Mili

A 1975 movie starring Jaya & Amitabh Bachchan.It is a short 2 hr & 30 min film.Shekhar,a new tenant in the building where Mili lives, falls in love with her.His world turns upside down when he finds out that she is suffering from cancer.Another jewel by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.Ashok Kumar,Aruna Irani provided the necessary support.Jaya had the Filmfare nomination for the best actress.

Badi suni hai Zindagi…by Kishore Kumar plays in the background as Amitabh is drinking continuously.It sets the atmosphere for his loneliness & pain.Aaye tum yaad mujhe gaane lagi har dhadkan.. or Maine kaha phoolon se…are a treat.Jaya is the soul of the neighbourhood.Always cheerful.When she tries to talk to Amitabh he brushes her away.”Aap apne kaam se kaam nahi rakh sakti?” There is a Gopikaka who is his housekeeper.Does all work for him.Once he gets hurt & Mili tries to help him bandage.She tells him that in childhood, she would hide & people would search for her..’is melajuli ke chakkar me mera nam pad gaya ‘Mili’.

Maine kaha..is a song choreographed on the terrace where Amitabh is sitting & admiring the action yet not ready to admit it.He gradually falls for her. He finds that he hasn’t met her nor has she visited him.He asks Gopikaka,who advises him to go to her place & find out.He comes to know that she is sick,so he gets a bouquet & goes to her place.Ashok Kumar,her father meets him at the door, takes the bouquet & promises to give her.When he goes to her bedside,Ashok Kumar is amazes to see many more there drying up.He looks at the one in his hand which has a chit.’Mein khud ek guldasta bankar aao,to kahan rakhoge?

He talks with Jaya’s friend,Aruna & realises where things stand.He meets with Amitabh & tells him about her illness.Amitabh decides to marry her & fly for further treatment abroad.Ashok Kumar waving from his terrace & thinking…Ab Mili mujhe kabhi nahi milegi….This end brings a kind of uneasiness.Isn’t there a cure?Why do people suffer so much,so long?

Love story by Erich Segal written in 1970 has the same theme.The separation is inevitable yet we wait & wait for a miracle. Also ‘Akhiyon Ke jharokon se ‘starring Sachin & Ranjeeta… a 1978 film on two college students had Ranjeeta suffering from the illness.’Premgeet’,a 1981 film had Raj Babbar–Anita Raj in the lead.He is a singer who falls in love with this girl who is terminally ill & pregnant.He marries her against her father’s will.In a span of a few years the story had more twists.Both these films were hits.The songs were very popular then.The title song in ‘Ankhiyonke Zarokose meine dekha jo…’ & Premgeet introduces Anita Raj & established Raj Babbar with…Hotho se chulo tum,Mera geet amar kar do.

Back to Jaya , her films had simplicity,her acting,ease with which she works & the strong plots to work on.She tried her hand at glamour but we can’t see her like that.With 9 Filmfare awards & Padmashri currently member of Parliament,Rajya sabha no mean achievement that stands tall among her colleagues.More in the next one.Happy viewing!