47 Years of Faraar
The year with arguably the most hit and epic films.
1975 was a great year for Amitabh Bachchan. Even if his films received a mixed reaction at the box-office (Sholay and Deewar were megahits; Mili and Chupke Chupke did better than average business; Zameer and Faraar were average though they more than recovered their investment.) his roles were completely different in each film
The film opens with a court scene. Tarun Kumar (Rajan Haskar), a rich and notorious playboy is in the docks for having raped and killed his secretary Geeta ( Anupama) but gets away leaving her brother Rajesh ( Amitabh Bachchan ) who is an amateur painter in Revenge mode seeking Justice.
He finally kills him in a Shiva temple but getting injured himself.
As the news breaks Police Inspector Sanjay ( Sanjeev Kumar) who plans an evening out with his wife Mala ( Sharmila Tagore) has to sacrifice that and launches a search for the murderer.
Mala is now alone and Rajesh enters the house .He forces her at gunpoint to take him on a tour of the house so he can reassure himself that they are quite alone. Holding her son hostage, he forces her to remove the bullet from his arm. His first sight of her shocks him. He tries to hide his face from her, but yells out a name in pain.
When Sanjay comes home, Mala cannot hide her distress. The murderer is their house, and is holding their son hostage. The inspector is livid, but Mala is terrified. What if he hurts their son?
However the child and Rajesh develop a bond and he sings him a song .. Main Pyaasa Tum Saawan .. (Ho Na)
The song draws Mala inexhorably toward her son’s room. As the song ends in a question, she unconsciously answers…(Hoon Toh).
When the door opens, she sees a face from her past. As Rajesh shuts the door in shock, Mala's remembers how she had been on the verge of committing suicide. Rajesh had saved her and had taken her home to his mother and sister; as days pass, their acquaintance ripens to affection, and then to love.
Sanjay on the other hand is going hammer and tongs to negotiate with Raj
In the meantime, there has been an order from above to lift the police blockades. Will Inspector Sanjay agree? Where will this end? Will Mala ever know why Rajesh turned to murder? What will happen when Sanjay begins to delve deep into Rajesh’s past?
As an outlaw on the run from the police, eventually hiding out in the house of the very police officer deputed to hunt him down, ( This theme was used in 36 Ghante earlier ) Amitabh’s stunning (and extremely sympathetic) performance had the audience rooting for him; and there was an audience outcry when he died in the film. This was his third successive death onscreen, in the same year ( after Deewar and Sholay). Unlike Sholay, they actually shot two endings – one where he is shot, but removed to hospital; the other, where he is shot and killed. The latter was a more believable end, and a more apt one. (Even though, personally, I didn’t want ‘believable’ at the time; I just wanted Amitabh to live.).
Four things make “Faraar” a special film
1. The performances of the three principle characters - Amitabh, Sharmila, and Sanjeev.
2. The basic story/plot ..an on-the-run refugee accidentally seeking solace in a place where multiple elements of his life converge.
3. The editing- the film reveals to us just enough information to keep us Intrigued, but reserves portions to keep us curious.
4. A singular haunting melodious track, “Mein Pyaasa Tum Saawan”..from the great pair of.. Kishore Kumar and Kalyanji Anandji. Also with Lata Kishore and Lata Solo.
A lesser known film from Amitabh Bachchan's repertoire.
Written by Gulzar, Directed by Shankar Mukherjee and financed by Gulshan Rai (Trimurti Films).
Available on You Tube.
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