Khamoshi

"Khamoshi" is a psychological tale which harbours somewhere between the Stockholm syndrome and the hunter eventually becoming the hunted.

"Khamoshi" belongs to Waheeda Rehman, period. Not two ways to that. Just about nursing her broken heart in realm of questioning the virtue of thankless job and grudges against the ungrateful world, her life as a nurse gets thrown into a quagmire when a patient bearing similarities to her former lover turns up in the rehab ward leading to the dilemma of duty versus obligation. The finer nuances used to communicate the whirlpool of emotions insides her and yet holding the reigns deserve a standing ovation.

For Rajesh Khanna "Khamoshi" was an opportunity of a lifetime that could have won him accolades endless. Sadly he is completely out-of-character to the extent of being termed as miscast. Dharmendra's role can be categorised as "blink-and-miss" though bears a lasting impact in the narrative.

Nasir Hussain, Iftekaar, Lalita Pawar lend adequate support. Anwar Hussain and Deven Varma attempt to humour but sadly works against the narrative. The initial reels and the relief moments should have been done away with. More footage was warranted to showcase the bonding between the nurse with the patient(s). The plot is solid intellectual and the narrative is loaded with references to Freud which makes the content non-succulent therefore not appealing to general audience.

Hand over heart, the sole reason I watched "Khamoshi" were the melodious songs which have been haunting me since my childhood. "Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi", "Humne Dekhi Hain", "Tum Pukaar Lo" - the credit for the immemorial classics goes to soulful composition by Hemant Kumar to the gems penned by Gulzar. If you haven't watched it, your best bet is to start off by listening to the songs and be rest assured you'll be drawn to a dimension of silence whose decibels have the power to awaken the manifestation of metaphysical within.

"Khamoshi" tells the story of a nurse Waheeda Rehman who is used by her Doctor, Nasir Hussein to test his theory on the treatment of male mental patients by showering love on them by female nurses. He conveniently ignores the fact that the nurse herself might fall in love with the patient. After successfully treating Dharmendra, Nasir wants Waheeda to treat Rajesh Khanna . She refuses as she had fallen in love with Dharmendra - who considered Waheeda only as a good nurse and wed his girlfriend, shattering Waheeda. But Nasir pressurizes her to take up the case of Rajesh Khanna. She tries to remain aloof from Rajesh but finds herself being drawn towards him. She cannot express her feelings to him as she is forced to accept that she is performing just a job. The "khamosh" feelings play havoc and she herself turns mad. She shrieks at the Doctor and tells him that she had not acted but had really loved Rajesh Khanna. Tragically, only by becoming mad was Waheeda able to remove the veil of "Khamoshi" on her feelings. The climax deeply pains & touches the viewer's heart.

Khamoshi, one of the great classics of Hindi cinema, revolves around Waheeda and its her best performance ever. With Dharmendra she is gay & chirpy, but with Rajesh she is sad & aloof, her eyes betraying the pain of unrequited love and foreseeing the impending doom. Gulzar's exquisite lyrics were beautifully composed by Hemant. The haunting music & beautifully etched performances linger on. It is a remake of a Bengali film "Deep Jale Jaaye" starring Suchitra Sen, directed by Asit Sen.

I will rate it 9 out of 10

If ever there was an haunting voice that had depth, resonance, it was Hemant Kumar. The song "Tum Pukar Lo," played on Waheeda Rehman and Dharmendra (a brief stint) is reflective of the melody that was the mainstay of Indian music composers the likes of Hemant Kumar, who preferred to sing his own compositions. Then there is Waheeda Rehman-God bless this woman for her eternal beauty and acting talent. She was incredibly convincing as the "mental patient." The scene where her face comes down on a barbed wire mesh-incredible piece of acting. Then we had the thespian of acting in a true sense of the word-Rajesh Khanna. Khanna and Rehman, were born actors and the duo were probably the best screen pair next to Guru Dutt and Madhubala. The movie is a bygone classic that very few appreciate. When you need some nostalgia and good cinema, this movie and "Anand" will take you back to the decade of the Indian cinema to be cherished since there will never be another Khanna, Rehman or maestro like Hemant Kumar.

Director asit sen deserves full marks for showcasing emotions with excellent masterpiece musical score from hemant da ,Also gulzar penned lyrics & dialogue creates instant magic .. Excellent performance by waheeda rehman ..

A very interesting idea. this film speaks of class. A story about a nurse in a mental institution whose revolutionary treatment's side effects get unnoticed. After falling in love with her first patitent and never telling anyone her love goes unnoticed as her patient moves on and another patient who after being betrayed by his first love is left on the brink of madness, is brought in. After failed attempts, her treatment is again called for but this time with disastrous consequences. A sad yet very moving drama.... a must see with a beautiful soundtrack.