Aashirwad

Aashirwad is quite different from the usual Hrishikesh Mukherjee films we are used to watching, being somewhat more emotional. Some sequences like the ending were melodramatic yet the film is very effective. Like most of Mukherjee's movies, this one is authentic, simple and not overly lengthy. I enjoyed it, but I somehow expected something else despite the fact that this is definitely a worthy picture. I did not understand why Ashok Kumar's character had to give himself up in court when everyone was trying to save him from jail. He killed a man out of self defense while also protecting a young woman who was molested, and preferred to get punished and imprisoned. Such moral sacrifices are very hard to believe. Nonetheless, Ashok Kumar was outstanding as the loving father who gets jailed and as a result fears to meet again his daughter whom he has been waiting to see as he realises her contempt for criminals. He was thoroughly likable, and his graciousness, humane values and love for children were aptly displayed, as was his yearning to see his daughter and bless her upon marriage. There were some very nice poetry sequences in it written by his character for his daughter while in prison, and the music is also good. I quite liked Kumar's rap song. Sanjeev Kumar was also very natural as the doctor of the jail and Ashok Kumar's future son in-law. The ending is, as already mentioned, melodramatic but it does move you. My favourite scene is the one in which Kumar meets his daughter when she visits her fiancée and runs away as he knows of her loath for convicts, while she stops him and asks him to stay and have a chat with her. All in all, an altogether moving piece by the great Mukherjee.