New Delhi: If director Hrishikesh Mukherjee had had his way, his 1971 classic Anand would have looked a lot different. One of Bollywood’s first superstars Raj Kapoor would have played the title character, and Bengali star Saumitra Chatterjee would have been Dr Bhaskar Banerjee.

However, this wasn’t to be, and Mukherjee turned to the reigning superstar of the time, Rajesh Khanna, and a budding actor, Amitabh Bachchan, with 12 flops in his kitty.

What followed was a movie that proved a career-defining moment for each of the stalwarts associated with it. Mukherjee behind the camera, Gulzar wielding the pen to craft dialogues as only he can, and Mukesh bringing to life some evocative, timeless lyrics written by Yogesh and Gulzar, to tunes composed by Salil Chowdhary.

What followed was a movie that proved a career-defining moment for each of the stalwarts associated with it. Mukherjee behind the camera, Gulzar wielding the pen to craft dialogues as only he can, and Mukesh bringing to life some evocative, timeless lyrics written by Yogesh and Gulzar, to tunes composed by Salil Chowdhary.

While the story was written by Mukherjee, he had help on the screenplay with Gulzar, D.N. Mukherjee and Bimal Dutta.

On screen, Bachchan and Khanna, supported by cameos from a host of fine actors, did their bit to churn out a classic that continues to draw back its army of fans for another viewing (and yet another).

Thursday marks 50 years since Anand was released on 12 March 1971. It was well-received at the box office and went on to become the third-highest grossing film of 1971.

Yet another masterpiece made in Mukherjee’s trademark middle-of-the-road style, the movie is an ode to life itself. Tackling the difficult subject of terminal disease without melodrama, it is not so much a film as a message — “Babumoshay, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin (life should be big, not long).”