Safar (film)
Encyclopedia
Safar is a 1970 Indian
Hindi
film directed by Asit Sen. The film stars Ashok Kumar
, Rajesh Khanna
, Sharmila Tagore
and Feroz Khan
in lead roles. The film became the tenth top-grossing production of the year. It won two Filmfare Awards
and four BFJA Awards.
) and Avinash (Rajesh Khanna
) are medical students, and they quite sympathise with each other. However, Avinash lives a poor lifestyle and does not want Neela to live this kind of life. Actually, the main reason behind his unwillingness to live with Neela is that he comes to know that he is cancer patient and that he will not be able to go with Neela very far which he hides from everybody including Neela. When Neela meets one of her students' elder brother, businessman Shekhar (Feroz Khan
), she instantly catches his eye. He goes to propose marriage to her but her brother, Kalidas (I S Johar) advises him to first meet with Avinash. Shekhar meets Avinash, tells him of his feelings and intentions, and Avinash immediately approves of him. Shekhar and Neela get married, and cannot understand why Avinash did not attend the ceremony. After a successful honeymoon, both return to their regular lives, and Shekhar wants Neela to continue with her medical studies. It is then that he suspects that Neela has been meeting with Avinash, and asks his brother to spy on her. The information that Shekhar finds lead him to the conclusion that Neela is in love with Avinash, and confronts her. An intense argument is followed by Shekhar drinking his medicine, and passing away. The next day Neela is arrested on the charge of murder. Surprisingly, Avinash is nowhere to be found. Neela has now to face the consequences all alone.
wrote, "Safar is a story of ordinary people grappling with staggering challenges and compromises. But in this refreshingly non-melodramatic fare, a murmur of protest, an escaped sob and a half-concealed smirk are the only emotional luxuries its characters afford themselves in the inexplicable journey of life, the eponymous safar of the title."
Safar received two nominations at the annual Filmfare Awards
and won one award. Asit Sen received his first Best Director award (he was previously nominated in this category for Mamta
in 1967), though the film was not nominated for the Best Film award. Sharmila Tagore received her second Best Actress nomination (she won the previous year for Aradhana). Awards and nominations are listed below:
The Bengal Film Journalists' Association acknowledged Safar as the eighth best Indian film of 1970, and gave it three more awards:
, with lyrics authored by Indeevar
.
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
Hindi
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film directed by Asit Sen. The film stars Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...
, Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
, Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
and Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director in the Hindi film industry...
in lead roles. The film became the tenth top-grossing production of the year. It won two Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
and four BFJA Awards.
Plot
Neela (Sharmila TagoreSharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
) and Avinash (Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
) are medical students, and they quite sympathise with each other. However, Avinash lives a poor lifestyle and does not want Neela to live this kind of life. Actually, the main reason behind his unwillingness to live with Neela is that he comes to know that he is cancer patient and that he will not be able to go with Neela very far which he hides from everybody including Neela. When Neela meets one of her students' elder brother, businessman Shekhar (Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director in the Hindi film industry...
), she instantly catches his eye. He goes to propose marriage to her but her brother, Kalidas (I S Johar) advises him to first meet with Avinash. Shekhar meets Avinash, tells him of his feelings and intentions, and Avinash immediately approves of him. Shekhar and Neela get married, and cannot understand why Avinash did not attend the ceremony. After a successful honeymoon, both return to their regular lives, and Shekhar wants Neela to continue with her medical studies. It is then that he suspects that Neela has been meeting with Avinash, and asks his brother to spy on her. The information that Shekhar finds lead him to the conclusion that Neela is in love with Avinash, and confronts her. An intense argument is followed by Shekhar drinking his medicine, and passing away. The next day Neela is arrested on the charge of murder. Surprisingly, Avinash is nowhere to be found. Neela has now to face the consequences all alone.
Cast
- Ashok KumarAshok KumarAshok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...
... Dr. Chandra - Sharmila TagoreSharmila TagoreSharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
... Mrs. Neela Shekhar Kapoor - Rajesh KhannaRajesh KhannaRajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
... Avinash - Feroz KhanFeroz KhanFeroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director in the Hindi film industry...
... Shekhar Kapoor - I S Johar ... Kalidas
- Aruna IraniAruna IraniAruna Irani is an Indian actress. An accomplished actress and dancer of her time, Aruna Irani has acted in about 300 movies, with many memorable acting performances to her credit...
... Laxmi - NadiraNadira (actress)-References:* Rediff.com* -External links:* . Audio podcast by Eric Molinsky discussing Nadira and other Jewish women in Indian cinema...
... Mrs. Kapoor
Crew
- Producer: Mohammad Riaz
- Director: Asit Sen
- Story: Ashutosh Mukherjee
- Screenplay: Asit Sen
- Dialogues: Inder Raj AnandInder Raj AnandInder Raj Anand was an Indian film writer. He was father to actor and director Tinnu Anand and producer Bittu Anand. Inder's grandson is noted film director Siddharth Anand. Famous director Mukul Anand is Inder's nephew. Shahenshah, starring Amitabh Bachchan was Inder's last film as a writer. It...
- Lyrics: IndeevarIndeevarShyamalal Bahu Rai, known professionally as Indeevar, was one of the leading Hindi film lyricists in the 1960s...
- Music: Kalyanji AnandjiKalyanji AnandjiKalyanji Anandji is a name used by Indian composer duo known for its work on Hindi film soundtracks, particularly action potboilers in the 1970s. The name comes from first names of the two Gujarati brothers that formed the duo, Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah...
- Choreography: Kamal Bose
- Editing: Tarun Dutta
- Costume Design: Shalini Shah
Reception and awards
Safar became the tenth highest grossing film of the year in India. In a retrospective review, Rediff.comRediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
wrote, "Safar is a story of ordinary people grappling with staggering challenges and compromises. But in this refreshingly non-melodramatic fare, a murmur of protest, an escaped sob and a half-concealed smirk are the only emotional luxuries its characters afford themselves in the inexplicable journey of life, the eponymous safar of the title."
Safar received two nominations at the annual Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
and won one award. Asit Sen received his first Best Director award (he was previously nominated in this category for Mamta
Mamta (1966 film)
Mamta is a Hindi film, directed by Asit Sen, with music by Roshan. The movie starred Suchitra Sen, Ashok Kumar and Dharmendra. The film performed "above average" at the box office.-Plot:...
in 1967), though the film was not nominated for the Best Film award. Sharmila Tagore received her second Best Actress nomination (she won the previous year for Aradhana). Awards and nominations are listed below:
- Won, Filmfare Best Director AwardFilmfare Best Director AwardThe Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in the Hindi film Industry. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year.-Superlatives:...
- Asit Sen - Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress AwardFilmfare Best Actress AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
- Shrmila Tagore
The Bengal Film Journalists' Association acknowledged Safar as the eighth best Indian film of 1970, and gave it three more awards:
- BFJA Awards, Best Screenplay (Hindi) - Asit Sen
- BFJA Awards, Best Dialogue (Hindi) - Inder Raj Anand
- BFJA Awards, Best Editing (Hindi) - Tarun Dutta
Music
The soundtrack of the film contains 6 songs. The music is composed by Kalyanji AnandjiKalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji is a name used by Indian composer duo known for its work on Hindi film soundtracks, particularly action potboilers in the 1970s. The name comes from first names of the two Gujarati brothers that formed the duo, Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah...
, with lyrics authored by Indeevar
Indeevar
Shyamalal Bahu Rai, known professionally as Indeevar, was one of the leading Hindi film lyricists in the 1960s...
.
| # | Song | Singer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hum The Jinke Sahare" | Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional... |
| 2. | "Jeevan Se Bhari" | Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century... |
| 3. | "Jo Tumko Ho Pasand" | Mukesh |
| 4. | "Nadiya Chale" | Manna Dey Manna Dey Prabodh Chandra Dey , better known by his nickname Manna Dey , is a playback singer in Bengali Assamese and Hindi films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of... |
| 5. | "Zindagi Ka Safar" | Kishore Kumar |