Subhash K Jha celebrates the career of noted director Ravi Tanson and shares his selection for Tandon’s best work in this fascinating feature.
1. Anhonee (1973):
Ravi Tandon turned producer-director with this eminently engaging murder thriller, which starred Sanjeev Kumar as what seemed to be a mentally unstable man. But wait, there was a delicious twist in the story, which I suggest you experience for yourself if you haven’t already. With Sanjeev Kumar was the pretty Leena Chandavarkar seducing him with Lata Mangeshkar’s superhit song ‘Buddhu pad gaya palleyk. The hit Sanjeev-Leena pair was back in Ravi Tandon’s comedy Apne Rang Hazaar two years later. That, too, was a hit.
2. Zindagi (1976):
Many see this Ravi Tandon directorial as a precursor to the Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini autumnal drama Baghban. Sanjeev Kumar and Mala Sinha play a couple who are separated by their children who can only afford to look after one parent per home. Heartbreaking, Ravi Tandon never had to face such a situation in his real life. Raveena’s parents were blissfully together till his end.
3. Majboor (1974):
Loosely adapted by superstar-writer Salim-Javed from the Charles Bronson thriller Cold Sweat (directed by Terence Young), Majboor is according to me one of Bachchan Saab’s most underrated film . He plays , what else, Vijay who hatches a sinister plan to look after his family when he is diagnosed with a brain tumour. Fast paced and engrossing Majboor featured Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s superhit melodies like ‘Aadmi jo kehta hai’, ‘Dekh sakta hoon main kuch bhi hote huey’,and ‘Michael daru peeta hai’. The last filmed on real-life teetotaler Pran.
4. Khel Khel Mein (1975):
Easily the biggest hit of Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh’s career, Khel Khel Meinì. gave birth to an entirely new genre of commercial Hindi cinema: the murder-mystery musical . While telling an involving story of three college friends, one of whom (Rakesh Roshan) is killed , Ravi Tandon’s dexterously-directed whodunit provided R D Burman ample excuses to belt out chartbusters like ‘Khullam khulla pyar karenge’, ‘Humne tumko dekha kand the plaintive dirge-like gem kSapna mera toot gaya’.
5. Khuddar(1982):
A family drama featuring Amitabh Bachchan this was one of Ravi Tandon’s last film. After this he directed Aan Aur Shaan, Rahi Badal Gaye, Ek Main Aur Ek Tu (introducing Raviji’s son, Raveena’s brother Rajeev Tandon) and Nazrana (bringing Rajesh Khanna together with Sridevi and Smita Patil)… all flops. Khuddar released during the week when Bachchan Saab had his near-fatal accident on the set of Manmohan Desai’s Coolie, is remembered for Rajesh Roshan’s songs ‘Disco 82 and Angrezi mein kehti hain’.
