Hrishikesh Mukherjee made this masterpiece of Indian cinema three years after the equally marvelous "Anand".
More than just a reflection of man's ego, his fall from grace, eventual defeat, surrender and redemption, it is a fine glimpse of the delicate balance and intricate nuances of marriage, and of course, extra-marital relationships. Subir, himself a successful singer, is unable to digest his wife Uma's rising fame and its slow eclipsing of his own career. He crumbles under the weight of his misguided ego and misplaced pride.
The mythological underpinnings of this film are simply superb. Chandru (played so well by Asrani) says that he's not just Subir's manager, but more like a brother! But even the sane, balanced Laxman can't save Rama from life's inevitable follies. He leaves when insulted by Subir, who then takes aim at Uma and casts aspersion on her integrity, her morality and even her dignity. The interchange between Chitra, the other woman (played by Bindu) and Uma is unusual -- there's no acrimony or jealousy, just unconditional love. If you truly love someone, you must be able to accommodate all their faults and forgive! Shyam may not belong to both Radha and Mira, but surely both have equal right to love him!! That is so incredible. Chitra once calls him 'Subi', she retains the right to use a before-marriage nickname. But what about the wife...?
The cinematography, the editing and of course S D Burman's rendering of each song into a heavenly ode, is just incomparable. Jaya and Amitabh soar to such heights in this movie, they are hard to surpass. The shots where she is singing, framed by the microphones (imprisoned by Subir?!) and those of Subir talking to CHitra, looming large in the foreground, seemingly taller than his own ego, are just great.
Hrishi-da fans will recall Guddi, Bawarchi, Gol Maal, Mili (a gem) and Khubsoorat, made in the 1970s. Along with Basu-da (Basu Chatterjee) and Shakti-da (Shakti Samanta), this golden era of Hindi cinema sadly came to an end in mid-80s, after giving audiences many memorable films, some of which also became all-time hits.
It has been 30+ years since Abhimaan, and 30+ viewings later, it still holds the same charm as always. A truly evergreen film.
