Hrishikesh Mukherji directorial Abhimaan in its 50th year run
Hrishikesh Mukherji directorial Abhimaan in its 50th year run
Abhimaan, the 1973 released super-hit film featuring Amitabh Bachchan Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan)n the lead, celebrates 50 years run.
Amitabh Bachchan is best recognised for his role as the angry young man of Bollywood who starred in such iconic films Zanjeer directed by Prakash Sholay directed by Ramesh Sippy, Deewaar by Yash Chopra, Coolie and Amar Akbar Anthony by Manmohan Desai
The Hrishikesh Mukherjee directorial Abhimaan is based on the fragility of human relationships with Amitabh and Jaya at their best.
Amitabh essays the role of a popular singer who convinces his new wife to join him on stage. However his ego bugs him and feels jealous of her when she outshines him. Asrani played the role as Secretary to both Amitabh and Jaya.
Notably, Jaya bagged prestigious Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Abhimaan was among more than half a dozen Bachchan films to release that year that included Saudagar, which was India’s official Oscar entry that year, and Zanjeer, the blockbuster which established him as India’s top action hero.
According to film critic and author Saibal Chatterjee in BBC Abhimaan was the most talked about film and Amitabh’s biggest hit.
The cinema houses witnessed massive crowd of fans families including parents and young children at the matinee and evening shows.
Abhimaan is blended with evergreen story of the envious husband unhappy at the success of his wife and which touched a chord with the audiences because it was rooted in reality
Moreover, Abhimaan’s story was believable because ego often comes between a couple, especially in a society like India where most men are uncomfortable with their wives doing better.
Filmmaker Karan Johar has termed it as one of his favourite films and he cried every time he saw it. Few years ago Vidya Balan confessed to watching it for the nineth nth and described it as a “timeless” film. In December 2022, the Kolkata International Film Festival kicked off with this classic.
Bachchan himself has spoken fondly about Abhimaan, describing it as “the film that brought Jaya and him together for a most memorable creative in their respective careers and that its songs still remain haunting and a dream for many.
This was one role of Bachchan that showed a side of him which was different. He played a very real hero, a real man prone to insecurities and jealousies. The film demonstrated his versatility as an actor and showed that he could play any role that a director wrote for him.
Abhimaan conveyed a message for both men and women which remains relevant even today, 50 years later.
News Input K.V.Raman
