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Emotional superhit drama ‘Khilona’ turns 55

Starcast: Sanjeev Kumar, Mumtaz, Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Bipin Gupta, Durga Khote, Chand Usmani, Jagdeep Director:  Chander Vora Musi...


Starcast: Sanjeev Kumar, Mumtaz, Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Bipin Gupta, Durga Khote, Chand Usmani, Jagdeep

Director: Chander Vora

Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal

A remake of the 1963 Telugu film ‘Punarjanma’ ‘Khilona’  directed by Chander Vora became a superhit when it released in 1970 going on to win Filmfare Best Movie Award and Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mumtaz at the 18th Filmfare Awards.

Vijaykamal (Sanjeev Kumar) is Thakur Suraj Singh’s (Bipin Gupta) son who has become a mental case after his beloved Sapna (Alka) married his neighbour Bihari (Shatrughan Sinha) and then committed suicide on Diwali night. The Thakur hires Chand a tawaif (Mumtaz) to pretend to be Vijaykamal’s wife in the hope that he gets better. Chand is treated very badly by Vijay’s mother (Durga Khote) and his elder brother Kishore (Ramesh Deo). However, his younger brother Mohan (Jeetendra) falls in love with Chand. One day during one of his madness fits Vijay assaults and rapes Chand who keeps quiet about the episode.

Bihari has his evil eyes on Chand and also Vijay’s younger sister Radha (Jayshree T) who he persuades to elope with him. Chand foils his plan and saves Radha from his clutches. As Vijay and Bihari come to blows, Bihari falls off the terrace and the shock Vijay gets from witnessing this cures his mental illness. But he forgets Chand, who now pregnant, is humiliated and thrown out of the house. Mohan takes a stand for Chand and the family takes her back and Vijay and Chand are married.

Shatrughan Sinha was initially rejected for Bihari’s role as the director felt he looked too young to play the villain. Chand’s role was offered first to Sharmila Tagore then to Leena Chandarvarkar who quoted a fee more than the film’s budget following which Mumtaz signed on the dotted line.

During the making of ‘Khilona’ Mumtaz and Jeetendra began an affair and the love birds went on to do six films together over the next couple of years.

The music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal was a superhit with Mohd Rafi’s heart-wrenching “Khilona jaan kar tum toh mera dil”, Lata Mangeshkar’s gem “Sanam tu bewafa ke naam se” and Mohd Rafi’s “Khush rahe tu sadaa” perennial favourites.

Vijay’s role had initially been written with Guru Dutt in mind who was at the time busy making Love and God so LV Prasad postponed the film. Dutt passed away leaving Love and God unfinished.  Prasad then turned to Sanjeev Kumar. Khilona became one of Sanjeev Kumar’s best films, establishing him as a star. 

Khilona was later remade in Tamil as ‘Engirundho Vandhaal’ and in Malayalam as ‘Amrithavaahini’ (1976)

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