Sangam (film)
Encyclopedia
Sangam is a 1964 Hindi movie produced by R. K. Films
and directed by Raj Kapoor
. Music for the film was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan, with song lyrics by Shailendra
and Hasrat Jaipuri
. Sangam was producer Raj Kapoor's first color film, distinguished by its technicolor and epic length (even by Bollywood
standards). The film was starred by Vyjayanthimala
, Raj Kapoor
and Rajendra Kumar
in the lead with Iftekhar
, Raj Mehra, Nana Palsikar
, Lalita Pawar
, Achala Sachdev
and Hari Shivdasani forms an ensemble cast
. It became a hit in India and is considered a classic today. One of the features of the film that became widely used later on in Bollywood is the use of foreign locales for on-location shooting, such as Venice
, Paris
, and Switzerland
for the film’s honeymoon sequence. This started the Bollywood trend of shooting songs sequences abroad (primarily in Switzerland), against the background of "exotic" landscapes.
Director Dasari Narayana Rao
remade the film in Telugu
and Kannada languages as Swapna
.
), Gopal (Rajendra Kumar
) and Radha (Vyjayantimala) have been friends since childhood. As they grow into adults, Sundar develops an obsessive romantic attraction to Radha, but she prefers Gopal, who is also in love with her. Yet, as Sundar has confided his feelings for Radha to him, Gopal decides to sacrifice his love for his friend’s sake. Radha systematically resists Sundar’s overtures, but to no avail. For him, she is the only woman in the world. Matching Sundar’s great love for Radha is his unswerving devotion to his friendship with Gopal.
Eventually, Sundar enlists in the Indian Air Force and is assigned to a military mission in Kashmir. Before leaving, he extracts a promise from Gopal, whom he trusts implicitly, never to let any man come between Radha and himself while he is away. Subsequently, Sundar’s airplane is shot down over Kashmir. He is listed as MIA and presumed dead. This news saddens Radha and Gopal, but they are nonetheless now finally free to profess their love for one another. Among other expressions of love, Gopal writes her an unsigned prem patra (love letter) which touches her particularly and which she hides away. Just when they begin taking steps to be married, Sundar suddenly returns, safe and sound. The self-effacing Gopal sacrifices himself once more, stepping back into the shadows, watching as the reborn Sundar resumes his wooing of Radha. Inevitably, the two marry.
After the couple returns from an extended European honeymoon, Sundar is deliriously happy. His life’s dream has been realised. Radha is resolved to be faithful to her husband and to put Gopal out of her mind. She privately asks him to stay away from her and Sundar because of the torture his presence causes her. Sundar’s devotion to Gopal, however, is such that he constantly tries to draw him into their life and activities, much to Radha’s chagrin. The perfection of their marital bliss is however shattered when Sundar accidentally discovers the unsigned love letter Gopal had written to Radha. Sundar is thunderstruck, and assumes that Radha has been unfaithful to him. Producing a pistol, he demands she divulge the name of the supposed lover and threatens to kill the man, but she refuses.
In the days that follow, Sundar becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the anonymous letter-writer and cannot return to normalcy. Radha’s life becomes pure misery, lived out against the incessant drama of Sundar’s jealousy, threats, anger and fixation with the letter.
Eventually unable to bear the wretchedness of her existence with Sundar any further, Radha leaves their house and flees to Gopal for help. Sundar takes the same route, unaware that Radha has gone to Gopal’s house. There, matters come to a head. The overwrought Gopal admits his authorship of the infamous letter to Radha, an admission which almost destroys his friend. Gopal, perceiving no exit from the impasse at which the three have arrived, kills himself with Sundar’s pistol. Radha and Sundar are finally reunited - in mourning.
An important and critically regarded theme in the film is male bonding and the informal sharing of a woman between two male friends. Gopal indulges in his own "sacrifice", but never thinks of the woman's feelings he ostensibly loves.
R. K. Films
R.K Films was the studio that Raj Kapoor owned. It was created in 1948, one year after the independence of India. It had a rough start, as its first movie, Aag was a flop. Most of the R.K. Films productions share a common theme of criticising society and depicting love across social...
and directed by Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
. Music for the film was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan, with song lyrics by Shailendra
Shailendra
Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:...
and Hasrat Jaipuri
Hasrat Jaipuri
Hasrat Jaipuri was a Hindi and Urdu poet and film lyricist.-Initial Days:Jaipuri was born Iqbal Husain in Jaipur, where he studied English till medium level, and then acquired his taalim in Urdu and Persian from his grandfather, Fida Husain. He began writing verse, when he was around twenty years...
. Sangam was producer Raj Kapoor's first color film, distinguished by its technicolor and epic length (even by Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
standards). The film was starred by Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
, Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
and Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar was one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several films in the 1980s starring his son Kumar Gaurav....
in the lead with Iftekhar
Iftekhar
Iftekhar was a character actor in Bollywood films, especially known for his roles as police officers in several films.-Career:...
, Raj Mehra, Nana Palsikar
Nana Palsikar
Nana Palsikar was an Indian film actor, who appeared in over 80 Hindi films. He made his film debut in 1935 with Dhuwandhar, and went on to play character roles in both Hindi mainstream and arthouse films...
, Lalita Pawar
Lalita Pawar
Lalita Pawar was a prolific Indian actress, who later became famous as character actress, appearing in over 700 films in Hindi and Marathi cinema, where she gave hits like, Netaji Palkar , made by Bhalji Pendharkar, New Hana Pictures’ Sant Damaji, Navyug Chitrapat’s Amrit, written by VS Khandekar,...
, Achala Sachdev
Achala Sachdev
Achala Sachdev is an Indian film actress who started her career as a child. She later became known for mother and grandmother roles in Hindi films...
and Hari Shivdasani forms an ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
. It became a hit in India and is considered a classic today. One of the features of the film that became widely used later on in Bollywood is the use of foreign locales for on-location shooting, such as Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for the film’s honeymoon sequence. This started the Bollywood trend of shooting songs sequences abroad (primarily in Switzerland), against the background of "exotic" landscapes.
Director Dasari Narayana Rao
Dasari Narayana Rao
Dr. Dasari Narayana Rao B.A. is a politician, film director, and film producer. Narayana Rao directed about 150 films, produced 53 films and worked in more than 250 films as a dialogue writer and as a lyricist.Beside graduating with a BA degree, he used to take part in scores of drama competitions...
remade the film in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and Kannada languages as Swapna
Swapna
Swapna is both a female name or a Hindu philosophy and discipline of dream, dreamwork and dreaming. Swapna in Hindu philosophy, a state of consciousness when a person is dreaming in sleep. At this state, he, she or it cannot perceive the external universe with the senses. It enjoys another...
.
Plot summary
Sundar (Raj KapoorRaj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
), Gopal (Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar was one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several films in the 1980s starring his son Kumar Gaurav....
) and Radha (Vyjayantimala) have been friends since childhood. As they grow into adults, Sundar develops an obsessive romantic attraction to Radha, but she prefers Gopal, who is also in love with her. Yet, as Sundar has confided his feelings for Radha to him, Gopal decides to sacrifice his love for his friend’s sake. Radha systematically resists Sundar’s overtures, but to no avail. For him, she is the only woman in the world. Matching Sundar’s great love for Radha is his unswerving devotion to his friendship with Gopal.
Eventually, Sundar enlists in the Indian Air Force and is assigned to a military mission in Kashmir. Before leaving, he extracts a promise from Gopal, whom he trusts implicitly, never to let any man come between Radha and himself while he is away. Subsequently, Sundar’s airplane is shot down over Kashmir. He is listed as MIA and presumed dead. This news saddens Radha and Gopal, but they are nonetheless now finally free to profess their love for one another. Among other expressions of love, Gopal writes her an unsigned prem patra (love letter) which touches her particularly and which she hides away. Just when they begin taking steps to be married, Sundar suddenly returns, safe and sound. The self-effacing Gopal sacrifices himself once more, stepping back into the shadows, watching as the reborn Sundar resumes his wooing of Radha. Inevitably, the two marry.
After the couple returns from an extended European honeymoon, Sundar is deliriously happy. His life’s dream has been realised. Radha is resolved to be faithful to her husband and to put Gopal out of her mind. She privately asks him to stay away from her and Sundar because of the torture his presence causes her. Sundar’s devotion to Gopal, however, is such that he constantly tries to draw him into their life and activities, much to Radha’s chagrin. The perfection of their marital bliss is however shattered when Sundar accidentally discovers the unsigned love letter Gopal had written to Radha. Sundar is thunderstruck, and assumes that Radha has been unfaithful to him. Producing a pistol, he demands she divulge the name of the supposed lover and threatens to kill the man, but she refuses.
In the days that follow, Sundar becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the anonymous letter-writer and cannot return to normalcy. Radha’s life becomes pure misery, lived out against the incessant drama of Sundar’s jealousy, threats, anger and fixation with the letter.
Eventually unable to bear the wretchedness of her existence with Sundar any further, Radha leaves their house and flees to Gopal for help. Sundar takes the same route, unaware that Radha has gone to Gopal’s house. There, matters come to a head. The overwrought Gopal admits his authorship of the infamous letter to Radha, an admission which almost destroys his friend. Gopal, perceiving no exit from the impasse at which the three have arrived, kills himself with Sundar’s pistol. Radha and Sundar are finally reunited - in mourning.
Analysis
This love triangle is a psychologically multifaceted tale about male bonding, the meaning of love and friendship. In the context of these relationships, Sundar is the one who is preventing the other two people's happiness and finally also thwarts his own. He appears as being naive and innocent, yet he seems adamant at only noticing things that suit his own mindset. He is full of self-pity and bullies the others emotionally.An important and critically regarded theme in the film is male bonding and the informal sharing of a woman between two male friends. Gopal indulges in his own "sacrifice", but never thinks of the woman's feelings he ostensibly loves.
Cast
- VyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
as Radha - Raj KapoorRaj KapoorKnown as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
as Flight Lt. Sunder Khanna - Rajendra KumarRajendra KumarRajendra Kumar was one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several films in the 1980s starring his son Kumar Gaurav....
as Magistrate Gopal Verma - IftekharIftekharIftekhar was a character actor in Bollywood films, especially known for his roles as police officers in several films.-Career:...
as Indian Air Force Officer - Raj Mehra as Judge Mehra
- Nana PalsikarNana PalsikarNana Palsikar was an Indian film actor, who appeared in over 80 Hindi films. He made his film debut in 1935 with Dhuwandhar, and went on to play character roles in both Hindi mainstream and arthouse films...
as Nathu - Lalita PawarLalita PawarLalita Pawar was a prolific Indian actress, who later became famous as character actress, appearing in over 700 films in Hindi and Marathi cinema, where she gave hits like, Netaji Palkar , made by Bhalji Pendharkar, New Hana Pictures’ Sant Damaji, Navyug Chitrapat’s Amrit, written by VS Khandekar,...
as Mrs. Verma - Achala SachdevAchala SachdevAchala Sachdev is an Indian film actress who started her career as a child. She later became known for mother and grandmother roles in Hindi films...
as Captain's wife - Hari Shivdasani as Captain