How Vijay Anand wove songs into thrillers without breaking the mood

While studying direction at the Film and Television Institute of India in the mid-1980s, Dev Anand devotee Tanuja Chaturvedi became a fan of the movie star’s brother Vijay Anand (also known as Goldie). In Hum Dono – The Dev and Goldie Story, Chaturvedi writes, “Goldie was a master craftsman, yet he kept the craft of his films invisible, like a code, a secret you needn’t even notice as a common viewer. But a practitioner would realise and marvel at Goldie’s command over every aspect of filmmaking: direction, screenplay, dialogue and editing.”

Hum Dono analyses eight films directed by Vijay Anand and starring Dev Anand, including Guide (1965) and Jewel Thief (1967). The book also looks at Teesri Manzil (1966), which was originally meant to star Dev Anand. Here is an edited except from the chapter on Viay Anand’s masterwork Jewel Thief.

‘Do songs detract from a thriller?’

Goldie’s instinct for editing films had sharpened. As a fellow editor, he confided in me that his shot-takings became more precise and mature. In Jewel Thief, Babu Sheikh joins as Goldie’s associate editor. Sheikh had a wonderful instinct for which cut would work and which wouldn’t without even making the physical ‘cut’. Unlike our generation, he didn’t argue back; he went along with Dev, nodding and saying, ‘Let’s see.’ Then on the Steinbeck, he would run the cut and see Dev wince. Gently, he would say, ‘Ab jo cut maine bola tha, woh kar ke dikhata hoon.’

In the myriad choices of editing, two minds work better than one. Sheikh collaborated with Goldie in creating a breathtaking pace, sometimes overlaying the sound of the previous scene on the visual cut of a new scene and sometimes staying on the visual and pulling in the sound from the new scene.

This incredible build-up is evident in the climactic ‘Hothon Mein Aisi Baat’ with cuts of sixteen frames, eight frames and four frames, leading to a crashing crescendo. Which raises another question: Do songs detract from a taut thriller?

Considering Goldie’s track record, the answer is no, especially if you get songs composed by Dada, which grow organically from within the film’s narrative. Goldie began his career with the decree that every song must propel the story forward. In Jewel Thief, he takes it a step further. The song and the dialogue now grow out of each other seamlessly.

A special place is reserved for the exceptional song ‘Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera’. This ballad adds a melancholic poignancy to this slick, fast-paced film. It is the last song Shailendra wrote in his life. Battling his despair over the failure of his enchanting Teesri Kasam, in hindsight, the poetry is piercing. It was masterfully shot by Goldie on Mehboob Floor 1 which was transformed into a lake by art director T.K. Desai, a Navketan regular who built a beautiful set with reeds, trees and an islet.

In the plaintive cry of Lata’s voice, Vinay’s attention is captured. He scans his surroundings, where dark waters ripple like despair, embracing an empty boat buffeted by waves. The light refracts on these troubled waters. With a fine-tuned cut, the taan crescendos, and the song begins as Shalu, steeped in sadness, rows her boat. The back of Vinay’s head is visible as he rows behind, moved by her sorrow. On a poignant line, Vinay’s boat enters the frame, captured in a top-angle shot from the studio ceiling. The camera tracks into a weeping Shalu’s face, her hand resting on her head. Goldie then cuts to her profile, tracks back, shifts focus and Vinay’s boat re-enters the frame. The song exudes a soulful feel, infused with Dev and Goldie’s sensitivity – a tribute to their departed and beloved collaborator.

Goldie’s superb dialogues then draw inspiration from the song’s lyrics to shake this despairing woman from her gloom. Vinay asks, ‘Mahaz ek sapna rula gaya?’ Shalu replies, ‘Jo sapna dekhta hai wahi jaanta hai uska tootna kya hota hai.’ Vinay replies, ‘Jab sapna toot jaaye toh aankhein khol leni chahiye.’

In other songs, what prevents the film’s pace from faltering is how Goldie collides the end of the song with a plot twist. ‘Aasmaan Ke Neeche’ ends with the engagement ring on Shalu’s finger, and the story pivots on the discovery that the ring has been stolen by Amar. The viewers are swiftly pulled back into intrigue.

Another tantalising moment is the innocent and the most fun seduction song ever picturised, ‘Raat Akeli Hai’. Asha Bhosle effortlessly glides between high pitch to crooning low whispers in the same movement, showcasing her unmatched artistry. Tanuja, a gifted actress, makes her performance seem breezy and easy, a testament to her stunning craft. The beauty, impishness, helplessness of love, cajoling and joyousness she brings to this memorable number is simply remarkable.

In a comic moment, she even tries to get Dev drunk on Coca-Cola! Dev, alternately nervous, worried, pulls away from her grasp, only to be enveloped by it again, until both twirl happily like children. Suddenly, the song ends, and the audience discovers the jewel thief has pulled off another heist, pretending to be Vinay.

Following this heist, the police catch an eavesdropper. Dev subdues him to extract a clue. He stutters, ‘Jo ladki har itwaar ko Roman club mein naachti hai.’ The remaining dialogue is cut out. This is called an ‘elliptical cut’ which omits part of an event, causing an ellipsis of the story’s duration, a bit of a rarity in the cinema of the 1960s. So by foreshortening the rest of the information, the audience is swiftly moved into the next scenario, straight to Helen’s lithe legs, and ‘Baithe Hain Kya Uske Paas’ begins…

Goldie exhibits super-inventiveness in this song with circular movements. My understanding is that Goldie had a very vivid imagination which he needed to tether towards a singular focus. So he always searched for a ‘motif’ to peg his song on.

Here, the round tabletop mirroring the ceiling becomes the visual cue for circular movement with tracks, cranes and winton dollies throughout the song. Each of his frames have a dynamic charge with a foreground and a background dancer in continuous movement. Helming the camera, V. Ratra is in perfect sync with Goldie, beat for beat. The last long take almost defies explanation because of its technical intricacy. Is the camera on a crane or a track, is Dev changing his position continually in this long take or does the entire set revolve for this single shot?

Dil Pukare Aa Re’ is shot in scenic and breathtaking Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, a first for Hindi films. His Highness Chogyal Tashi Namgyal extended an invitation to Dev, his friend, to shoot in Gangtok. Later, the royal family of Nepal warmly invited him to shoot Hare Rama Hare Krishna in their country.

Dev’s extraordinary visual eye for locations is evident. For the songs and climax of his own directorial venture Heera Panna, Dev discovered eye-catching rock formations off the Bangalore highway. This location later became the iconic setting for Sholay as Ramnagar.

Excerpted with permission from Hum Dono – The Dev and Goldie Story, Tanuja Chaturvedi, Bloomsbury India.