This Khushboo movie review is about another wonderful drama directed by Gulzar. Based on Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay’s Pandit Mashayi and its Bengali film adaptation, it draws you in gradually. The film does not begin by explaining its protagonists’ past. Instead, their history unfolds bit by bit, until you understand that Kusum and Dr. Vrindavan were once meant to marry. Circumstances prevented that marriage, and Kusum was left shattered. She never married, while Vrindavan went on to marry someone else.
Khushboo movie review: Hema Malini and Jeetendra
One of the film’s best choices is its casting. Hema Malini and Jeetendra fit Kusum and Vrindavan beautifully. Hema Malini gives Kusum such a powerful presence that you connect with her almost at once. She can be innocent and cheerful, then quietly wounded or angry when something reminds her of what she has lost. Her expressions change so naturally, especially in her encounters with Vrindavan. The little moments when she notices him, or reacts when things do not go her way, make it clear why she is such a star.
Kusum has always loved Vrindavan. In her heart, she accepted him as her husband and later came to regard his child as her own. She tries to remain cheerful, but her social rejection and the absence of any real acknowledgment of her pain keep pulling her down. She waits for Vrindavan to give her a place in his life, and that longing gnaws at her.
Vrindavan, as played by Jeetendra, is a simple, dedicated man. He seems more at ease with work than with the complications of love or regret. His efforts to help a village struggling with plague show his kindness and commitment. Yet his meetings with Kusum reveal a man torn between the past and the present. There are hints that he still wants her, even as he struggles to understand what she needs from him.
Midway through the film, Vrindavan tells Kusum how his other marriage came about. Sharmila Tagore, in a brief role as the woman he married, gives a powerful performance. In her limited screen time, she makes you feel the life and helplessness of a woman caring for her nani. Her presence adds another layer to Vrindavan’s story.
Gulzar’s direction and the pain of missed chances
I cannot praise Gulzar’s direction and writing enough. Although the story comes from an earlier work, he gives it life through the smallest gestures. Kusum scratching the floor with her toe says as much as a longer conversation might. He captures Vrindavan’s mounting despair as the plague spreads through the village, and he makes you feel for its people while fearing for the two protagonists. The moment when Vrindavan speaks of death snatching a patient from his hands is especially poignant. You can see the despondency in his eyes and feel how much of the suffering lies beyond his control.
The screenplay gives Kusum’s perspective its due. Vrindavan’s family wronged her, yet she has never received a proper apology. His mother seems to expect Kusum to walk into their home as though the past can simply be forgotten. The story sometimes describes Kusum as proud, but it is easy to understand why she cannot just set aside what happened. The real obstacle is the situation they have inherited and their inability to say plainly what they feel.
Kusum often keeps her thoughts to herself, while Vrindavan fails to read what is in her heart. Their expectations remain unspoken. At times, a message does not reach her; at others, his work against the plague consumes him. The film keeps returning to the pain caused by these missed chances to communicate. You can see how close they are to understanding each other, which makes every setback hurt more.
Vrindavan’s little son is an essential part of this story. His innocence helps bring the two together. Gulzar gives him something of little Krishna’s spirit: without trying to solve anything, the child draws out Kusum’s tenderness and helps close the distance between them. She adores him and already feels like a mother to him. The scenes between them make her longing to belong to this family all the more moving.
Again and again, Kusum seems close to going home with Vrindavan, only for something to hold her back. Gulzar weaves culture and the meaning of marriage through that longing. You feel the village’s pain alongside the pain of two people who love each other but cannot fully express it. Gulzar also lets love and social expectation pull against each other in Aandhi.
Khushboo movie review: Final verdict
Khushboo constantly tugs at your heart. You can see the answer to the characters’ problems, and that makes their miscommunication even more painful. They could speak openly and end so much of their suffering, yet they keep falling into the hands of fate.
That tension comes to a head when Vrindavan, after feeling rejected so many times, asks Kusum what he has done wrong. Her answer is devastating: why will he not take her hand and break through her pride, just as she welcomed his son into her home despite his reluctance? The way she speaks about adhikar is one of the film’s most remarkable conversations.
It is heartbreaking to see what it takes for Vrindavan to finally stand up for his feelings and do the right thing. Khushboo is a very good film, and I highly recommend it.
Khushboo
