in the mists of the eve as the sun sinks into the sky
the bridal eve descends like a child
in the forecourt of my mind
the glow of my dreams make me blind
as dark is the night
but my desires shine in my eyes

And so gulzar revisits the time honoured theme of life and death in its eternity, swathed in poetic immortality in the guise of a youth who is embracing death by its very venomous fangs in the form of a fatal termination, and he does it every day like a loving deed almost as if it is a divine right of passion, and in making him do so Gulzar and Hrishikesh Mukherjee bestow indian cinema with onwe of its best, or maybe the best ever character-ANAND.

It is said Anand is sufferring from a lympho sarcoma of the intestine, terminal and fatal, but actually, this is a metaphor for celebrating humanity, passion for selfless sacrifice and the gift of life.  The cleansing of soul as the physical form degenerates is the timeless theme in this great movie and  Rajesh Khanna enlivens this as an immortal talent in all his glory and turns a character to an icon and more, with the flawless writing of master poet and writer Gulzar, and the simply incomparable directorial skills of a master at work, Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Johnny Walker is the theatre owner playing a pure heart of gold clown who mouths some of the best lines ever written for silver screen, he shines second to the main lead and they both tug at your heart strings as many times as you see this classic . The affect is amazing and yet without sentiment or pity, it is sympathetic but that too is for the rest of the world and not for the wondrous character who is dwindling away in the mystery of life.

In it’s intrepid use of brilliant cuts and sound editing, the screen is endowed with an emotion that can never again be incurred, the magic of the spiritual poem songs, three in all sung by Anand-voiced over by the soft, magical voice of Mukesh and Manna Dey, are spellbinding as well as brimming with philosophy.

 The third pillar who supports this power horse of a movie is the embittered oncologist treating Anand, as Anands anti-nemesis or the man who has no faith or spirituality but only believes in logic, this was the first convincing role for Mr.Amitabh Bachchan and his first success in Hindi cinema, which he owes to Rajesh Khanna and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

 Hrishikesh had made ANARI and SATYAKAM before, which are worthy rivals to this and was to make another great companion piece to this as ARJUN PANDIT with Sanjeev Kumar, but Anand is simply incomparable, though if you analyse the trio of SATYAKAM, ARJUN PANDIT and Anand, they come out as an analogy about mortality and as such they form a trilogy, one of the best in cinema.

 It is surprising how cruel destiny can be, as the role of Anand was turned down by Shashi Kapoor, who was to regret it forever in eternity, but as Anand emphasises, we live once and live your life to your greatest satisfaction and in a splendour of courage that can inspire the rest of humanity, with every moment being a gift from the almighty and utilized for the best you can do,  indeed or in thought, as that is what will be immortalised as your body dissolves to dust.  This idea is quite generic in concept but the execution here is just so subtle and sensitive, it assumes a new meaning and intelligence, which will pervade the most cynical souls. 

The finale is predictable but as the measured script speeds to the tremendous climax, you are left awe-struck, the director has golden words and great actors and he uses his camera and sound in the most creative manner.

 The movie was released just before Ryan Oneal-Ali Mcgraw LOVESTORY, on a similar theme, though the scripts are miles apart, but this is a superior product and it always will be, Rajesh played a dying man again in SAFAR, but it is nowhere near this in brilliance or passion, though it is a good product.

This is a devotional hymn by the maker and the team to the human soul and its strength and faith and a signature classic in the annals of Indian and world cinema.

Only for the brave and the noble but with a punch line for the non-believers too, if you dare, tread this path and rejoice in its ecstasy, which will bring tears of happiness and grief alike to your eyes.