IN LOVE WITH ROMANCE
Concept and Written by Sunder Kumar
sunder@indolink.com
The Heart is Mad! In true Yash Chopra fashion, DIL TO PAGAL HAI is
striking the chords of love and romance with its music, and finding a place in
"mad" hearts as well as "sound & sane" ears. As we look forward to
this movie, we can look back at Yash Chopra's long lived-love affair with romance. Like
many others, I remember his movies with
fondness - for the moments, characters, scenes, and music.
HIS MOVIES
Largely biased by personal preferences, I look back at the most memorable movies of Yash Chopra. The directorial high of Yash Chopra in my opinion is the Rajesh Khanna, Nanda classic ITTEFAQ. Given his association with good music, it is now surprising that this film had no songs and is India's only mainline movie that did not have an interval. The film is taut thriller and semi-whodunit about a psycho-killer (Rajesh Khanna) accused of murdering his wife, seeking refuge in the house of a lonely housewife (Nanda). The coincidence (Ittefaq) is that she has just killed her husband, and is looking for an alibi. An unusual theme, this film deservedly won Yash Chopra the Filmfare award for direction. It also brought Iftekhar to fame in the role of an inspector.
Not so long ago, Yash Chopra unfolded arguably his best, but the not so successful LAMHE. This film was all about moments, and brilliant characterization (Sridevi as Pallavi and Pooja, Anil Kapoor as Viren, and Anupam Kher as Prem). Moments of love, desire, pain, joy, and romance were most effectively captured on screen. The film stood out as two outstanding halves and two stories of love and admiration. The climax of Lamhe, albeit a little slow, is surely the best seen in a Yash Chopra movie ever.
The out-of-the-ordinary all-time classic KABHI KABHIE was all about complex, interwoven and delicate human relations, and crisscrossed triangles. Its strength lay in controlled superlative performances by Amitabh (Amit Malhotra), Shashi (in arguably one of his best roles ever as Vijay Khanna), Waheeda Rehman, Raakhee (Pooja), Rishi, and Neetu Singh. Poetic love, incomplete romance, blissful togetherness, and the wildness of youth were played against restrained feelings, unfulfilled desires, and the individual ego. Kabhi Kabhie, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of movie, was the confluence of almost every human emotion, feeling, or desire. It could only be faulted for the lack of a convincing climax, or a little disjointedness. But every sequence and character in the movie were classics by themselves, and rose above the little flaws in the movie.
Ample evidence of his individual style was seen early in his career in the uniquely classy WAQT. Among the first and the best film in the lost-and-found genre, strong characterization of lead players was the highlight here. As a director, he excelled in portraying the "fall from arrogance" of Balraj Sahni. The moment of Balraj Sahni talking about his hard-earned success in life and non-existence of fate is the an earthquake strikes, separating him from his three sons (Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt, and Shashi Kapoor) and wife. The lost find each other after a courtroom-drama in one of Yash Chopra's better climax. Classy romance and triangle is subtly underplayed to the main theme of the movie.
In a period dominated by Amitabh, Yash Chopra took time away from romance, and explored other intense relations or themes. The explosive minefield, KAALA PATTHAR, was more than a film about oppressed mine workers. It had Amitabh (Vijay as always) as living life in the memories of past failure most brilliantly. "Pain is my destiny and I have to live with it" - these classic lines tell the story of Amitabh's self-inflicted punishment. Supported by Shashi (as Ravi Verma, in his next best role after Kabhi Kabhie), Shatrughan (as Mangal, in an author-backed role), Raakhee, Neetu Singh, and Prem Chopra, this will remain as one of the most intense dramas on Indian celluloid with not many light moments.
Continuing in the same vein, in TRISHUL, Yash Chopra pit Sanjeev Kumar (R K Gupta), Amitabh (Vijay again), and Shashi Kapoor (Shekhar Gupta) in a clash between father and illegitimate son, and the son. With a spirit of love and romance underlying this intense drama, it was the work of powerhouse performers and a strong script. Hema Malini (Sheetal Verma), Raakhee (Geeta), and Poonam Dhillon (Kusum) played significant parts in shaping the script. The climax however was a trifle cliched.
SILSILA was Yash Chopra back to triangular romances - and with a triangle of triangles - Amitabh (Amit), Shashi Kapoor (Shekhar), and Sanjeev Kumar paired against Rekha (Chandni) and Jaya. Lilting melodies and poignant situations are the highlights of this movie. Silsila is important as Yash Chopra's first tryst with Switzerland, something that is now a de facto standard in his films. Silsila, with Kabhi Kabhie is a poetic exploration of love and relations. Once again, much like his other movies, Yash Chopra had to tie many loose knots in a not-too-convincing climax.
DEEWAR is the classic clash of brothers separated by a wall of values and law. Amitabh (Vijay) and Shashi Kapoor (Ravi), are driven to different sides of the wall, the law, and the film captures their relation with mother Nirupa Roy caught in their crossfire. Deewar has been acclaimed for long as the best and most complete script ever, which probably was only bettered by Shakti. The climax is among the best that has been seen in Hindi FiIms. It also had one of the best a most unconventional celluloid romances between Amitabh and Parveen Babi, and some of the best dialogues written by Salim-Javed.
As a triangular love story, CHANDNI is perhaps one of Yash Chopra's most simple and direct films. Strong characters as always (Sridevi as Chandni, Rishi Kapoor as Rohit , Vinod Khanna as Lalit) were pulled to the vertices of this triangle. It was in Chandni that Yash Chopra introduced a dance for an emotion, that is now a feature of his every film. In his homeground of handling triangular relations, Yash Chopra unveiled DARR, a story of love, passion, and obsession. It is most known for the performance of Shahrukh playing obsessed lover (Rahul), instilling fear in the love lives of Sunny Deol (Sunil) and Juhi Chawla (Kiran). Among its highlights were two brilliant sprint chases on the streets of Bombay and a strong climax.
Made immediately after the poetic Silsila, MASHAAL showcased Yash Chopra in a less romantic and more dramatic frame. Starring Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Anil Kapoor, and Rati Agnihotri; the story hinged on the performances of Dilip Kumar and Anil Kapoor. Though not very successful movie, strong characterization and a superlative script by Javed Akhtar helped Anil Kapoor win a Filmfare award for his performance.
In 1971, when Yash Chopra launched his banner Yashraj Films, not surprising now, he chose a triangle with Rajesh Khanna, Raakhee, and Sharmila Tagore at the vertices. An unconventional storyline about a man with two wives, Yash Chopra created a homeground around handling precarious, and more often than not, triangular relations on celluloid. Even his first directorial venture DHOOL KA PHOOL (1959), not surprisingly in hindsight, was a triangle starring Rajendra Kumar, Mala Sinha and Nanda. Yash Chopra's repertoire in depicting precarious human relations was easily evident from this first film.
DHARMAPUTRA, his award-winning second film on national integration was based on a novel by Acharya Vinoba Bhave, and starred Shashi Kapoor and Nanda. AADMI AUR INSAAN, made in the 1960s, is based on the theme of corruption and bureaucracy. Starring Mumtaz, Dharmendra, and Feroz Khan in key roles, it won non-actor Feroz Khan a Filmfare award.
Among his lesser films, JOSHILA, Yash Chopra's first directorial film outside a home banner, for Gulshan Rai's Trimurti Films is also admittedly one of his turkeys. He unsuccessfully tries to recreate the magic of Vijay Anand's Johnny Mera Naam with Dev Anand and Hema Malini. Even in this film, the depiction of a relation between a prisoner (Dev), and a guest with of the jailer (Hema) shows a lot more depth than the mood of the movie itself. After five movies with Amitabh, Yash Chopra tried to recreate poetry in romance with FAASLE. Sunil Dutt (Vikram), Rekha (Maya), Farouque Shaikh (Sanjay), Deepti Naval (Sheetal), and newcomers Farha (Chandni) and Rohan Kapoor (Vijay) could not create the magic of Kabhi Kabhie and Silsila. Though it dealt with similar themes, this remains one of Yash Chopra's less interesting movies, despite outstanding poetry and music from Shiv-Hari.
VIJAY was no great shakes despite a most impressive starcast that comprised of Anupam Kher in a stellar role, Rajesh Khanna, Raj Babbar, Hema Malini, Moushumi Chatterjee, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Meenakshi Sheshadri, and newcomer Sonam in a two-minute two-piece bikini role. The story was a rehash of his own Trishul, and not very surprisingly, this wasn't big news at the box office. Basking in this "moonlit" new found love for romances, PARAMPARA, a long delayed film, with Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Vinod Khanna, Sunil Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, and Anupam Kher, had nothing special or new to offer, and did not ring many coffers at the box office too. Yet, even this movie had its moments, in the love sequences of Aamir and Raveena.
As a producer, Yash Chopra associated himself with the complex traingular love story DOOSRA AADMI, starring Rishi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, and Raakhee in a poignant story of a career-woman who sees her late husband in a young colleague. He also produced the musical NOORIE introducing Farouque Shaikh and Poonam Dhillon. His other productions include the not so well-known SAWAAL and NAKHUDA. In recent times, he has produced Aaina and Yeh Dillagi. Son Aditya Chopra proved the family competence with the straight love story (not far from a triangle though) DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE.
Now, with competition in the family, Yash Chopra must be ready to prove
"Kaun kiska baap hai ?" with DIL TO PAGAL HAI, and what better way than
to put Shahrukh, Karishma, and Madhuri at the three edges of a triangle, and Akshay Kumar
in a disappearing act (I assume) in the dense center.
MORE ABOUT HIS FILMS
No one portrays women more beautifully than Yash Chopra. Besides stunning visual, great dresses, and scenic backdrops, the key to beautiful women in his movies is characterization. While we look forward to Madhuri and Karishma in DTPH, we can look at some of the best from the years gone by. The typical Yash Chopra heroine has been a most beautiful person, from within and from outside. The ones most easily remembered, maybe as most recent, are the energetic, independent, and desirable characters of Kajol (Simran) in DDLJ, and Sridevi (Pallavi) in Lamhe. Some more in the same mold are Hema Malini (Sheetal Verma) in Trishul, Sadhana in Waqt, and Sridevi in and as Chandni, Sridevi (Pooja) in Lamhe, Raakhee in Kabhi Kabhie (Pooja), Trishul, and Kaala Patthar (Geeta). Despite being similar in many respects, the Yash Chopra heroine in every movie has been uniquely different. Lamhe epitomized this differentiation of characters, with love for life as a common denominator.
Music has been a hallmark of his filmography starting with the classic
"Tu Hindu banega ya Musalman banega" and romantic "Tere pyar ka aasra
chahta hoon" in Dhool Ka Phool. Waqt has gems like "Aage bhi jaane na tu",
"Ae meri zohra jabeen", "Din hai bahar ke" among many great songs.
Even his non-musicals, Joshila and Deewar have "Kiska rasta dekhe" and
"Kehdoon tumhen ya chup rahun".
Some of my favorites from his films are:
Despite working with a number of music directors, the music in his films have always borne his influenced. And when the music director has blended his style with the Yash Chopra influence, it has worked wonders. The music in his early movies are in the mold of producer brother, B. R. Chopra. Music is one of many virtues inherited from this mentorage. Ravi, in the music of Waqt, created a mood for romance that is now Yash Chopra's forte. Indications of what was to come could be seen even in N. Datta's Dhool Se Phool.
Yash Chopra had short-lived and varyingly successful associations with Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Daag), Rajesh Roshan (Doosra Aadmi, Kaala Patthar), and R. D. Burman (Joshila, Deewar). He shared a more creative association with Khayyam (Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul, Noorie) producing memorable melodies based on brilliant poetry. After working with Khayyam, Yash Chopra had a long association with Shiv-Hari (Silsila, Faasle, Vijay, Chandni, Lamhe, Parampara, Darr). He also worked with Hridaynath Mangeshkar in Mashaal. For his smaller-scale productions, Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen (Aaina, Yeh Dillagi) and Jatin-Lalit (DDLJ) lived up to the standards of music that is now expected from his films. His new pick Uttam Singh (DTPH) seems on way to continuing in this tradition.
For the number of music directors, Yash Chopra worked with select few lyricists. Sahir was the driver of his melodies from Dhool Ka Phool until Kaala Patthar, when poetry was the hallmark of his music. Then it was Majrooh (Doorsa Aadmi, Noorie) for a short time. After having a number of lyricists working on Silsila including Javed Akhtar (Mashaal), he had Shahryar for the poetic Faasle. Since, he has worked with Anand Bakshi except for his two outside productions where he had Sameer (Aaina, Yeh Dillagi). Personally, I believe that the poetry of Sahir, Majrooh, Javed Akhtar, and even Shahryar have never been recreated either Anand Bakshi or Sameer. At the same time the music of his movies have moved with time, from a poetry-base towards melody and rhythm. In this setting, Anand Bakshi and Sameer have done an excellent job in maintaining a superior level lyrics.
Another hallmark of Yash Chopra films is cinematography. In the B. R. Productions, Dharam Chopra was in control, excelling especially in Waqt and Ittefaq. Then followed a long association with Kay Gee (Daag through Mashaal). Faasle marked the beginning of another association, and perhaps the best, with Manmohan Singh. Together, they have capture romance and emotions most brilliantly including Filmfare award-winners in Chandni, Darr, an DDLJ. Other strengths of his films, include emphasis on dialogues (Filmfare award-winners such as Kabhi Kabhie, Waqt, Deewar, Lamhe, DDLJ) and strong scripts (Filmfare award-winners like Waqt, Dhool Ka Phool, Ittefaq, Daag, Kabhi Kabhie, Deewar, Chandni, Lamhe, DDLJ).
Above all these, the most important identity of Yash Chopra films has been romance. In each of his films, he mixed conventional Hindi film romancing around trees (or Swiss Alps) with unusual stories of love. The unconventional relations from his movies are Shashi Kapoor-Raakhee (Kabhi Kabhie), Amitabh-Raakhee (Kaala Patthar, Trishul), Anil Kapoor-Sridevi (Lamhe), Amitabh-Parveen Babi (Deewar), Raaj Kumar-Sadhana (Waqt), Rishi Kapoor-Raakhee (Doosra Aadmi), Farouque Shaikh-Deepti Naval (Faasle), Shahrukh-Juhi (Darr), Jackie-Amrita (Aaina).
Over the three decades and more, Yash Chopra films and romances have become less complex, and more complete. The decreasing public acceptance of complexity in Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila and Faasle could be the driver for this. At the same time, the non-romantic interest in his movies has also reduced (from Waqt, Ittefaq, Deewar, Trishul earlier to Chandni, Lamhe, Darr, DDLJ recently). Humor, if not comedy, in his films has also increased over time. It was an integral part of the characters in Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul, Kaala Patthar (Shashi Kapoor in all three occasions with gems of characterization); or non-existent in Deewar, Mashaal, Ittefaq, Waqt. In recent movies, Anupam Kher has carried the mantle of humor most competently, and stood out as a part of the overall set of characters (Lamhe, DDLJ, Darr).
Last, but not the least, a feature of the recent Yash Chopra films, are
dance sequences. It began with the Dance of Anger (Chandni) set to semi-classical music,
with white-robed Sridevi in front of Swiss lakes and snow-clad mountains. Moments of
Passion (Lamhe) was far-less interesting in picturization and music. Obsession (Darr) with
Juhi playing in the mind of Shahrukh is perhaps the best thus far in music and
choreography. On a closing note, if not better in music, the Dance of Envy (DTPH) with
Madhuri and Karishma promises to better the previous ones, and is only one of many reasons
to await what seems to be movie of the year.