Product Details

• Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Rekha, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
• Directors: Yash Chopra
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Yash Raj Films
• DVD Release Date: December 5, 2007
• Run Time: 160 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0016GOJVI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,962 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Silsila revolves around lovers who are forced by circumstances to marry different partners but whose desire for each other s love and company pushes them beyond their marriages and the relationship they embark on and the impact of this decision on their personal lives and that of their respective spouses. Amitabh Bachchan as the young fiery poet who cannot accept the loss of his beloved puts in a brilliant performance. His is a performance that is full of contradictions, a man selfless enough to take over on his shoulders someone else s miseries and at the same time, selfish enough to refuse to let go of the girl he loved even though she is married to someone else. This role at the hand of a lesser actor would have become too negative for redemption but the actor manages to walk a delicate tight-rope and keep the character lovable despite his flaws. Rekha as his female counterpart who similarly cannot look beyond the man she loved puts in a moving performance. Our society is a patriarchal society and often the woman is blamed for all the transgressions of men and in such a scenario, it s difficult for an actress to walk the thin rope but Rekha manages to do it with her characteristic élan. Her performance has all the nuances of a virtuoso and she manages to hold her own against veteran and seasoned performers. Jaya Bhaduri as Amitabh s wife pitches in with an impressive mature performance. Her s is the role that requires a deep sense of resignation and hurt that transcends all silence but screams at self.... A difficult performance but the actress manages to pull it off with exceptional ease. No doubt Jaya was considered the most talented actress of her time; a worthy successor to Meena and Nutan and a precursor to Shabana and Smita. Her confrontation with Rekha is a defining moment in the film. Sanjeev Kumar as Rekha s husband pitches in with a bravura performance. The great actor that he was, Sanjeev stands tall among so many excellent performances and his expressions of loss and loss along with his silence are so deafening that you wish he would not have to suffer the indignity heaped on him. His conversation with Jaya in the restaurant is exceptionally brilliant as is his sugar-coated advice to Rekha simply marvelous. Shiv-Hari in their first score for Hindi films come up with some gems of vintage value. While Amitabh is at his effervescent best with Rang Barse a Holi song penned by his father Harivanshrai Bachchan and soothingly soft with Neela Aasmaan , Kishore and Lata combine to give romanticism a new twist with their title song. Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum is another song that describes the predicament of its lead actors effectively. The soliloquy Main Aur Meri Tanhayee by Javed Akhtar is still heard on the streets after 25 years. This is Yash Chopra at his romantic best. Long before Yashraj films became a mass factory producing romantic candyfloss of no value, the director had already proved his capability with some of the best romantic films ever made in India. Silsila is definitely one of them. The director proves why despite a career that began in 1959, he is still a hot draw in 2007 with this sensitive and emotional portrayal of an extra-marital affair. If the film does not become either vulgar or preachy, it s to the credit of the director who knows on where to draw the line and still maintain sensationalism. --mouthshut.com

About the Actor

Amitabh Bachchan, Born in Allahabad ( 11th October 1942) , Uttar Pradesh hails from a Hindu Kayastha family. His father, Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a well-known Hindi poet, while his mother, Teji Bachchan was a Sikh from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan).Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as one of the seven protagonists in Saat Hindustani.The critically acclaimed and commercially successful Anand (1971) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna.Amitabh Bachchan's first big hit happened with Namak Haram in 1973. With Zanjeer also scoring unprecedented box-office collections, the year heralded the arrival of the legend called Amitabh Bachchan.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Taboo Issue in Indian Cinema, December 25, 2006

By 

Gen Res (World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silsila (DVD)

Silsila was made in 1981 and it has the all star cast - Jaya Bachan, Amitabh Bachan, Rekha and Shammi Kapoor. I rented this movie because the songs were really nice. I had just seen Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham a couple of days ago and Jaya Bachan is unrecognizable in this movie.

Amitabh Bachan and Shammi Kapoor are brothers in this movie. There are different love angles in this movie. Basically the movie deals with the issue of adultery which is not talked about openly in India even though it does occur. The movie is 3 hours long but it holds the viewer's attention with the different twists the movie makes. Personally, I didn't agree with some decisions made in the movie, but this movie was still enjoyable overall.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Plot with many holes, December 29, 2009

By 

U. Balu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silsila (DVD)

The credit goes some of the writing skills, Rekha's beauty, three of the songs, and the photography. But there are serious holes in the plot. The story is about a man marrying his recently killed Air Force brother's pregnant fiancee and trying to do his duty as husband. His married old flame walks into his life and they have an affair. The story makes the point that it is not possible to live a socially accepted life if one has a double-life. Eventually the man ends the affair and comes home to his pregnant wife and she accepts him. The wife is pregnant? How did that happen if he was so devoted to his old lover and had a loving relationship with her? Of course, many answers can be guessed, but this is a big hole in the plot that defeats the spirit of the story. The whole plot loses credibility with this 'pregnancy' twist.

The 'holi' dance of the lovers and some of the double-meaning dialogues are plain stupid because they are not subtle. The scene in which the wife confronts her husband's lover is written and acted very well. Amithabh Bhachan looks pretty bad and his dancing is no match for Rekha's Bharatanatyam-based highly scientific skills.

The 'pregnancy weapon' came handy for Jaya Bhachan's character not only for getting married, but for saving the marriage, too!