Gently flows the village brook. There are no unnerving bends in the path. There is neither turbulence nor turbidity, the stream is clear and peaceful.
Such is the story of “Dillagi”, penned by Bimal Kar. It is a rare film which moves at a languorous pace throughout. So much so that even if one goes by director Basu Chatterjee’s hugely successful trademark style of making films that work leisurely on the audiences’ mind, the screenplay of “Dillagi” (credited to Chatterjee) is a tad slow. Though not in the class of the director’s other classics, like “Chhoti Si Baat”, “Chitchor” and “Rajnigandha”, etc, it packs sufficient feel good factor to impress those who like the genre. Predictably the movie was not deemed to be a hit.
The highlight of “Dillagi” was the casting of Dharmendra and Hema Malini, the established stars who essayed roles not conforming to their image. Thus one gets to see Hindi cinema’s original He-man and action hero Dharmendra as a bespectacled, kurta-pyjama donning Sanskrit professor, Swarankamal, and Hema Malini, christened as ‘Dream Girl’, plays Phoolreun, a serious and matter of fact chemistry professor, who teaches in the same college as Swarankamal.
The story revolves around the budding romance between Swarankamal and Phoolrenu as they go about their teaching assignments. The latter is a strict teacher and disciplinarian who believes that students should focus on their studies. Being warden of the girls’ hostel, her enforcement of rules and regulations makes her unpopular among students who indulge in name calling behind her back. Her contrite personality comes in direct conflict with Swarankamal, who uses epics like Shakuntala, poems of love and longing and the mythical love between Lord Shankar and his consort Paravati as part of his curriculum.
The loud invocation of graphic scenes and passages from Sanskrit plays by Swarankamal, raise Phoolrenu’s hackle, who blames him for its detrimental impact on the girls’ moral fabric. Due to this, repeated overtures by Swarankamal fails to win her heart. She rebuffs his effort to smear gulal on her face during a Holi function.Swarankamal further attempts too come to nought including offering Phoolrenu Shakuntala a role in a college play opposite him as Dushyant and seeing her off when she goes to Kashipur for summer vacations.
With the change of place Phoolrenu discovers her love for Swarankamal who also reaches Kashipur. When her brother (Asrani) and mother decide to get her married and post an advertisement in a newspaper, Phoolrenu exhorts Swarankamal to respond. Therein follows a comedy of errors which results in a predictable denouement after a few hiccups.
Perhaps the biggest letdown of the film is its music, which is outright disappointing and lacklustre. None of the songs, written by Yogesh to music composed by Rajesh Roshan, are worth remembering. This is rather strange considering music was always a strong point in Basu Chatterjee films. This could be one of the reasons for the film’s average performance at the box office. The editing by V.N. Mayekar was equally dull thereby losing the chance which could have salvaged the film to some extent.
Dharamendra, in a restrained and underplayed role, displays his comic timing with subtlety and finesse. His chemistry with Hema Malini, stands forth to the extent allowed by the script and the story. Hema Malini is an epitome of grace, as she dons a simple and deglamourized avatar, a far cry from her Dream Girl image. In a role that did not demand histrionics she is able to shine with conviction. Shatrughan Sinha in a cameo as Swarankamal’s friend looks dapper.
Asrani showcases his talent which unfortunately was never utilised in later years while Deven Verma, as a lovelorn Bengali is loud and irritating.
Genre : Romantic comedy
Director : Basu Chatterjee
Cast : Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Mithu Mukherjee, Deven Verma, Asrani, Preeti Ganguly, Shatrughan Sinha, Keshto Mukherjee, Urmila Bhatt, Guffi Paintal
Story : Basu Chatterjee based on Bengali novel Chemistry O Kahaani by Bimal Kar
Screenplay : Basu Chatterjee and Keka Chatterjee
Dialogue : Basu Chatterjee
Lyrics : Yogesh
Music : Rajesh Roshan
Box office status : Average
