Abhimaan (lit. 'Pride') is a 1973 Indian Hindi musical drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Asrani, Bindu, and David. The film is perhaps best remembered for its songs, composed and arranged by S. D. Burman, written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and sung by playback singers Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Manhar. According to Aalif Surti, the film is based on the troublesome marriage of two Hindustani classical music maestros, the sitarist Ravi Sankar and the surbahar player Annapurna Devi, though author Raju Bharatan states that Mukherjee based the film's story on the life of singer Kishore Kumar and his first wife, Ruma Guha Thakurta. The 1954 film A Star Is Born has also been cited as a vague influence. The 1970 Bengali film Bilambita Loy, starring Uttam Kumar and Supriya Devi is also noted to be an influence. The film was a major hit at the box office and is amongst the earliest hits of Bachchan's career. Jaya Bachchan won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for Abhimaan. Popular singer Anuradha Paudwal started her music journey from this film, where she sang a Sanskrit verse for Jaya Bhaduri.

Synopsis

Subir is a professional singer with a soaring career. He has no plans to marry—until he meets Uma, a sweet village girl who is musically gifted. Subir falls in love with Uma and marries her. He returns to Mumbai with his new bride. Subir continues as a singer and fosters Uma's singing career. His career falters, however, just as Uma's singing career begins to thrive. Eventually, she becomes more successful than her husband, sparking jealousy from Subir. His pride and jealousy tear the marriage apart. The couple separates, and Uma has a miscarriage. After heavy criticism from his aunt, Subir realises his vanity and reconciles with Uma in an emotional reunion, and they sing together.

Cast

Crew

Production

The movie was made under the production AmiYa (Amitabh + Jaya), although the copyrights are owned by their secretaries. Lata Mangeshkar was the sole voice of Jaya Bachchan in the movie, whereas Amitabh Bachchan was voiced by three singers. Manhar Udhas recorded the demo for "Loote Koi Man Ka Nagar" and it was supposed to be sung by Mukesh; however Mukesh refused because he thought the demo sounded good and Udhas ought to be given a chance.

Release

According to Saibal Chatterjee, Abhimaan was Bachchan's "biggest hit" in 1973 and "the most talked about film of the year". The film was screened as inaugural film at 28th Kolkata International Film Festival on 15 December 2022, almost 50 years after its first screening.

Soundtrack

All the songs were composed by S. D. Burman, winning him the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. The lyrics were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The songs "Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina" and "Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka" were listed at the 16th and 23rd spots, respectively, on Binaca Geetmala's Annual List for 1973.

Awards and nominations

Influence

The film was also a turning point for Bindu, who, for the first time, played a sympathetic character. Previously, she was known for playing vamps/cabaret dancers, such as in Amitabh's star-making hit Zanjeer (1973). This film was very popular in Sri Lanka much more than in India and was screened continuously for 590 days in the same cinema, Empire, Colombo.

Footnotes