Perhaps no other film of director Yash Chopra has been as poetic as ‘Kabhie Kabhie.’ The film was a love story panning over two decades and featured Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhie, Shashi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.
While the film is remembered many decades later for its sublime poetry and music, the film also redefined Bachchan as a romantic hero- who was till then known for his ‘angry young man’ image’. A story of unrequited love, sacrifice and marriage, the film broke all box office records when it released in 1976.
On 27 January, 2016, Yash Chopra poignant film completes 40 years. Here are some interesting facts about the film.
The concept of the film came to Yash Chopra while he was reading a poem by his longtime friend, poet Sahir Ludhianvi. Initially, the story just centered on Amit(Bacchan), Pooja(Rakhee), Vijay(Shashi Kapoor) and Anjali(Waheeda Rehman), but co-writer and Yash Chopra’s wife Pamela read an article in a magazine about a woman meeting her adopted child and suggested that it could be used as a subplot for the film.
There are two versions of the poem ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ - one is the romantic poem Amit sings to Pooja when they are in love, and the other version, rewritten by a shattered Amit when Pooja gets married to Vijay. This version is a bitter, self-hating ode of misery and loss. Interestingly, Sahir Ludhianvi wrote this version of ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ first; the more romantic version was written for the film later.
The film had been written with Rakhee Gulzar in mind, and she had agreed to do it during the making of ‘Daag: A Poem of Love’ (1973), but before the production started she got married to lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar, who wanted her to retire from films. Yash Chopra persuaded Gulzar to let her do the film post her wedding.
Yash Chopra wanted Laxmikant Pyarelal to compose music for the film. But lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi was against the idea because he did not believe Laxmikant Pyarelal could do justice to his lyrics. He told Yash Chopra to sign another composer or give him back his songs. Eventually Khayyam composed the beautiful music of the film.
The Bachchan family was in Kashmir on a vacation when the shooting of the film began. Yash Chopra convinced the family to play small parts in the film. Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan made an appearance in the film as Rakhee's parents during the wedding scene while Ajitabh Bachchan, Big B’s younger brother played Shashi Kapoor's friend who accompanied him to the wedding venue.
The only film where Shashi Kapoor played onscreen father to his nephew Rishi Kapoor.
The film also led to the reinvention of Amitabh Bachchan as a romantic poet-hero. It was a major departure from his earlier "angry young man" roles such as ‘Deewar’ and ‘Zanjeer’.
Parveen Babi was Yash Chopra's first choice for the role opposite Rishi Kapoor. Eventually Neetu Singh did the film.
Rishi Kapoor fell in love with Neetu Singh during the filming of “Kabhie Kabhie’. Post shooting their scenes together in Kashmir for the film, Kapoor went to Paris to shoot for ‘Barood’. Rishi Kapoor started missing Neetu Singh in Paris and wrote her a telegram ‘Ye Sikhni badi yaad aati hai’. An elated Singh showed the telegram to Yash and Pamela Chopra.
The film won Filmfare awards for its music, and screenplay that year but not for its acting.
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