Editor’s Note: In the fortnight of ‘F’, we fall back on ‘A’ to ‘E’…

It’s good to remember a landmark of a movie and a time when Kamal was just about half his present age. He was introduced to Bollywood formally and what a mark he made! Of course, the role was a tailor-made launch vehicle, under the man who had mentored Kamal and let him unleash his extraordinary range of talents.

Kamal was already well-established and was on the verge of superstardom down South, but it was only then that he was really stepping across the Vindhyas. His character was relatively simple and the role of a South Indian guy learning Hindi suited him very well. In one of the last scenes, he speaks various dialects of Hindi to impress his in-laws. In turn, he must have made an everlasting impression on the Hindi-speaking audience too. Kamal had a short run in Hindi, tasting box-office success in a few masala capers.

The movie was a huge success everywhere and one of the top grossers of that year. The Tamil audience too were thrilled to see their man conquer the North and lapped up the movie. The term “Ek Duuje Ke Liye” (made for each other) is still used in Tamil movies, with or without proper meaning. I remember my aunt carrying a bright handbag with the title of the movie on it — a clear sign of what kind of a hit the movie was even in Chennai.

The movie’s success was not really a fluke. It was the remake of a mammoth Telugu hit, Maro Charitra, involving many of the same cast and crew. Credit should go to the team for adapting it very well when they took it to Hindi.

The man who led them was veteran producer LV Prasad. Kamal remains grateful to him till date, taking up Vasool Raja MBBS only since his production company was involved. We also remember Prasad featuring in a memorable role in Kamal’s 100th movie, Raajapaarvai, that released the same year.

The music of the movie was a big draw too, with classic hits by the combination of Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Anand Bakshi, rendered primarily by the duo of Lata Mangeshkar and SP Balasubramaniam. SPB had a great debut too, going onto win a National Award and being fondly remembered when he returned for Maine Pyaar Kiya.

The movie was just a tragic love story, but created impact in every aspect. K Balachander toned down his rebellious streak and possibly accomplished more than what he set out to do.