Saagar

The movie which made Dimple Kapadiya to ride the wave of popularity,again! It was basically a love story with a triangle. Rishi Kapoor & Kamal Hasan loving the same girl. Kamal has been living in the basti for years & knows her well. But she falls for the rich, newcomer coming in at the right time.

It was bold & I wished no one will see me watching it. But our college lab assistant was there & he saw a group from the same class. A futile question as..’Cinema ka?’ had be answered! When watching ‘Julie’ I had only one other lady with me in the entire theater, Neha Dhupiya had a couple of scenes but the story was ok. She needed lot of time to come out of her image.

A couple of years later I saw the film again when as a hostelite we had time but no tickets. The film was housefull. Both of us were looking at the crowd when the manager called us & asked how many tickets I said two. He gave us! I had often seen him in his office on the left while climbing the stairs to go in. The seats were in the last row & first two so we didn’t worry about who will sit next to us! I fail to remember my friend but the movie is clear. I often wondered what aai will say, you were there to get a PG! The theater manager knows you & not the professors! ( Hod would call me ‘Thakre’ !)

Rishi Kapoor has a mother who disapproves & later relents. It has a beautiful canvas of the sea, their moods are matched with the sea. All the songs are very nice. The music by RD Burman hummable as always. ‘O Maria…by SP Balasubramaniam is a jem. At the wedding when Raja ie Kamal picks up Mona’s ie Dimple’s handkerchief his friends know his secret but he stuts them off.

“Saagar jaisi aankhon wali…..introduces Ravi (Rishi Kapoor ). His wooing gets her off her feet. They start meeting each other & it is late for Raja.’Sach mere yaar hai..’ brings his emotions to the fore but he tries to hide. Ravi is uneasy about it. Mona also assures, but he has his doubts. The scene where Raja knows, he is so awkward he simply washes his face in the water from the drum to hide his tears.

‘Saagar kinare dil ye pukare tu jo nahi to koi nahi…’is their love song which plays when words can’t express. It has the sea at various times & the meaning changs as such.

‘Jaane do na…’ another song with the waves. The inside pool casts shadows on the walls. His mother suddenly appears & asks the girl to leave. Madhur Jaffrey in the strict mother’s role. She is well known for her cookery books. It was a rare occasion for her & for us!

‘Yunhi gaate raho, …’A playful song where everybody enjoys.Another confrontation by Ravi on the sea shore later comes to a knot. Kamal tries to deny & his features contort in pain. The moment when we can’t decide on whose side are we? He is an excellent actor but the aristocracy of Rishi here sets him apart!

The question if the right guy gets the girl …I have often wondered! In school when I saw the Pakistani serial where the brother Gabriel says if you don’t you miss the chance. Meri didi kisi aur ki ho jayegi… to the boy who has always been coming to their place & taken for granted!

Here, Raja is from the same basti, same background, yet she chooses Ravi, who is from the elite class. In ‘Baato Baato mein’ Tina Munim has a boy following her always. He follows her every day till the station. But she finally marries Amol Palekar who she meets in the train. Her mother gets wind of the situation but by then it is late.

In ‘Parwana’ Amitabh decides to tell her ( Geeta Bali ),but she tells him she has fallen for a guy in her college. Her uncle warns him..varna Asha ko chod kar kisi Nirasha se shaadi karni padegi..Amitabh ka jadu nahi chala & she marries Navin Nishchal!

Is the match really “Perfect!” or is only a working model , work in progress ! It has to work on to last for years. Not easy to remain consistent. But the benefits are many. The life expectancy of married is more than the unmarried ones!

Striving towards perfection! Happy viewing!