Of male bonding and Hindi cinema

School buddies are very special and this was more than evident in a class reunion last month. Some of us were meeting after decades and the mood was euphoric.

We were barely 15 when we passed out of school in 1978, and it was incredible to see that in the 33 years that went by, nobody had really changed.

Ours was an all-boys school and the reunion was an eye-opener to male bonding which, contrary to common perception, goes beyond cigarettes and liquor.

As each of us pulled the other's leg, we were equally aware that this was a special occasion which was not likely to be replicated in the near future.

Tears flowed freely as the time of parting drew near and promises were made to keep in regular touch.

How effectively has Hindi cinema tackled the subject of selfless friendship between men?

We have seen sacrifices made for love in Sangam or the unique chord between two physically challenged men in Dosti . However, in my view, the three films that set the benchmark on this subject are Anand, Namak Haraam and Sholay .

Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the creator of the first two films, was in a league of his own when it came to storytelling.

Anand (1971) still remains a classic and even if someone were to attempt a remake keeping in line with today's trend in movies, there is no way it can match the original.

Two men strike a friendship knowing fully well that it is not going to last forever since one of them is dying of an incurable disease.

The other is a doctor who broods silently and is furious that nothing can be done to help his friend survive.

Yet, the mood is buoyant thanks to the ‘patient' who is determined to live life to the hilt and, in the process, helps his doctor buddy look at the brighter side too.

The death scene in Anand remains one of the most powerful of its kind in Hindi cinema and it is near impossible to watch it without a lump in your throat.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee based the movie on his own real-life bonding with Raj Kapoor and what emerged was a masterpiece.

The two lead stars, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, came together two years later in Namak Haraam where Mukherjee delivered another knockout.

Clearly inspired by Becket , starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole, this was another study on the bonding between two friends who fall out with each other over an ideological clash.

Yet, their attachment is so strong that when one dies, the other takes his mission forward.

As in the case of Anand , Khanna and Bachchan were at their best in Namak Haraam .

One wonders why they never teamed up again because Hindi cinema would have benefitted immensely in the bargain.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee's sensitive handling of friendship was as evident in his earlier Satyakam (1969), with Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar, or the lighter Chupke Chupke which followed in the mid-70s.

Bachchan and Dharmendra were part of this multi-starrer and pulled off a magical encore in Sholay .

There can be no better testimony to friendship than this film which remains a landmark even after three decades of its release.

One man constantly puts his buddy's interests ahead of his own (through a toss of the coin) and eventually sacrifices his life in a heartrending scene where the coin tells all.

From the viewpoint of dealing sensitively with a subject like male bonding, these three movies remain my top favourites.

They effectively convey how, in reality, men can be emotionally fragile and insecure quite unlike the tough, macho stereotype.

> gmurali@thehindu.co.in

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