Remembering a legend: Vijay Anand (Part I)

The year was 1957. Dev Anand was shown driving a truck, whistling a melodious tune, which when words started flowing, went something like, 'Hum hai rahi pyaar ke, humse kuch na boliye'. The movie, a very engaging thriller for it's time, was a smash hit. Nau Do Gyarah marked the arrival of the latest member of the Anand family, a young, ambitious, well-educated dreamer (just like any of the other Anand brothers) - Vijay Anand. While this movie is no best-of-all-time, it certainly stands the test of time. Vijay Anand's work was no less than brilliant and Navketan Films had a new brain to steer it to a different level altogether.

That happened very soon. In 1960, his next venture, Kala Bazaar became a box-office and critical success. Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman recreated the magic they had two years back in Solva Saal, and this movie is as wonderful and charming today as it was back then. The tale of a con-man mending his ways to woo a 'khaandani' girl may have been repeated later by others, but none were able to reach the benchmark set by this movie. Vijay Anand is excellent in a supporting role. By now, Navketan and S.D.Burman were in a symbiosis relationship, and the work produced in combination can easily stand as some of the greatest in Indian film music.

1963 saw Dev Anand romancing Nutan in Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, what is now regarded as one of the best romantic comedies ever in Hindi cinema, and why not you may ask. This had all the elements right, from the music to the screenplay and acting.

Three films and three super-hits in six years. However, the best was yet to come. And that's exactly what the next ten years witnessed, with 'Goldie' producing one masterpiece after another.

1965 was the year of Guide. This film swept all the major awards that year (except music, which disappoints Dev Anand to this very date) and was India's selection to the Oscars. It probably failed to impress the West because it was also released there earlier in English, directed by Tad Danielewski. However, the Hindi version remains timeless and much better than the English one.
Guide was a film way ahead of it's times; in fact it's ahead for today's times as well! Hats off to everyone involved with the film (and R.K.Narayan of course), for this is now rated as one of the best movies India has ever produced. A drama that will keep you glued to your seats; it charms everyone with it's evergreen music, dialogues, dances and acting performances. Vijay Anand's direction had never been better. It had now reached perfection. This perfection was exactly what was required when he had to shoot his next three movies, if they had to remain timeless as well.

For exactly one year later, in 1966, he came back with yet another bang on the box-office. Critics too loved this movie. We sing it's songs very often. When you have Shammi Kapoor, Helen and Asha Parekh swinging to R.D.Burman's evergreen numbers, amidst a murder which has made Shammi Kapoor the prime suspect with his lady-love Asha Parekh vowing for revenge, there was absolutely no chance a director of Vijay Anand could go wrong! Teesri Manzil is till date, considered one of the pioneers when it comes to thrillers, and it has certainly set a benchmark which no other thriller/suspense film could achieve.

Oops, did I just say no other film could match Teesri Manzil in suspense? If at all there's any movie that has surpassed the brilliance of Teesri Manzil, it had to Vijay Anand's next, released in 1967 - Jewel Thief. This extremely fast-paced suspense thriller had Dev Anand romancing Vyjanthimala and Tanuja with witty dialogues and some fantastic music, again evergreen, by S.D.Burman. While there was a storyline which had us thinking as to who the jewel thief could be, there was another angle in the film masterfully created by Vijay Anand, where we were kept in suspense until the final twenty minutes as to whether Dev Anand is playing a double role or whether the 'good' Dev Anand is masquerading as the 'bad' one for stealing the jewels; and believe me, no other director could have pulled off this feat. Be prepared for major shocks along the way! Also, you have to watch out for a scene where Dev Anand is asked to remove his shoe to prove who he really is. Removing shoes had never been so nail-biting! No wonder then, that Jewel Thief, along with Teesri Manzil, is considered as the finest suspense thriller ever made!

1970 had Dev Anand paired with a relatively new actress; a gorgeous Hema Malini in her first few movies. This was another thriller marked with excellent music (Kalyanji-Anandji this time) and dialogues, with a twist happening every now and then. Johny Mera Naam had the audiences flocking to the theatres in large numbers, and people watching the movie even today will understand why.

A year later, in 1971, Vijay Anand came back with yet another masterpiece called Tere Mere Sapne; only this time it was not a thriller, but a beautiful drama with a love story entwined within, that of Dev Anand and Mumtaz, with Vijay Anand in a brilliant supporting role and Hema Malini in a well-written special role. Never before had the profession of medicine been demonstrated so realistically, especially with the use of two different idealogies of practising it, and by the looks of it, no movie ever will. This movie, I would consider as one of Vijay Anand's best, even though it is not much remembered now among the general crowd. People will definitely love this movie if they can come across a DVD/VCD of it and watch it. This is easily one of his best written and directed movies. Kudos to the art direction and music too!

Vijay Anand came out with quite a few films later as well, none with the magic of his early films; but extremely good movies nonetheless.

1973 had Dharmendra singing Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas having Raakhee in his thoughts, a song which even now, is considered one of the most romantic songs ever. Shatrughan Sinha was terrific as the blackmailer in this latest Vijay Anand flick, a fast-paced thriller called Blackmail. The story was certainly well ahead of it's times, and the film was yet another feather in the cap of our genius director.

1973 was the year another typical Vijay Anand thriller was released, Chuppa Rustam. While it's not much remembered now, it's no less in quality than any of his earlier films. Dev Anand and Hema Malini were superb and the result was yet another edge-of-the-seat thriller. Vijay Anand makes a magnificient appearance in a supporting role, easily one of the best characters he's ever created on cinema. People of today should definitely give this movie a chance. They won't be disappointed.

The other talent that Vijay Anand had, and that was demonstrated in all these films, was the knack for excellent background music. The background scores in films like Teesri Manzil, Jewel Thief and Johny Mera Naam have especially helped in making them unforgettable. Never again has any suspense film witnessed such a chilling and engaging score as Jewel Thief.

You only have to watch the films a second time to realize what a genius Vijay Anand really was, in terms of the way everything was created while making the film. The screenplays, and this is most true in case of his suspense-thrillers, was SIMPLY FLAWLESS! There was not a single scene or a single dialogue that was not for a purpose. Truly, he was the master of suspense in Indian cinema, and given good marketing, can make his name known across the world.

Films following these didn't quite have the same Vijay Anand effect. Perhaps he missed the creative help he received at Navketan including his brother, Dev, and his usual crew. He did make a mark with films like Rajput and Ram-Balram, which were very good and entertaining no doubt, but by now even he was finding it hard to match up to the 'skyscraperly' high standard he had set for himself.

Vijay Anand had written a fantastic screenplay, which was made into a film, now almost forgotten, in 1972, with him and Rekha in the lead. While the film, Double Cross, was good to be honest (provided you wait until the second half), it could have been much better. The direction by Gogi Anand was a bit amateurish at times, and if only Vijay Anand was behind the camera calling the shots, this film had the potential to be a classic. (No offence to Gogi Anand though, he will always remain well-respected!)

Vijay Anand was much more than a master director; he was a wonderful actor as well. His performances in films like Kora Kaagaz and Tere Mere Sapne probably stand out from among the rest, and were definitely award-worthy. The sensitiveness and gentlemanliness displayed in Kora Kaagaz will be talked about for years to come, while the transition in character from a lost drunkard to a heroic doctor in Tere Mere Sapne was a role portrayed outstandingly.

In a way, things were not too bad when he quit making films in the late 80s, for in 1994, he came back with a bang; in a role on a TV show that has made him very famous with the young crowd who did not know too much about his movies. Tahqiqat was a smash success in the early years of television; a show which like his films, will always remain timeless.

But the truth is we don't really care what kind of movies he ended up with in the final years of his career. The masterpieces he gave us during his first fifteen years are enough for us to fall back on whenever we want. They are movies that will stand out till eternity. Vijay Anand will remain in the hearts of movie-buffs till eternity.