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By Praveen Lance Fernandes, June 4, 2007 - 14:03 IST
Hrishikesh Mukherjee's classics like Bawarchi, Anand, Golmaal, Chupke Chupke, etc. are still very much remembered today. But his Naukri is one film that came and went without much of a trace mainly because of Amitabh Bachchan's growing popularity as the authority bashing oppressed common man and due to former superstar Rajesh Khanna's fading dominance amongst his fan following.
Date of release: 2 June 1978
Though this film bombed at the box-office one can say it was ahead of its times.
Set in 1945, Naukri tells the story of Ranjit Gupta (Rajesh Khanna) a professional badminton player. After his father (A.K.Hangal) passes away, Ranjit comes to know that his father was deep in debt. So selling off whatever he had, he along with his family moves into a run-down house. Disregarding his dreams of playing badminton, Ranjit enrolls in the army. In a grenade attack, Ranjit's leg is permanently injured and he is subsequently released from the army. Being the sole breadwinner of the family which consists of his mother, sister and adopted brother, Ranjit's army compensation is constantly delayed. He is also unable to find another job because of his disability. Seeing that he will be unable to pay the rent and that his family will be on the streets or probably die of starvation, Ranjit commits suicide.
However, he is surprised when he comes to know that his spirit has not crossed into another world but is still on earth in the form of a ghost. Enters Captain (Raj Kapoor) another ghost who befriends Ranjit. In his very stylish suit and hat and always smoking a cigar, Captain learns why Ranjit wanted to commit suicide and tells him that death is never the solution. He tells Ranjit that he is still on this earth because there is unfinished business and only once that gets over will his spirit get salvation.
Captain introduces Ranjit to many other souls who are still on this earth which forms quite a bit of humor. For instance, facing family objection Loco (Deven Verma) and his lover Manny (Padma Khanna) committed suicide so that they could be together in the afterlife. However, there they come to know that Rasik Lal (Yunus Parvez) was also the girl's husband in another generation. So a funny chase begins where Rasik Lal tries to kill Loco even though he cannot mainly because he is dead already.
Even in the part when a dead Hawaldar (Keshto Mukherjee) shouts at Captain in his typical funny manner when the latter teases young women is amusing.
A political angle also comes in when Captain reveals that he belongs to the same family as that of Bhagat Singh. But being a coward, he did not follow his family and instead shifted to Bombay to become an actor. However, he only got the hero's double part and died in a mishap while performing a stunt. However, his profession always disturbed him and the only way he could receives deliverance was when India would become Independent of the British.
Mr. Anderson (Tom Alter) was British who was killed by Indians in their freedom struggle. He tells that the British are not the only ones India should get rid of. Exploitation of the poor is another disease which will continue thriving despite gaining Independence.
Captain then takes Ranjit to see the plight of his own family. He is shocked to see his little brother selling candy on trains, his mother begging for alms and his sister taking up prostitution. The last part was probably the lowest point for in the beginning of the film Ranjit rejects the advances of a prostitute (Nadira). Ranjit tries to intervene but is then reminded by Captain that he is dead. “Jo Zinda hokar nahi kar sake woh ab kya karoge?” says he. Ranjit begins to think whether suicide was the right thing to do after all.
A touching tale and as usual Hrishikesh Mukherjee has paid attention to the script which have formed the backbone of most of his films. Rajesh Khanna is not in his usual lover boy image and shows that he was still capable in his fading years as a superstar. Always being the oppressed underdog right from scene one, his performance makes you wonder how little we accomplish in life and there is so much left to achieve, explore and take pleasure in. Raj Kapoor is the perfect catalyst this film could ask for. Making his presence felt as a know-it-all yet bumbling as well as emotional ghost, he is terrific.
The film's lengthy opening credits begin on a good note with R.D. Burman's music. However, being the busiest music director at that time, he could not churn out any chart-topping numbers.
The editing should have been much crisper considering the theme of the film. Quick cuts with immediate change in music gives you an amateurish feeling.
Seeing two of the biggest names in Hindi cinema in the same frame should have been a visual treat for the audience at that point of time; however that wasn't meant to be. Lost amongst a harvest of failed Rajesh Khanna films, Naukri is one film that too got vanished in the crowd.
Trivia:
- Naukri is the last film in which director Hrishikesh Mukherjee and actor Rajesh Khanna worked together. They had earlier given timeless hits like Anand (1970), Bawarchi (1972) and Namak Haraam (1973).
- This was the last time director Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Raj Kapoor came together as well. They were earlier associated together in Anari (1959) and Aashiq (1962).
- This was the first and last time Raj Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna starred together in a film. However, they were seen once again in a song sequence in Manmohan Desai's Naseeb (1981).
- The story for the film was written by noted composer Salil Choudhury. However, it was R.D. Burman and not Choudhury who rendered music for the film.
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Credits
Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Zaheera, Raj Kapoor, Om Shivpuri, Tom Alter, Meena Roy, Pratima Devi, Nadira, A.K. Hangal, Jayshree T, Yunus Parvez, Keshto Mukherjee, Padma Khanna, Deven Verma.
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Story: Salil Choudhury
Screenplay: Bimal Dutta
Dialogue: Biren Tripathy
Music: R.D. Burman
Cinematography: Jaywant Pathare
Editing: Subhash Gupta and Khan Zamman Khan
  
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