CANNOT SKIRT THIS ISSUE

CANNOT SKIRT THIS ISSUE













The Badminton World Federation has passed a rule that the Women Badminton players will be required to wear skirts in order to play Badminton at International events. This rule is framed apparently to make Badminton more popular. There has been sharp criticism of this new rule from both, the players as well as those associated with the game. The intent behind such a move is evident from the recent news published in the Asian Age of 23 May the news titled ‘ Wear skirts, earn more money, says world body’ . Paisan Rangsikitpho , deputy President of the governing Badminton World Federation

( B W F ) , said , “ The reason we want the skirt regulation is to promote women’s events which are getting less and less popular”. He further said that the bottom line is “ They could earn more sponsorship and more money”.

Sports as a platform to promote corporate and capitalists Aims has been firmly established for many years. We are witnessing its most profound !! manifestation in the Indian Premier League where sportspersons are bought and sold under a hammer. For the sake of money we have allowed ourselves to be sold as commodities. The culture of ‘ cheer leaders’ associated with glitz and glamour has not only robbed sports of its soul but has made it elitist . Sports were introduced in the society to generate a healthy spirit of togetherness and competitiveness to generate good health and camaraderie it also offered lively entertainment and channelized the violent tendencies of humans. The onset of capitalism and the advent of Television which covers every nook and corner of the world has propelled sports to such a level that it has become a vehicle to promote products and is not only linked to sports gear but to many consumer items. Such is the lure of money that Indian politicians control most of the popular sports in order to further their economic and social clout, bitter electioneering is conducted to maintain their hold and ex sportspersons are relegated to peripheral management as the prime seats are occupied by management experts chosen by the political masters.

It is also reported that the advise to go for skirts was rendered by a marketing firm by the name of ‘Octagon’ which confirms the purpose of the change. What is most hurting is that these marketing firms have embarked to convert sports of skill to a mere skin show where they intend to lure wide ranging customers! to watch the skirts fly rather than appreciate the game. We tend to forget but must remind ourselves that the culture of sports in the communist bloc countries of the era gone by was indeed worthy of emulation which made the communist countries foremost in Olympics for many years. The countries achieved high ranking results in many disciplines with the support of State mechanism and not by the corporate cunning.

BARKHA DUTT'S FALL FROM TIGER HILL

BARKHA   DUTT’S   FALL    FROM    TIGER- HILL

The Nira Radia  tapes linking her to  Ratan  Tata,  Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi have shocked a few idealists but have surprised many. The dominant opinion of the elite has veered toward corporate right and for them such acts are routine. But what has surprised all  is not the act but the players. Till very recently Barkha Dutt was like a youth icon . She made her place in the field of media seeking truth with determination. It was in the Kargil war that she was discovered  reaching right atop on hills with our soldiers reporting their acts of valour. She won awards and appreciation of people who saw her regularly on NDTV  taking up issues close to the society asking tough questions to politicians , bureaucrats , imminent citizens and scholars etc. There was this earnestness in her demeanour which earned her respect. But; with the release of Radia tapes she has lost it.

     In the present times when corruption is being revealed routinely the Society is helpless and numb, they do not know where to look for help and to do what next. In the fall of Barkha Dutt they see a loss of innocence. They tolerated her brashness and rudeness and often ignorance for she was serving a purpose but now it seems that all this while she was not what she looked ! She is also being perceived as a person who could not handle power and the responsibility which comes with the profession of a journalist. The response from the media seems to be muted. There was an article by Nihal Singh condemning her and Vir Sanghvi,  Khuswant Singh also wrote giving them the benefit of doubt and taking the incident very lightly.

   What comes out quite clearly in this episode is that the media is protective of its flock and do not desire to aggravate the matter further . As one sees on the television Barkha Dutt continues with her duties in a routine way seemingly unperturbed  and even the politicians have not hounded her which seems prima facie surprising. But it is clear to me that this lady has lost her moral authority to question any citizen for wrong doing. It seems amusing that Pranoy Roy has not reigned  nor curtailed her area of operations as she conducts programme on varying topical subjects with the usual elan talking  to the cross- section of community.Sometimes I expect a participant to raise the issue of Radia tapes and seek  her version of the story, it will certainly be justifiable! Or is it that I am overreacting? But then where does the buck stop?

       This powerful fourth state with unbridled powers should be made accountable to the people who remain glued to their blabber .

  As I publish this post the Public Accounts Committee headed by Shri Murli Manohar Joshi have summoned and questioned Ratan Tata and Nira Radia, but  the ray of hope  is from Anna Hazare who is presently on hunger strike demanding bill on formation of Lokpal to be drafted and tabled in Parliament, many imminent citizens have joined him and therefore it  is a test of their strength and resolve and also of the issue of corruption will be examined and it will be seen that how many people are  ready to contribute in the movement for reformation.

     This entire series of exposure has further convinced me that  Capitalism is essentially a corrupt system and as it gets stronger it gets more subtle and sophisticated like the newly discovered ‘superbug’ in Delhi by the U K Scientist which is immune to all known antibiotics !

   

CRICKET NATIONALISM

CRICKET  NATIONALISM

        I  am  no great cricketing fan but am often swayed by the collective emotion of the nation. Am concerned only when Tendulkar is batting as i was to hear radio commentary only when Gavaskar or Vishvanath were at crease. My response to cricket is in fact mixed. Many times I  hate it being the legacy of the English elite, at times am compelled to consider it as a unifying factor in a large and heterogeneous  Nation. Therefore when my friend offered me an invite for the Zubin Mehta show at Tata Theatre without even considering it I politely declined. I did not want to be  a bag of emotion at show  with my heart and mind at Mohali where India and Pakistan were to play the world cup semi-finals.

        At about ten thirty in the evening when finally India won the match I along with my family members heaved a sigh of relief. But; by then Mumbai had erupted, the sound of crackers, clapping and collective slogan shouting could be heard from far. In the atmosphere of jubilation I suggested to my wife and children that we should go for ice  cream to marine drive  to which they all agreed .

        On my reaching Mantralaya what I witnessed was unimaginable, there were thousands of motorcycles and hundreds of cars which had converged to marine drive in a sort of victory procession an impromptu rally appeared from nowhere and was moving collectively in joy. Some of them carried huge flags and were shouting patriotic slogans , there was this atmosphere of great culmination, and at that instance I thought  that what would have happened to all this surge of emotion had we lost the match !

       We did reach the ice- cream parlour in half an hour which normally would have taken five minutes  and I realized that had I not volunteered to visit this place I would have missed this human confluence at sea side. Marine drive in Mumbai is indeed a symbol of celebration, a few days ago the Bohra Muslims of the city had lined up at marine drive to celebrate the 100^th birthday of their religious leader. But; this celebration on victory in cricket was a secular celebration and therefore was unique. It indeed is a unifying force. At  one end it helps Manmohan Singh  to divert the attention of the opposition from the increasing exposures and clandestine deals  by engaging Pakistan in cricket diplomacy and at the other end are these collection of humanity irrespective of class ,creed and colour participating in a victory being symbolised as National victory. And yet at one end are these corporate giants and celebrity  in their private jets lined up at Airport, it is reported that there were about 90 private jet Aircraft which had landed in Chandigarh they too wanted to have a piece from the publicity cake - --Vivek Oberoi, Nita Ambani and Aamir Khan.

   Once National movement such as Dandi march united the Nation today it is cricket and cinema which keeps us together.

TATA TIMES

TATA    TIMES

 

               We are the hollow men

               We are the stuffed men......

               Shape without form, shade without colour,

               Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

  ( from ‘Hollow men’ by T S Eliot )

Today the concerns of the Nation are several—rising food prices, widespread corruption, cash for ‘confidence vote’  in Parliament, violent posturing by Maoists, farmers in peril,  jpc probe . The majority of the people are preoccupied with some thoughts based on the above problems , challenges. But; our most respected industrial house thinks otherwise. These days the most prominent subject on its agenda is right to privacy. I am therefore  in predicament about Tatas harping on the right to privacy bill; an important bill in a democracy but certainly an insignificant one compared to the problems in hand. The cry of Tatas for matters of privacy is like  a scar on a face compared to the gravity of the current crisis which is like  a terminal disease. This perhaps is the difference between a capitalist’s and common man’s minds. And Tatas did make headway in their prime concern! As  recently  there was a news item in the Asian Age newspaper which stated that the approval to ‘Tap’ phones will now be accorded by the Secretary level officer in Enforcement Directorate and DRI  ( Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) . This change in policy was prompted by the complaint of Tatas regarding leak in the Nira Radia tapes, exposing the nexus among Industrialists- Lobbyists—Journalists –Politician etc in order to appoint favourable MP as  a  Minister of their choice to gain Telecom mileage.

          When we were young the corporate culture was restricted to metropolitan cities and was in its infancy, computer was remotely known and Business studies were limited. The only capitalists/industrialists we heard of and read in the newspapers was that of Tatas and  Birlas.   At that time it was perceived that Birlas were close to the Congress and that was why the primitive vehicle; the Ambassador was the official Indian car. Despite the ideals of Socialism prevailing in University Campus there was a certain respect for Tatas for the contributions in the field of Steel and Automobiles. The face of JRD was the only corporate face respected, it is learnt that Nehru liked him too but not his ideology on economic matters. It was widely believed that Tatas did not deal in bribes and the entire Empire was made on the strength of hard work, farsightedness and luck!

   The recent happenings exposing the most respectable faces of Indian public life have made me numb and compelled to reconsider my stand in public life. Is corruption an essential ingredient for progress ?  Is Gandhian Dictumof  ‘pure means for noble ends’ all nonsense and the Machiavellian Dictum that ‘the end justifies the means’ is  all  pervasive? It is now common knowledge that Industrial houses have close links with the bureaucrats and  ministers and in fact they nurture them. Tatas have always been propagating that they never give bribes and we were pleased to know that one  could create wealth on the basis of honesty and fair-play. Indeed, with the revelations many young minds will be shaken.   

 Ironically only a few days prior to the exposure of Radia tapes Mr Ratan Tata had mentioned that he was asked to give a bribe of 15 crores to a Minister to  get cleared his Airline Operations proposal. However with the Radia tapes in public domain even Tatas have turned ordinary and have succumbed to the usual flaw.

 We now do not need any special investigation agency to establish that Nira Radia the Head of Vaishnavi communications was employed by Ratan Tata to seek favour from the Telecom Minister. If merit alone was the criterion then why a Lobbyist was employed ? Such favours are normally done  in exchange of monetary gains and therefore it can be concluded that Tatas have also given bribes indirectly to obtain favours. The times are uncertain for us and as  i file this article  the latest issue of ‘Outlook’ states that Tatas received favours from Shri Arun Shourie in the sale of VSNL which was sold for a ‘song’.

The fire in the ‘Bombay House’ the Headquarters of Tatas was  symbolic of the decling values of the once premium house or perhaps  the  ‘ethical – nemesis’ of the institution which too faltered and fumbled .

  

Jinhe naaz hai hind par wo kahan hain?

FROM    ‘ DO BIGHA ZAMEEN’ IN 1954 TO   ‘DABANG’IN 2011

O  FILMFARE !   WHAT     A     FALL

       

In   1954  the first   filmfare  awards  were  announced  and  ‘Do Bigha Zameen’  was adjudged as the best film of the year. It  was  a  befitting tribute to the downtrodden people of rural India  who  are  forced by exploitation to  seek irregular employment in cities in order to save their land from the clutches of the Zamindars. The film produced and directed by Bimal Roy was a landmark film in Indian Cinema and was influenced by the neo-realism cinema of Italy particularly ‘The bicycle Thieves’ by De Sica.  It was in fact a precursor to Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ which was released in 1955

Cinema with social purpose reflecting the problems of society was the theme of the times—‘Boot Polish’, ‘Do Ankhen Barah Haath’ etc.  As we move to 2011 we witness that   ‘Dabang’ an ordinary masala film but hugely successful at cash  counters  winning  the  best  film  award  of  2010.The journey from 1954 to 2010 has witnessed many developments in the sphere of cinema particularly in the technical field and organisational matters .The planning and emphasis on time is of significance but certainly in terms of quality and story telling  there is a significant decline. The spirit of ‘romanticism’ has been lost to aggressive commercialism. Are we expected to be silent when we witness such degeneration? In times such as these when everything has a price and is suspected to be  on sale, from news to reviews to awards; what standards are expected to be maintained? I remember in the nineties when Shahrukh  Khan  won his first Filmfare award for ‘Baazigar’  he announced on stage whilst  accepting the trophy that he was so desperate to possesses the filmfare award that he had even brought money in his pocket in case the same was required. He may have said that in zest but the irony is that  the same  Khan had to muster all  his  ‘resources’  in order to grab the best actor award for ‘My Name is Khan’ even though Hritik Roshan performed much better in ‘Guzarish’, his performance was applauded by both critics as well as cinegoers. It is the reflection of the changed times.

The path of  rise  and decline of  Filmfare  could be ascertained from the path of our national ethos since independence. During the fifties and  sixties the ideals of freedom struggle prevailed and therefore meaningful yet entertaining films  were  made and awarded such as , ‘Boot Polish’, ‘Jagriti’,’ ‘Mother India’,‘Sujata’, ‘Bandini’, ’Sahib Bivi Aur Gulam. Though largely it was the spirit of that period , but credit must be given to Filmfare for awarding Bimal Roy 11 times from 1954 to 1964. Seven times for Best Director and four for best film. In the present times Bimal Roy would have been relegated to Critics’ Award category!  The actual decline came a little later but the first indications were observed in 1966 itself when ‘Himalaya ki God Mein’ was adjudged the best film ignoring the only war epic ‘Haquiquat’ of Chetan Ananad which was a commercial success with superhit music.  The reason is inexplicable. The shocker came in 1967 when  ‘Guide’ was ignored in Best Music category and the award was bagged by Shankar Jaikishen for now much forgettable film ‘Sooraj’ ( Baharon phool barsao mera mehboob ayya hai) .Can any one condone Filmfare for such a criminal offence to the sensitivity of all music lovers ? But indeed Society is superior to Filmfare and it has showered such love and devotion to Sachinda that the scars of being ignored do not exist; but the character of Filmfare was revealed. Its growing  insensitiveness to Art and Culture was amply displayed in 1973 when Sohan Lal Kanwarwon the award in the best film and  best director category sidelining Kamal Amrohi for the Classic ‘Paakeeza’. That year Beimaan’ a film starring Manoj Kumar( it is said that he ghost directed the film) bagged 7 awards; an ordinary film. How will Filmfare redeem itself of such sins!

  Coinciding with our National ethos by the end of sixties the spirit of fairness had given way to favouritism and the benefits of propaganda and publicity was gaining currency. In between out of sheer compulsion to maintain its facade of uprightness and its leadership of film journalism Satyajit Ray was awarded for ‘Shatranj Ke Khilari’ in 1979  and to Shekher Kapoor for ‘Bandit Queen’ in 1997 when both films were internationally acclaimed by then.

   Since last 15 years  the awards have lost their respect as it caters to certain powerful pressure groups and therefore such groups use the publicity and platform to propel into limelight  their  protégé/protegee . This phase it can be said has matched with the age of economic liberalization wherein numerous corporate houses and International  Studios have marched in and as capitalism has set its  eyes on rural land for converting to Sez so have these business people influenced the cinema’s economy and culture wherein each film is merely a  business proposition.

    The cover and complexion of the magazine has also changed. One can only gloss over the pages, there is not much to read. At one time the ‘Review’ of filmfare was revered by the filmmakers for its strictness and minute observations. It was looked forward by the readers. Now; ‘Times of India’ gives reviews which are so liberal that its  intention  seem unclear .As an audience we look forward in some measure for fairness .  The taste of the audience too  has changed as they applaud   the Annual Award Ceremony on TV and watch   the  various  dances and comic interludes  performed by stars on huge payment as the telecast earns  enormous  advertisement . This is the compensation for the loss of substance and aesthetics that withstood Filmfare during the initial years.

LOVE SONG OF DEV ANAND-- ABHI NA JAO CHHOD KAR KE DIL ABHI BHARA NAHI

LOVE   SONG    OF    DEV    ANAND--- ABHI  NA  JAO  CHHOD  KAR

India has changed post liberalization, it has become faster and meaner, no time for love and romance. The survey of Hindustan Times indicates decline of left leanings and rise of right and moderates among youth. All this indicates rise of reason and fading of emotion. Today the nation of smss and quick joy regales on ‘Munni badnam hui’ and ‘Sheela ki jawani’ and perhaps is incapable of understanding the aesthetics and culture of yesteryears and even the cinema and song of yesteryears.But, i will celebrate the song and romance of the days gone by and therefore with the release of Hum- dono in colour talk about the song which rekindles romance in us even to this day. One of the most sophisticated songs of hindi cinema.It possessed all the ingredients of success. Being sung by Dev in his prime of youth and popularity with pretty Sadhna. Penned by the stalwart Sahir  Ludhianvi though known for his revolutionary poetry revealed the softer side of his personality, Jaidev with this song and the other of this film posed  a question to the entire music fraternity and sort of immortalised himself .

     The song is in conversational style, the subject very familiar among lovers. The scene opens with Dev Anand waiting for Sadhna, she arrives a wee late . Dev points at his watch, she smiles. The lovers sit in the garden and exchange gifts, Dev ties a ribbon to her hair symbolic of the bond between them and she presents him with a musical lighter, which is the signature tune of the film. As the evening descends  Mita ( Sadhna) gets up to go when Anand ( Dev) opens the song. The song has three stanzas, the first sung by Rafi for Dev the second by Asha for Sadhna and the third by both one after the other. The first stanza goes as follows:

“ Abhi  na jao chhod kar ke dil abhi bhara nahi

      Abhi abhi to aai ho—abhi abhi to

 Abhi abhi to aai ho, bahar banake chhai ho

     Hava zara mahak to le, nazar zara bahak to le

 Ye sham dhal to le zara , ye dil sambhal to le zara

   Mein thodi der ji to lun, nashe ke ghoont pi to lun

Abhi to kuchh kaha nahi, abhi to kuch suna nahi

  Abhi na jao chhod kar ke dil abhi bhara nahi”

There is a sincere plea from Dev to Sadhna to stay  a little longer, knowing very well that it was not possible considering the traditional times when young women were not expected to stay late, there is a tinge of naughtiness in the lines. He further coaxes her by saying that she has hardly been there and that she has arrived and enveloped the entire setting like the spring and therefore she should let her  presence   freshen and purify the air around so that his eyes could go wayward watching her all over, ‘nazar zara bahak tole’. He further cajoles her  to let the evening set in and perhaps she may stay a while so that his heart ( dil ) settles a little: shaken ( zest! ) as he is with her presence. And as if his survival depends on  her staying a while longer  he says ‘ mein thodi deir jee to lun’  meaning that he lives only whilst she is besides him otherwise he has no life and presence and that he lives on having ‘nashen ke ghoont ’ absorbing her by his side  getting intoxicated in love! And he sums up his anguish in the last lines of the stanza that how could she leave like this for they have hardly spoken to each other ‘abhi  to  kuch  kaha  nahi  abhi to kuch suna  nahi’, he very tactfully ignores the fact that they have spent the entire afternoon together where there was no necessity to talk, because there is no need to talk in love , but since he is a desperate lover looking for lame excuses to extend the stay he makes all flimsy but so loving moves. From the smiles that Sadhna gives it is clear that she is liking all the attention. The second stanza sung by Sadhna moves as follows:

Sitare  jhilmila  uthe  charag  jagmaga  uthe

   Bas ab  na  mujhko  tokana  na bhar  ke raah  rokana

 Agar  mai  ruk gai  abhi  to  jaa  na  paungi  kabhi

    Yahi  kahoge  tum  sada  ke  dil  abhi  nahi  bhara

 Jo khatam ho kisi  jagah  ye aisa  silsila  nahi

           Abhi  nahi  abhi  nahi

           Nahi  nahi  nahi  nahi

Abhi  na  jao  chhodkar  ke  dil  abhi  bhara  nahi  

Sadhna by now has  understood that this would not be a routine parting from her lover and therefore assessing the persuasiveness of Dev  she states that the stars have emerged  and also the lights ( in homes and streets ) have been lit  and therefore he should not interrupt her anymore (for the time beyond permissible limit has been crossed  for in those times by sunset and before the darkness descended all respectable girls reached home) nor hurriedly  stop her path ;and then she delivers the loveliest lines and indeed poetic, the lines which separate the sublime from ordinary  ‘agar  mein  ruk  gayi  abhi  to jaa  na paungi  kabhi  vehi  kaho  ge  tum sada  ke dil  abhi   nahi bhara ’  implying  that she would not be accepted at home if she exceeds  her limits today for him, this shows her own desperation , torn that she was as a typical woman of those times between her sense of obedience to social norms and her love, she in a peculiar  way taunts Dev  by stating that though she would never be able to go home and he would keep insisting her to stay a while and therefore there is a subconscious hint to him to make some permanent arrangement so that they could be together for ever and in fact that is the next scene in the film in which he asks for her hand in marriage from her father. She is philosophical in these lines ‘ jo  khatam  ho  kisi  jagah  ye  aisa  silsala nahin’ implying and imploring Dev that this was not their last meeting and that this relationship is for eternity which is not going to end at a certain place or time; she in way consoles him. The final lines are lyrical and are deftly devised to balance sermon with song and to rhyme the lines melodiously- abhi nahi abhi nahi, nahi nahi nahi nahi. The third  and final stanza raises the song from the lovers banter to some serious thoughtful  lines :

Adhuri  aas, adhuri  aas  chhodke  adhuri  pyaas  chhodke

         Jo  rouz  yuhi  jaogi  to  kis  tarha  nibhaogi

    Ke  zindagi  ki rah  mein  jawan  dilon  ki  chaah  mein

        Kai  muquam  aaenge  jo ham  ko  aazmaenge

   Bura  na  mano  baat  ka ye pyar  hai  gila  nahi

      Haan,  yahi  kaho  ge tum  sada  ke  dil  abhi  nahi  bhara

           Haan,  dil  abhi  bhara  nahi

           Nahi  nahi  nahi  nahi

Now Dev has realized that the regular approach will not work out and that he will have to deliver something different and more profound, because Sadhna has already stated that ‘agar  mein  ruk gayi  abhi  to  ja  na  paungi  kabhi’    so he becomes philolosophical and reminds her of the responsibilities of lovers toward each other during crisis such as the present, he tells her that she was leaving him longing for her midway  , his  desires remain unfulfilled and if she returns everyday in such a manner leaving him discontented how will she  fulfil her role as his beloved because in the path of life and the desires of young lovers there will be many moments of trials and tribulations such as the present and therefore he implies that if she was failing in her very initial test of love how will she face the many challenges ahead. However , very soon having realized that probably he has said  a bit much he retracts and says in his inimitable debonair manner that all that what he said was just in ‘love’  and is not a grouse/complaint. Sadhna, who by now had turned serious smiles and the lovers make up, together repeating the lines they move hand in hand leaving the audience asking for more.

  On the surface it remains a  duet song, but it has been immortalized on screen by the freshness and sophistication of its two players --- Dev Anand and Sadhna. The dilemma portrayed on screen is the perennial conflict of all lovers being encountered  globally, the song gives voice to their  unexpressed feelings and to this day whenever it is played there is universal identification . All of us have faced the same situation but could not express in the manner as enacted .And , many yearn  to be in that situation  in order to express to each other  in the manner portrayed.

HUM -- DONO IN COLOUR- ( ke dil abhi bhara nahi)

HUM -  DONO    IN   COLOUR

 ( KE   DIL  ABHI  BHARA NAHI)

Dev Anand’s  ‘Hum-Dono’ is being released in colour on 04^th Feb 2011. It was released in black and white in 1961 and was a Hit. Set against Military/war background it explores the emotions  of  love, separation, duty, sustenance of relationship torn by distance and human conflict and the whole idea of goodness in human beings. What has stood the test of time is the theme,  the music and the very aesthetics of the film. To  this day at the very mention of the film we break into the immortal romantic song ‘ abhi na jao chor kar ke dil abhi bhara nahi....’. The conversation is never complete without humming the other two memorable songs ‘ mein zindagi ka saath nibha ta chala gaya, har fikr ko dhuan mein ura ta chala gaya............Gam aur khusi mein fark na mehsus ho jahan mein dil ko us mukaam par laata chala gaya’ and ‘ Allaha  tero naam ishwar tero naam, sabko sanmati de bhagwan’. The first song has a unique distinction of being popular as well as deeply philosophical notably the line-‘ gam aur khusi mein fark na mehsus ho jahan mein dil ko us mukaam par lata chala gaya’  echoes  the philosophy of Gita, whereas Allaha tero naam can be rated as the finest Bhakti geet.

     The film is the labour of  love  of many talents who came together to produce this masterpiece - Sahir Ludhiyanvi, who returned to Navketan after a period and wrote such great  poetry, Jaidev ;  the assistant music director to Sachin Dev Burman was given opportunity and probably gave his finest performance, Sadhna, who later did many glamorous roles was cast appropriately as Dev’s girlfriend and looked so pretty befitting her role, Nanda as a  traditional devoted housewife added to the strength of the movie, Dev himself performed splendidly both as a young lover / Army officer  and as much married tough, senior Army officer. But, the movie belongs to Vijay Anand who is credited with screenplay and dialogues but his creativity is visible in each frame of the film. Vijay Anand was a true film maker who had a firm grip in each department of film making and therefore was an editor, screenwriter, song writer and director.

      Screenplay is the soul of this film and it is a text book for young film makers, there is not a single scene which is superfluous, not a song which is out of place . It is a short film compared to the times when it was made but looks big on the strength of its characters and screenplay. It has a unique opening; Dev and Sadhna meet up in a garden, there is no exchange of words. Dev gifts her with a ‘long ribbon to tie the hair’ an innovative an unusual gift, he ties the ribbon to her hair, Sadhna gifts him with a cigarette lighter( this became a standard gift from girls to their boy friends at that time , even though cigarette was a much taboo in society  then). Dev lights the gift and discovers along with the audience that it is a musical lighter. This sound of the lighter is the signature tune of the film. Fondly he keeps the lighter in his breast pocket. There is no exchange of dialogues. The afternoon passes into evenings and the lights appear when Sadhna decides to get up as Dev breaks into the song ‘abhi na jao chor kar ke dil abhi bhara nahi’ .This is how the film begins; with a song after a prolonged silence but action conveyed through the expressions of the two lovers. Dev’s life in Army is picturised with the song ‘mein zindagi saath nibhata chala gaya’. Dev is shown shaving in the forest using the pond as mirror. He lights a cigarette takes few long drags and breaks into the song, but prior to that as he presses the lighter and the music begins he imagines the reflection of Sadhna in the water, she appears again when he again presses for light, the scene reflects that he still misses her though he had left abruptly in search of employment after being rebuked by her father. The episode showing the meeting of the two similar looking Army officers portrayed by Dev in a double role have been deftly handled, how the scene shifts to his home when he shows his family album has been composed very effectively. The climax in the temple too is very well controlled and sums up the story successfully.  The entire human conflict of  faith , trust  and relationship is handled very convincingly through the screenplay.

      The film is also the precursor to ‘Guide’, Vijay Anand; having established his credentials with ‘Hum-Dono’  was the most reliable  choice of Dev Anand to direct the Hindi version when Chetan could not proceed with the hindi one and the English version failed to light the west.

    Though set against the war  it is essentially a love story rightly titled – Hum- Dono.