Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

sri vathsan A filmmaker's flair always lies in presenting a simple story in a visually engaging form that is entrusted with soul,substance and logic.The writers of yesteryear's frankly had little to tell, but whatever they could convey, they warmed us with their utmost honesty in doing so. Hrishikesh Mukherjee was no exception. Simple presentation, beautiful situations, glorious performances is what you expect from such a legend. Here we trace back to a work that aptly glorifies his adeptness in crafting a simple story "Anupama" that's alluring , delicate and equally delicious.Mohan Sharma is a top notch businessman who is gifted with a daughter Uma at the cost of his wife. This very reason transforms him to drink voraciously . He continuously faults her daughter for ruining his happiness. He isolates her, torments her , traumatizes her and yet adores her when drunk. Uma is grown up in an atmosphere where she hesitates to speak, confined to her room and a heart that's filled with sadness. She wants to speak, but won't , she doesn't aspire, desire or expect anything from life.She feels her life was meant to be like this and she couldn't do anything to confront it.Meanwhile, Sharma's friend Bakshi too has a daughter Anita whom he brought up with utmost care and love. She's lively,bubbly and there's nothing that could stop her from being that. Quite a contrast to Uma, she has a lovable father and he fills her world. Moses, a lawyer,another friend of Sharma is a sheer delight and enjoys his life as a bachelor. He's ageing but his thoughts aren't, quite noble at heart these threesome form an awesome group.Arun, a well settled chap comes back from the US who has an able friend in the form of Ashok, a writer who's subtle,crispy and full of heart. He falls for Anita immediately and love sparkles. They're mad, wild and form a chirpy pair. To celebrate togetherness they plan a tour and Ashok along with his sister and mother too accompany them. Uma feels completely out of shape in such a place but Ashok's simplicity aided by his sister and mom warms her. Ashok is puzzled to see such a person who's uncommunicative and aloof at heart. These are the moments that connect them unbreakably and a special bond unleashes. Uma's undergoing transformation and a positive one that too. Will her true self emerge? Will she ever stand up for herself ? The climax provides a series of interesting and intriguing answers to this empowering enigma.As we can learn above, the story is a very delicate one and bad acting or either bad direction could have tarnished such a sensitive script. But having Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore at our disposal we dare expect a blunder. Quality actors mean a lot and this entirely proves it. Enhancing a situation beyond its capacity requires emotions at its natural best and here we see it deliver par excellence. Dharmendra who's underrated for his comedies and simplicity rather than for his loud and booming characters portrays his role with a dignity that's rarely seen. As a struggling writer and an able adviser to Uma, he balances his role with an unqualified ease. In a situation Dharmendra explores a statement " Aap kuch nahin boltein hai, par Aap ki Aankhen sab Kuch kehleti hai". This very much sums up Sharmila Tagore's act. Minimal dialogues, wonderful expressions, she is fantabulous in a role that depicts her capabilities to perfection. The director is very instrumental in extracting such an efficient conduct from her. Tarun Bose as a despotic father is stern and stubborn, he enacts his part impeccably. David provides great relief and moments to laugh out loud in a serious film. Job Well Done! Shashikala infuses life into her role and is extremely lovable. Deven Verma has his moments and he utilises them to good effect. Music by Hemant Kumar is an asset to this movie. "Dheere Dheere Machal ", "Kuch Dil Ne Kaha", "Ya Dil Ki Suno" are compositions which don't come about so often. It stamps a supreme authority and satiates us wholeheartedly. Last but not the least, the master of the game, Hrishikesh Mukherjee is exquisite in harnessing such talent that's aesthetic and soulful.He's literally flawless in his methods and filmmakers of today can learn a thing or two about churning a deft flick that is commercially tangible, creatively satisfying with no level of compromise. He will be surely missed and this sensitive film would sure be one to remember for years to come by(as it is done now). Go for this one rather than settling for plot less flicks that try to be different, but being no good. This is sure to make your time worthy..Grab your copy now.. My Take: 4.5/5

Peter Young Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anupama is a brilliant film about one young girl who is lost within her own world, and about relationships between people from different social classes. Sharmila Tagore plays Uma, whose mother died at her birth. As a result, Uma has lived all her life with her father's reproach and blame for having lost his beloved wife because of her. She grows to be a shy and reticent girl, who remains most of the time silent. The story follows Uma's coming of age as a person mostly because of her relationship with a poor poet named Ashok (Dharmendra).A poignant film portrayed beautifully and realistically, it is a subtle yet powerful episode evidently made with a lot of graciousness and sincerity. Mukherjee's direction is very good and is aided by fantastic cinematography, great editing, very pleasant music, and above all, very well-written dialogues and very well-defined characters. Although many may consider the film too slow and even boring, I didn't find the slow pacing problematic at all. On the contrary, I was engaged by a masterful film with a very interesting portrayal of relationships in different families and most importantly a fair and precise depiction of the social values, gaps and conditions of the times.The film has a great collaborative work by the ensemble cast. Sharmila Tagore delivers a very beautiful restrained performance. Dharmendra is fantastic as the sensitive poet Ashok. Shashikala is extremely likable and funny and makes her presence felt as the vivacious Anita. Ditto for Deven Verma who plays Arun. David provides great comic relief as Uma's father's friend and his stories throughout the film are hilarious. Tarun Bose is great as Uma's father Mohan, and the ever great Durga Khote as Ashok's mother, as well as actress Naina as his sister, provide great support. All in all, I highly recommend this classic to people who like artistic quality films.

Kaaliyaa Besides being a very watchable film, it is a must-have for all serious students of Hindi cinema. The film is dedicated to Bimal Roy (practically the entire crew is comprised of people who worked for Roy) and in this film, Hrishikesh Mukherji's narrative style is clearly reminiscent of Roy's style. Hemant Kumar's music from this film is practically legendary, as are Kaifi Azmi's lyrics. The film has a few flaws -- it starts and ends beautifully, but could have been tightened up around the middle. The lead duo, Sharmila and Dharmendra, are adequately good, but it's the support cast that really carries the film. The director spends time working on the relationships between the cast - Deven Varma and Shashikala, despite (or because of) the latter's slightly annoying excess, have surprisingly good chemistry, and David, doing his classic overgrown bachelor is dependably great. The film is stolen though by Tarun Bose, who plays the lead character's troubled father to perfection.The thing that strikes out about the film is how well it comes together as a whole -- the cinematography, screenplay, the music, the editing and the acting. To the credit of Mukherjee and Roy alike, the film epitomizes the Black & White class drama that so strongly influenced Indian popular cinema in the post-independence era. I cannot recommend the film enough.

HeadleyLamarr I had really fond memories of this film but on revisiting it I was actually taken aback at how many problems it had. The bad: 1. Shashikala played a most exaggerated character and got annoying after a while, plus she acted 18-20 years old and was clearly an older woman.2. The story was melodramatic and exaggerated.The good: 1. It is a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film - loaded with pluses. 2.Sharmila was awesome as Uma - the traumatized silent girl; she was beautiful and extremely competent at showing emotions without words. 3.Dharam was best in the idealist roles. Here he is just so good - often seen in a singlet with holes, and never stylish but always full of his own inimitable style. 4. Tarun Bise, David, Deven Varma all did a good job. 5. The music was fantastic - Bheegi Bheegi fiza, Yaa dil ki suno duniya waalon, Aisi bhi baatein.On balance a good film, watchable for the lead pair, the songs, but surprisingly not one of the best from the maestro.