When one thinks of the 1970s in Hindi cinema, the image of the Angry Young Man films — exemplified by Amitabh Bachchan in movies such as Deewar — immediately springs to mind. Indeed, the very term Bollywood seems to have been coined for these stylish, over-the-top movies that were so removed from the everyday existence of India — the India in Indian Cinema was somewhere else. And that somewhere else soon started to move into a fringe that people liked to call Art Movies (that later mutated into early 2000s Crossover Movies); I rarely heard the term used without derision, and for the most part 1980s art movies were dull, coma-inducing trips into poverty porn and manner plays.
But in the 1970s there was no such conscious distinction, no strict expectations of angry young men, masala mayhem, or profound artistic realism. So when Beth (of Beth Loves Bollywood) proposed a ’70s week’ of movie-related blogging, I too thought immediately of those wonderfully extravagant 1970s — but I also thought of Rajnigandha.
Basu Chatterjee’s 1974 movie is a simple, straightforward tale of a young woman at an unexpected crossroads in life. Deepa (Vidya Sinha) is a freshly-minted M.A. in New Delhi looking for a teaching job. She’s engaged to Sanjay (Amol Palekar), her former college-mate, but they’re putting off their wedding until she can finish her PhD, and he can secure a much-wanted promotion at his bank.
Sanjay is not quite what one might look for in their Prince Charming, but for all his faults (and there are many, from being perennially late, and constantly jabbering about office politics, to forgetting her at a cafe as he goes off to talk to friends), he is endearing, and the couple share a genuine love for each other.
Soon Deepa has to go to Bombay to attend the interview for a teaching position there — and to further complicate matters, the man who greets her at the train station is none other than Navin (Dinesh Thakur), her former lover. The two did not part on pleasant terms. By contrast Navin is everything Sanjay is not: quiet, mature, and punctual! As she spends the week in the new city with Navin and her friend Ira (Ranjita Thakur), Deepa begins to wonder about what might have been, and what could be.
When you think about it, nothing much really happens in Rajnigandha — and that’s the best part! You’d expect this kind of plot to go the usual melodramatic route, but the film stays squarely rooted in reality. Despite the fact that there’s no drama whatsoever, it manages to be a delightfully entertaining little movie.
Maybe it’s the fact that everyone and everything in this movie is so normal that makes it stand out from its peers. You wouldn’t think it could work, but it does. And with the stage set by its simple narrative and characters, there’s a chance for the script’s nuances to shine. There’s several bits of dialogue and humour that seem fairly bold for even 1974, especially in a mainstream Indian film (The modern-day English subtitler seems too alarmed to even type the words LSD despite a character saying it).
The movie skillfully portrays life in 1974 urban India in a way that is neither sensationalistic, nor painted in the grim more-real-than-real style of later art films. Everything from nosy neighbours to pompous advertising types are skewered with cheerful irreverence — even over-the-top Bollywood romance gets a quiet jab, when Deepa imagines Navin confessing his love for her (in a Chinese restaurant, no less!).
Perhaps it strikes a particular chord with me for personal reasons; though I wasn’t even born then, my parents were about the same age as the people in this picture at the time, and from their stories, photographs, and ways, I know that their life was like this. My parents met in college, spent many, many hours on buses, and kept putting off their wedding until work and promotions and all that other stuff could be sorted out. Heck, most of their friends lived in houses decorated just like Ira’s, with its sparse walls and occasional Thai woodcut — and since nobody redecorated for ages in those days, it was exactly the same when I would visit them as a kid a decade later.
Rajnigandha is a strange thing to come across, coloured as our perceptions now are by decades of 1970s Bollywood imagery. A sub-two hour film with a female lead, perhaps seven speaking parts in all, one lip-synched song, no dances, and absolutely nothing but ordinary life depicted in it. Many modern Bollywood fans will be put off by just how plain it all is. But it has something that a lot of movies now lack — confidence and wit — that makes it special for me.
It might come as a shock to know that Rajnigandha won Best Picture at the Filmfare awards. It is also telling that the film that won the subsequent year was Deewar.
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, and that’s a real shame.
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Well this sounds lovely! I was hoping to start my comment with a triumphant “added to netflix queue!” but netflix doesn’t have it. I haven’t seen many – any? – films like this…maybe some of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s? Parts of Rang Birangi and Chupke Chupke – and even Chashme Buddhor – are coming to mind. I have to add that I hated, absolutely hated, Chatterjee’s Dillagi so probably wouldn’t have thought to try this one without your recommendation. But due to masala twin power, I’m more than game (if I can get my hands on it, that is)!
February 24th, 2010 at 1:23 amwhoa, i missed this one! loved the pairing in chhoti si baat, and actually i just always love amol palekar. is it just me or is vidya sinha so the ’70s doppelganger of lara dutta?
February 24th, 2010 at 2:21 am@Beth
Chashme Buddhoor & Hrishikesh Mukherjee films come close… but even those have a degree of filminess to them. Beyond its heroine’s fairly sedate daydreams, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that was quite as normal as this one. Basu Chatterjee has made several great movies (though when you mentioned Dillagi my first thought was of the Brothers Deol!) — I highly recommend Chhoti Si Baat even though its been close to two decades since I saw it and my memory is very fuzzy.
He also directed the Byomkesh Bakshi TV series, so he’s automatically in my good books, no matter how much other crap he’s put out!
@Leena
Like I just said to Beth, it’s been ages since I saw Chhoti Si Baat, but it’s great! Amol Palekar is one of my all-time favourites, even as a director. It’s too bad DVDs of his Marathi films are really, really hard to find. What i wouldn’t give for a copy of Anaahat now. For a time I thought he’d found a spiritual successor in Riteish Deshmukh — certainly, back when Bluffmaster came out it seemed that way — but alas, RD hasn’t exactly been in truly great comedies since.
Your comparison to Lara Dutta (which I agree with — though Lara is rarely in a normal saree enough to instantly make the connection) makes me imagine a Rajnigandha-esque film starring her and Riteish — but then I remember: Do Knot Disturb!!!
February 24th, 2010 at 3:45 amI love such movies where nothing happens.. like Rajnigandha. It reminds me of Katha. Chhoti Si Baat was also fabulous. These movies and their songs had so much simplicity, it’s actually unbelievable. Sadly, like you said they don’t make them any more…
February 24th, 2010 at 10:28 amOh this 70s Week! I don’t think I’ll be able to work this week.
I liked Rajnigandha as well, thought it is a tad bit slow!
What I liked about Rajnigandha is its simplicity.
It drags at times and the voice over all the time tends to get on the nerves. One can conveniently do other things alongside.
The movie reminds me of my childhood. I must have been 4 years or so at that time and these 70’s prints and all bring back memories of those times.
What is remarkable about the film is, that it brings in so many salient features of 70s Bombay life, like when Ira complains of the water supply or about her household worker.
Beautiful are also the moments about Amol-Vidyas “courtship”, the way he goes on talking about his union problems and conveniently forgets Vidya’s question of when to meet.
Or the way he meets some friends of his and forgets Vidya totally at the Cafe.
By keeping Dinesh Thakur unattractive, the director has managed to show that the attraction which Vidya feels for dinesh is not of physical character but rather that she finds attention from him, which she is not getting from Amol.
Further cute things in the movie:
Vidya Sinha (!) telling Ranjita, that she has turned fat!
Amol and Vidya sharing an umbrella
Amol using blotting paper to dry himself.
Vidya and Dinesh eating ice cream slabs. Do they serve them still?
Big flower prints of the 70s:
All my Aunts had such blue and yellow big flower print saris in the 70s
The way Ranjita and Vidya lie in bed.
As children, we (all the cousins) used to sleep in a row like this during the summer vacation.
Rather interesting is the story if you look at it as the tale of two cities: Bombay and Delhi.
February 24th, 2010 at 10:23 pmDelhi represents here the solid basis for love and marriage, whereas Bombay is for the superficial infatuation.
You find Ira and Pramod, who are married to each other but have other priorities than having children, i.e., material comforts and the ultimate dream of settling in the USA.
whereas Amol and Vidya plan to marry and stay in India and have 10 (!) children.
In Bombay, parties are celebrated at every pretext, where westerners are invited and people in skimpy clothes socialise and talk about shallow things like boutiques.
In Delhi, on the other hand a joint family is the norm and neighbours, who feel at home in your house.
In Delhi, Amol has remained true to his socialist values and fighting in the trade union, whereas the ex-student unionist Dinesh has turned to film making in Bombay and that also for the multinational firms like colgate.
Lovely writeup! I adore this movie. And Vidya Sinha-Amol Palekar made such a cute pair. They were adorable in Choti Si Baat too
And the title song is simply mesmerising. You’re right. They *so* don’t make films like this anymore 
February 25th, 2010 at 5:42 amVishal,
February 25th, 2010 at 6:07 amI´m little by little learning about your country and rich culture, movies show how life was at that time, by reading your article I can see how your´s and my culture are alike in many aspects, so really happy to learn through your interesting posts, thanks for sharing, nice site, by the way!
Magali
Sorry for not replying to all of these, folks. I appreciate the comments, found myself nodding along with each, and didn’t quite know what to add beyond, “Thank you for writing!”
March 30th, 2010 at 10:04 pmoh, i totally bought rajnigandha because of this post! i haven’t seen it yet though; will take it home and see it with my parents some time soon. thanks for the rec!
March 30th, 2010 at 10:19 pm@Leena
Heh, glad I could convince you. Do tell me what you make of it!
March 31st, 2010 at 1:48 ami LOVED this movie! very sweet and relatable, and so chuckle-inducing for all her random little fantasies! the friend’s character was also so cool, and i love the random lesbian innuendo. amol and the other guy had well crafted characters, making the situation and conflict very believable. and i like how you could see the obvious maturing of the other guy, and feel his controlled emotions.
too bad a woman can never occupy the central space anymore without it being called “woman-oriented” or “chick flick” or something implying it’s lesser or fringe (hence “feminism is the radical notion that women are people”
). i loved how this movie was her story and presented her emotional conflict with affection and without judgment. excellent recommendation!
April 10th, 2010 at 11:53 pm@Leena
Glad you enjoyed it!
April 11th, 2010 at 12:19 amDear Vishal,
Thank you for a wonderful review of the movie ‘Rajnigandha’ & a a great web site. I am a great fan of Amol & also like those movies that seem to be ‘hip’ in a ‘square’ way. They say “its simple to be easy, but not easy to be simple”. Thats the quality this movie has achieved – simplicity. I agree with all of you, they truly can’t make such movies any more. Our lives have become way too complex we don’t seem to be helping ‘uncomplicate’ it. I bet none of us can really tell what is it about the movie that made us love it so much.
Is it the handsomely Amol’s character, or is it the scruffy looking Dinesh (look at the way he smokes the cigarette (by the way I do not smoke, but I kind of found it fascinating. Nobody seems to be smoking that way any more, they are too conscious of the cigarette. Look at how he opens the door of the taxi with the cigarette in hand, uber cool), the floral prints that Vidya wears (i was born in 1970 and have seen my Mother wear them regularly. Literally cool stuff considering the current temperatures. Maybe I’ll tell my lady to revisit the fashion. Who knows it might catch on & reach tipping point, you know like the hush puppies), or is it the landscape – so very Indian (sadly you don’t find couples walking so evenly under a single umbrella, these days without desperately appearing to look cool. I am sure both would have got wet in the scene, only Amol the more wet. Seems so pointless, but thats how pointless life is in genera), or is it the great camera work (look how it goes from looking like a documentary shot when it pans across the landscape while at the same time captures the poignant non-verbal interaction between the character in various scenes), or maybe you loved it because there isn’t anything in particular that you would love at all (though I wouldn’t say that of Vidya).
By the way, I ran into your web site while desperately hunting for the song “Kai Baar Yunh Hi Dekha Hai” from the movie. I finally found it on the tube, but I had to stop & read your review on the way back. I suppose that song aptly sums up the movie & its take on life.
Though Leena & Vishal, I beg to differ with you on your comparison of Vidya Sinha with Lara Dutta. Don’t get me wrong here, but I suggest you observe Vidya in the movie particularly by following her eye movements, especially in the song I mentioned above when she moves her eyes from looking out the taxi to looking inside at Dinesh – oooof, thats real A stuff people. Where are those expressions these days.
I feel the one thing we all will identify with the movie is the mature minimalism of the characters. Love appeared to be well deserved for them. Look at it – no hankering for attention, no fast & the furious, no gizmos or gadgets, no swank or the gaudy, no big concepts, no exposures, for god sake not even a snazzy footwear (am I catching a fashion trend here guys) – just she (with her long hair & him (in his un-tucked shirts) earning away their love – mama mia.
Let me be frank here. I have seen more than one girl from my college days do those outfits. they look absolutely ‘wannable’ & then they go & fall for this guy who could be Amol or Dinesh in this movie. What do women want? Is it just a man? God knows, men don’t, maybe, just probably women do. I suppose you ladies there would understand this better – I don’t. My partner does appreciate me, at times, in those attire.
In all Vishal a good review & I enjoyed reading it. Keep at it. Take care.
Anna
May 27th, 2010 at 11:13 amDear Anna,
Thanks for your wonderful comment! It’s always great to find other who love this movie, and glad you came back and read the review on your search for the song.
As for Vidya’s and Lara Dutta, Vidya is indeed a much better actress, but I do see from time to time a passing resemblance.
V
May 27th, 2010 at 1:39 pmHi,
First of all thanks for sharing photographs of above movie “Rajnigandha”.
Really what a romantic movie. This movie is so simple but very very heart touching.
You know what if God given me power then I would again call back these actors
“Vidya Sinha, Amol Palekar and Thakur ” and make again same movie to this century.
Please please listen to me…. I want to express my view about this movie…
Just on some day i was surfing to listen good songs of Melody queen Lata Didi…
so found this song ” Rananigandha…. !!!” really what a lovely song.
Soon after looking this song I was wondering, how will be the story of this movie…. and that how I watched this movie…
After watching this movie.. my heart was full of emotions and eager to meet all these actor and actress to ask how they can act so naturally….
But really this movie is very very romantic and heart touching.. I don’t have words to express.
“Oh God this life is very beautiful when someone gets a lover like “Deepa”.
thank you…. thank you …. than you….. again for sharing this website..
Thanks,
February 20th, 2012 at 9:29 pm