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50 years of Rajnigandha... a sweet fragrance from the past!!!

Buried in the sands of time lies a beautiful little film. Made at a time when perhaps we weren't all so bitter, so angry, so cynical abo...


Buried in the sands of time lies a beautiful little film. Made at a time when perhaps we weren't all so bitter, so angry, so cynical about all things connected to love. In an age when love like almost everything else has been commoditized and commercialized a film like Rajnigandha is a sweet reminder of simpler times. Made by Basu Chatterjee from the short story Yehi Sach Hai (Manu Bhandari), Rajingandha, released on September 13, 1974,  may be a film from the past but it surely isn't "of the past" and stands surprisingly relevant even today. Made with a disarming simplicity, the film is perhaps one of those (many) underrated nuggets that lie strewn in the rich history of commercial Hindi cinema. It delves into a woman's heart and tackles a dilemma that is identifiable even today. 

Can we ever forget our first love? Or does it come back knocking at our doorstep yet again and how do we react to an old love in completely new (and different) circumstances? When we see old love through newer eyes and a more mature head does our view get altered? Questions and options that often compel us to make inexplicable choices. 

Rajnigandha tells the story of Deepa (Vidya Sinha... fresh charming and sweetly innocent) who is in a stable relationship with Sanjay (Amol Palekar... wide-eyed, charmingly lackadaisical) Their comfortable existence in Delhi is interrupted by a job interview for Deepa in Bombay(the good old days before it became Mumbai) Once in Bombay, Deepa comes back in contact with her first love Navin (Dinesh Thakur). Deepa at first is wary of this reconnect and tries to keep her distance. However, his smooth, easy-going, confident demeanour makes it impossible for her to resist his charms and Deepa finds herself getting close to him all over again. And as Deepa finds herself caught in this dilemma of past and present, her turmoil is expressed beautifully by Chatterjee. There is hardly ever a high pitch or melodrama, or a twist-in-the-tale shocker, as the story progresses sweetly and gently to its charmingly happy conclusion. All the while tackling a situation that requires (and gets) a depth in outlook and sensitivity, Rajnigandha never loses its simplicity. 

Apart from the lead pair and of course, the director himself, the other hero of the film is undoubtedly its music. Salil Chowdhury gives us gems that are as timeless as the film itself. Lata's ethereal title song Rajnigandha Phool Tumhare and Mukesh's soulful Kai Baar Yunhi Dekha Hai are such integral parts of the film that their significance hasn't dimmed a bit decades later. And KK Mahajan's capture of Bombay makes us wistful about those simpler happier times. 

Basu Chatterjee has made many a nice film before and since. Amol Palekar and Vidya Sinha went on to carve a definite niche for themselves within the realms of commercial Hindi cinema. But the freshness and beauty of this quiet gem has rarely been outshone. The sweet fragrance of Rajnigandha continues to enamour us even today. 

Yunhi Mehke Preet Piya Ke...

- By Pratik Majumdar 

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