Director Mohan Kumar’s Amir Garib brings to the fore the age difference between the male and female leads in Hindi films. Here one gets to see a 50-plus Dev romancing Hema Malini almost half his age. What is amazing is the continuation of this phenomenon in the present age. Despite changes in public taste and the type of films being made, one still gets to see the likes of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan being cast opposite much younger heroines.
Besides, Amir Garib occupies a significant point on Dev’s career graph. It was one of the last films made outside his Navketan banner in which he acted and wielded the baton. Also, after the phenomenal success of Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), which he directed and acted in, his career witnessed a steady downward trend. Amir Garib was probably one of the last films to have done good business at the box-office.
Here, Anand’s acting style looks jaded and outdated, with the same mannerisms that catapulted him to the top echelons of stardom seeming a bit tedious, especially with his pairing with an effervescent Hema. With her beautiful screen presence, Hema does a commendable job, despite her limited histrionic prowess. The film certainly benefited from Johny Mera Naam released in 1970, in which Hema was cast for the first time opposite Dev and which did exceptional business. Seasoned watchers felt that though not launched by Anand, Hema’s career moved upward considerably because of Johny Mera Naam .
Die-hard fans of Dev have a lot to cheer in the film, in which he holds centre stage playing the character of a modern-day Robin Hood. The film starts with Mumbai police officials deliberating on how to crack a spate of robberies targeting the rich in the city by a masked thief called Bagula Bhagat. Inspector Anand (Sujeet Kumar) is given charge of the case.
Meanwhile, one gets to see singer Manmohan, alias Moni, working in a hotel owned by Seth Daulatram (Premnath in his trademark acting style, suave and polished dialogue delivery) who is pursued by Sunita aka Soni, a pickpocket, who lives with her foster mother (Sulochana). In fact, Sunita’s rich businessman father died when he was duped by his treacherous manager, Daulatram.
Actually, Bhagat is Moni in disguise, whose informers (including Birbal and Tuntun) garner information about the misdeeds of unscrupulous traders and businessmen. These then become the target of Bhagat, who robs them only to distribute the riches among the poor. Moni’s heart beats for the impoverished after a childhood incident, in which his grandfather was killed by a ruthless landowner, who belittles him for his poverty, and mocks him about Moni’s mother having been duped by a rich man.
After a series of incidents — some interesting, others outright boring and outlandish (like Anand acting as a hypnotist) — Moni and Soni agree to teach Daulatram a lesson. But before that, Moni comes to know that Soni’s foster mother is actually his mother and that inspector Sujeet Kumar is the fiancé of his foster sister. The film ends after a courtroom drama, in which the judge tries Bhagat for his misdemeanours. Does the judge take a lenient view of Moni’s plea for the rights of the poor? Or is he delivered a harsh punishment?
Whatever the final denouement, the audience is bedevilled with a lot of confusion due to the plethora of tracks and subtracks, making the story a meandering rigmarole of close to two-and-a-half hours. Several minutes and some characters like that of Tanuja in a cameo as Ranjeet’s sister, (who himself has nothing much to do other than get repeatedly slapped) could have been chopped to make the script (written by K.A. Narayan) taut and the job of editing by Pratap Bhatt and Pratap Dave that much easier.
The music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, set to lyrics by Anand Bakshi, is good, especially the hummable Kishore Kumar-Lata Mangeshkar duet, 'Soni aur Moni ki hai jodi ajeeb' and the Kishore Kumar solo 'Main aaya hoon'.
However, Mohan Kumar, who contributed to cinema with films such as Anpadh, Avtaar and Aap Aaye Bahaar Aayee could have certainly offered a better film.
