Bobby

Film: Colour, 168 minutes, Hindi
Date: September 27, 1973
Production: R.K. Films
Director: Raj Kapoor
Story: K.A. Abbas
Screenplay: K.A. Abbas, V.P. Sathe
Dialogue: Jainendra Jain
Camera: Radhu Karmakar
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyricists: Anand Bakshi, Indrajit Singh Tulsi & Vithalbhai Patel
Playback: Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Shailendra Singh & Chanchal
Art Direction: Rangraj
Sound: Allauddin
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Pran, Premnath, Sonia Sahni, Durga Khote, Farida Jalal, Aruna Irani, Prem Chopra, Pinchoo Kapoor, Piloo Wadia, Jagdish Raj, Shashi Kiran

Synopsis

After the debacle of Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor went into a reflective mood. He realised films with strong social messages were getting stale. He therefore, decided to change the scenario a bit and made a film on love, a perpetual theme.

Bobby exuded a rare freshness that is alive to date. The film became a fashion diktat, with ribbons, prints and skirts wearing 'Bobby' tag to sell more. RK's discovery Dimple Kapadia was only 14 years old and his son Rishi Kapoor was 18 during the making of Bobby. They suited perfectly the roles of teenaged lovers.

The story of the film was not extraordinary, in the sense it talked of a rich boy falling in love with a girl of humble backgrounds. An industrialist is overwhelmed with anger when he hears that his son is in love with a fishmonger's daughter. Hell breaks loose and the lovers run away from the warring fathers.

In the end, the parents reconcile and 'Raju' and 'Bobby' are united. Durga Khote gives a brilliant performance as Rishi's 'Dhai Maa/Aunty' and Dimple's grandma.

The songs in the film were very popular, especially, 'Main Shaayar To Nahin' and 'Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho'

Love Story

Strife-torn America wanted a meat-and-potatoes romance in the late '60s, and the country embraced Erich Segal's slim, generic-sounding novel in a big way. It did so again for the film adaptation in 1970, starring Ryan O'Neal as a law student who defies his rich and powerful father (Ray Milland) on every issue, including the former's love for a music student (Ali MacGraw). The two marry, start life together...and then the Grim Reaper turns up at the door. Directed by Arthur Hiller (The In-Laws), the film ends up lacking the kind of stylistic boost that might have made it a must-see for the ages. But its faithfulness to the book's uncomplicated and, yes, moving intentions is pretty solid. O'Neal is convincing as a nice guy who's as bullheaded in his own way as his steely father (a nice job by Milland), and MacGraw has a way of getting under one's skin. A viewer just has to try not laughing at the refrain, "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

Love Story was not only a super hit in Hollywood, it became a big hit in India also. The youth loved the film. Raj Kapoor accepted the fact that the time had come to address himself to the new young generation of cinema-goers, the youth audience of the country.

Bobby is a love story of today. It is the story of an eighteen-year old boy who had just passed his senior Cambridge examination. The only son of rich respectable parents who were too busy to bother about him, he found love, solace and comfort in the company of a sixteen year-old school girl.

Out of their love for each other arose many problems. There was disparity of class, age, attitudes and generation gap. How could the two innocent teenagers face this problem when they felt that they were two youngsters on their own with the whole world against them? The manner in which they dealt with the situation that lovers of every generation have faced in one way or the other provides for the story of Bobby.

It is interesting to note that one of the most impressive candidates whose stills were given to Raj Kapoor at this time was a young and bright-eyed girl named Neetu Singh, who had visited R K Studios with her mother for the role. She did not get it, of course. It was in her destiny not to become Raj Kapoor's new find for Bobby, but to become Raj Kapoor's daughter-in-law.

Bobby gave birth to a star in Dimple Kapadia. Her screen test for Bobby was taken at R K Studios in June 1971. She was only fourteen years old at the time. One or two very close associates of Raj who were on the sets of Bobby asked Chunibhai "Under whom has your daughter taken acting lessons?" Chunibhai replied: "Her first acting-lesson was just now. Under Raj Kapoor!"

With Bobby, music-directors Laxmikant Pyarelal and lyricist Anand Bakshi stepped into the RK camp. Moreover, since 1964 a new team of music directors had risen on the horizon, the team of Laxmikant and Pyarelal who had been giving Shankar and Jaikishan sleepless nights ever since the time they snatched away the Best Music Award for Rajshri's small budget film Dosti.

Story review

Raj Nath, the neglected son of a millionaire father, returns home to Bombay after completing his studies in a boarding school. At his eighteenth birthday party, which is really a collection of his father's business contacts, he has a brief glimpse of a very young girl. He soon discovers that the girl is Bobby, the sixteen-year-old granddaughter of Mrs Braganza, his old governess who now lives with her widower son, a wealthy fisherman, in a fishing village near the sea.

Raj's friendship with Bobby soon grows into a deeper relationship which they both recognize as something precious in spite of their youth and lack of experience. But Raj's father is extremely suspicious of this youthful romance. Hoping to nip it off in the bud, Nath asks Raj to invite the Braganzas to his home. Bobby's father who hides a warm heart under a simple, rough exterior, is shocked when, after sending the children out of the room, Nath accuses him of trapping his innocent son for the sake of his inheritance. Next day, Nath goes to Braganza's home and insults him further by offering him money in exchange for his son's freedom. Furious, Braganza tells Raj to keep away from his daughter.

Unaware of the developments between Braganza and his father, Raj is bewildered by this sudden rejection. He confronts his father at home and learns that as a minor, his marriage with Bobby can be disputed in court. Realizing that in a little over two years Bobby will be nineteen and he twenty-one, Raj is willing to wait, but soon finds out that his father has arranged a marriage between him and the mentally disturbed daughter of a very rich businessman. In a panic, he takes his motorbike and runs away to Goa where Bobby has been sent with her grandmother to their family home.

Mrs Braganza is shocked and distressed to learn that Raj has actually run away from home. She knows that her son will be furious if he finds Raj with Bobby. She also loves Raj and fears his parents enough to know the consequences of giving him shelter. It is a hard choice, but she manages to lock Bobby and Raj into separate rooms, and sends off a wire to Bombay. In the night, while Mrs Braganza dozes off, Raj gets out by breaking a window and climbs into Bobby's room. Together they escape on the motorbike, till finding the police after them, they let the bike take a fatal toss from a hill road; but the police are not taken in by the ruse.

Meanwhile, refusing to believe that Raj is with Bobby in his Goa home, and promising to murder his daughter if that is the case, Braganza goes with Nath and the police to Goa. When they discover both the children have fled, Braganza turns on Nath with the accusation that it is his son who has kidnapped Bobby, not the other way round. While Nath accompanies the police, Braganza goes searching for them independently, and finds them in the hands of a group of ruffians who have seen Nath's advertisement in the papers and want the reward. He charges at them like a bull and is about to win the battle when one of the ruffians gets hold of Raj and holds a knife at his throat. Braganza now takes a beating, while he desperately pleads for the life of the boy in exchange for his own. Coming upon them with the police, Nath overhears Braganza's words. But by the time the ruffians have been finally subdued, the children have vanished again, and the two fathers have no time for a reconciliation.

Raj and Bobby, who believe that once their fathers get to them they will be separated again, leap into a narrow creek and are swept away by the current. Nath and Braganza dive into the rough waters and while Braganza rescues Raj, Nath grabs hold of Bobby and crawls to safety on another rock. Braganza shouts, "Your son is safe!" "And my daughter is safe too!" shouts back Nath holding Bobby close, "My daughter!"

Musical review

Bobby is the ingenue, the gamine Dimple Kapadia and the guileless Rishi Kapoor. Bobby is adolescent love that transcends caste and religion. Refreshing in its simplicity, this is a love story, with none of the banality that often accompanies this genre. Raj Kapoor elicits some near flawless performances from the young duo, which remains Bobby's outstanding feature. Laxmikant Pyarelal and the lyricist team produce a diverse score with impressive melodies like ‘Jhooth Bole’ and ‘Chabi Kho Jaye’.

The lyrics may be risque but as the song progresses, the listener is charmed by its innocence. ‘Chabi Kho Jaye’, is a wonderful duet, a thoroughly enjoyable melody rendered by Lata Mangeshkar and Shailendra Singh, with the right blend of curiosity and excitement. Another lovely melody with pieces of dialogue thrown is once again made memorable by an infatuated performance by the vocal duo in ‘Mujhe Kuchh Kahna Hai’. Spirited badinage between lovers makes the vibrant, spunky ‘Jhooth Bole Kauva Kate’ a delight. A folksy melody, it is the playful taming of the brazen lover as she threatens to leave her spouse.

In all these songs, while strong percussion supports the vocals, the openings and transitions are characterized by loud, confident orchestration. ‘Jhooth Bole’ uses shehnais, daflis and dholaks; the others have the regular orchestra.

Taken from a traditional Goan folk number, ‘Na Mangun Sona Chandi’ is steeped in elements typical to this music. A chorus, a merry ukulele, guitar, trumpets and accordions, support the simple, snappy melody with partly Konkani lyrics.

A gleeful Lata Mangeshkar renders the fancily layered ‘Aye Phansa’. An amusing listen, this has an interesting melody with alternately low and high pitched orchestration and frenzied percussion especially in the end reminiscent of R.D. Burman's numbers.

‘Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo’ is not exactly easy listening. Chanchal in his sharp, soulful often, grating voice renders this earnest melody with its award-winning lyrics.

Superiorly crafted, ‘Main Shaayar to Nahin’ is a melody with character. Treated grandly with slow violins, powerful guitar refrains, and innumerable emotional flourishes and set to a waltzish tempo, this number wins with its enchanting tune and lyrics. Shailendra Singh renders admirably. The only avoidable number is the teary solo by Lata Mangeshkar, ‘Ankhiyon Ko Rehne Do’.

Overwhelming instrumentation can often be a deterrent. In Bobby, however, in conjunction with some wholesome, unpretentious melodies, this treatment produces noteworthy results. Laxmikant Pyarelal tap a diverse range of styles, folk and western, to create a score peppered with potent percussion and impeccable vocal performances from Lata Mangeshkar and Shailendra Singh in particular. In all, this soundtrack is certainly one of the highlights of Laxmikant-Pyarelal's illustrious career.

Music Downloads

The songs from this film always bring back memories of my childhood years. These are my favourite ones. Click to download the MP3s - and enjoy a trip down memory lane!

(If you have Windows Media Player then you should begin to hear the songs straight away as they are downloading.)

Chabi Kho Jaye (1.27Mbyte)
Main Shayar To Nahin (983Kbyte)
Mujhe Kuch Kahna Hai (1.06Mbyte)

(They are all in mono and sampled at 24kbps. I am not sure that the stereo recordings exist anywhere!)

Acknowledgements

This article was prepared using (permission pending) material from the following sources.

RK Films:
http://www.rkfilms.com/

Film India:
http://www.filmindia.com/

Apun Ka Choice:
http://www.apunkachoice.com/

Dhadkan.com:
http://www.dhadkan.com/