. The film marked the Bollywood debut of Telugu director
and remained his first and only directorial in Hindi. It is also the
only Hindi film that the late actress Soundarya acted in. Although the
film was a little above average at the box office, critics hailed
Amitabh Bachchan's performance as one of his best since his comeback
after a hiatus in 1997. Also it attained a strong cult status and
telecasted many times in television channel - Set Max.
.
The movie is often televised on some Indian movie channels typically as
matinee movie. In July 1999, about two months after the release of
Sooryavansham, Amitabh Bachchan was accorded "The Greatest Star of Stage
or Screen" distinction by BBC News online users.
The movie is spoken highly of not only for its realistic storyline, but
also for its lyrical songs. At the Box Office, Sooryavansham earned a
raw collection of Rs 45.0 million (1999), and its external collection
was £51,165 (in the UK).
The movie shows a true to life story related to a common run Indian
family, where the esteem of a family is held in high regard. The story
is an exemplary portrayal of the liabilities of a responsible father,
obligations of a dutiful son, role of a virtuous wife and harmony in the
family unified by psychological bonds.
Plot
The story is set in the backdrop of rural India. Thakur Bhanupratap Singh (
Amitabh Bachchan) is the head of the “Sooryavansh” ancestry in the village of Bharatpur where he is also the distinguished
Sarpanch of the local
Gram panchayat.
The people of Bharatpur reckon Thakur Bhanupratap with great honour and
respect for his blue blood and virtuous ideologies. Thakur Bhanupratap
has three sons – the youngest among whom is Heera (
Amitabh Bachchan,
in a dual role). Thakur Bhanupratap considers Heera good-for-nothing
and avoids any kind of verbal or physical communication with him because
of Heera being illiterate. Although illiterate and neglected by his
father, Heera is very benevolent and obedient, and has intense respect
and reverence for his father. His significance in the household is no
greater than the servants working in the palatial bungalow of the
family.
One day, some guests arrive at the house, among whom a woman Radha (
Soundarya)
whose brother is engaged to marry Heera sister, she notices that
although Heera is one of Thakur Bhanupratap's sons, he lives like a
servant in the house doing menial work. A curious Radha inquires Heera's
close friend Dharmendra (
Anupam Kher) about this. Dharmendra narrates to Radha the sad account of Heera's past life. In his childhood Heera was a
dunce
and always earned very poor marks in his school examinations, to face
his strict father's wrath. He was so dull in his studies that he even
did not know the number of zeroes in 100; sometimes he would place three
or four zeroes in 100 while tampering with the low marks on his mark
sheet, again to be castigated by his father. Heera actually did not go
to school for knowledge, his sole purpose of attending school was
meeting his classmate Gauri – the girl adopted by Thakur Bhanupratap
after the demise of her parents. Once a teacher severely punished Gauri
for her omission of producing homework, and Heera, in a fit of rage,
struck the teacher and bolted away along with Gauri. Heera thus became a
school dropout
and never continued his studies, whereas Gauri proceeded with her
studies while maintaining a well-disposed relationship with Heera. In
due course of time, Heera and Gauri attained adulthood, the former being
an untaught man and the latter (played by
Rachana Banerjee)
continuing her higher studies in city. Heera used to await every
weekend eagerly when Gauri returned home from city. Heera and Gauri's
romantic attachment is featured by the song “Dil Mere Tu Deewana Hai”
(My Heart, You Are Besotted, I Agree, You Are Deranged).
Heera's father Thakur Bhanupratap was aware of the love affair of
Heera and Gauri, who soon arranged the marriage of both. However, when
Gauri came to know that her marriage had been scheduled to be solemnized
with Heera, she attempted suicide, only to be rescued by Heera. In
reality, Gauri's “love” for Heera was mendacious; she would never marry
Heera whom she considered worthless because of his illiteracy. In order
to protect her righteousness in the eyes of Thakur Bhanupratap, she made
Heera declare before Thakur Bhanupratap that the decision of their
breakup
and cancellation of their marriage was Heera's own. A docile Heera, for
the sake of Gauri's happiness, did so and added to the displeasure of
his father for him. Later, Heera, with tearful eyes, watched the
marriage of Gauri with a well-off man and he developed antipathy for
love because of the distress caused by all these happenings.
Hearkening to Heera's sad past from Dharmendra, a compassionate Radha
acquires fascination for Heera. By singing the song “Dil Mere Tu
Deewana Hai” to Heera, which is associated with his past melancholy,
Radha proclaims her love for Heera. Heera, who has faced awful rejection
in love and also considering that an uneducated man like him has no
right to love an educated woman like Radha, asks Radha to forsake him.
However, Radha is head over heels in love with Heera and exhibits
indications of love for him many a time which Heera does not reciprocate
to, however a persistent Radha convinces Heera to overcome his past and
they fall in love.
Later one day, Heera receives a letter from Radha in which she writes
that her parents are arranging her marriage with Deshraj/Kevada
Thakur's (
Mukesh Rishi)
son against her will. Radha, who is in deep love with Heera only,
resolves either to unite with Heera or hang herself to death. Kevada
Thakur is an arch-enemy of Thakur Bhanupratap and he has an undercover
plan of bringing the ruin of the Sooryavansh family by establishing
familial relationship with Radha's family, and subsequently by obliging
Radha's wealthy lawyer father (
Shivaji Satam) to act in Kevada Thakur's favour. Radha's mother (
Bindu)
vehemently censures of her daughter's decision of marrying an
illiterate man like Heera and pleads Thakur Bhanupratap to make Heera
steer clear of Radha. Thakur Bhanupratap sends for Heera and says to him
that if he abandons Radha, he will be received by Thakur Bhanupratap as
his son. On the other hand, Dharmendra persuades Heera to accept Radha
by saying that Radha's love for Heera is real and heartfelt; only a few
fortunate men receive true love. The ire of Thakur Bhanupratap for Heera
is short-lived which will eventually melt away. Heera heeds
Dharmendra's advice and on the day of Radha's wedding with Kevada
Thakur's son (
Emraan Khan),
Heera gatecrashes into the ceremony and carries Radha away with him,
much to the shock and dismay of his relatives and acquaintances. Soon
Heera and Radha marry. This act of Heera stirs up great anger in Thakur
Bhanupratap who hands over Heera's share of property to Heera, thus
terminating his existing unsound relationship with Heera, and greatly
reprimands him. However, a humble Heera returns the property documents
regarding his father's condemnation as his blessing.
Heera and Radha start living at the village outskirts. Both form an
ideal husband-wife couple and eventually receive the acceptance of Radha
family. Heera starts eking out a living by working in a transport
company, and later, with the financial assistance of Radha's uncle Major
Ranjit Singh and by dint of his diligence, launches a bus service under
the name of his father, which soon flourishes into a booming transport
company. Radha teaches Heera
the three Rs while she pursues her
I.A.S.
studies. Soon the hardships caused by poverty and the disgrace of Heera
being illiterate cease and in due course of time, Heera becomes an
affluent businessman and Radha becomes the
District collector and soon a son is born to them,in spite of all these, Thakur Bhanupratap's abhorrence for Heera and his family remains.
One day Thakur Bhanupratap incidentally comes across Heera and
Radha's son and is very much gladdened by the child's principles and
behavior. Soon he learns that the boy is Heera and Radha's son – a
progeny of Sooryavansh. Thakur Bhanupratap develops a friendly
relationship with his grandson unbeknownst to Heera, Radha or any member
of his family. Heera eventually learns to his surprise and delight that
his son has been in communication with his father Thakur Bhanupratap's.
One day all of Heera family secretly attend the opening of a charitable
hospital for the poor which Heera has set up, which was his father's
dream, during the speech Heera solely praises his father who listens on
in shock, that despite all he has done Heera still respects him so much
and leaves although his wife sees him.
As a mark of affection for and devotion to his father, Heera gives his son some canned
kheer to be offered to Thakur Bhanupratap upon his next meeting with his son. On the other hand, Heera’s mother Sharda (
Jayasudha)
too discovers Thakur Bhanupratap secretly meeting his grandson, and she
urges Thakur Bhanupratap to accept Heera back into their family. She
says to him that Thakur Bhanupratap has never liked bowing down to
anything, then how he could yield to the fondness of a child. Earlier,
Heera was known by his father Thakur Bhanupratap whereas nowadays Heera
has made a prominent name by which his father is known. Thakur
Bhanupratap's other sons consider his property as their own, whereas for
Heera, his father is his wealth. Nowadays, they are the children who
drive their parents out of home whereas Heera is the son who has been
expelled by his father. These words of Sharda make Thakur Bhanupratap
comprehend the virtue of Heera and he rings him up. Before Thakur
Bhanupratap speaks a word to Heera over phone, he throws up blood
apparently because of consuming the kheer offered by Heera. A critically
ill Thakur Bhanupratap is hospitalized and Heera is suspected of
attempting on his father's life.
The hospital is swarmed by Thakur Bhanupratap's well-wishers. When
Heera arrives at the hospital, Kevada Thakur proclaims before the crowd
that it is Heera who has attempted to kill his father because of his
elimination by Thakur Bhanupratap from his family, with the poisoned
kheer being an evidence against Heera. In reality, the miscreant is
Kevada Thakur himself who had covertly poisoned the kheer in absence of
Thakur Bhanupratap to have the latter killed. When Kevada Thakur and his
men proceed to kill Heera, Thakur Bhanupratap arrives for Heera's
rescue. It is then when Thakur Bhanupratap testifies against Kevada
Thakur in presence of the crowd how Kevada Thakur, with artifice,
poisoned the kheer offered to him by Heera. An impassioned Thakur
Bhanupratap gives up all the hatred for Heera, unifies with him and
decides to pass his final verdict on this long-standing enmity with
Kevada Thakur. Both Thakur Bhanupratap and Heera fight Kevada Thakur and
his men until Kevada Thakur confesses his guilt and begs Thakur
Bhanupratap for his forgiveness.
In the final scene of the movie, the kith and kin of Sooryvansh
convene. Heera's son sings the song “Kore Kore Sapne Mere” when Thakur
Bhanupratap arrives and continues with the following line of the song as
he embraces Heera – “Waada Hai Waada, Chaahenge Tumko, Jeevan Se
Zyaada”, meaning, “It's a promise that I will love you more than my
life.”
Cast
Production
The movie was shot at several locations of
India and
Sri Lanka.
- Balaram Palace Resort, Chitrasani village, Palanpur, Gujarat, India
- Kiri Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
- Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Kandy, Sri Lanka
- Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
- Qutb Shahi Tombs, Hyderabad, India etc.[3]
Music
Anu Malik
composed the music for the songs of the movie. All the songs have been
sung with befitting lyrics and pleasant inflection. The voices are of
Kumar Sanu,
Sonu Nigam,
Chithra,
Jaspinder Narula,
Amitabh Bachchan (in the song 'Chori Se Chori Se'), and
Anuradha Paudwal.
The song 'dil mere tu deewana hai' is portrayed in different tones –
once in happy note and twice with forlorn touch. All the songs aptly
relate the story through various phases
