Pyaar Ki Jeet is set in a small village where Dr. Rehman (Shashi Kapoor) works as a volunteer physician for the people of the village. For him, his job is a personal duty, a social commitment, and he sees great personal fulfillment in his ability to help his fellow villagers, all of whom look up to him as the father of the village. There comes Soni (Rekha), a young beauty and native of the village, from her routine stay in the big city, a girl who comes from a repute family but lost everything following her brief abduction by criminals. She has since gained great notoriety among the villagers as a fallen woman just because she works in the city. In actual fact, she runs a successful business as a seller of self-designed traditional village clothes, and comes home every once in a while, with money under her arm, much to the dismay of the villagers.
The villagers are not necessarily bad; in many ways some of those who malign Soni are decent people by the standards of their region, but like with any other closed, primitive community, some tongues never let the truth get in the way of good tittl-tattle to reveal their own twisted, distorted minds. But happy-go-lucky Soni couldn't care less about what anyone may think or say, she knows who she is, she has the validation of the man she respects most, that is Dr. Rehman, and she lives life to the fullest. Things change with the arrival of Dr. Anand, a young physician who is the son of one of Rehman's old friends. Mistaken to be a volunteering assistant to Rehman, Anand stays for a while and his unusually delicate ways catch the eye of Soni, who instantly falls for him and does everything to win him over, although with little success.
Sawaan Kumar Tak directs this feature with great heart. The essence of the village is perfectly captured and feels very lifelike and credible, with several scenes contributing to the creation of a certain everydayness that is quite heartwarming. The romantic portions, which are the film's highlight are done really well. It's nice to see how the traditional gender roles of men and women in Indian cinema (or Indian society, for that matter) are twisted in this film, and it is the woman who is courting the man. Soni can't stop chasing Dr. Anand, and she does it unabashedly, with great enthusiasm and vigor while clearly enjoying the process. She believes her love will win him over eventually, while he cannot shake the effect of her bad reputation, as well as probably, being an introvert, their contrasting personalities.
While the romantic portions indeed dominate the story, it addresses interesting social themes, including the role and perception of women in conservative societies, the duty of physicians especially in relation to ethical questions concerning the extent of their authority and discretion, the balance between the profession of medicine as a calling/social service, a vocation, and a money-earning job/business. The first issue is interestingly tackled through Soni's character, her financial independence in a world where it's hard to believe women could do well without doing something immoral. The second theme is given great footage through the characters of Rehman and Anand, and Anand's father Dr. Kumar, for whom medicine is business. Note also the court scene, which is the film's highpoint.
The actors all do well. Shashi Kapoor is excellent. He really captures the wholesome, kind personality of Dr. Rehman, his sensibility, intelligence, and selfless nature. In certain parts, particularly those in the brilliant court scene, he shines, and so he does in his argument with Dr. Kumar, where their ideological differences bring forth one of the film's core issues. Ashok Kumar, as Anand's father, has a smaller role, but can be always counted on to deliver the goods with his impressive screen persona and ever so credible acting. Vinod Khanna does his part exceedingly well, playing the semi-moronic Anand to good effect. The film has worthy appearances by Moon Moon Sen, Bharat Kapoor as the villain who desires Soni, and above all a wonderful comic performance by Jagdish as a drunkard who is in love with Soni but is also her most loyal and supportive friend (note the funny scene when they drink together).
But as expected, Pyaar Ki Jeet is Rekha's film in one of her most spirited performances. Soni is the alternative obsessive lover - not the psychotic, dangerous one but the funny one, whose love is pure, uplifting, and unconditional, the kind that viewers certainly wish would be soon reciprocated. We have it all here - Rekha the beauty, Rekha the actress, Rekha the star, Rekha the comedienne, Rekha the dancer, and Rekha the presence. Her charismatic verve more than carries the film, but she wonderfully portrays what goes on beneath the confident surface, including Soni's kindness, positive energy, fierce independence, and above all her deep, true love for Anand. While there's a persistent comic tone in her determination to conquer him and in the way she chases him throughout the story, there's also a person, who is real and easy to relate to.
Pyaar Ki Jeet is a lesser-known film for some reason but it is quite a good one at a time when films used to be really of no worth and offered nothing but mindless action and caricatures. I haven't seen all of Kumar Tak's films though among those I have, this is certainly the nicest. The music is by Usha Khanna, the director's former wife and one of the first, and to this day only female music directors in Hindi films, and it's tremendously good. The extraordinary Asha Bhosle beings meaning to every number with her spectacularly sharp vocals and heartfelt, soulful renditions. The title track "Aaj Mere Pyar Ki Jeet" is the highpoint of the film's most dramatic and poignant moments; "Mujhe Rehna Hai", sung along the legendary Kishore Kumar, is a stupendously visualized number and the topmost romantic moment, but the most fun number is "Ae Dost Tu Be-imaan Hai" which demonstrates beyond all doubt the definitive charisma that is Rekha and her being the prime asset of this nice, heartening film.
