I have already watched Avishkaar (starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore) and Anubhav (starring Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja). And I wondered how these 70s films were so ahead of time. They dealt with complex husband-wife relationships. They are such mature films that they put the contemporary Hindi films to shame by their depth.
Aandhi is a film by Gulzar starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen. Supposed to be 'inspired' by Indira Gandhi's married life, the film is about the strain in relationship due to an ambitious wife and a man caught up in the traditional old world life. Aarti is daughter of a business man who wants the daughter to achieve something in life. Join politics, precisely, so that it would help him in business. But she falls in love and gets married to JK, a hotel manager.
But a desire to enter politics, fueled by father, leads to a strain in her married life. JK prefers his wife to be at home, do the chores and take care of the kid. Aarti decides not to be a typical housewife and moves out.
9 years thence, fate brings them together when Aarti comes to the town for an election campaign and stays at the hotel headed by JK. How they come together represents the change in Indian society. Emancipation of women and an acknowledgement by men that wife is not necessarily for the house.
You will love each and every song. They will haunt you for long time. Sanjeev Kumar is fantastic in the role and plays it with such elan, persona dignified.
I think the Indian society and marraige has long moved from the state that is portrayed in the movie, but still it has a lot of meaning even in the changed circumstances. Must watch.
On a side note, the one thing common to Aandhi and Anubhav is AK Hangal. He plays to servant in both the movies and has almost very similar dialogue. Watch for it.
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