Movie Review: Mausam (1975)

Sanjeev Kumar, a medical student happens to be in the picturesque hill town of Darjeeling. Over a sprained ankle, he gets acquainted with the local herbal doctor and his daughter, Sharmila Tagore. The 2 though of diverse backgrounds (he an English-speaking student from the city, she a damsel from the village comfortable only in the local tongue) fall in love and having made promises to each other wave goodbye to each other as SK departs to the city to finish his studies. For reasons best revealed when you watch the film, they never meet again and the love never consummates. Cut, to some 25 years later when the aged and yet unmarried SK arrives from Calcutta in search of his love.

A few reels of investigation later and he comes to be acquainted with his lady love’s daughter (also Sharmila Tagore) who is now plying the oldest profession in the world in Calcutta. How SK reconciles with his past and with the daughter is what the movie is about.

A sensitively written script is what one has come to expect from Gulzar everytime; with attention to details, characters. The overall quality is perhaps slightly hampered by low budgets but more than made up by the script, songs, music and strong actors. The adequate and sweeping photography does not try for anything fancy but amply brings out the beauty of the hills of Darjeeling. Each shot is framed with a poet’s sensitivity.

The film rides-through on the persona of Sanjeev Kumar, one of the finest actors in Hindi cinema. His very presence brings a depth to the shot. When it comes to Sharmila Tagore (real-life mother of Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan) though, I can see that she is a fine actor in her own right but her voice and dialogue delivery takes some time getting used-to.

Gulzar’s movies are human documents and humane stories down to the bone and marrow. That’s what makes Gulzar so rare and attractive in the modern world. He deals with relationships and human frailty through gentle humour.

The casting in this film down to the smallest characters is apt, something which is so often missing in bigger budget films. Although ‘Mausam’ does tend to use its cinematic license for melodrama a bit more than desired one tends to watch the film with tenderness nevertheless, forgiving the maker for such minor transgressions.

Watch out for the opening credits accompanied by the soulful ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai’, the expansive and poetic cinematography. That helps set the context very well. The songs help carry the story forward and are not unwelcome interruptions. ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai’ appears twice in the movie with different tunes. Both the versions would appear in any aficionados’ list of Top 500 Hindi film songs. ‘Chhadi re chhadi kaisi gale main padi’ is a light hearted song, very hummable. Asha comes into her own with a teasing ‘Mere Ishq Mein’. And finally Lata’s rendition of ‘Ruke Ruke se kadam’ seals the high quality of music and songs in this film.

Watch the movie and at the end you would have subconsciously imbibed some of its gentleness in yourselves.

Credits

Lyrics, dialogue, written and directed: Gulzar

Starring

Sharmila Tagore

Sanjeev Kumar

Dina Pathak

Screenplay: Gulzar, Bhushan Banmali

Story: Kamleshwar

Producer: P.Mallikharjunarao

Cinematography; K.Vaikunth

Editing; Waman Bhonsle, Gurudutt

Background Music: Salil Chowdhury

Music: Madan Mohan

Playback: Lata Mangeskhar, Mohd.Rafi, Asha Bhonsle, Bhupender