Underplayed Gems

Avishkaar (1974)

Avishkaar poster
Original title
आविष्कार
Directed by
Basu Bhattacharya
Genre
drama film, romance film
Country
India
Runtime
1h 47m
Rating
8.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A married couple in a city navigate growing distance and frustration in their relationship. The story focuses on their emotional struggles and changing connection over time.

melancholictenseemotionally rawslow-burnintrospectivesomberurbanrealistic

What happens

Avishkaar (English: Invention) is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film. Produced and directed by Basu Bhattacharya, the film stars Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. The film was the part of Basu Battacharya's introspective trilogy on marital discord in an urban setting, which included Anubhav (1971) and Griha Pravesh (1979). Khanna had waived 70% of his remuneration to star in this project. The film was a success at box office. It has been critically acclaimed, with Khanna receiving the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. The Bollywood guide Collections gave it five out of five stars. The Hindu reviewed "Here you can see Khanna inhabiting a disillusioned husband with all the details. There is nothing trademark 'Kaka' here as you only see Amar with all his frailties come alive on the screen. It must have being challenging for the raging star to pick a role where he was not the hero in the conventional sense." Scroll.in states, "Tagore’s eyes, at first glazed with wonder and trust, widen with bewilderment and then anger as she grapples with frustrations fathoms deep. In a seminal scene in which she asks for Amar to explain what it is that he really wants of her, she is simply outstanding. Meanwhile Khanna is the show stealer here. Through a fog of cigarette smoke, Amar's fixed gaze communicates the dullness of fatigue after the shattering of his inner world. When he speaks, his voice is low, and in two confrontational flashbacks with his hostile father-in-law, Khanna's performance peaks. The superstar's superb performance in Basu Bhattacharya's domestic drama proves his unexplored talent at stasis." Avishkaar is also featured in Avijit Ghosh's book, 40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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