In 1975, amidst a year that produced cinematic giants like ‘Sholay’ and ‘Jai Santoshi Maa,’ director Asit Sen released what proved to be the weakest film of his career, ‘Anari.’ The movie featured the less successful pairing of Sharmila Tagore and Shashi Kapoor, with Moushumi Chatterjee in a role that seemed out of place, mirroring the disjointed nature of the film itself. This movie stands out as the most structurally flawed in the director’s filmography, indicating a decline, which was evident in his subsequent works such as ‘Maa Aur Mamta’ and ‘Bairaag,’ the latter starring Dilip Kumar.
‘Anari’ is a disaster in a league of its own. The filming process appears fragmented, with noticeable gaps in the screenplay. A particularly awkward scene highlights this, where Sharmila Tagore’s character, Poonam, a woman seeking to escape poverty, informs Kabir Bedi’s character, Vikram, a man involved in criminal activity, that she was rejected by the hero Raja (Shashi Kapoor). The sequence Poonam describes is absent from the film. The plot centers on an innocent hero, Raja, ensnared in a criminal scheme orchestrated by a con artist (Utpal Dutt, in a Raj Kumar wig), who impersonates the heir to a wealthy family. The patriarch of the wealthy family (Harindranath Chattopadhyay) is blind, which aids the fraud. This forms the second, and more complicated, part of the narrative.
The initial segment of the film introduces Sharmila Tagore as Poonam, a woman from a disadvantaged background searching for a better life. She desires to elevate her relationship with Raja for a brighter future, which is understandable. However, Raja is burdened with familial responsibilities after his brother (Kader Khan, unrecognizable) is murdered due to his union activities. The film’s screenplay feels disjointed and the characters seem like puppets without strings. Sharmila Tagore’s character, Poonam, is the most interesting, striving to escape her fate. She provides Raja with several opportunities to ‘rescue’ her, but how can she be saved by a man who needs rescuing himself?
‘Anari’ had the potential to explore the struggles of those on the brink of financial ruin. However, director Asit Sen appears constrained by financial limitations and a narrative that lacks respect for its characters. The actors struggle with situations and lines that seem out of place. Moushumi Chatterjee’s role is particularly puzzling, as it is unclear whether she is a key part of the story or an afterthought. The songs composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal are unusually lackluster, contrasting with their successful work in other films of the same year. Even the gods appear to fail when things go wrong.