ANDAZ ( 1949 )

Andaz ((Mis ?)Understanding) released in 1949 is till date regarded as the mother of all triangles of Hindi Cinema. Love triangles were made frequently even before Andaz but such was it's impact on Indian Cinema that whenever the genre of love triangles in Indian Cinema is discussed, the first film that comes to one's mind is Andaz !
It had the best that Hindi cinema had to offer to the audience.
A fabulous Director like Mehboob Khan and Three of the Greatest actors ever seen on Hindi screen Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Nargis coming together for a film, and a superlative music score by none other than Naushad..
Andaz is a Great Classic and will be remembered as a film that brought some of the greatest talents of the Hindi film Industry together ..

The story of Andaaz (1949)

Neena (Nargis) , the pampered daughter of an extremely Rich business man is saved by Dilip (Dilip Kumar) when her horse veers out of control. A friendship develops between the two with Neena helping him out as he comes from a poor family. Dilip falls in love with Neena and believes that she too is in love with him. Neena's father warns her against this friendship with Dilip and her 'modern' ways but Neena brushes his warnings aside. In fact she turns to Dilip's shoulder when her father passes away and goes on to make him a partner in the family business that she inherits with the intention of making him financially secure..Just when Dilip is on the verge of disclosing his feelings to Neena , it turns out that Neena is actually in love with her childhood friend and fiance Rajan (Raj Kapoor). Neena marries him once he returns from abroad. But Dilip declares his love for her on her wedding night, and a disturbed Neena tells him that she has always looked upon him as a friend and nothing more than that..

Rajan , being a suspicious and posessive husband soon begins to suspect Nina and Dilip and there is unhappiness and frustration among all three...The film has a long drawn out melodramatic ending that is quite shocking and unexpected..

My Views about Andaz

Andaz was a film that had everything going for it right from its sensational star cast of Nargis, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor to its super hit music and its unusual story line. At the time of Andaz's making, both Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were just beginning their film career , whereas Nargis was already established as a great star .The film did wonders to both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar' s careers and their coming together is today regarded as a coup but not really then when the film was made...

In Andaz, Mehboob has targetted the youth of the 1940s whom he felt were wrongly aping western culture, behavior and fashion . However, this aspect of the film ends up dramatising the contradictory proposition that new, independent India should value the modern day technology and to a certain extent the western values, while retaining feudal family and moral values that are traditional to Indian families. Any flaw in the story line is completely overshadowed by the film's high production value and technical superiority , unseen in Hindi cinema until then. The photography by Faredoon Irani is superb and the performances by the lead stars highly-charg, and these factors combined with the superlative music by naushad that elevate the film to a new level altogether..

Central to the film are the three superb lead performances. Nargis was a top star when she acted in Andaz, but with this film she established herself without doubt as India's finest dramatic actress. . And Dilip Kumar consolidated his image of the tragic lover. Raj Kapoor had the more difficult and complex role of that of a jealous and insecure husband suspecting his wife has given a tremendous performance at par with that of Dilip Kumar. Raj Kapoor known for his mannerisms gave a performance that was in total contrast to Dilip Kumar's subtle underplaying which went very well with the flow of the film.

The other notable performance was by dancing star Cuckoo, who got to play a major role for the first time in this film. .
The film was a musical triumph for Composer Naushad . Each and every song in the film was a raging hit and singer Mukesh became the voice of Dilip Kumar . Apparently Dilip Kumar was against Mukesh singing for him, but Mehboob Khan and Naushad convinced him otherwise and the rest is history..

Tu Kahe Agar, Jhoom Jhoom ke Nacho Aaj, Toote Na Dil Toote Na, Hum Aaj Kahin Dil Kho Bhaithe - rendered by Mukesh are some of the finest songs ever recorded in the history of Hindi cinema. Lata Mangeshkar had her fair share in 'Uthaye Ja Unke Situm,' and my personal favorite ' Tod Diya Dil Mera' which had one of the grandest background music that Naushad has composed. The last two sung by Lata Mangeshkar represent her early singing work where she was just about breaking free from the Noorjehan mould ...

Further, Naushad used Mohammed Rafi to sing for Raj Kapoor and Mukesh for Dilip Kumar in a total reversal of singing roles. But again at this state of their careers the Raj-Mukesh and Dilip-Rafi were yet to be solidly established and, in fact, Mukesh had scored heavily under Naushad singing for Dilip Kumar in Mela (1948), just the previous year..

However, Andaz is a cult film and timeless and the film remains modern inspite of the story , even in today's times . Even as Mehboob Khan propagated traditional Indian values and questioned whether friendship between members of the opposite sex can ever be platonic, the film remained essentially modern in its outlook...I have always wondered whether Nargis, who was an educated and a socially aware person in real life, playing the central role had something to do with it.

One can go on about Andaz, essentially this is one of those films where you keep discovering new aspects and depths each time time you watch it ! And a film that is worth watching several times , just to get the complete feel of the film, its settings and its grand canvas..
It is perhaps Mehboob Khan's finest film, even his later magnum opus Mother India (1957) notwithstanding ..

Starring: Nargis, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Cuckoo, VH Desai, Murad, Sapru
Directed by : Mehboob Khan
Produced by : Mehboob Khan
Story : Shams Lucknavi
Screenplay : S Ali Raza
Dialogue : S Ali Raza
Cinematography : Faredoon A Irani
Music : Naushad
Lyrics : Majrooh Sultanpuri

I recommend this film highly, it is a must watch black and white timeless classic !