Agar Tum Na Hote
Encyclopedia
Agar Tum Na Hote is a 1983
Indian
Bollywood
film directed by Lekh Tandon. The film stars Rajesh Khanna
, Rekha and Raj Babbar
in leading roles.
, is a wealthy industrialist, whose business produces cosmetic products. He is happily married to Purnima, played by Rekha, but she suffers complications after giving birth to their daughter, and the doctors are not able to save her life, leaving Ashok devastated. He is able to pull himself together and rediscover his will to live only because of his obligation to his daughter, Mini.
Several years pass, and Ashok is able to resume his life as normal, except that he is unable to handle Mini’s (played now by Baby Shabana) envious pining for a mother to love her the way other children’s mothers love them. He is forced to lie to satisfy her, saying that it is possible that her mother will return from “God’s house
”. Eventually, Mini becomes frustrated with waiting for her mother to return to her, and her behavior degrades severely, to the point that no school is willing to teach her, nor is any governess willing to deal with her.
Meanwhile, Ashok’s business, while fairly successful, is unable to adequately compete with foreign cosmetics companies, because of their general superiority to Indian companies in the way of advertising. He hires Raj Bedi, a successful photographer in the modeling industry, played by Raj Babbar
, to run his new advertising campaign. Mr. Bedi willingly accepts, as Ashok is one of few Indian businessmen willing to pay Bedi’s steep prices. Mr. Bedi finds a beautiful woman, named Radha, also played by Rekha, while scouting for model at the beach.
At first, Radha is reluctant, but eventually Mr. Bedi is able to convince her to model for him in the Ashok Mehra campaign. Over the course of the project, the two fall in love, and eventually wed. Because Ashok Mehra’s model has now become his wife, Mr. Bedi is unwilling to give him the photos, and sells all of his personal possessions to arrange for the cost of backing out of the contract. Mr. Bedi’s reputation is ruined by Ashok as a result of this incomplete project, and his career takes a nosedive.
In time, Mr. Bedi is able to build a modest, but decent life for Radha and himself by taking on small jobs. However, even this modest life is threatened when Mr. Bedi, in going to extreme lengths to take the best photos possible for a particular project, suffers a crippling fall. Radha decides to take on a job in order to run the house and save money for her husband’s treatment, but no one is willing to hire a married woman, whose primary focus will be her husband rather than her job. Eventually, she decides she is willing to lie about her marital status to get a job. Her job search leads her to Ashok Mehra’s office, where his associates are looking for a governess for Mini. She is offered the position instantly based on her uncanny resemblance to the late Mrs. Purnima Mehra, although this fact is hidden from her; his business manager, Shakur Ahmed, played by Madan Puri
, simply tells her that he has a great feeling about her. Unwilling at first, holding Mr. Mehra responsible for her and her husband’s current situation, she is forced to accept the position, because Ashok’s associates are offering her far more money than she can make anywhere else.
At first, Mini displays her usual poor behavior, but after watching Radha’s perseverance through her antics and devotion to her, and finally realizing that her mother will never return, Mini comes to feel that the void left by her mother has been filled. Even Ashok begins to feel that the void in his life is similarly being filled, and, being unaware that Radha is married, falls in love with her.
As the relation between Radha and Mini grows beyond a professional one, and as Radha continues to keep her bedridden husband in the dark as to the details of her job, Mr. Bedi begins to suspect his wife’s marital integrity. Ashok’s attempts to grow closer to Radha, and Bedi’s interloping friend Chandu, played by Asrani
, only serve to add to his suspicions. After a heated confrontation between Ashok, Mr. Bedi, and Radha, her and Mini’s relationship comes to an abrupt end.
Ashok is unable to handle his obligation as a father to quell Mini’s obvious frustration with being deprived, once again, of a mother’s love, and sends her to live in a hostel. Another confrontation occurs between Radha and Ashok, and the two parties officially sever all ties.
Feeling guilty for judging Radha as selfish, and feeling a sense of obligation to her for giving his daughter a mother’s love, Ashok learns that a lottery ticket that Radha had purchased through him has won the jackpot, and sends Shakur Ahmed to deliver her prize on his behalf. The lottery winnings are enough to pay for Mr. Bedi to be treated in America. Ashok meets the couple at the airport, and misconceptions between the three are cleared up. The movie ends with Ashok taking advantage of a delay in the Bedis’ flight to arrange for the adoption of Mini by Mr. and Mrs. Bedi, as he is unable to give her the love she desires and deserves. The last line of the movie is delivered painfully by Ashok Mehra, directed at both of Rekha’s characters: “I Loved you once, but lost you twice.”
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
Indian
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film directed by Lekh Tandon. The film stars Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
, Rekha and Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
in leading roles.
Story
Ashok Mehra, played by Rajesh KhannaRajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
, is a wealthy industrialist, whose business produces cosmetic products. He is happily married to Purnima, played by Rekha, but she suffers complications after giving birth to their daughter, and the doctors are not able to save her life, leaving Ashok devastated. He is able to pull himself together and rediscover his will to live only because of his obligation to his daughter, Mini.
Several years pass, and Ashok is able to resume his life as normal, except that he is unable to handle Mini’s (played now by Baby Shabana) envious pining for a mother to love her the way other children’s mothers love them. He is forced to lie to satisfy her, saying that it is possible that her mother will return from “God’s house
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
”. Eventually, Mini becomes frustrated with waiting for her mother to return to her, and her behavior degrades severely, to the point that no school is willing to teach her, nor is any governess willing to deal with her.
Meanwhile, Ashok’s business, while fairly successful, is unable to adequately compete with foreign cosmetics companies, because of their general superiority to Indian companies in the way of advertising. He hires Raj Bedi, a successful photographer in the modeling industry, played by Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
, to run his new advertising campaign. Mr. Bedi willingly accepts, as Ashok is one of few Indian businessmen willing to pay Bedi’s steep prices. Mr. Bedi finds a beautiful woman, named Radha, also played by Rekha, while scouting for model at the beach.
At first, Radha is reluctant, but eventually Mr. Bedi is able to convince her to model for him in the Ashok Mehra campaign. Over the course of the project, the two fall in love, and eventually wed. Because Ashok Mehra’s model has now become his wife, Mr. Bedi is unwilling to give him the photos, and sells all of his personal possessions to arrange for the cost of backing out of the contract. Mr. Bedi’s reputation is ruined by Ashok as a result of this incomplete project, and his career takes a nosedive.
In time, Mr. Bedi is able to build a modest, but decent life for Radha and himself by taking on small jobs. However, even this modest life is threatened when Mr. Bedi, in going to extreme lengths to take the best photos possible for a particular project, suffers a crippling fall. Radha decides to take on a job in order to run the house and save money for her husband’s treatment, but no one is willing to hire a married woman, whose primary focus will be her husband rather than her job. Eventually, she decides she is willing to lie about her marital status to get a job. Her job search leads her to Ashok Mehra’s office, where his associates are looking for a governess for Mini. She is offered the position instantly based on her uncanny resemblance to the late Mrs. Purnima Mehra, although this fact is hidden from her; his business manager, Shakur Ahmed, played by Madan Puri
Madan Puri
Madan Puri was an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films.-Early life:Madan Singh Puri was born in Nawanshahr, Punjab to S. Nihal Singh Puri and Ved Kaur...
, simply tells her that he has a great feeling about her. Unwilling at first, holding Mr. Mehra responsible for her and her husband’s current situation, she is forced to accept the position, because Ashok’s associates are offering her far more money than she can make anywhere else.
At first, Mini displays her usual poor behavior, but after watching Radha’s perseverance through her antics and devotion to her, and finally realizing that her mother will never return, Mini comes to feel that the void left by her mother has been filled. Even Ashok begins to feel that the void in his life is similarly being filled, and, being unaware that Radha is married, falls in love with her.
As the relation between Radha and Mini grows beyond a professional one, and as Radha continues to keep her bedridden husband in the dark as to the details of her job, Mr. Bedi begins to suspect his wife’s marital integrity. Ashok’s attempts to grow closer to Radha, and Bedi’s interloping friend Chandu, played by Asrani
Asrani
Govardhan Asrani , popularly known simply as Asrani, is an actor in Indian films whose Bollywood career has spanned over 35 years. His wife Manju Bansal is an actress.-Early life:...
, only serve to add to his suspicions. After a heated confrontation between Ashok, Mr. Bedi, and Radha, her and Mini’s relationship comes to an abrupt end.
Ashok is unable to handle his obligation as a father to quell Mini’s obvious frustration with being deprived, once again, of a mother’s love, and sends her to live in a hostel. Another confrontation occurs between Radha and Ashok, and the two parties officially sever all ties.
Feeling guilty for judging Radha as selfish, and feeling a sense of obligation to her for giving his daughter a mother’s love, Ashok learns that a lottery ticket that Radha had purchased through him has won the jackpot, and sends Shakur Ahmed to deliver her prize on his behalf. The lottery winnings are enough to pay for Mr. Bedi to be treated in America. Ashok meets the couple at the airport, and misconceptions between the three are cleared up. The movie ends with Ashok taking advantage of a delay in the Bedis’ flight to arrange for the adoption of Mini by Mr. and Mrs. Bedi, as he is unable to give her the love she desires and deserves. The last line of the movie is delivered painfully by Ashok Mehra, directed at both of Rekha’s characters: “I Loved you once, but lost you twice.”
Cast
- Rajesh KhannaRajesh KhannaRajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
… Ashok Mehra - Rekha … Purnima Mehra/Radha Bedi
- Baby Shabana … Mini Mehra
- Raj BabbarRaj BabbarRaj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
… Raj Bedi - Madan PuriMadan PuriMadan Puri was an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films.-Early life:Madan Singh Puri was born in Nawanshahr, Punjab to S. Nihal Singh Puri and Ved Kaur...
… Shakur Ahmed - AsraniAsraniGovardhan Asrani , popularly known simply as Asrani, is an actor in Indian films whose Bollywood career has spanned over 35 years. His wife Manju Bansal is an actress.-Early life:...
… Chandu
Music
- Agar Tum Na Hote – Kishore KumarKishore KumarKishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
, Lata MangeshkarLata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional... - Agar Tum Na Hote – Lata MangeshkarLata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
- Dheere Dheere Zara Zara – Asha BhosleAsha BhosleAsha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
- Hum To Hai Chhui Mui – Lata MangeshkarLata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
- Kal To Sunday Ki Chhuti – Shailendra Singh, Rekha
- Sach Hai Yeh Koi – Kishore KumarKishore KumarKishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...