On Screen Chemistry – what’s that? Part 4 – social conscience mingles with romance!

In the late 60s, as the Kumars were waning, there were many traditional romances being played out on screen with Rajesh Khanna as the lead man with the mannerisms. Rajesh was the romantic hero of the late 60s and 70s, ruling the box office from 1969 to 1974. He had a continuous run of 15 successful films. At his peak female fans kissing his car would leave it covered in lipstick, and sent him fan-mail written in their own blood! The memorable romantic moment from Aradhana where car and train race along side by side as Rajesh serenades Sharmila, was a replica of Dev serenading Asha Parekh in Jab Pyar Kisi se Hota Hai! But this classic romantic interlude captured the imagination of the young folks of the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1MykK4u8U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYd3Z6u0mcE

Rajesh and Sharmila sizzled on screen in many a film, but never more than they did in this film that catapulted Rajesh to fame. This interlude between the two was bold yet tasteful and moved beyond the full of shame “main Maa banne wali hoon” of films past!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HenA-OUyo0s

This legendary couple engaged in a subdued romance in Safar – where the girl was won by Feroze Khan and the story had a twist. Then they came together yet again in Amar Prem – a classic tale of a man finding love (albeit platonic) and a child finding a mother, in the household of a prostitute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhWGagHzKi4

Rajesh also set the screen on fire with Mumtaz in several films.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfjnEqMbBpg

Sachcha Jhutha, Do Raste, Apna Desh, Aap ki Kasam, Prem kahani, Dushman etc. were all successes at the BO. In most of these films the girl was rich and the boy was poor, the romance was able to get past all the road bumps and triumph.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaN0fUDBOFo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv-ltzuG_XU

A notable exception was the unusual Aap ki Kasam, where the jealous husband abandons a pregnant wife who then remarries to secure a future for her unborn child. Rajesh also successfully paired with Asha Parekh in films like Baharon ke Sapne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qviv0s2AjeM

And the on-screen romance continued in films like Kati Patang, Aan Milo Sajna. This romantic interlude on the lake in Nainital is mesmerizing for the lyrics (jis chaman mein tere pag mein kaante chubhe, us chaman se humein phool chunna nahin) that match the feelings of the duo, and the voice of Kishore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B_BOpS-W_I

The rise of Rajesh Khanna as the romantic hero coincided with another ascent. During the music recording of Aradhana (1969) SD Burman fell ill and the job was taken over by RD Burman. He asked Kishore to do two solo numbers, Mere Sapnon ki Rani and Roop Tera Mastana. After that there was no looking back for Kishore as he had a meteoric rise to fame and success in the 70s, as the voice of Rajesh and then almost every other hero.

As Rajesh was developing more and more stereotyped mannerisms and that trademark growth of hair to cover the ears (why?), change was around the corner. This era saw the emergence of heroes who were involved with bigger issues and romance was usually sidelined in such films. The most talented amongst these, but also the one with the shortest career, was Sanjeev Kumar. While his career began in the 60s it only took off in the 70s with films like Khilona (with Mumtaz) and Seeta Aur Geeta (with Hema Malini). If Sanjeev had a long standing on screen association, then the one worth mentioning was with Gulzar. They did nine films together and Aandhi, Mausam, Angoor were some of the notables. Sanjeev had no legendary on screen pairings, but each film was a gem and he could romance convincingly! Whether it was Jaya in Anamika (wow!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yWNcp4_OMU

or Moushumi in Angoor, Sharmila in Mausam, or Suchitra Sen in Aandhi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c06R1KKl82A

His real life favorite was Hema:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w5yv7-cPfs

Reports are that he was heartbroken when she turned down his marriage proposal and married Dharamendra instead. Sanjeev was a hatke hero and was usually associated with cinema that dealt with issues relating to political controversies (the alleged biopic of Mrs. Gandhi in Aandhi), prostitution (Mausam), the plight of rural women (Namkeen). His excellent realistic turn in any kind of role made him the best actor of his time. He played Mirza Sajid Ali in Ray’s Shatranj ke Khiladi and will be remembered as the man who was more interested in chess than in romancing his dissatisfied wife!

Two other towering heroes of the time were Dharamendra and Amitabh Bachchan…… (to be continued)