Anand

Doctor Bhaskar Banerjee works in Bombay and loses most of his patients to poverty; he is angry, quiet, and keeps a notebook. One day a patient called Anand arrives. Anand has cancer and a few months left. He knows it and is not silent for a moment: he talks to everyone, gives everyone a name, jokes with strangers in the street. The doctor finds it irritating at first. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directs. Rajesh Khanna plays Anand and Amitabh Bachchan plays the doctor. The film is among the most cited in Indian cinema and its lines are still in circulation, particularly what Anand says about life and death. Rajesh Khanna had a popularity in India at that time without precedent, and the role is taken as the summit of his career. Amitabh Bachchan was not yet known; this was among the first parts to draw attention to him and won him the award for best supporting actor. The idea is not to hide the death. Anand does not conceal his illness and the film keeps no emotional secret; what will happen is clear from the start and the matter is how it will be met. The structure rests on the doctor's notebook; the narrative opens in flashback and the ending is known in the first scene. The music is by Salil Chowdhury and the songs function inside the narrative. Who it is for: viewers who like classical Indian cinema and emotional films built on death. Who it is not for: the emotional pitch is very high, the character is over idealised, and the pace is slow from here.