Silsila [DVD]

Review Silsila revolves around lovers who are forced by circumstances to marry
different partners but whose desire for each other s love and company pushes
them beyond their marriages and the relationship they embark on and the impact
of this decision on their personal lives and that of their respective spouses.
Amitabh Bachchan as the young fiery poet who cannot accept the loss of his
beloved puts in a brilliant performance. His is a performance that is full of
contradictions, a man selfless enough to take over on his shoulders someone
else s miseries and at the same time, selfish enough to refuse to let go of
the girl he loved even though she is married to someone else. This role at the
hand of a lesser actor would have become too negative for redemption but the
actor manages to walk a delicate tight-rope and keep the character lovable
despite his flaws. Rekha as his female counterpart who similarly cannot look
beyond the man she loved puts in a moving performance. Our society is a
patriarchal society and often the woman is blamed for all the transgressions
of men and in such a scenario, it s difficult for an actress to walk the thin
rope but Rekha manages to do it with her characteristic élan. Her performance
has all the nuances of a virtuoso and she manages to hold her own against
veteran and seasoned performers. Jaya Bhaduri as Amitabh s wife pitches in
with an impressive mature performance. Her s is the role that requires a deep
sense of resignation and hurt that transcends all silence but screams at
self.... A difficult performance but the actress manages to pull it off with
exceptional ease. No doubt Jaya was considered the most talented actress of
her time; a worthy successor to Meena and Nutan and a precursor to Shabana and
Smita. Her confrontation with Rekha is a defining moment in the film. Sanjeev
Kumar as Rekha s husband pitches in with a bravura performance. The great
actor that he was, Sanjeev stands tall among so many excellent performances
and his expressions of loss and loss along with his silence are so deafening
that you wish he would not have to suffer the indignity heaped on him. His
conversation with Jaya in the restaurant is exceptionally brilliant as is his
sugar-coated advice to Rekha simply marvelous. Shiv-Hari in their first score
for Hindi films come up with some gems of vintage value. While Amitabh is at
his effervescent best with Rang Barse a Holi song penned by his father
Harivanshrai Bachchan and soothingly soft with Neela Aasmaan , Kishore and
Lata combine to give romanticism a new twist with their title song. Ye Kahan
Aa Gaye Hum is another song that describes the predicament of its lead actors
effectively. The soliloquy Main Aur Meri Tanhayee by Javed Akhtar is still
heard on the streets after 25 years. This is Yash Chopra at his romantic best.
Long before Yashraj films became a mass factory producing romantic candyfloss
of no value, the director had already proved his capability with some of the
best romantic films ever made in India. Silsila is definitely one of them. The
director proves why despite a career that began in 1959, he is still a hot
draw in 2007 with this sensitive and emotional portrayal of an extra-marital
affair. If the film does not become either vulgar or preachy, it s to the
credit of the director who knows on where to draw the line and still maintain
sensationalism. --mouthshut.com