Parichay (1972) Review: Lots of dramatic and emotional tweaks to "The Sound of Music"

RATING – ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ✨ 3.5/5*

Parichay Review Movie Talkies:

Parichay is slightly different from the Bengali film Jai Jayanti and its Broadway or Hollywood counterparts (whichever version you’ve seen), as it comes with several adaptive changes.

The first major shift is the gender swap of the leading force. Instead of a governess, we have a male teacher. Instead of the man of the house falling in love, it is the eldest daughter who develops feelings for the teacher. Instead of a love triangle, we get a dramatic backstory involving the children’s father and the man of the house.

Parichay (1972) Review:

After all this, the film delivers a solid twist in the end that feels surprisingly good, but the writers eventually return to a “happy ending,” which feels like a compromise over what could have been a superbly bleak conclusion. Instead of meeting the girl and confessing his feelings, the protagonist choosing to leave—accompanied by the song Musafir Hoon Yaaro — feels far more apt, emotional, and meaningful.

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I would have loved to see such an ending for a family film in the 70s, but alas, the typical mindset of writers and directors prevailed, and even Gulzar was no exception.

Parichay Movie Cast:

Jeetendra runs the show effortlessly. This felt quite similar to his work in L.V. Prasad’s Jeene Ki Raah (1969), which I find to be a better film overall due to its wholesome entertainment and music. Pran appears in a challenging role, though nothing was truly challenging for him at that time—he makes it look easy. Jaya Bachchan was an absolute cutie back then; someone please bring that innocence back now!

Parichay Movie Review:

Parichay stays away from intellectual speeches, but there is one scene where Pran’s character utters the word “Parichay,” and it perfectly justifies the film’s title. The film boasts good music, fine cinematography, an engaging screenplay, and steady direction by Gulzar. It’s a pretty entertaining film overall—just that we’ve seen many versions of this story already. Still, this one feels different and original in parts.

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