Do Raaste...

Last week I was watching Do Raaste on TV and was wondering how real the old films were. Very simple but realistic story, class acting and direction. They depicted contemporary problems very well. This was entertaining and learning, indeed. Considering the old films sometimes I wonder, how far new films are from reality.

Three brothers live with peace in a single home with their mother. The eldest brother Navendru (Balraj Sahni) is married and his wife Madhvi (Kamini Kaushal) considers the home her own home, her brothers-in-law Birju (Prem Chopra) and Satyam (Rajesh Khanna) her own brothers and her mother-in-law (Veena) her own mother. Story takes a sharp turn when Birju falls in love with Neela (Bindu). They get married and Neela starts to live with them. She was from somewhat high-class family thus finds it hard to adjust with the new family. Navendru and Madhvi try to settle down matters but in vain. Disputes turn into quarrels and finally Birju and Neela left the home and start to live separately. Goodwills of Satyam, Navendru and Madhvi make the couple awake and fetch them to live with the family at last.

This seems to be the story of every middle-class joint family, doesn't it? However the difference is that in real world stories ain't fairy tales. Once a family breaks, it never joins again, never!

I forgot to mention Reena (Mumtaz) here. She is Satyam's lover and Neela's younger sister. Both the sisters' nature is quite contradictory. Both are from same family, grown up with same comforts but still are different.

Reena is of type which is rare today. We find lots of Neelas around. If we look closely, there is one Neela in every other family. However it wasn't Neela exactly who broke the family, instead it was Birju who didn't give a damn to his family. He kept on doing things Neela demanded for. Neela could do all this just because of his husband. So, I should rewrite my phrase, We have one or maybe more Birjus in every other family around.

How good it must be to live in a joint-family. You share your happiness, sorrow. There is lots of support for everything. Why this generation wants to live alone, separate from their parents, siblings? Why new brides want to be Neela not Reena? Why brothers start to act like Birju as soon as they get married? Is it that hard to become Navendru or Satyam?