Anand
Rating: 8.9/10
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Writer: Hrishikesh Mukherjee (screenplay), Gulzar (screenplay), D.N. Mukherjee (screenplay), Bimal Dutta (screenplay), Gulzar (dialogue), Hrishikesh Mukherjee (story)
Stars: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo
Runtime: 122 min
Genre: Drama
Released: 05 Mar 1971
Synopsis: The film begins with a felicitation ceremony arranged for Dr. Bhaskar (Amitabh Bachchan) who has just written a successful book titled Anand. Bhaskar was a cancer specialist and after the congratulatory speeches, he reveals that the book is not a work of fiction but taken from his own diary and pertains to his experiences with a real person named Anand.Flashback starts with Bhaskar, little fresh from his training as an oncologist, trying to treat the poor for no charge but often gets disheartened by the fact that he can’t cure all the ailments in the world. He becomes pessimistic after seeing the suffering, illness and poverty all around him. He acts straightforward and wouldn’t treat the imaginary ailments of the rich. But his friend, Dr. Kulkarni follows a little different path. He treats the imaginary illnesses of the rich and uses that money to treat the poor.One day Dr. Kulkarni introduces Bhaskar to Anand (Rajesh Khanna) who has lymphoma of the intestine, a rare type of cancer. Anand has a cheerful nature and despite knowing the truth that he is not going to survive for more than six months, he maintains a nonchalant demeanour and always tries to make everyone happy around him. His cheerful and vibrant nature soothes Bhaskar, who has a contrasting nature and they become good friends.Anand’s condition gradually deteriorates but he does not want to spend his remaining time in the hospital bed; he instead roams freely and helps everyone. He discovers that Bhaskar has strong feelings for Renu (Sumita Sanyal), whom he treated previously for pneumonia. He helps Bhaskar to express his love and convinces Renu’s mother for their marriage. He tells Bhaskar that everyone should remember him as a lively person and not as a cancer patient. His end comes and he dies amongst his friends and everyone remembers him as a vibrant and lively person. Bhaskar becomes more philosophical and continues to help the helpless with more empathy and maturity.
