Koshish

Starring: Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhadhuri Director: Gulzar Rating: 2/5 Rewatchability Index: 3/5

A simple boy-meets-girl-falls-in-love story. The twist being that the boy and girl are both deaf and dumb. No villians, and very simplistic. The story does not really touch up on the problems faced by such a couple. The recent Khamoshi does a lot more in highlighting problems faced by a hearing-impaired couple, and the family.

Koshish is more a fable which tells you that if you work hard, no impairment stands in your way. The character of Sanjeev Kumar works hard and he keeps getting promoted. Just as you start feeling good for him, his boss asks him whether their kids can be married. The catch being that the boss’ daughter is speech-impaired. That undermines all the acheivements of the protagonist. It would seem like his growth was facilitated by his boss’ proximity to the impairment and also his boss’ need for a son-in-law.

However, like all Gulzar movies, this one too is a feel-good movie, and in keeping with the Gulzar tradition, it is also a very shallow one. Almost appearing afraid of peeping beneath the surface of the problem at hand.