It was a thriller. Rajesh Khanna, the mediocre actor as someone wanted us to believe in a recent comment, was the protagonist, a crime detective, in one of his early glimpses of versatility that established him as the first super star of Hindi cinema. Of course, there was promise in “Aakhri Khat”, “Raaz”, “Baharon Ke Sapne” followed by “Ittefaq”, “Do Raaste” and “Khamoshi”. When “Aradhana” took the country by storm and majority of actors felt threatened by the unprecedented popularity Khanna commanded among the youth, it was a convincing phase of his career. He could carry a movie on his individual brilliance. True, some of his mannerisms – eyes blinking and a nod – may have appeared hackneyed for some but his fans were left swooning over his acts. Whistling responses from the female sections were unheard but Khanna’s appearance on the screen elicited wild appreciation from his fans. He was the super star. Would mediocrity have placed him on such a high citadel?
“The Train” was a good thriller. Khanna was on the verge of sweeping the audience with his romantic image, wooing the leading lady with songs written for him, belting out hits after hits, with the trusted combination of lyricist Anand Bakshi, composer RD Burman and singer Kishore Kumar. This movie did not have a Kishore number but Mohammad Rafi delivered in the rare style that made him a super star among singers. A super star and one in the making contributed to give “The Train” the status of a hit.
It was indeed a hit and Khanna was probably reading his future well. “Safar”, “Kati Patang”, “Anand”, “Amar Prem” and “Bawarchi” were yet to grace the big screen and it was one of the finest times of Indian cinema. Music and scripts were meaningful and Khanna made the most of it by creating magic in the company of a variety of female actors, including a past-her-prime Nanda. The difference in their age was so visible but then Khanna was only embarking on a journey unmatched in Indian cinema.
It did not matter if Khanna did not fit the character of a detective. He hardly looked the hero who could smash the daylights out of the villain and his gang of hoodlums. Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt too did not fit the image of a villain-bashing hero like a Dharmendra or Akshay Kumar but they had a place in the growth of Hindi cinema. As did Rajesh Khanna, who grew into a phenomenon of rare influence. Houseful boards would greet fans at theatres for weeks and “The Train” managed to captivate them with a brilliant combination of Khanna and RD’s music. The songs were in fact thrown in at strategic interludes because the script was not strong enough to sustain the interest of the audience. It was unsurprising that the CID Inspector Shyam Kumar and Neeta, played by Nanda, were introduced through a song, the lilting Rafi number “Gulabi Aankhen Jo Teri Dekhin”. It figured in the Binaca Geet Mala list for weeks and was a strong contributing factor in setting the trend as the Train chugged on with hit songs.
A series of murders on a train, on a specifically targeted route, and a pattern of robbing jewellers, sets the police on a trail. Shyam Kumar has a tough assignment since he has to find the culprit responsible for framing Neeta’s father in a murder trap. The character of Lily, so brilliantly portrayed by Helen, livens up the narrative. Tasked to seduce Inspector Shyam the hotel dancer falls in love with the detective and complicates the situation for her boss, No. 1 (Madan Puri). The Don and his cronies went by numbers as identity. Lily gets two lilting numbers to share the space with Neeta, who tries to match the Inspector’s dancing skills in “Gulabi Aankhen” and later in “Kis Liye Maine Pyaar Kiya” and a duet “Mujhse Bhala Yeh Kaajal Tera”. The Helen numbers, sung by Asha Bhosle – “Maine Dil Abhi Diya Nahi” and “Meri Jaan Maine Kaha” with RD, were well received too.
The insipid presence of Rajendranath and his slapstick comedy was an aberration to the flow of the movie. The difference was Helen. She was outstanding as Lily and her graceful and restrained movements outshone Nanda, who had reportedly recommended Rajesh Khanna’s name to Rajendra Kumar, the co-producer and her co-star of yesteryear. Rajesh Khanna had his moments in the film but Helen it was who won hearts with a pleasant performance, one of her best. The detective managed to solve the problems by the end of the movie on predictable lines and helped Khanna take a step closer to attaining superstardom in his field with “The Train”. Mediocrity would not have possibly given him that status which many continue to envy.
