Taxi Driver

Dev Anand had become a superstar with Baazi(1951) and Jaal(1952) but his company Navketan was not in good financial health. The commercial gains of Baazi were undone by the failure of Aandhiyan and Humsafar.The company needed a big commercial hit for which the entire Anand family got together and produced a blockbuster hit in 35 days continuous shooting with an éclair camera strapped to a car.They shot in the daytime on the roads of Mumbai City and dubbed in the evenings.There were just two sets- one of the café, and the other of the room in which the hero lives.Uma Anand and Goldie( who is also credited for the dialogues) co-wrote the story and Chetan Saab directed the movie- he had to modify his usual style to suit the requirements of the commercial cinema.The movie had so many strong areas- first, the plot- a village girl comes to Mumbai to become a singer, gets lost, and meets a bindaas taxi driver who protects her from the evil world. They are so different from each other but the opposites attract and they become friends and then lovers; second, the great chemistry between the handsome hero Dev Anand and his soon to be wife-gorgeous Kalpana Kartik ( In fact, one fine morning, they vanished from the sets and got married);third, the driver and cleaner friends of the hero-particularly-Johny Walker; fourth the latest beauty queen from Shimla- Sheila Ramani- who played the bar girl Sylvie to the perfection ( Do you recall her low shoulder dresses in Dil Se Milake Dil song); and last but not the least- the music by SD Burman (who can be regarded as an extension of Anand family),the golden voice of Talat in Jayen To Jaye Kahan and that of Kishore in Chahe Koi Khush Ho , and the lyrics by the prince of poetry Sahir- particularly the carefree socialistic mood in the lines like- Bhav Agar Badha Bhi Dale Sethia To Gum Na Kar, Khaye Ja Maje Ke Saath Jab Talak Udhar De.