51 Years of Anand: Rajesh Khanna gives lessons on life, death, grief and joy

How, through tender scenes, emotions and dialogue, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film makes an extraordinary statement
Anand stills
Anand stills

Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand (1971) is a simple story told in an extraordinary manner. Rajesh Khanna plays a cheerful Anand who knows that he doesn’t have very long to live as he suffers from lymphosarcoma, a cancer of the intestine. Amitabh Bachchan plays Dr. Bhaskar, Anand’s oncologist, and later a beloved friend. Dr. Bhaskar is a pessimistic man who is dejected about his profession and the inevitability of death. However, laughter and joy enter his life with Anand, who makes Bhaskar his Babumoshai, and teaches him love, laughter, and life. There is no doubting Anand’s legacy, for it is a film that celebrates the joy of life and pays an ode to the certitude of death. Its poignant relevance even today is a reminder of the enduring existence of life and death.

Babumoshai, Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi’ (Babumoshai, life should be big, not long) Anand tells Bhaskar, however, Bhaskar is much like many of us today, cynical and unbelieving, after all it is not easy to believe in profound poetry that are essentially rose-tinted glasses which compel one to fall in love with life, while evading the reality of death. However, the same is not the case with Anand, because it isn’t a rosy picture painted to provide escapism, instead it’s the exact opposite, which is also why, when Anand tells us this, we happily cling to his words. The believability of Anand is perhaps one of the most vital reasons for its success, because it’s easy to create a glossy picture with a dash of romanticism, and it’s even easier to waive off the optimistic dialogues with a wave of cynicism, but Rajesh Khanna’s charming conviction, and the script’s sincerity in accepting the brutal truth, makes sure that Anand doesn’t become superficial or preachy. It teaches us that being an optimist and realist is not mutually exclusive.

Anand doesn’t make death look beautiful, but it does show us how to embrace it, because it is the most certain aspect of life. Bhaskar acts as the perfect antidote to Anand, however he, like us, is converted when he meets Anand, who teaches him that grief and joy are sides of the same coin, thus neither can exist without the presence of another. His happiness in the face of death doesn’t mean that he is devoid of sorrow, it only means that even in grief, one can find the glimmer of hope and cheer. A usually cheerful Anand has his moments of numb eyes and damp cheeks too, depicting how his positivity regarding his impending fate isn’t supposed to be mistaken for naivety or starry-eyedness, in fact his hopefulness is a testament not of his innocence, but of his maturity. In an extremely heartbreaking scene, where Suman, whom Anand considers his sister, takes blessings from him, we see Anand softly say to himself that, ‘tujhe toh yeh bhi nahi keh sakta ki meri umar lag jaye’ (I can’t even tell you that my age be added to you) and it is at this moment that his eyes well up, and you see the flicker of grief and helplessness pass his otherwise smiling face.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s nuanced storytelling on the face of it seems uncomplicated, but if you scratch the surface then you would find how he wishes to pose metaphysical questions on death, and life. ‘Jab tak zinda hoon, tab tak mara nahi, aur jab mar gaya sala main hi nahi,’ says Anand in of the earliest scenes in the film. ‘I’m alive till I am dead. And once I’m dead, I don’t exist’—a line that till date manages to send chills down my spine, as it puts the ultimate truth of life, in such simple words.

 Anand remains a monumental film in the history of Indian cinema, and in the lives of everyone who was associated with it. Hrishikesh Mukherjee as the director behind the camera is refined filmmaking with the right sensibilities that such a story demands. Gulzar wielding the pen, and writing lyrics and dialogue that remain memorable till date, while Mukesh brought his soulful words to life with his poignant voice. Amitabh Bachchan, in his pre-angry young man face plays Bhaskar to near perfection, making us wish to see him in more such roles, and alas, the reigning superstar of that time, and an evergreen charmer, it was Rajesh Khanna who became the heart and soul of the film. In a movie that brings together so many phenomenally talented people together, only Rajesh Khanna can make it all about him. His warmth-inducing smile, coupled with his lonely eyes, could bring tears to even a lifeless rock, let alone a beating heart that knows how to empathize.

However, if fate had it Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s way then Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan wouldn’t even have been in the film. Amitabh was an aspiring actor with 12 flops in a row, and Hrishikesh wanted to cast Soumrita Chatterjee in the role of Bhaskar. Rajesh Khanna wasn’t the first choice for the film, since Hrishikesh wanted to cast his beloved friend, Raj Kapoor, but things didn’t work out. Later, Kishore Kumar was slated to play the titular role but that too didn’t work out. By then, Rajesh Khanna had become a superstar and heard the story of Anand, post which he wished to do it, much to the surprise of Hrishikesh, who put several conditions across him, that included the star to be on time and also reducing his fees since the film was low-budget. Hrishikesh was sure that after hearing these conditions, Rajesh would walk out, but again to his shock, Rajesh Khanna didn’t, in fact, he allegedly charged only Rs. 1 Lakh, at a time when he was charging a fee of Rs.15 Lakh for a film. Thus, he was on board, and the rest is obviously history, given that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else except Rajesh Khanna in the titular role of Anand.

In one of the introduction scenes of Anand’s character, we see an angry Bhaskar trying to make Anand understand the gravity of the situation, as the latter laughs at his condition. Bhaskar believes that it is Anand’s ignorance that leads him to treat the situation lightly, provoking him to ask whether or not he understands the meaning of this. To his surprise, Anand is well versed with the fact that he is dying, and says so with a gentle smile on his face, as if it was just another mundane fact. Anand then asks Bhaskar who is upset with the former’s casual attitude, ‘aap achanak se naraz kyun hogaye?’ (why did you get angry suddenly?) only to respond to it himself by saying, ‘oh samjha! aap mujhpar nahi, apne aap par naraz hai, kyunki mera ilaaj nahi ho sakta na isiliye.’ (Got it. Not on me, you were angry on yourself, since I cannot me treated.) This entire exchange between Amitabh and Rajesh is extremely memorable, mostly because of how subtly Rajesh delivers his line, while shrouding his sorrow behind that soft smile. The popular saying, less is more, suddenly starts to make all the more sense after seeing this scene, because the moving impact it has can’t be defined in words.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Cinema Express
www.cinemaexpress.com