Not just Hrishida, but it was also my first proper introduction to mainstream cinema and the one and only Mr. Khanna, Mr. Rajesh Khanna. When I asked my mother about both of them, she asked me to watch Hrishida’s magnum opus and Rajesh Khanna’s finest to date “Anand (1971)”. And this film…
This film changed my definition of mainstream completely, the storyline, memorable dialogues & songs, and powerful performances by the entire cast, especially Rajesh Khanna. After watching Anand, it became extremely important for me to watch every film made by Hrishida, be it Satyakam (1968) (one of the finest but quite underrated) or Bawarchi (1972), or Abhimaan (1973) or Naukri (1978). Watching Anand somewhere also made me a huge fan of Kaka. I saw all the important films he worked in, starting right from Anand (1971), Khamoshi (1970), Aradhana (1969), Safar (1970), Aakhri Khat (1966), Bawarchi (1972), Amar Prem (1972), Namak Haraam (1973), Avishkaar (1974) (one of his most distinct works), Naukri (1978) and some selected films from the 80s. His choice of projects was very interesting (being a major box office actor), especially between 1966-1978. I think he was one of those actors who always kept a balance between popular mainstream and inventive films. In 1974, with highly anticipated releases like Roti and Prem Nagar, he also had releases like impressively artistic Avishkaar and Aap Ki Kasam somewhere belonging to the middle-of-the-road genre. This tells a lot about his selection of films and it was only he who could manage to play a character like Amar flawlessly in Avishkaar, making the film rich artistically and at the same time getting it successful at the box office too.

…to be continued

Also Read Journey Part 3