Amar Prem clocks 53 years of its release
Amar Prem clocks 53 years of its release
The Shakti Samanta directorial and Rajesh Khanna-SharmilaTagore starrer “Amar Prem” clocks 53 Years of its release.
Sharmila Tagore brings to this timeless adaptation of Bibhutibushan Bandhopaddhyay’s story a kind of simpering beauty that levitates the lyricism of the tragic but uplifting tale to the level of a supremely seductive saga
Amar Prem is a glorious tribute to the favourite Bollywood archetype: the golden-hearted prostitute SharmilaTagore,
whom men of all ages gravitate to in pursuit of some heavy-duty nurturing is a very happy situation for the screenplay.
In the film, a 7-year-old boy and a 30-plus man both desire the same kind of emotional attention from her. This prostitute is not about sex. She is about soul. Sharmila brings to this timeless adaptation of Bibhutibushan Bandhopaddhyay’s story a kind of simpering beauty that levitates the lyricism of the tragic but uplifting tale to the level of a supremely seductive saga.
Sharmila’s character, a homeless childless woman who is tricked into a life of prostitution, is not just a mother-figure to the lonely neglected near-divorcee Anand Babu (Rajesh Khanna); she is also the woman the ill-treated neighborhood imp Nandu (Master Bobby, who played pivotal roles in a number of films including Ek Phool Do Mali and Amar Prem before disappearing into adulthood) keeps running to for solace and samosas, in spite of being severely punished by his stepmother (Bindu).
In one of the many sequences simmering with seductive synergy, Sharmila wonders aloud why Anand Babu insists on coming to her when he has a home and wife.
Even Nandu has a home and a family. Why does he come to you?” counters Rajesh Khanna, thereby raising an important issue. Indian men of all ages look for their mother in every woman they love.
In Amar Prem, the Oedipal complex is turned on its head… away from the bed. The men in Pushpa’s life want to be mollycoddled. Though she’s a prostitute, she is never shown giving sex. Men want something far more basic from her. Pushpa is the Devi Maa reincarnated. So giving, the men forget she’s human after all.
Shakti Samanta was not just a master storyteller; he took grave risks with the draconian star system.
At a time when Rajesh Khanna, after the dream launch in Shakti’s Aradhana two years earlier, was the movie monarch, the director cast Khanna as the third lead of Amar Prem. The film’s main dramatic and emotional resonance emanates from Pushpa’s unconditional love for the boy Nandu. Anand Babu comes later.
But it’s Sharmila’s stylized but supremely seductive performance that holds the mutating plot together. Her heavy silk sarees, her elaborate hairstyles, the jewelry and quality of innocent coquettishness contribute cogently to making Amar Prem the experience that it is.
Rajesh Khanna actually expresses his appreciation of Pushpa’s singing with folded hands. The Fallen Woman is irreversibly deified.
Amar Prem was the only film in which Pancham’s father Sachin Dev Burman sang his son’s composition?
News Edit KV Raman
Shakti Samanta’s son, Ashim Samanta, speaks on Amar Prem:
Q. 53 Years of my most favourite film of all times?
A. My two all-time favorite films are Amar Prem and Anand. It’s just a coincidence that one of these happens to be directed by my father. I was 20 years old when my father made Amar Prem. I vividly remember the recordings of all the memorable songs.
Q. You are so bloody blessed!
A. Pancham Da (R.D. Burman), Rajesh Khanna, and my father were an unbreakable team. Though Amar Prem was a remake of the Bengali film (Nishipadma), I feel our version of the story was far superior. Honestly, I didn’t much care for the performance of the actress Sabitri Chatterjee who played Pushpa in the Bengali film. What Sharmila did in Amar Prem was remarkable.
Notably, it was only in Amar Prem that Sachin Dev Burman rendered a song in his son RD Burman’s music composition
News Edit KV Raman
