'Ek Duuje Ke Liye' turns 40: Four reasons that make Kamal Haasan-Rati Agnihotri's movie an evergreen classic

The film, directed by K Balachander, marked Kamal Haasan's Bollywood debut

Ek Duuje Ke Liye was arguably one of the finest movies of the 1980s and established Kamal Haasan as a force to be reckoned with in Bollywood. On Saturday, as filmmaker K Balachander's classic turns 40, here is a look at the romantic drama.

Gripping story

The film was an adaptation of the director's popular 1978 movie Maro Charitra, and revolved around what happens when a Tamil man, played by Kamal, falls in love with a woman from a North Indian family, essayed by Rati Agniothri. The promising plot reached its potential as the screenplay was commercial and thought-provoking at the same time. The characters were fleshed out, which made it easier for the viewers to understand the culture dynamics at play.

Kamal's engaging performance

Ek Duuje Ke Liye marked Kamal's Bollywood debut. 'Ulaga Nayagan', who starred in the Telugu version as well, did justice to the intense emotional romantic sequences by chanelling the innocence and vulnerabily he had previously shown in his Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal. His accented Hindi, which many thought would act as a hindrance, proved to be his biggest asset as it added authenticity to the character. It was, however, his chemistry with Rati Agnihotri that proved to be the biggest highlight and backbone of the romantic saga.

Evergreen songs

Ek Duuje Ke Liye featured several memorable numbers -- right from the Hum Bane Tum Bane to Mere Jeevan Saathi, which soon attained cult status. The positive response to the soundtrack established singer S.P Balasubrahmanyam as a household name in the Hindi belt. SPB would go on enthrall movie buffs with his songs in films such as Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and The Gentleman.

Shocking climax

The defining characteristic of most classic love stories -- right from Romeo-Juliet to Heer-Ranjha -- is that they end on a heartbreaking note. Ek Duuje Ke Liye was no exception, as Kamal and Rati Agnihotri's characters, who were separated by circumstances, died in the tragic climax to 'unite in death'.