How Raj Kapoor's illness inspired Hrishikesh Mukherjee to make 'Anand'

Filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1971 film ‘Anand’, starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, is a classic Hindi film. Despite being over five decades old, it still fills the audience with hope whenever they hear the dialogue, “Babumoshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi.” But did you know Mukherjee drew inspiration for ‘Anand’ from his friendship with actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor?

In a 1998 interview with Rediff, Mukherjee called ‘Anand’ a biographical film as he shared, “I got the idea to make this film after I became friends with Raj Kapoor. In fact, it is a kind of biography. I wrote ‘Anand’ when Raj Kapoor was not well.”

During his illness, Kapoor was never dispirited. He would spread happiness around him instead of showing his pain. Mukherjee instilled the character of Anand, played by Rajesh Khanna, with the same sense of positivity. Also, he modelled the character of Bachchan on himself, a friend who was always worried about losing his friend.

Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in Anand

“He (Raj Kapoor) was suffering from a pulse problem, but he still managed to smile and spread happiness around. I used to think if something happens to him, what will happen to me? We all were worried about him, and he would be smiling always. The same way Amitabh would worry, and Rajesh would brush it off,” Mukherjee remembered.

During the same interview, the renowned filmmaker revealed that ‘Anand’ was made in just 30 days. “I made ‘Anand’ in 30 days, and I was confident of what I shot,” Mukherjee told Rediff.

Though the film was titled ‘Anand’, for Mukherjee, Rajesh Khanna, whom he fondly called ‘Pintu Baba’, was not the lead actor of his film. Instead, he believes it was Bachchan who was the lead hero of ‘Anand’.

Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand.

“He (Bachchan) was the main character because he is there throughout the film, and through him, we get to know the story. Rajesh Khanna was the second main character. I just had to look at Amitabh to know that he was right for the role,” Mukherjee said.

Besides ‘Anand’, Hrishikesh Mukherjee gave Indian cinema gems like ‘Golmaal’, ‘Chupke Chupke’, ‘Anupama’, ‘Mili’, and several others. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2001.

The filmmaker died on August 27, 2006.