28th KIFF opening film ‘Abhimaan’ was conceived 18 years before the film was made!

It’s nostalgia all over again for cine buffs as the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival kicks off today. The festival will open with Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s iconic film ‘Abhimaan’ (1973) which had Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in the lead and people are eagerly waiting to see the Bollywood classic on the big screen once again. While the celebrated lead pair floored all with their amazing onscreen chemistry Hrishikesh Mukherjee had once revealed that contrary to what people think, ‘Abhimaan’ was not made with Jaya and Amitabh in mind.

“Innumerable people, both inside and outside the film industry, used to ask me if I had made this film as a guideline or warning to their marriage. My answer is an emphatic 'NO'. When I first thought of the film I didn't even know Amitabh and Jaya. The story of Abhimaan was written some time in 1955, inspired by the marriage of a family friend. About a couple who were professional singers. Their marriage was heading for the rocks. Yes, Abhimaan is their real story! But there's a difference. In the real story, ego did not play as important a part as it did in my film. I added the ego bit for drama. As it turned out it could be the story of any couple pursuing the same profession,” the iconic director had said in an interview.

‘Abhimaan’ is a beautiful story involving many aspects of marriage, success and competition between close and related. In the film, Amitabh Bachchan is a popular singer who falls for and marries a young and talented girl (Jaya) who can also sing. What happens next forms the crux of the story.