Saath-Saath, would be among the new-wave movies made in the early 80s. In a largely mediocre decade for Hindi cinema, Saath-Saath attempted a realistic view unlike larger-than-life Amitabhesque movies at that time. Fairly reminiscent of the style mastered by writers/ directors like Sai Paranjpe, Shyam Benegal, etc, the movie's two protagonists, Avinash (Farooque Shaikh) & Gita (Deepti Naval) belong to different social strata.
The bittersweet romance starts in college, with Gita understanding and admiring Avinash's philosophy on life. The economics student (also a writer) with stern principles and ideals is not affected by the materialistic nature of his generation. He is fiercely proud of his humble origins and paints a clear picture of the comparable differences to Gita's upper middle-class milieu. The college gang and one very sardonic English professor provide some light-hearted moments
Gita falls in love with the man and his outlook. Parental objections are not overcome and they get married, despite Avinash's reluctance. The story depicts Mumbai's lower-middle class life in a picture-prefect manner. The one-room setup, Gita's choice of taking a job over pursuing her education is echoed in thousands of homes.
As one could conventionally say, the 'twist-in-the-tale' comes with Avinash's transformation. His frustration at the lack of financial security is poignant. He takes a job with a classmate (Satish Shah) who runs a publishing house. Morals are cast aside, as Avinash thinks like a ruthless businessman. Publishing commercially viable books, such as inane novels, Avinash treads the very path he once loathed. But, wife Gita is not supportive of the easy withdrawal of principles. She questions him at various points in time, and is dismayed at his nonchalance. Then, at a point of no return, Avinash does not help his former professor who put aside all his savings to start a newspaper that he and Avinash had spoken of during his college days.
Meanwhile, they have a child, and some more unscrupulous activities later, Avinash joins Gita's dad (Iftekhar does a fair portrayal of the industrialist). And, Gita leaves Avinash.
The ending is your guess.
Recommended for those with an inclination for the capacity to relate to life! The decent script, with superior performances from the lead pair should be reason enough to venture here!
BONUS: (For us movie-music junkies in India!) Great soundtrack, with most being ghazal-oriented, performed by Jagjit & Chitra Singh Tumko Dekha
To Yeh Khayal Aaya, Yeh Tera Ghar..Yeh Mera Ghar, timeless melodies composed by Kuldip Singh (where is this genius?!) and Javed Akhtar's beautiful poetry.
