Andaaz

Mehboob Khan's enduring classic is a dark melodrama that's one of Hindi cinema's seminal films. Neeta develops a deep and affectionate friendship with Dilip, but he mistakes their platonic relationship for love and is devastated to discover that Neeta is engaged to Rajan, who is away in London. Neeta and Rajan plan to get married on his return, but Dilip's confession of his love for her on the night of the wedding turns all their lives upside down. Neeta is taken aback, telling Dilip that she only ever thought of him as a friend, and things come to a head when the two men confront each other, with disastrous results. Andaaz was probably the first Hindi film to use the love triangle and also addressed issues of traditional values versus westernisation, the role of women in India in the late 1940s and the boundaries that society imposed on them. The director's genius is evident in the way his sharp understanding of the grammar of filmmaking is combined with a keen sense of observation and an intuitive grasp of human psychology - all qualities that shine so vitally in this work. In Hindi with English subtitles.