An incohesive script greatly impairs the promising potential of the story. The film, like many of its predecessors, including Awara, aims to explore the question of whether one's human qualities are inherited or shaped by the environment. Indeed, the nature vs. Nurture debate, in addition to class prejudice, is a major motif in most films written by K. A. Abbas. Obviously, the dual roles played by Nargis give it another dimension in terms of its entertainment value. Dual roles in Hindi films have become over years a sub-genre of their own, and it has almost been a pre-requisite for actors to play twins with different personalities at some point in their career. However, this film suffers first and foremost from very poor technical handling of the dual presentation. The editing looks non-professional and a little shabby. Maybe it's got to do a lot with how dated it all looks and clearly one cannot expect films of the 1950s to have the same technical advantages of today, but some of the scenes were cut off so suddenly that it was not east to follow the story.
Sadly, the outcome does not live up to expectations. It is definitely nice to see Raj Kapoor in such a restrained performance, without the usual shticks, and he is excellent. His chemistry with Nargis, particularly in the romantic scenes, are phenomenally well etched out. Nargis is generally very strong as Roop, however, she is let down by the script in the way she is required to play the lost, vulgar sister. She looks a little self-conscious, stagy and uneasy in the role, which is not something you'd usually expect from an actress of her caliber. She is never bad, obviously, but I did expect more from such a challenging turn. This is definitely not her fault, Anhonee would definitely have benefitted from better direction. With all due respect to the great K. A. Abbas, his talent as a writer notwithstanding, the direction didn't do his story justice. The film drags on for far too long and I personally lost interest in it halfway through the show. Some absurdities along the way don't help much, although it all concludes on a predictable note.
