Mills and Boons of India!

Hello Folks,

What's on!

Today i will share with you all my understanding of an Teeny-bopper movie of Indian cinema.

The movie to be discussed is the 1981 teen romance, "Love-Story" directed by yesteryears star, Rajendra Kumar. It was the debut of Kumar-Gaurav(Rajendra-Kumar's son).It also starred Vijeta Pandit(the sister of JatinPandit, Latit Pandit of the Music- duo fame).

It starred Rajendra Kumar himself, Danny Denzongpa, Vidya Sinha and a brief role as Kumar's wife, Bina.

Its theme was a teenage love-story with the backdrop of the lead pairs parents' at war for trivial reasons as ego-clashes!

It has Rajendra-Kumar as Vijay Mehra, a real-estate builder who wants to marry Suman(Vidya Sinha).

But as fate would have it, she ultimately marries Ram(Danny), another rising builder who is in love with her.This event in their lives sets the tone for grudging enimity between the two. Subsequently, Vijay also marries. Tragedy strikes Vijay when his wife dies while giving birth to a baby-boy. Vijay names him Bunty Mehra(Kumar Gaurav).

On the other hand, Suman(Vidya Sinha) gives birth to a baby-girl who is named Pinky-Dogra by her father, Ram-Dogra.

Bunty is given all comforts of material life. He is a boy living life in the fast lane. Is literally a street-smart, outspoken character!

He dislikes orderliness and punctuality which his father is bound to maintain in corporate life and keeps on teasing his father that these rules will force him into fleeing from his home!

Elsewhere in Ram's household, he is portrayed to be an overtly caring and possesive father of Pinky. she also literally, gets tired of his attitude towards her.

Life comes full circle when years later, both Bunty and Pinky meet each other in a bonfire picnic.Both are opposites with Pinky being kind and generous hearted while, Bunty being a dashing and devil may care lad!

"Opposites attract" tenet of love comes into play when both of them fall in love with each other, thanks to a series of misunderstanding between the two and the symbolic "handcuff" tied to both of them by the light-natured, Havildar,Sher Singh(Amjad khan)! This happens for, they have fled from their homes, and the police frisked by their respective families.

Coming in terms with their weakness for each other our hero and his damsel approach each others parents. But of no avail, their egos prove greater than this alliance.

Knowing of this stumbling block,Both of them elope and try to set up their own home in the countryside with each standing up for each other.

Their parents intervene and seperate both of them much to the sorrow of the teenagers.

Meanwhile, Pinky's marriage is planned and even scheduled by Ram against her wishes.Our hero reaches the venue tries to make peace with her father but of no avail.

Bunty's father, Vijay reaches out to his son and even agrees on making truce with Ram, but the latter doesn't twich a bit from his stubborn stand.

This leaves Bunty with one option that to take away Pinky before the marriage begins.He does so and earns the wrath of her father who goes after them with a gun!

On hearing this, Vijay goes to pacify the enraged Ram. As pinky was about to be married, She was in her costly bridal-attire and jewellery.This catches the fancy of the petrol pump worker, where Bunty goes with the car they are fleeing, to be fuelled up. This man informs his thug accomplice about this matter immediately on phone and tells him to overpower the couple on the highway.

As they are chased by these cronies and told to stop, Bunty hits the brake hard to outrun them. These goons chase them to the brink that forces Bunty to throw away the jewellery bundling them in a cloth. As he throws the lot along the roadside Our friendly Havaldar, Shersingh out to catch the couple picks it up and comprehends the fishiness of the matter.

The havaldar who had set out to catch the troubled lovers gets involved in tracking and  countering the thugs instead!

Ram with blood boiling over his head finds out the plight of the two innocent lovers caught in the web of unfavouring circumstances.

So the fathers of both the teens try to pull out their progenies from these troubled waters !

In the heat of the fight with the thugs, our hero recieves a stray bullet on his arm that was to claim Ram's life!

This proves the innocene and selflessness of the couple's love for each other. They do not want to maintain their parents illogical grudge to poison their relations

And thus, things take a turn for the better, ala Bollywood churned out romantic-drama style!

The highlight of the movie is its sountrack and music, composed by none other than the late Rahul "Pancham" Deburman.

One is bound to go down memory-lane while listening to tracks: "Yeh Ladki Zarasi deewani..." as well as "Teri Yaad aa rahi hain.." with trademark Pancham instrumentals.

The male lead's voice was provided by debutante Amit-Kumar(son of the late Kishore-Kumar). The female's was by Asha bhonsle and the inimitable Lata Mangeshkar.

We get to see  elements peculiar of the 80's in the film. Bell-Bottom trousers, Dirt-Bikes, Hot-Pants, Checquered-suits with a snug-fit to name a few!

The  shooting locales are an interesting mix of countryside territory, lush-green valleys and industrial, contemporary infrastructure.

Kumar Gaurav's(launched as a fresh face) performance at the time of its release was accepted by cine-goers barring a few-scenes where he appears somewhat, frozen or stuck in body-language.

The movie was a run-away hit, with Gaurav earning the sobriquet of "a one film wonder" as he did not click with the audiences in his later movies.

While it was the only movie of female lead, Vijeta Pandit. She later entered the forray of playback singing.

The first such teenage-romance was Raj Kapoor's "Bobby."

Comic-relief was provided in the country-bumpkin like portrayal of a kind-hearted Havaldar by Amjad Khan. Audiences will love his colloquial accent when he utters: " Ludka, Ludki ! " referring to the eloping couple!

This movie interestingly set the trend  for  Teenage-romance flicks as Qayamat se Qayamat Tak and Maine Pyar kiya!

I suggest you to watch this movie with your own understanding of the tale.

Till then, Happy Viewing!

Peace.