Koshish

One of Gulzar's finest works (well, in his case every film is one of the finest) is called Koshish. This is a realistic tale of a deaf couple, played to perfection by Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri. The film shows how handicapped and limited people learn to live life to the fullest despite and against their difficulties and defects. They suffer but they love life and try to see their cup as half full. The film follows their life experiences during a period of 25 years or so, presenting their fears, their love, their ups and downs, and their struggle with the tough reality, always overcoming the obstacles with a smile.

Only two hours long, this cinematic piece is thoroughly beautiful and moving. Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri bring two accomplished performances much ahead of those years, played with impressive simplicity and ease. Kumar leads the show, and Bhaduri provides great support. Dina Pathak is also very compelling as Jaya's mother. The film has several heart-breaking moments, which I won't reveal here. It may seem too dark at points. It is naturally devoid of songs or comedy and is very focused, which makes it a tad too serious, but it's artistic and brilliant and should appeal to any sensitive cine-goer.