‘Anand’ – A classic that won’t die! – Matinee with me.

A book is being inaugurated. Dr. Bhaskar (Amitabh Bachhan), the author of the book is asked to say a few words. He rises up to the mike and hesitantly starts, ‘Maaf kijiye, Mujhe bolna nahin aata. Aap log jise kitaab samajh rahen hain, woh sirf mere diary-ke kuch panne hain’. (‘What you think is a book, is nothing but a few pages from my diary).

 

As the ‘panne’ unfurl, you are taken back in time and you see the introverted and conscientious Doctor roaming in slums with his medical kit. He is an angry young man. He is angry with Life. He is angry with Death. Also he is angry with his own helplessness to keep both apart! He attends to a man on death-bed and quickly gets up, making no bones about his limitation to the weeping woman -‘Main Sirf Doctor hoon, Bhagwan nahin!’. As he steps out, he is greeted by another old lady from the neighbouring hutment with a ‘pedha’, because she just got a grand-child! The Doctor mutters wryly, ‘ Ek maraa hi nahin aur doosra paida ho gaya marneke liye!!’ (One is about to die and another is born to die!).

 

A few scenes later, a ‘toofan’ by the name of Anand Sehgal (Rajesh Khanna) gate-crashes into his clinic—and his life, as well! Anand is introduced by a common friend Dr. Prakash (Ramesh Deo) to the Doctor. Actually Anand arrives earlier than he is expected because he is always in a hurry, as his habit – he was also a pre-mature baby, he explains! Also—he is also going to die early! Anand has been referred to Dr. Bhaskar by Dr Prakash for a terminal illness – stomach cancer. Anand is eager to know the medical name of his illness. Dr. Bhaskar is not amused – ‘Bimari-ka naam jaankar kya karenge aap?!’, he snaps, ‘Agar main kahoon ki aapko lympocircoma of the intestine ho gaya, to kya kar lenge aap?!’ Much to the Dr.’s annoyment, Anand is thrilled by the name of his ailment! He feels it sounds like a Viceroy’s name and even fit to be announced in ‘Vividh Bharati’!

 

 

Anand replies that he knows very well what is his problem and then corners the Doctor – ‘Lekin aap itna naraaz kyun ho gaye! O Samjha! Aap mujhse nahin, apne aap-se naraaz hai kyunki iska ilaaj nahin ho sakta! Babumoshai! Itna pyar achha nahin hota!!’ (You are angry with yourself because you can’t cure it! This much love is not good!). ‘Babu-moshai! Zindagi lambi nahin, badi honi chhahiye!’ (‘Life should be big, not long!’). ‘Agar marne-ki darse jeena chod de, to phir zindagi kise kehte hain?!’ (‘If we cease living due to fear of death, then what do you call ‘life’?’). Anand does not fear his end, but makes the audience dread to sit through the inevitable last reel!

 

 

Anand gets busy making the most of every single fleeting moment by spreading cheer around him. That includes non-stop chattering with wisecracks strewn liberally, playing pranks and bantering with people around including absolute strangers! He strikes a rapport with the senior Dr. Prakash and his wife after mongering up a minor tiff between the couple. When she ‘makes’ him as her brother and asks for ‘aashirwad’, Anand says, ‘How can I bless you? I can’t even tell, ‘meri umar tujhe lag jaaye’’! The poignant moment in the film sets off the prelude for one of the most touching Mukesh songs  and penned by Yogesh, ‘Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye---‘. But these are only the few moments when Anand gets misty-eyed. Otherwise he is out in the streets going after total strangers and patting them on the back ‘zabardasti’-ly calling them by an imaginary name, ‘Murarilal’! He gets back a resounding response with double vigour from Johnny Walker who exclaims to Anand, ‘Arre! Jaichand! Tum Yahan!!’! When Amitabh intervenes and explains that his name is not Jaichand, but Anand, an unflappable JW says, ‘Main bhi Murarilal nahin hoon. Main hoon Issabhai!’.  He be-friends Dara Singh and gets a tip or two on wrestling! Anand collects friends and admirers around him, who get drawn close to him and then are unable to face his inevitable end. The stern matron (Lalita Pawar) succumbs to his charms when called, ‘Mother Mary’! Hrishikesh-da takes a leaf out of his earlier film ‘Anari’ and re-plays the interaction between a ‘tough’ Lalita Pawar, and a golden-hearted hero with better finesse.

 

But Anand’s strong dose is reserved for his new-found Doctor-Friend Bhaskar , alias ‘Babu-moshai’ (as christened by him) and teaches the ‘mentally sick’ doctor a lesson or two about the ‘Art of living’! Anand declares ‘Bas kar!’ to Bhaskar’s negativity! Whenever Bhaskar slips into his melancholic brooding and reluctance to open up his feelings, Anand pulls him up.He even embarrasses the doctor by announcing to public during a tonga-ride that his ‘buddhu’-friend has fallen in love! When the lady in question arrives one day at the door-step and asks Anand, ‘Zara Doctor Saab-ko bhulayenge?’, Anand says, ‘Zara kyun, poora hi bhulata hoon’! The love-birds start for the beach and out of courtesy asks anand if he would care to join them. Anand gets ready instantly much to the dismay of the Doctor. The doc mutters to his girl-friend, ‘formality-ke liye bhulaya to idiot fauran taiyyar ho gaya!’.

 

 

 

Finally the dreaded last few minutes of the film and Anand’s life arrive. Anand is on death-bed and the doctor who had been so for an atheist rushes out to fetch a magical herb from somewhere to make a last bid to save Anand. But he returns a bit too late to find Anand at last silenced. In a spine-chilling scene, the doctor shakes his friend trying to wake him up –‘ Aise kaise jaa sakte ho? Tumhari bak-bak sunte aaya hoon main! Baaten karo mujh-se! Baaten karo mujhse!’, and suddenly Anand’s voice sounds (from the tape-recorder) ; ‘"Zindagi aur maut uparwale ke haath mein hai, Jahanpanah. Hum sab rangmanch ki kathputliyan hain jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon se bandhi hui hai. Kab kaun uthega koi nahin bata sakta. Ha ha ha." (We are all puppets in the hands of the supreme being who holds the strings of our lives. We will never know which string he will pull next). As the Doctor breaks down over his friend’s body and his weeping sound merges with Anand’s pre-recorded eerie laughter, we make an exit with a lump on throat from this incredibly emotional catharsis of an experience called 'Anand'!

As we leave, Bachhan’s baritone declares in the back-ground ,’‘Anand’ Maraa nahin! ‘Anand’ Marta Nahin!’

True! Such classics never die!