By the early 70s, Raj Khosla started compromising with box office ingredients. He did direct super hits like “Do Raaste”, “Mera Gaon Mera Desh” and the medium hit “Kachhe Dhage”. They lacked the sensitivity of his earlier memorable films like “Kalapani”, “Bombai Ka Babu”, “Do Badan” and “Mera Saya”. In “Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki” he showed glimpses of his masterly touch of the 50s and 60s. He initially wanted Sanjeev Kumar for the lead with Nutan and Asha Parekh. Since the former could not give bulk dates, Raj Khosla opted for Vijay Anand. The combination proved fruitful.
Thakur Rajnath Singh Chouhan (Vijay Anand), is in love with his mistress Tulsi (Asha Parekh) but forced to marry a strong aristocratic woman named Sanjukta (Nutan). Tulsi sacrifices her life, sometime after giving birth to Rajnath’s son Ajay, because she wants Sanjukta to have her husband all to herself. Rajnath and Sanjukta send Ajay to boarding school to prevent him from bearing the stigma of being an illegitimate child.
Sanjukta and Rajnath have a son, Pratap. Rajnath dies in a horse-riding accident. Sanjukta makes regular visits to the boarding school to see Ajay and, when he grows up, she brings him home. She makes Ajay (Vinod Khanna) into not only a very important man but also shields him every time and finally confesses before the public that Ajay is her husband’s first son and therefore, is entitled to respect. However, her own son Pratap (Deb Mukherjee) feels slighted and becomes wayward.
Some people around them also try to further damage the relations between the two brothers. However, for every sin of the younger brother, Ajay protects him and takes the blame. Sanjukta, not knowing the actual situation, gets disturbed. At one stage, she blames Ajay for every wrong thing which actually has been done by her own son. Ajay leaves the house.
Soon the situation changes and the men standing in support of Pratap feel deceived as he lets them down. In the climax, these men try to kill Pratap, but Ajay, who comes to know of this notorious plan, rescues his brother. Pratap realises his half-brother's kindness. He surrenders to Ajay and accepts him as the elder brother. The family reunites.
Based on a taut script by Raj Bharti, Chadrakant Kakodkar, G.R.Kamath, Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza and Suraj Sanim, “Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki” has an interesting and emotional beginning. The story goes hay wire from the second half as the sons turn adults. Raj Khosla shows his brilliance in directing the first half. In the next portion he is utterly confused.
In fact Vijay Anand wanted Raj Khosla to end the film after his death scene. Cinematography by Pratap Sinha is good but lacks the imaginative touch of V.K.Murthy. Editing by Waman Bhonsle is not up to the mark.
Vijay Anand gives a sincere and honest performance. His death scene is one of his memorable pieces of acting. Nutan and Asha Parekh seep with emotions and perform equally well. Vinod Khanna, Deb Mukherjee and the rest of the cast have little to perform.
Like all Raj Khosla films, music is the strong point of Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki. Laxmikant-Pyarelal scores haunting tunes rendered by Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle like “Yeh Khidki” and “Chap Tilak”. The truly memorable number is Shobha Gurtu’s, “Saiyan Rooth Gaye”.
Genre: Social drama
Director: Raj Khosla
Cast: Nutan, Asha Parekh, Vinod Khanna, Vijay Anand, Deb Mukherjee, Neeta Mehta
Story: Chandrakant Kakodkar
Written by: Raj Bharti, G.R. Kamath, Suraj Sanim
Dialogue: Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza,
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Box office status: Hit
Trivia: Won the Filmfare Awards for the Best Film, Best Actress (Nutan) and dialogue (Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza).
