Jeevan Mrityu (1970)

September 11, 2014 04:07 pm | Updated 04:09 pm IST

Dharmendra and Rakhee in " Jeevan Mrityu ".

Dharmendra and Rakhee in " Jeevan Mrityu ".

He did not win awards but won many a heart. Dharmendra, the original macho man of Hindi film industry, who played roles as diverse as an angry man of “Phool Aur Patthar”, the lovable criminal of “Sholay”, the garrulous botany professor of “Chupke Chupke”, the actor playing himself in “Guddi” or the idealist engineer from “Satyakam”, has proved himself one of the notable stalwarts in his profession.

His range was mindboggling. He stood his own against the likes of Meena Kumari and Nutan and swept the young ladies off their feet with his demeanour and dashing persona. His presence attracted a loyal bunch for many years before he slipped into the world of C-grade cinema. It was hard to accept that an actor of his calibre could compromise on quality.

Known to be one of the most affectionate and helpful souls in the cinema industry, Dharmendra was acknowledged to be at his best when dealing with his leading lady. Raakhee was in awe of the man when she made her debut in Hindi cinema with “Jeevan Mrityu” but the handsome Jat welcomed her like a mentor would, setting up a wonderful combination that came together as a much different pair a few years later in “Blackmail”.

Raakhee comes across a matured woman in her first Hindi movie against a much older Dharmendra. They certainly do not look college students, even if for a brief flashback phase. But then Dharmendra was still at the top regardless of challenges from emerging stars like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan and was accepted in any role he performed. He had a massive following among the young and old from the time he entered Hindi cinema with “Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere” in 1960.

Dharmendra, as dapper in suit as in dhoti-kurta, dominates “Jeevan Mrityu”. There is neither the slap-stick humour that marked some of his work in later years nor the distraught lover he played in a few movies. He is Ashok Tandon, a hard-working bank employee who is framed by men he considers his friends. Convicted for a crime he had not committed, Ashok serves his sentence only to discover on release the death of his mother. Deepa (Raakhee), his lady love from college, also drifts away from Ashok’s life.

When alerted by a former bank colleague of the conspiracy hatched by his so-called friends to set him up for a financial fraud, Ashok, helped by an old Samaritan, assumes a new identity, a Sikh entrepreneur, and plots his revenge against the guilty Harish (Ajit), Jagat Narain (Kanhaiyalal), barrister Amarnath (Ramesh Deo) and Ramakant (Krishan Dhawan).

It is sad that an actor as versatile and exceptional as Dharmendra failed to win a single award in his illustrious career that spanned more than five decades. He was a big hit with his handsome features, once prompting the great Dilip Kumar to wish if only he had Dharmendra’s striking looks. No wonder the ‘Dream Girl’ Hema Malini fell for this gorgeous man from Sahnewal, Punjab.

There was nothing extraordinary that made “Jeevan Mrityu” a hit. Raakhee looks pretty in Dharmendra’s company, especially the melodious song, “Jhilmil Sitaron Ka Aangan Hoga”, featuring them in the first half of the movie. The heroine gets to sing the sad version in the closing stages of the movie when we get to see Dharmendra doing what he was known to best, bashing up the baddies, and looking the strongman every moment of it.

For all the good stuff that Dharmendra and Raakhee produce, there is an irritating and avoidable presence of Rajendranath. Only director Satyen Bose could have answered the need to include such mediocre moments involving this most forgettable comedian in an otherwise most watchable movie even for the current generation. It will always be remembered as one of the finest offerings from the house of Tarachand Barjatjya, known to give quality films that could be viewed by the entire family.

Genre : Social drama

Director : Satyen Bose

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.