''Aman'' is an Indian anti-war movie directed by Mohan Kumar. It starred Rajendra Kumar, Saira Banu, Balraj Sahani and Chetan Anand in lead roles. The movie was also the debut for Naseeruddin Shah who played an uncredited minor role. The movie also features a rare cameo by famous British

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...

. The movie was shot in England and Japan.

Plot

Meloda (

Saira Banu Saira Banu (born 23 August 1944) is a former Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi language films. She was one of the most popular actresses in her heyday in the Indian film industry in the 1960s and early 1970s. Career Saira Banu was the ...

) who was educated in India, speaks Hindi; though she is Japanese. Dr. Gautamdas (

Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the 'Jubil ...

) is a UK trained doctor who volunteers to go to Japan to help deal with the horror of the radiation aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They meet in Japan and the inevitable happens when hero meets heroine. Lord Bertrand Russell in London, gives Gautam his blessings and best wishes for his travel to Japan. Russell, a pacifist and anti-war thinker (who appears in a cameo role) sets the tone of this 1967 film. On arrival in Japan Dr Gautamdas takes up a role in a hospital where Meloda's father Dr Akhira ( Chetan Anand) is director. The storyline takes us through the stark and sometimes gory suffering that radiation victims endured; as a stark reminder of the long term damage caused by atomic weapons. When a group of fishermen are exposed to radiation from French nuclear tests in the Pacific, Dr Gautamdas mounts a daring rescue to help save the fishermen. Battling angry elements Dr. Gautamdas helps the fishermen survive, saving every last one of them - but at what cost? When viewed in the context of India-Japan relationship, beginning with the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, formation of the Indo-Japan Society in 1905 and Japan's support for Subhash Chandra Bose's INA, this film takes on a meaning beyond a love story. It is a cry against the horrors of atomic weapons, the enduring damage they inflict and martyrdom for a cause.

Cast

as Dr. Gautamdas *

as Meloda *

Om Prakash Om Prakash (born Om Prakash Chibber 19 December 1919 – 21 February 1998) was an Indian film actor. He was born in Jammu as Om Prakash Chibber and went on to become a well-known character actor of Bollywood. His most well-known movies are Nam ...

as Hurato *

Balraj Sahni Brigadier Balraj (born Balasegaram Kandiah) was a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Early life Balraj was the fifth and youngest child of Kandiah and Kannagias. He received his primary education in Kokkuthoduwaai ...

as Gautamdas' father *

Jagjit Singh Jagjit Singh (born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman; 8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was an Indian composer, singer and musician. He composed and sang in numerous languages and is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian c ...

(Cameo) *

(Cameo) * Chetan Anand as Dr. Akhira, Meloda's father *

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

as extra in a crowd

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

Shankar Jaikishan Shankar may refer to: People *Shankar (name), including a list of people with the name * Sankar (writer) (Mani Shankar Mukherjee), Bengali writer *L. Shankar, Indian violinist *S. Shankar, Indian film director commonly credited as Shankar *Sankar ...

. {, class="wikitable" , + !Song Title !Singer !Lyricist , - , "Aaj Ki Raat Ye Kaisi Raat Ke Humko Nind Nahi Aati" ,

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

, Saira Banu , Shailendra , - , "Surahidar Gardan Koyal Si Hai Aavaz" , Mohammed Rafi , Hasrat Jaipuri , - , "Ae Husn Pari Chehra" , Mohammed Rafi , Shailendra,

Hasrat Jaipuri Hasrat Jaipuri, born Iqbal Hussain (15 April 1922 – 17 September 1999) was an Indian poet, who wrote in the Hindi and Urdu languages. He was also a renowned film lyricist in Hindi films, where he won the Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricis ...

, - , "Apne Piya Ki Prem Pujarin Karke Baithi Singaar" ,

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

, Hasrat Jaipuri , - , "Aman Kaa Farishtaa Kahaan Jaa Rahaa Hai" , Mohammed Rafi , Hasrat Jaipuri , - , "Mera Watan Japan Kitna Hansi Hai" , Lata Mangeshkar , Hasrat Jaipuri , - , "Jis Raah Se Guzaroon Tu Mere Surahidar Gardan Koyal" (Sad) , Mohammed Rafi , Hasrat Jaipuri , - , "Barbaad Hiroshima Ki Tasveer Dekh Lo" , Mohammed Rafi , Prem Dhawan

References

1967 films Indian war drama films 1960s Hindi-language films Films directed by Mohan Kumar