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Silsila is special in so many ways. This is the last film in which AB and Rekha worked together. It’s the last Yash Chopra Film where AB played a leading man. It’s the first film where Javed Akhtar started his career as lyricist also after being a highly successful script writer and Hari Prasad Chaurasia the famous flute player and Shiv Kumar Sharma the Santur player started giving music in films as a pair (Shiv-Hari). Though, Hari Prasad Chaurasia had given music in few films before also. This is the only film where Rekha and Jaya Bachchan have acted together. This was the only Yash Chopra film where Rekha has acted so far.

Silsila is close to real life. It’s a film made by heart and not by mind only. It’s a poetry and one has to go in to that territory where poetry touches something deeply and though on the surface it may look that many irrelevant things are touched but beauty of poetry lies in that deep touching, which is the soul of the poem. Here is a film where fourth song is started just after third song is finished. Silsila is a search about life through its four main characters. Film asks entry in to the skin of the four characters and film may carry one, on a four way journey. Consider one character at one time and four viewing will reveal four different meaning of life. Every character will look justified and battle between emotions vs the practical responsibilities will bring maturity in understanding about the relationship between man and woman.

In the central theme resides the idea, what if one has given preference to its immediate responsibilities over its budding love and what happens when the energy of this sacrifice is lost and lovers, who never could get opportunity to fulfill their dreams of living life together, come face to face again. Rest all which makes boundaries to cover this central theme may be weak, may not be very convincing as far as a good script play and story of the film is concerned but that central theme and the scenes related to that theme are the quality oriented scenes. They are better than any so called art house cinema dealing with similar subject with overtly depression based treatment.

Amitabh and Rakhee don’t marry each other in Kabhi Kabhi, and they meet years after when their children are grown up. But in Silsila Yash Chopra does experiment with this kind of young lovers (Amitabh and Rekha), who could not marry each other but they meet again after one year of their marriage with different people and they can not resist their love toward each other and thus start a liaison outside of their marriage.

One may laugh over Yash Chopra when he shows Jaya Bachchan screaming from the earth and Shashi Kapoor, flying a fighter jet in sky, responds her from there. One can ridicule Yash Chopra showing this utterly foolishness which is impossible in real life. One may scold Yash Chopra for showing Amitabh Bachchan, who is just struggling playwright and poet, having so much success in small span of one year that he not only makes a big house in Delhi but lives a king size life, visits five star hotels, wins Sahitya Akademi award for his book, though in reality, writers in Hindi gets this prestigious award mostly in the age when they have either left writing or waiting for death to settle score with hardships in life, which a hindi author has to face.
One may describe love between Rekha and Amitabh, before their marriage, as love which school and college going students fall upon but all these factors are in background to bring audience before the central theme and it starts at the moment when Rekha visits Amitabh in the nursing home of Sanjeev Kumar.
One may become angry to see how AB and Rekha wanders so freely in the darkness of night in Lodi Garden’s solitude and may question who arranges a fire for them in that garden and how, just after the song Neela Asman so gaya, sung by AB, is finished, they both reached in to the Tulip Gardens in Holland to sing,
Dekha ek khwab to ye silsile hue…….

Script has many flaw, story goes here and there and often mixing of scenes produce troubles in terms of continuity. Comedy between Amitabh and Shashi Kapoor does not match with the standard which AB often touches. Shashi Kapoor does here over acting in comedy and comic scenes between Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh bring loud comedy before the audience. Its less comic scene than pathetic one where two brothers are drinking and talking about their childhood. But same Shashi Kapoor delivers within the requirements when he reaches late at the function and he knows Jaya Bachchan is angry because of his delay. One can feel the on screen bond between the two characters in the scene where he is trying to lure Jaya by saying things just to change her mood. Yash Chopra really thrives on such loving moments and in such romantic moments he shows his mastery over the craft. He brings reality in such moments and one may wonder, what he reads, what he sees that can bring these moments so live on screen that real life lovers may feel rejuvenated and can watch such scenes with astonishment. Yash Chopra was approaching towards 50 years of his age when he made Silsila.
One cant believe that Jaya Bachchan did this film after several years of gap and still she delivers this superb performance. She is amazing in the film. So are Amitabh, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha. Though Rekha has little role and that too she has few dialogues in comparison to others but she resembles perfectly well with the character given to her. If one has to see the chemistry between AB and Rekha then it is visible right from the scene when AB sees Rekha first time where she is dancing in the wedding and AB approaches her.
Alas, gone are the days when Choreographers used to give AB, simple and natural steps to dance, now he also has to do those aerobics kind of dancing.
When Rekha is dancing before many people and AB feels it difficult to stop him any more and reaches near her to sing, Haan pehlee pehlee baar dekha aisa Jalwa….
Their amazing on screen chemistry is visible through out the film.
But AB’s onscreen chemistry is not limited to Rekha only, same AB delivers tremendously well when he is in scenes with Jaya Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar. In real life AB and Jaya, are husband and wife and it can be bit difficult for a couple to deliver that kind of performances together but here we have thoroughly professional, two great actors who imbibed the essence of script and lived the characters as if it was happening in their real life. Sanjeev Kumar delivers in every scene whenever he comes on screen. Film leaves us in wonder whether these four actors are acting or we are watching their real lives via hidden cameras, so much is the realistic touch in their performances. This is the beauty of Silsila that whenever two or more of these four actors are shown in scenes than those scenes have become memorable and can be treated as scenes to teach acting in class rooms.

Yash Chopra shows here characters with human weaknesses. Its not only about good locales and nice dresses, but emotions of four main characters are shown in well manner. Emotions of characters carry away the audience with the flow of story.

Rekha and AB play weaker characters driven by emotions. AB does, what is before him, but with blurred vision. When he is faced with Jaya, the pregnant fiancée of his recently died brother Shashi Kapoor, he marries her and writes to Rekha to forget him and his love. He tries to settle with Jaya but soon Jaya faces an abortion because of the accident and the reason because of which AB had married Jaya is lost. Game of time which it plays with humans. Rekha is now the wife of the doctor, Sanjeev Kumar, in whose nursing home, injured Jaya and AB are bought. It was easy for AB to take decision to marry Jaya and go away from Rekha when Rekha was away but when Rekha enters his life again he starts swinging between his present life’s married responsibilities and his lost love of past. He cant resist his love towards Rekha which has remained unfulfilled. Or perhaps this is writer residing inside AB that he tries to play the dangerous liaison with Rekha and he tries to meet her and forces her to meet him and soon their lost love gets new lease of life and they defy the social customs and boundaries and leave their respective spouses and homes to go away somewhere to live together.

AB’s Amit is not a strong character and he is bit theoretical also like most of the artists and authors. He is very energetic when he convinces Rekha to leave her spouse and home but when they reach Shimla and his sikh friend brings him before reality and shows his reservations about Amit and chnadni, attending the anniversary of his parents marriage, as a couple. Amit immediately goes one step behind and his revolutionary zeal takes a break for a while and he says that ok, he and Chandani would reach to attend the anniversary separately. For Rekha, AB’s so easy submission before the situation is bit of shock and her eyes show her mental trauma. Her faith on AB’s determination is shaken and though she says she has no problem when AB asks her if she has any problem with this arrangement but seed of going back in to their respective barracks is sown at that very moment. And this is not happening only for Rekha but AB also start realising about his doings and when he stands up to take part in ritual of prayer then he is passing through the memories of his own marriage and he is completely in duality. His action of leaving his wife and home is under strong scrutiny now and his inner being is obviously disturbed. Now his consciousness is questioning his doings which he did under the impact of unfulfilled desires.
Rekha and AB never accepted their spouses in true meaning, as they were living with a feeling that they could not fulfil their desire to marry each other. But time tested their association post marriage and time allured them to start again their forgotten affair and they decide to send damn care attitude for the world and leave their home but once they face harsh realities themselves then they start seeing things in right manner. Now wisdom is also a part of their thinking and doing. They are ready to go for damage control and news about SK’s accident provides them that opportunity.
As soon as AB gets the news from Jaya, he is stunned and when he tells Rekha her immediate reaction is crying. She also is able to see now true worth of SK in her life. Her consciousness might have asked her that how she could leave a strong and well mannered person like SK whose vision is crystal clear about the life. How she could not guess his calmness when he says,” Chandni, everybody has a past and you would also be having some past, if its so, even then I would not ask about that. Its better that past remains as a sweet memory only. I am not that kind of person who treats his wife as a slave”.
He gives full freedom to Chandni that whatever happened in her life before marriage she should forget that and should see the reality of present life where she can live happily the life of a married woman. But she was living under the impression that time did injustice with her as she could not enjoy her love life completely. Her love life was just started and time destroyed that before it could have got strong foundation.

Film attains a height after AB and Jaya get accident and are brought in to the nursing home of SK. When Chandni carries red roses and sees AB lying on bed in nursing home and says,” Amit”, that sets the tone of the film that now onwards we will be having many scenes to enjoy. Director never leaves AB and Rekha without psychological social pressure and when Rekha is about to give red roses to AB, SK enters the room and complains that Rekha did wrong by giving red roses to AB as he has first right over red roses. Time speaks to Rekha and AB through the characters of Jaya, SK, Deven Verma but they ignore the call and soon AB brings Rekha also in his mind set up and thus try again to flourish their love affair which was not fulfilled before.
Once film reaches in to the territory of central theme there are many scenes which contain a class acting from all the four characters played by AB, Rekha, Jaya and SK.
There is a scene and it can be very ordinary scene otherwise but AB and SK makes it so special by their nuances. When AB invites SK for a lunch in restaurant of a five star hotel and though he imagines on his own that SK would come with Rekha but SK comes alone and AB is disappointed. AB cant hide his disappointment and asks SK, Has he come alone?
SK asks innocently,” why somebodyelse also had to come”. AB says,” I mean Chandni Ji”
SK,” did you invite her?”.
AB,” No I thought she would come along with you”.
After sometime, when SK is busy in praising the good food of the restaurant, AB still has not recovered from the shock and he asks,” You could have brought … along on your own also”.
SK’s journey of appreciation of food is stopped and he ignorantly looks at AB and asks,” whom I should have brought along with me?”. Watch the expressions of both the characters. We have two great actors facing each other and matching every single nuance of each other.
The scenes between AB and Jaya at their home are wonderful scenes and they bring the live meaning before the audience, whether its scene where Jaya recites poetry of AB and he starts feeling irritation or when he comes out from bathroom and sees his dress on bed and asks Jaya how she knew he would wear the same dress for function, or the scene where AB is leaving the home and he says to Jaya that her doubts were not wrong and he loved Rekha before their marriage also and he now wishes to leave Jaya. Watch Jaya’s restrained behavior in this scene. She is trying to control her crying and she asks AB,” when Shekhar left me you gave me shelter, now when you are leaving me, what would I do?”.
Audience may feel a deep pain in heart seeing this scene. When AB sits on bed and says that he has this sadness that he has hurt Jaya unknowingly”.
When Jaya’s mother asks her that why she did not stop AB, she replies that she did not want him to take resort of any kind of compromise this time? If he returns on his own then it will be because he really wishes to do so and if he does return not then it is my fate.
Audience feels the pain of SK when he is at airport with Rekha and says her many small things like telephone bill, money to be given the gardener etc just to make conversation with her and in last when its announcement for his flight, he comes on the point and says that he hopes when he returns from Bombay she will receive him here. He is sensing that he is going to lose Rekha and Audience feels his sorrow.
Before that in the song Rang Barse, all four actors deliver fantastic performances required by the characters played by them. AB is in the moments and forgets anything before his love towards Rekha, Rekha too is swayed away by the emotions and though Jaya has some doubts but for SK its time of revelation and his facial expressions change as per the requirement. A wonderful song and equally wonderful performances.

There are two scenes when one scene is ended with switching off lights at SK and Rekhas home and light is switched on in next scene in AB and Jaya’s home. These two scenes are wonderfully sequenced.

Soon after the marriage of AB and Jaya they are shown sleeping in their bedroom and they see each other one by one and recalls their partners of the past. A nice scene.

Loopholes in the story:
When AB and Rekha meet at the place where they used to meet and Rekha starts her conversation with the dialogue,” you cant blame me, as your letter had destroyed my dream before my eyes”. Why and how AB can say any allegations against her because this was he who initiated the affair, he finished it with his decision or compulsion to marry Jaya and he informed Rekha about his decision and asked her to forget him.

Jaya’s pregnancy is aborted and soon AB starts his affair with Rekha and he shows clearly his disliking towards Jaya then how Jaya got pregnant again when he leaves the home and goes to Shimla with Rekha? Given the circumstances it looks awkward that AB might have made any physical contacts with Jaya and especially in the phase when he has seen Rekha. Without Jaya’s pregnancy also, film could have worked with same ending. Jaya’s second pregnancy angle does not contribute anything additional to the story but it brings the fact in attention that many details are overlooked in the story and screen play.
Who gives clue to Jaya that Rekha and Amitabh are in Shimla so that she calls directly Amitabh and in the first place who informed her about plane crash and the fact that SK was also travelling in the plane.

Irrelevant pre Climax stunt: AB’s stunt to bring out wounded SK from a burning Aeroplane was not needed in this type of film and Director could have maintained the flavour of the film. This scene breaks the continuity of the film. What was the problem if Aeroplane was crashed and SK was rescued by rescue team and AB and Rekha reached directly at Hospital where SK was getting medical treatment. AB is not playing larger than life character here and Silsila is basically relationship based drama and this stunt scene does not match with the mood of the film.

This is the film where you see strange things in credits as far as writing is concerned.
Story : Mrs Preeti Bedi,
Written by : Sagar Sarhadi
Screen Play : Yash Chopra and Sagar Sarhadi
Dialogue director : Romesh Sharma

Too many people involved in the story are the reasons that story lose continuity at times?

Deven Verma is good as usual in his small role.Sushma Seth was not a known face then and she got recognition by TV serial Hum Log. She plays a small role ably here. Kul Bhushan Kharbanda also plays well his small role.

Why film did not do well at BO ? Was weak story responsible or audience were not ready to see AB in such tear jerker social drama? Or Nation was preparing for Asiad 82, and mood of the nation was not suitable for such film which brings tension to the mind?
1981 was a mixed year for AB’s films, while Kalia, Lawaris and Naseeb were big hits, Yarana and Barsat kee ek raat were average hit and Silsila got an average success.

There are many weaknesses in the film and still Silsila is the film which people watch again and again and this is the success of director Yash Chopra. Silsila reveals that we human beings are shallow and weak. Unless our mind gets awareness and a certain wisdom we do mistakes and bear the consequences. This is not merely a masala film which one can be described as just formula film belonging to escapist cinema. Film invites and forces audience to live moments with the characters and nice music, wonderful performances, a subject which touches the lives of many people and able direction, all components make this film as a classic film. Silsila is entering in to the 26th year and still its magic is continued for audience. Wonder what status of this film could have got if weaknesses of the films were removed.
Silsila may not match with the world class cinema dealing with similar subjects but it caters well with Indian audience as its related to Indian ways of living the life.
One may listen world class singers and discuss them all the time but still a lulaby may carry him/her drowsiness and a folk song may give the equal pleasure. So many things are not made to match competition with best in the world. Silsila is that film. A film of our own.

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