!

One more surprise is Deven Verma.  He became a famous comedian later but here, he has acted very well and another surprise is Shashikala who is singing this beautiful  song. She became famous in negative roles later!

David was at his best.  He used to get this type of roles mostly in all the movies he had acted.  He and Shubha Khote were always, old people.  Shubha is Dharmendra's mother in this movie!

The hero and heroine never danced or sang together for even a single song, in this movie! They sang separately!But this movie was a hit in those days! Music ruled then!

This is the only song for Dharmendra in the movie.  Lovely song with good lyrics.



I liked Dharmendra in this movie.  He has acted very naturally.  This song is an example.  It looks as if he is really singing...he takes breath at appropriate places too! Hemant Kumar is singing this song and he is the music director for this movie.  This movie became famous for the songs and Sharmila's eyes were 'talk of the town' in those days (My mother's views!).  I was a Dharmendra fan in those days (Did a post on my childhood/teenage, here!)

This 'ankle-rest' break has shown me, that I have my mother and grand mother's 'movie-buff' streak! My mother had a cousin and both of them used to go to movies together often.  She used to tell us the stories at night, I still remember.  We were taken to movies very rarely, but stories, we knew! I can't narrate a story like her, any day! She was good in narrating mythological stories to my sons with all the minute details with lot of expressions!  She used to read a lot, both in Kannada and Tamil.  She worked in a library and used to bring heavy mythological books and read them as if they were fiction books.  I think this movie has triggered my mother's memories...I remembered her often while watching it.  She used to send us with our cousins to very good movies (she would watch them first!).  I think she has influenced me so much that I am able to watch Kangana Ranaut's 'Queen' or Sathyajit Ray's 'Apur Sansar' with equal interest! Unknowingly, we are influenced by our parents and by the time we realize it fully, they are no more.  It hurts sometimes. 

The other movies I liked during my movie marathon are:

Selma...I remembered 'Mississippi burning' while watching this. This is a movie on Martin Luther King. Good one.

Diksha...a many award winning movie with a very serious story. The story takes place in Dakshina Kannada, my native place! Nana Patekar, Manohar Singh, KK Raina, Sulabha Arya...a memorable movie. 

The Bridges of Madison County... Clint Eastwood directed and acted with my favourite Meryl Streep.  A good romantic movie.

Saving Mr.Banks... Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks movie based on Walt Disney.  Enjoyed.

Contact... a Jodie Foster movie.  A very well made film, though I had watched it many years back. Still enjoyed!

The Constant Gardener...watched this with a heavy heart.  Good movie.

Man of Fire...my favourite Denzel Washington's movie.  Still remember it.

Tamil movie, Devar Magan... A very well-made Kamal, Shivaji Ganesan and Revathy movie.  Had already watched in the theatre, still, watched it again.  Good movie.

Well, I watched so many (one was, 'Sanshodhan', a Nihalani film, but something was missing in the story. Everybody acted well, though.)  but remember only the movies I enjoyed watching.  I am still relaxing! Any recommendations?!

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