Silsila (1981) [Blu-ray] (Indian Cinema / Bollywood Movie / Hindi Film) [NTSC]

Far away from suspicions and self-love, somewhere close, very close to trust. Heart woke up with a mirage that she loves me. Is it love or a dream? Amit's dream - the sequence of dreams, the sequence of love. One face, one hope, one smile. A search, a poignancy, a happiness, the world, a voice, a song. One dream, one illusion, one faith. Everything merged into a face - a face called Chandni. Chandni and Amit, between them flowered an eloquent love - the music vibrated. Both set out step by step on a journey as co-travellers, but the idyll did not last.

Amit approached Shobha to wipe her tears, gave up all his happiness. Now he had nothing except live embers of memories. Every heart beat of Amit was coaxing him to remember some and forget the others. Shobha had stepped into his life. Shobha - silence personified, a summit, a worship. She was not a dream but a reality - truth, a faith.Amit, Shobha and Chandni were not just three names - but three directions, three human beings bound by love - three facets of love. Dreams of these three were scattered by the mists of life.

What does it matter if some dream ends in a calamity?Time cannot minimise the intensity of feelings, distance does not strangle self-awareness. Down memory lane, the happenings of the past, on deserted paths, the forgotten promises. How can one recall?

The sequence of memories began pulsating in one's veins. Each one now lived a cloistered life - some for himself, some for others. Their decisions were dwarfed by high walls of rumination. Society imposed its own barriers. Time brooding between the past and future stood up on uncertain legs and the three of them became aware of man's insignificance- in keeping with the world's negation from beginning to end. Only love implies mutual trust. It is a never-ending sequence

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. --platform47.com