Waqt

Waqt was a hugely successful film though the story was pretty normal for the sixties.It was the stylish acting of Raaj Kumar which caught the eye.Sunil Dutt and the rest were not far behind.Balraj Sahani was simply perfect.The music and lyrics are outstanding.Before this film Raaj Kumar was not in much demand but Waqt i think was the turning point in his career.With so many good actors/actresses the film creates a very professional and convincing atmosphere.The direction is first-class especially the romantic scenes and songs.The earthquake construction is weak.Also it is unbelievable that Raju fails to recognize his father when he is caught by him running from the law.The end makes up for the flimsy plot but still it seems contrived.This results in a very average film of its period though the style is refreshing and admirable.

Balraj Sahni is affluent and cocky, living the good life with his beautiful wife and three young boys. He thinks he can control destiny but TIME wills otherwise and an earthquake scatters his family to the winds. His eldest turns into a suave thief Raja, played by Raj Kumar. The middle son, played exceedingly well by Sunil Dutt, is brought up by a very wealthy couple and turns into Ravi the lawyer. The youngest is Vijay, played by Shashi Kapoor, who lives with his mother in penury. He finds a job as a driver with Chinnoy Seth (Rehman), a master criminal. The two older brothers both fall in love with the beauteous Meena, played by Sadhna, while the younger romances the peppy Renu, played by Sharmila Tagore. Of course the brothers have to cross paths and in fact they meet and part and even bump into their father on the streets. By a quirk of fate Raja discovers that Ravi is indeed his brother and now blood will tell. He wants to smoothen the path of love for Ravi and Meena but is framed for a heinous murder committed by Chinnoy Seth. Chinnoy convinces Vijay to lie for him. An exceedingly well enacted courtroom drama, with the rookie Ravi defending Raja, terminates in the obligatory happy ending for all but the journey is most pleasant.

Waqt is Yash Chopra's finest film, evergreen, well written, well acted. It boasts of some of the most classic dialogs pre-Sholay - 'Chaku Se mat Khelo, Chot Lag Jayegi'. 'Jin Ke Khud Ke Ghar Sheese Ke Hon Woh Doosron par Patthar Nahin Phekte Chinoy Seth' etc. The court scenes are very engaging and have high drama but not much melodrama. The acting is great all around but the top folks are Balraj Sahni, Sunil Dutt (Gule Gulzaar Bulbule Yaar!), Raj Kumar, Sadhna. Oh - the film scores high on the looks quotient too! Sunil and Shashi are absolutely yummy, Sadhana is beautiful and Sharmila the sweet naive one.

Music is melodious - O Meri Zohra Zabeen, Hothon Pe Khushi, Kaun Aaya , and my personal favorite Aage Bhi Jaane Naa Tu. This one is a keeper and worth revisiting.

Yash Chopra's Waqt is a multi-starred lost-and-found Hindi melodrama. An earthquake destroys the home of a rich trader, and as a result his wife and three sons get separated, with only the youngest son remaining with his mother. But time causes all of them to meet again in some coincidental circumstances. Yes, it looks very typical today but it was one of the first of its sort, and it's thoroughly enjoyable. There are several genres within this one: a drama, a romance, a thriller, a musical, a courtroom drama. From emotions to suspense to music to coincidences to a happy ending, this one has it all, and like most of Yash Chopra's films, it is fun to watch. The film flows brilliantly with all the characters, the situations and the memorable songs, and its multi-starred cast performs well. Balraj Sahni and Achala Sachdev make for a very believable couple. Raaj Kumar gives a great performance and portrays the suave high-class professional thief with elegance and conviction. Sunil Dutt is very good as the humorous and lighthearted Ravi, Sadhana is grace personified as the lovely and beautiful Meena, Sharmila Tagore is likable as the peppy Renu, and Shashi Kapoor is fine as the simple Vijay. Among the songs, "O Meri Zohra Jabeen" and "Aage Bhi Jaane Na Tu" are my favourite. It's been 45 years since this film's release, but time does not prevent Waqt from being a wonderful entertainer.

Waqt is a great from the Venerable Chopra institution when the Banner stood for quality and quality alone. This has an incredible Cast some including Raaj Kumar who had a very distinct style of his own. Sadhana was a cynosure of all eyes a glamor personified. The story is narrated well by Yash Chopra. This movie will remain as one of the best movies of the Sixties. What the current movies lack is the Star power of the movies and when the Producers choose Stars based on talent and not based on Film Fare awards which are not indicative of the real talent since they are fixed to the benefit of few ordained Actors. The intricate Film making technique is lost in the Commercial process.

The story of Waqt is pretty standard: an earthquake separates the members of a wealthy family with three sons, who are brought up as a result in separate and quite different circumstances. Eventually, of course, the family is reunited, but not before variuous twists and turns culminating in the three brothers appearing in court in connection with the trial for murder of one brother, with the other brothers being the defence counsel and a witness for the prosecution, respectively. Pretty standard stuff - but stylishly presented and with strong performances,particularly by Sadhan as the love interest of one of the brothers, and Sunil Dutt as the lawyer brother. Nice stuff, great music, lavish sets, and a pretty cool courtroom denouement!