It is well known that the 1960s have an extremely special place in the history of our 100-year-old cinema. They are always referred to as “The Golden 60s” and people of today often wonder why that is so.
It was the golden era of Hindi cinema with films like Mughal-e-Azam, Waqt, Hamraaz, Guide, Barsaat Ki Raat, Kohinoor, Chaudvin ka Chand, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti hai, Junglee, Mera Saaya, Arzoo, Kashmir ki Kali, Brahmchari, An Evening in Paris, love in Tokyo, Phool aur Pathhar, Mere Sanam, Mere Mehboob making it a memorable decade of exquisitely created cinema.
Handsome heroes and awe-inspiringly beautiful heroines dominated the silver screen in the 1960s. From the ethereally lovely Madhubala to the bewitchingly attractive Waheeda Rehman, from the “tragedy queen” Meena Kumari to the bubbly Tanuja, from the refined actress Nutan to the chirpy and sweet Asha Parekh — the list goes on. Saira Banu, Nanda, Mala Sinha, Vaijayanti Mala, Mumtaz, Rajshree, Sharmila Tagore — all of them, by their vital screen presence, made the 60s so special for films.
As far as the heroes are concerned, films of the 1960s featured versatile and good-looking actors like Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Rajendra Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Feroze Khan, Pradeep Kumar, Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit. These were the men and women at their peak in the 60s.
Well, all these heroes and heroine were part of a world of cinema which was typical of the 60s. The musical romantic comedy was a favourite formula. And Kashmir, heaven on earth, was such a strong presence in these films that we can almost call it a major character of this cinema. The lovely hills and dales of Kashmir were the backdrop of almost the entire action and songs before the intermission of these films. Whether it is Arzoo with its scenes of Gulmarg and Dal lake or Jab Jab Phool Khiley which shows many parts of Kashmir — including Char Chinaar, whether it is Kashmir Ki Kali, which was almost completely based in the charming valley or it is Phir Wahi Dil laaya Hun with the girls’ dancing troupe going to a dance competition to Srinagar — in all of them the audience could get to see the divine splendor of Kashmir at length. later, when Kashmir underwent the long years of militancy, films could no longer be shot there. So we see how these films captured the pristine beauty of the place for generations to come. Seeing these films again and again, one can go back into those trouble-free times.
Till the intermission, these romantic musicals were full of fun with the hero, the heroine, her friends, the comedian (usually the hero’s friend) singing songs, going for picnics and boat rides, and courting. There was nobody to disturb them in their heaven of romance. They were very cosy and comfortable in the hills. But as soon as they returned to the big bad city (usually Bombay or Delhi), they had to face opposition and problems from the villain’s side. Sometimes the villain was from their own homes. Their father or mother (like Prithviraj Kapoor in Janwar and lalita Panwar in Junglee). Either the girl was rich and the boy poor or vice versa. So the parents would object to their marriage.
In most films either Pran or Prem Chopra played the definite villain — all black. There were no grey shades in these films. The heroine were all domesticated ideal “devis”, the heroes were all powerful and could knock off dozens of “gundas” with their “dishum-dishum”, the villain was the darkest creature possible and the vamp was always a cabaret dancer who smoked and drank. But despite this formula, these films did a magic on the viewers which is as fresh as it was then. Their lilting music highlighting the poetic lyrics, their simple comedy (remember Mehmood, Rajendranath and Johny WalkerIJ), the “wine and roses” romance and the happy endings make them so watchable and memorable.
I saw most of these films in the 80s at morning shows in cinemas in Delhi or Dehradun. This made me realise the vast difference between the movies of the 80s and these refreshing films from the 60s. What a world of difference there is! And all the films that have followed the 80s — they can never compare with these charming poems on celluloid. Watch one of these gems of the Golden 60s today and you’ll know what I mean.