Anurodh (1977) User Reviews

Good film in Rajesh Khanna's derailed career with good music

[silvan-desouza · 6/10 · 23 November 2015]

In early 70s, Rajesh Khanna was a driving force, but slowly post 1975 Rajesh Khanna went through a downhill after Amitabh shot up(supposedly Rajesh Khanna had become insecure about the latter and predicted his downfall). Anurodh reunites Shakti Samantha after Aradhana,Amar Prem.etc This too is a good emotional film, it's story is of Rajesh Khanna who plays the rich guy who wants to make singing his career which is against his father's wishes. It also has Vinod Mehra as his sick poor friend. The film also had good music apart from marking the debut of Simple Kapadia(sister in law of Khanna) which sadly worked against the film as there were romantically paired. Direction is good Music is superb, Aate Jaate being the most popular, Jab Dard Nahin Tha, Aapke Anurodh Pe are all good songs, Kishore yet again suits the voice of Khanna.

Rajesh Khanna is good in his inimitable style, at times he does his usual hamming too Simple Kapadia is okay, sadly her career didn't go further Asrani provides comic relief, Ashok Kumar is good in his role as always Vinod Mehra is good too, Utpal Dutt,Dina Pathak are good too rest are okay When released the film was a hit, but could be a bigger hit if the pairing was different, also Khanna was going through a downhill.

Unforgettable performance by Vinod Mehra

[gkksplurge · 7/10 · 24 June 2020]

Anurodh is the story of Arun (Rajesh Khanna), the son of a rich businessman, Mr. Chaudhary (Utpal Dutt). He is passionate about music which is strongly disliked by his father. Hence he adopts a pseudo-name for his artistic life - Sanjay. However his father kicks him out of his home and he moves to the house of his motor-mechanic friend - Bhisham Singh (Asrani) and his wife (Preeti Ganguly). Now he happens to meet the love of his life too - Sunita (Simple Kapadia), the grand-daughter of Mr. Mathur (Ashok Kumar). He changes his name once again to Preetam Nath Ghayal and gets the job of a chauffeur in the house of his sweetheart.

On one track, this rom-com runs to delight the audience, on the other, runs the pain-soaked story of Arun's another friend - Shrikant (Vinod Mehra) who is a poet and lives with his widow mother (Nirupa Roy) under extreme poverty. At their hearts, himself and Arun are no less than real brothers. He authors lyrics for the songs of Arun. He has been caught by tuberculosis but he hides his disease from his mother as well as Arun. Though Arun never appears on the stage for a live show (he sings on radio only), he has to change his decision to arrange a huge sum for the operation of his beloved friend Shrikant whose decease he comes to know of quite late. It is then the song mentioned in the title and the first para of this review, comes before the audience. The movie ends on a happy note.

Contrary to some of the heavy dose of sentiments in the reviews above, this film was a major failure at the box office and the only reason it gets a 7 from me his due to the memorable performance by Vinod Mehra.

Vinod Mehra's outstanding performance in his inimitable style is the heart and soul of the emotional drama presented on the screen. His performance in Anurodh is an unforgettable one. The ailing, full of self-respect, yet suffering from guilt-complex to create troubles for his beloved ones, poet Shrikant who pens poems of hope and optimism but forced by the misery prevailing in his life to decide to kill himself has been enlivened by Vinod Mehra on the screen.

Rajesh Khanna was past his heyday when Anurodh was released. However he also gives a delightful especially his outburst before Shrikant when he comes to know that Shrikant has been suffering from TB and may not live beyond a few days, is able to leave indelible imprint upon the viewer's heart. Ditto about his performance in the climax when he appears in person before the music lovers for the first time in his life and appeals to them to pray for Shrikant's life. No one can lip sync Kishore da's melodious tunes as effortlessly as Rajesh Khanna and the actor's mannerisms are with so much elan.

But truth must be told that Vinod Mehra despite being in a supporting role, outshines and outclasses Rajesh khanna here.

This is the debut movie of Dimple Kapadia's younger sister, (late) Simple Kapadia (Rajesh Khanna's real life sister-in-law) and she is just okay. The complete supporting cast has done exceedingly well to complement the performance of the lead characters (Arun and Shrikant).

Laxmikant Pyarelal have composed outstanding music for this movie. On one hand, there are romantic songs like - Aate Jaate Khoobsurat Aawaara Sadkon Par, Aapke Anurodh Pe Main Ye Geet Sunaata Hoon and Mere Dil Ne, but my all-time favorite is the song that ends the climax. Brilliant rendition.

A good film all in all, but the reasons why it failed at the box office was understandable.

Watch this movie for the Melodious tunes of Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kishore Kumar's beautiful rendition most notably and of course, the power house performance by Vinod Mehra who was simply brilliant and deservingly got a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor in a supporting role.

The story of a singer and his poet friend

[SushilKBirla · 7/10 · 24 October 2022]

Watching this movie 45 years after its release, I enjoyed the portrayals of the lead character (Arun; Sanjay; Ghayal) as a singer and his impoverished sick poet friend, Srikant. Nirupa Roy performed well in her supporting as Srikant's mother.

The role of Srikant's father as the artist-unfriendly business-preoccupied was stereotypical and did not seem authentic.

In contrast, I enjoyed the performance of Ashok Kumar in the grandfather role.

As Arun's mechanic friend, Asrani performed a more significant and useful role in this movie than his usual comedian role. The role of his (mechanic) assistant was cheap humor - almost to the point of being irritating. On the other hand, Preeti Ganguly did well in the role of Asrani's wife. Both did well as hosts of their needy friend, Arun.

The role of Arun singing at a radio station in the disguise of Sanjay to conceal his real-life identity was an interesting part of the storyline - not only maintaining the secrecy from his father, but also from his romantic pursuit, Simple Kapadia. Getting employed (by her maternal grandfather, Ashok Kumar) as her driver was also an interesting ploy in the storyline.

I thought Simple Kapadia performed reasonably well, even though some reviews blame her for limiting the success of the movie. On the contrary, I think Rajesh Khanna was the limitation - the same old performance style.

Lore on the internet blames him for changes in the storyline to give him more prominence and to diminish the role of Srikant - changes that diminished the appeal of the movie. Vinod Mehra performed the Srikant role well - for me, the highlight was when he reached the children singing an inspirational song he had composed. Ashok Kumar sees him, appreciates his poetic composition, but does not probe further about his life, keeping the suspense.

Later, when Srikant is in the hospital in a critical condition, with all his well wishers waiting anxiously, Ashok Kumar arrives on the scene and recognizes Nirupa Roy as his estranged daughter-in-law - it was a touching moment in the story.

For me, the most enjoyable song was "Aapke anurodh pur", rather than the song at the climax, when Arun appears in person on the stage, disclosing his true identity.

Jab Dard Nahin Tha Seene Mein ...

[jmathur_swayamprabha · 3 October 2011]

Jab Dard Nahin Tha Seene Mein, Tab Khaak Maza Tha Jeene Mein (When there was no feeling of pain in my heart, what the hell was the pleasure of living). Sounds impractical ? It is. Surprisingly it is very much practical for the true artists whose art gets refined only through the pain in their hearts. Today I am reviewing Anurodh (1977) starring Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra and Simple Kapadia whose music, among many others, contains a tear-jerking song consisting of the same words. It comes in the climax of the movie and makes the audience shed tears.

Anurodh (request) is the story of Arun (Rajesh Khanna), the son of a rich businessman, Mr. Chaudhary (Utpal Dutt). He is passionate about music which is strongly disliked by his father. Hence he adopts a pseudo-name for his artistic life - Sanjay. However his father kicks him out of his home and he moves to the house of his motor-mechanic friend - Bhisham Singh (Asrani) and his wife (Preeti Ganguly). Now he happens to meet the love of his life too - Sunita (Simple Kapadia), the grand-daughter of Mr. Mathur (Ashok Kumar). He changes his name once again to Preetam Nath Ghayal and gets the job of a chauffeur in the house of his sweetheart.

On one track, this rom-com runs to delight the audience, on the other, runs the pain-soaked story of Arun's another friend - Shrikant (Vinod Mehra) who is a poet and lives with his widow mother (Nirupa Roy) under extreme poverty. At their hearts, himself and Arun are no less than real brothers. He authors lyrics for the songs of Arun. He has been caught by tuberculosis but he hides his disease from his mother as well as Arun. Though Arun never appears on the stage for a live show (he sings on radio only), he has to change his decision to arrange a huge sum for the operation of his beloved friend Shrikant whose decease he comes to know of quite late. It is then the song mentioned in the title and the first para of this review, comes before the audience. The movie ends on a happy note.

Anurodh (1977) is another gem from Shakti Samanta-Rajesh Khanna team who had given many memorable movies prior to this. Anurodh is a bit different from others in the sense that it contains a heavy dose of sentiments. Despite comedy and romance getting sufficient footage in the movie, the main theme remains sentimental only. And the seasoned director has handled the script brilliantly. Not only the movie is utterly interesting but also the emotion embedded in the theme alights deep into the heart of the viewer. There are several scenes in the movie (linked to Shrikant, his poverty and his illness) which move the watcher like anything. TB (tuberculosis) became curable a few years later to the release of this movie but in that period, it was considered a deadly disease. The scene of Shrikant's stopping himself from committing suicide upon listening to the optimistic song authored by none other than himself only, is just superb. Another heart-conquering scene is the interaction of Shrikant with the publisher of his poems for his due amount.

And Vinod Mehra's outstanding performance is the heart and soul of the emotional drama presented on the screen. I consider Vinod Mehra a highly underrated actor who never got his due from Bollywood. His performance in Anurodh is an unforgettable one. The ailing, full of self-respect, yet suffering from guilt-complex to create troubles for his beloved ones, poet Shrikant who pens poems of hope and optimism but forced by the misery prevailing in his life to decide to kill himself has been enlivened by Vinod Mehra on the screen.

Rajesh Khanna was past his heyday when Anurodh was released. However his performance is definitely first rate. Especially his outburst before Shrikant when he comes to know that Shrikant has been suffering from TB and may not live beyond a few days, is able to leave indelible imprint upon the viewer's heart. Ditto about his performance in the climax when he appears in person before the music lovers for the first time in his life and appeals to them to pray for Shrikant's life.

This is the debut movie of Dimple Kapadia's younger sister, (late) Simple Kapadia (Rajesh Khanna's real life sister-in-law) and she is just okay. The complete supporting cast has done exceedingly well to complement the performance of the lead characters (Arun and Shrikant).

Laxmikant Pyarelal have composed outstanding music for this movie. On one hand, there are romantic songs like - Aate Jaate Khoobsurat Aawaara Sadkon Par, Aapke Anurodh Pe Main Ye Geet Sunaata Hoon and Mere Dil Ne Tadap Ke Jab Naam Tera Pukaara, on the other is the sentimental song - Jab Dard Nahin Tha Seene Mein. Kishore Kumar is at his very best in the songs of this movie. It contains the inspiring song - Tum Besahaara Ho To Kisi Ka Sahaara Bano also which is an underrated gem of Manna Dey. Anand Bakshi has penned the touching lyrics of the songs.

Technical and production value aspects are quite in line with the reputation of the banner of Shakti Samanta. Considering the simple characters and the simple set up required for the script, the director has demonstrated his better judgment by avoiding undue pump and show.

Anurodh is a movie both for the classes and the masses. It's thoroughly entertaining with sufficient laughters and musical romance for the regular movie buffs. At the same time, it is a memorable experience for the movie viewers liking sentimental stuff.

Excellent musical

[alokc · 10/10 · 27 April 2007]

This is a great musical movie from the Shakti Samanta - Rajesh Khanna camp which has excellent music by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The characters are very strong- Ashok Kumar, Vinod Mehra, Nirupa Roy put in a good performance. The movie is a remake of a Bengali movie but retains its originality. Rajesh Khanna as usual puts up a great performance and is good in comedy, romance and drama. He shows the class of being a Super Star in the movie. This runaway hit has also good story, excellent editing and good direction. It is a must see and the songs of Kishore Kumar in the movie are excellent, it seems that Rajesh Khanna is singing them. How they suit each other.

a powerful masterpiece. all who liked this film are honest, people who can understand deepest pain of human .

[niteshseesaha · 10/10 · 28 September 2013]

i give 10/10. what a film, what a film? you don't agree

just watch it. it depicts human nature as it is, natural performance

Vinod performance when he is suffering but instead do not want any

help. i never knew vinod mehra was such a powerhouse actor..... his chemistry with rajesh khanna , the overall acting are to be saluted just wish the director would make such type of film. i am a youngster but still i like old films like samantha films are superb. spoiler when vinod stop suicide on hearing his written song taken by students is the nice shot ever in history.i liked the song "mere dil ne tarap" , are the soul of this film

Simple Kapadia deserved better

[princeofthieves2003 · 5/10 · 4 August 2017]

Anurodh is a movie which had everything. A superstar actor (Rajesh Khanna) some great actors ( Vinod Mehra, Asrani, Ashok Kumar) and a beautiful debutante (Simple Kapadia) Coupled with some very great songs, the movie was guaranteed huge success at the box-office. However, this was not case and the movie was only a minor hit. Rajesh Khanna was his usual self as well as the other stars in the movie. However, young debutante Simple Kapadia was not given enough credit, or no credit at all, and this nipped a promising career in its bud. Simple was very young at the time Anurodh was launched. Due to her dad's film connections (so what ?) she was launched by the highly esteemed Shakti Samanta. Despite her inexperience as an actress, I believe Simple was amazing and that she was a breath of fresh air in this movie. Her youth, her vigour, her talent and great beauty were there for all to see. Unfortunately, all the blame for the movie not being a huge success was put on her young and frail shoulders. She was the perfect scapegoat. So, all the work she did during that movie went down the drain. Anurodh was a major blow and after that, a career which had just started, went spiralling down. Due to movie critics being so ruthless and cruel to her after Anurodh, not taking into account the extremely difficult circumstances she had to work with- Rajesh Khanna being her bro-in-law, high expectations being Dimple's sister, her very young age) poor Simple never managed to get to the level where her talent as an actress and her wonderful looks should have legitimately led her to. She was instead labelled with the most despicable names and after several minor roles which were more humiliating than anything else and where credit was always taken away from her when she deserved plaudits, she decided to quit acting in 1987 being labelled a failure.

Super Star Rajesh Khanna's Anurodh - 1977

[manoharv1957 · 10/10 · 12 December 2013]

Indian Cinema Super Star Rajesh Khanna's classic movie Anurodh of 1977. Directed by Shakti Samanta and written by Din Dyaal Sharma. The movie starred with the Indian Cinema Super Star Rajesh Khanna and Simple Kapadia in lead roles while Vinod Mehra, Asrani, Ashok Kumar, Rita Bhaduri, Nirupa Roy, Utpal Dutt, Abhi Bhattacharya, Asit Sen, Dina Pathak, Birbal and Mrinal Mukherjee also played important roles in the film. The music of the movie was given by great Music Director Laxmikant Pyarelal while the songs were sung by Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar etc.

Arun Chaudhary ( Super Star Rajesh Khanna ) wants to make a career in singing and is determined for it. However, his father wants him to be a businessman like him and hates his importance for music. Arun decides to change his name so that his father will not be able to find out about his continued indulgence in music. Soon he becomes a famous and well known singer with the name of Sanjay Kumar. His voice is appreciated by everyone and is actually hired by a radio station to sing songs on it.

On the one hand, Arun is getting success and becoming popular and on the other hand he is fearing of his father knowing truth. He knows that his increasing popularity will make it difficult for him to keep this a secret from his father but he can't help it. What will happen when his father will reveal the secret about his son. The songs of Kishore Kumar in the movie are excellent, u will feel that super star Rajesh Khanna is singing.

All songs in the movie are classic.

This is a great musical movie from the Director Shakti Samanta & Super Star Rajesh Khanna camp which has excellent music by Laxmikant Pyarelal for a change. The characters are very strong- Ashok Kumar, Vinod Mehra, Nirupa Roy put in a good performance. Super Star Rajesh Khanna as usual puts up a great performance and is good in comedy, romance and drama. He shows the class of being a Super Star in the movie. This runaway Super Hit in 1977 and has also good story, excellent editing and good direction. It is a must see and the songs of Kishore Kumar in the movie are excellent, it seems that Super Star Rajesh Khanna is singing them.

Rajesh Khanna - He is real and only super star of Indian cinema for ever

Beautiful movie

[tasbinkang · 10/10 · 31 May 2021]

Watched this beautiful movie at the time of cheap masala films running all over...Beautiful songs great acting by kaka and vinod mehra loved the movie at cinema hall still rem how people were cheering up when kaka sing the best song of the movie aate jaate khusbsurat..as pyaralal said in the Indian idol that it would have been blockbuster if simple was not there but still got super hit...Beautiful movie and must watch for every hindi cinema lover..