Sangam (film)

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Sangam

Directed by	Raj Kapoor
Produced by	Raj Kapoor
Written by	Inder Raj Anand
Starring	Raj Kapoor Vyjayantimala Rajendra Kumar
Music by	Shankar Jaikishan
Cinematography	Radhu Karmakar
Editing by	Raj Kapoor
Running time	238 mins
Language	Hindi
IMDb profile

Sangam is a 1964 Indian Hindi movie produced by R.K. Films and directed by Raj Kapoor. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri. Sangam was Raj Kapoor's first color film, the film was distinguished by its technicolor and epic length (even by Bollywood standards). The film became a smash hit in India and is considered a classic today. One of the features of the film that became widely used later on in Bollywood are the foreign locales (Venice, Paris, Switzerland) for the honeymoon sequence. They started the trend of Indian films of shooting songs abroad (primarily Switzerland), in "exotic" landscapes.

1 Plot summary
2 Analysis
3 List of tracks
4 External link

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The movie stars Vyjayantimala, Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar in a love triangle.

Sunder (Kapoor), Gopal (Kumar) and Radha (Vyjayantimala) are childhood friends. Sunder develops obsessive romantic feelings for Vyjayanthimala, but she prefers Gopal, who is also in love with her. Yet, as Sunder has confessed his feelings for Radha to him, Gopal decides to sacrifice his love for his friend.

They are engaged to be married, but when Sunder goes on a military mission to Kashmir he is shot down and is taken for dead. Radha and Gopal can now finally confess their love for one another, but just when they are engaged to be married, Sunder suddenly returns. Gopal sacrifices Radha again and she finally marries Sunder.

They go on an extended honeymoon in Europe and seem happy enough with each other. Radha is resolved to stay faithful to her husband and forget Gopal. But their married life is shattered when Sunder discovers an anonymous love letter to Radha. Sunder is thunderstruck. He bullies Radha to divulge the name of the suitor and threatens to kill the man, but she refuses. Sunder becomes obsessive with the letter and cannot go back normal.

Gopal finally confesses to Sunder in a dramatic scene that it has been him who wrote the letter, and then commit suicide. Radha and Sunder are finally reunited in mourning.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Analysis

This love triange is a psychologically multi-faceted tale about male bonding, the meaning of love and friendship. In the context of these relationships, Sunder is the one who is preventing the other two people's happiness and finally also thwarts his own. He appears as being naive and innocent, yet he seems adamant at only noticing things that suit his own mindset. He is full of self-pity and bullies the others emotionally.

An important and critically regarded theme in the film is male bonding and the informal sharing of a woman between two male friends. Gopal indulges in his own "sacrifice", but never thinks of the woman's feelings he ostensibly loves.