Page 51 - Seniors Today - January Issue

At home, Rajeev’s younger brother Ramesh
One could mistake Rajeev for Bharat Bhushan - and that’s
because they were uncle and nephew
believes it is a way of giving back to society;
she thinks education is paramount and there
are better ways to be socially committed
than entering politics. The debate ends with
a fight among the followers, so there is no
winner.
The whole gang then goes to Delhi to
participate in the mandatory youth festival,
where he writes a poem (Thi Shubh Suhaag
Ki Raat) about brave queen Hadi Rani who
cut off her head so that her newly-wedded
husband would go without encumbrance
into battle against the Mughals. Shail
performs in the show, and they fall in
love. In spite of their obvious difference in
financial status, there is no opposition from
their mothers—played by the redoubtable
Shobhana Samarth (hers, on and off screen),
Leela Chitnis (his)—who agree to get them
married after the exams.
Slimy villain
What comes in the way is his standing
for elections against Shail’s wishes. He
is instigated by a slimy villain (SK Prem)
who makes money from the candidates.
Rajeev’s cohorts think it is a good idea and
go all out to canvas for him. The university
dean (Bhalla), however, is opposed to the
hooliganism that is an inevitable part
of politics and rusticates them all. In
retaliation, the students go on strike.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #19 | JANUARY 2021
(Raj Kumar, not the ‘Jaani’ star, but a
namesake) is furious that he has stolen their
mother’s savings to pay for his misguided
adventure, and it ends with Rajeev walking
out of the house in a huff. The college
authorities then decide to shut down the
hostel and evict the trouble-making boys.
Meanwhile, the shady agent contrives to
get Ramesh a job in the mill of Rajeev’s main
opponent, Seth Jagannath (Ulhas), and the
workers are drawn into the mayhem too. Just
in time, the boys halt a conspiracy to start a
riot and realise what they are up against.
Everything to lose
Rajeev now has everything to lose if he does
not win the election; his mother, who has
fallen ill, is afraid of what will happen to
her son if he fails. Even Ramesh and Shail
soften a bit and stand by to offer support.
The students eventually come to their senses
as Rajeev’s mother pleads with the dean for
forgiveness.
Tanuja’s career had a steady rise, though
not as high as her talent and beauty
deserved, but her leading man (that pencil
moustache was a deal-breaker) was not so
lucky. Raj Kumar did a few mythological
films; some of the actors – like Raj Kishore
and Khurshid Bawra – in Rajeev’s gang
of boys were seen over the years in small
supporting roles.
The film made a few valid points, even if
it is all depicted in a wishy-washy way, but
what lifted it various notches was Roshan’s
music set to Neeraj’s exquisite lyrics. The
film may have sunk without a trace, but
the songs like Aaj Ki Raat Badi Shokh Badi
Natkhat Hai, Dekhati Hi Raho Aaj Darpan
Na Tum, Nai Umar Ki Naye Sitaron and the
memorable Karvaan Guzar Gaya have stayed
afloat and alive.
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