In the realm of Indian cinema, where countless stories have touched hearts and shaped cultural narratives, Do Raaste (1969) stands as a timeless beacon of family values, love, and sacrifice. For Sonu Tyagi, Founder of Approach Entertainment and the spiritual initiative Go Spiritual, this cinematic masterpiece transcends its medium, becoming a profound source of personal inspiration and professional guidance.

A Story Rooted in Sacrifice and Family Bonds

Directed by Raj Khosla, Do Raaste explores the intricacies of family dynamics through the story of a joint family struggling with internal and external challenges. With Rajesh Khanna’s magnetic performance as Navendu, Balraj Sahni’s dignified portrayal of a self-sacrificing elder brother, and Mumtaz’s captivating charm, the film weaves a narrative that resonates deeply with Indian values.

For Sonu Tyagi, the film’s enduring message of prioritizing family and embracing selflessness aligns perfectly with his spiritual beliefs. “Sacrifice is the highest form of love,” Tyagi reflects. “In Do Raaste, we see how the family holds together despite conflicts because of the sacrifices made by its members. This is the essence of spirituality—rising above individual desires for the greater good.”

A Personal Connection to Spiritual Values

Having founded Go Spiritual to promote holistic living, mental wellness, and spiritual awareness, Sonu Tyagi sees Do Raaste as a cinematic reflection of his life’s mission. The film’s portrayal of family as a spiritual unit resonates with his belief that true spirituality begins at home.

“At Go Spiritual, we emphasize the importance of family as a cornerstone of emotional and spiritual well-being,” says Sonu Tyagi. “Do Raaste teaches us that spirituality isn’t just about rituals or meditation; it’s about how we treat the people closest to us. When we nurture our family with love and understanding, we create a spiritual sanctuary.”

Timeless Lessons for a Modern World

As society becomes increasingly fast-paced, with traditional family structures often strained, Sonu Tyagi believes that revisiting stories like Do Raaste is essential. “In today’s world, where individualism often takes precedence, this film reminds us of the strength and solace that come from unity and selflessness,” he explains.

The movie’s pivotal moments, such as the sacrifices made by Balraj Sahni’s character to ensure his family’s well-being, serve as a guide for living a life of higher purpose. Tyagi highlights how these acts of love and sacrifice mirror the teachings of spiritual leaders across cultures and eras.

Aesthetic and Emotional Grandeur

Apart from its spiritual depth, Do Raaste also captivates with its brilliant music by Laxmikant–Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Songs like “Yeh Reshmi Zulfein” and “Chhup Gaye Sare Nazare” evoke a sense of nostalgia, while tracks like “Bindiya Chamkegi” carry a celebratory spirit. For Sonu Tyagi, these melodies add a layer of emotional resonance, making the film an unforgettable experience.

“The music of Do Raaste doesn’t just entertain; it elevates the narrative,” Sonu Tyagi observes. “It reminds us of the beauty in life’s simple moments—an essential aspect of spiritual living.”

Guiding Principles for Creative Work

As a filmmaker and producer, Sonu Tyagi has carried the values of Do Raaste into his own projects. Whether it’s directing socially impactful advertising films or producing content through Approach Entertainment, Sonu Tyagi is committed to telling stories that reflect the core themes of love, sacrifice, and unity.

“Good storytelling is transformative,” he says. “Do Raaste inspires me to create content that not only entertains but also enriches lives. Every project we undertake at Approach Entertainment is an attempt to blend creativity with meaning, much like this film.”

The Spiritual Legacy of ‘Do Raaste’

Through Do Raaste, Sonu Tyagi finds a deep connection to the principles of dharma (duty), compassion, and gratitude. As the Founder of Go Spiritual, he has extended these lessons to his initiatives, encouraging individuals to embrace a life of balance and mindfulness.

“Life is a journey, much like the characters’ paths in Do Raaste,” Tyagi concludes. “It’s not about avoiding challenges but facing them with love and resilience. This is the spiritual essence of family life and a lesson that this film teaches beautifully.”

In celebrating the legacy of Do Raaste, Sonu Tyagi not only honors a cinematic masterpiece but also underscores its relevance in today’s world. By intertwining its themes with his work at Approach Entertainment and Go Spiritual, he ensures that its timeless message of love, sacrifice, and togetherness continues to inspire future generations.

Film maker Raj Kapoor’s super hit romantic film ‘Bobby’ has completed 50 years and this occasion takes us down memory lane to recall the success formula of this film. Today, besides the showman even the hero of this film –Rishi Kapoor is not there to witness 50 years of his film and so are other legends like Pran, Premnath, Durga Khote, Radhu Karmakar( cinematographer) and Laxmikant ( from Laxmikant Pyarelal music director duo). But, Dimple Kapadia who played the title role in this film will be happy to witness this happy occasion along with few others like Prem Chpra, Aruna Irani & Farida Jalal.

Even today, if this film is released in theatres, it will invite the young generation in large number. Those days, Filmfare awards were the only popular awards for appreciation and ‘Bobby’ had bagged five filmfare awards at the 21^st Filmfare awards. These awards were for Best actor- Rishi Kapoor, Best actress- Dimple Kapadia, Best Male Playback Singer- Narendra Chanchal, Best Art Direction- A Rangraj & Best Sound Design- Allauddin Khan Qureshi.

The story of this film was about the love between teenagers from Mumbai belonging to different classes i.e.Raj ( Raj Nath) , the son of a rich Hindu businessman ( Pran) and Bobby Braganza (Dimple Kapadia) daughter of Jack Braganza( Premnath) a simple Goan Christian Fisherman. But, the gripping screenplay of this film written by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas and V.P.Sathe, supported by perfect direction of  showman Raj Kapoor and eight memorable songs by music directors Laxmikant-Pyarelal invited all the attention of the audience.

On 10^th of this month, Zee Classic channel  showed Amitabh Bachchan’s super hit film ‘Trishul’ coinciding with his 80^th birthday . Directed by Yash Chopra and produced by Gulshan Rai, this film took me down memory lane, when Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was at the peak of his film career as a super hero and a popular angry young man of Hindi cinema. The character of Vijay Kumar born to a mother ( Waheeda Rehman)  deserted by his rich biological father R.K. Gupta ( Sanjeev Kumar) only to marry a woman, from a rich family.

Having spent his childhood, watching his mother’s struggle, Vijay Kumar decides to teach a lesson to to R.K. Gupta, after his mother’s death. He arrives in Delhi and does all his planning to enter the construction business without a penny in his hand, only with  his determination and self condidence. His famous dialogue written by Salim Javed in this film, while addressing Sanjeev Kumar says a lot of his self confidence.”Mr. R.K. Gupta, Main aap ke saath Panch Lakh ka sauda karne aaya hoon, aur mere Jeb mein panch phuti kavadiyan bhi nahi hai..” This clearly showed the confidence of a promising young man on a mission.”   

‘Trishul’ was a multi starrer film with other popular artistes like Shashi Kapoor, Rakhi, Hema Malini, Sachin, Poonam Dhillon and others, but it was Amitabh Bachchan and his confrontation with Sanjeev Kumar with confident looking dialogues impressed the most .Good music by Khayyam offered some memorable songs like ‘Mohabbat Bade Kaam Ki cheez hai’, ‘Janeman Tum Kamaal Karte ho’,’ Aap Ki Mahekti hui zulf ’, and ‘Gapoochi Gapoochi Gam Gam’ to add more value to this film. Last but not the least, Amitabh Bachchan was nominated in Best Actor’s category for the 26^th Filmfare awards for his performance in this film, besides ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikander’ and ‘Don’ and he bagged the award for ‘Don’. This clearly indicated his rising popularity during that period.

Today, after 44 years, ‘Trishul’ is still remembered as a ‘classic’ film for AB’s performance    , and  is a worth watch on your television screen .

Rating (****)

Directed by Gulzar, written by Kamleshwar and produced by J. Om Prakash & Gulzar, sensible Hindi film ‘Aandhi’ which was a political drama was released on 14^th February 1975. Starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen in lead roles, this film celebrates 47 years.

‘Aandhi’ had won the prestigious Filmfare Best Film (Critics) award, while Sanjeev Kumar won the best actor ( Male) award. The film had received total 7 nominations in different categories. Another highlight of this film was its mesmerising music by Rahul Dev Burman and meaningful lyrics by Gulzar and the combination worked very well. Songs like ‘Tere Bina Zindagi  Se…’ , ‘Tum Aa Gaye Ho Noor…’, Ess Mod Se Jate hai…’ are still fresh in our memory even after 47 years.

After the release of ‘Zanjeer’ Amitabh Bachchan had suddenly emerges as the new angry young man of Hindi films. And therefore, 18 months later when Yash Chopra’s film ‘Deewaar’ was released on 24^th January 1975, all eyes were on this hero, who became more popular with his character of Vijay Verma, who rises from a humble dockyard worker to a powerful smuggler. At one point he faces the challenge from his brother, who comes to know of his deeds and asks him to surrender. Their dear mother also suggests him the same and prefers to stay with her Police Inspector son played by Shashi Kapoor who is a duty bound young police officer.

The film is known for its well presented screenplay and powerful dialogues written by popular pair Salim-Javed. ‘Deewar’ did very good business at the box office and is still watched on social media as one of the best films of director Yash Chopra. Yesterday 24^th January, the film celebrated 47 years since its release and taking us down memory lane with those famous dialogues of Mr. Bachchan in this film. This film had won seven filmfare awards with Amitabh Bachchan declared as best actor and Shashi Kapoor ( who played his brother) and Nirupa Roy ( who played his mother) bagging the best supporting actor and actress awards respectively.

Some films remain in your memory even five decades after their release. ‘Sachha Jhutha’ is one of them. Though this film was released in May 1970 in other territories, it was released in Mumbai on 25^th September 1970. Now, after 51 years, this film reminds us of the good old days of Superstar Rajesh Khanna. This film is also one of those 17 consecutive hit films Rajesh Khanna gave between 1968 and 1971. Produced by Vinod Doshi and directed by Manmohan Desai, this film besides Rajesh Khanna had Mumtaz and Vinod Khanna in lead roles and Naaz played the important emotion filled role of Rajesh Khanna’s sister.  

Rajesh Khanna’s double role was the highlight of this film, as his well wishers enjoyed watching him as Bhola the hero and a Ranjit Kumar as villain on the screen from start till end. But, at the3 same time Vinod Khanna’s CID Inspector Pradhan was equally impressive with Mumtaz also playing a CID inspector for a change. The five songs in this film composed by Kalyanji Anandji also became popular to add to film’s success. Last but not the least, it was the magic of Manmohan Desai who very well knew the taste of the audience those days.

Released on 23^rd July 1971, Sunil Dutt’s film ‘Reshma aur Shera’ has completed 50 years. Produced and directed by Sunil Dutt under his banner Ajanta Arts, this film had Waheeda Rehman and Sunil Dutt playing the title characters of Reshma and Shera respectively. But, this film also had Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan , Rakhee, Ranjeet, K.N.Singh and Sulochana Didi, a in important roles.

This film was acclaimed by national and international critics and was nominated at the 22^nd Berlin International film festival. It was also selected as Indian entry in the best foreign language film at the 44^th Academy Awards. ‘Reshma aur Shera’ won three national awards, i.e. Best actress- Waheeda Rehman, Best music- Jaidev and best Cinematography – Ramachandra; which was a big honour. Most of the shooting of this film had taken place in the deserts of Rajasthan. Though actors Sunil Dutt and Vinod Khanna are no more amongst us today, it’s a big honour for other living legends like Waheeda Rehman, Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhee, Ranjeet and Sulochana Didi,  to watch their film celebrating 50 years.

Produced by Lalit Kala Mandir and directed by Arabind Sen film ‘Maryada’ has completed 50^th Golden Jubilee year. This film starring popular artistes Mala Sinha, Rajesh Khanna and Raaj Kumar was released on 16^th July  1971 and was one of the 17 consecutive hit films of Rajesh Khanna between the period 1969 to 1971. Actually, other 15 films were Rajesh Khanna’s solo hero films and this film and Andaz had him in parallel roles with other heroes.

Written by Satish Bhatnagar on the story of Surhid Kar, ‘Maryada’ was a tragedy based film, but Kalyanji Anandji’s music provided musical entertainment with popular singers like Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle providing some memorable songs, which had become very popular those days. Special mention for songs like ‘Zuban Pe dard bhari dastaan…’ by Mukesh, ‘Gussa Itna haseen …’ by Kishoreda, Mohabbat Ke suhane din..’ by Mohammed Rafi and ‘Chupke se Dil de de…’ by Kishore/ Lata; which are still fresh in our memory even after 50 years. Today, both the heroes are no more with us. So, let us wish the lead actress Mala Sinha on this occasion.

15^th June 2001 was a big day for directors Ashutosh Govarikar and Anil Sharma and also two popular actors of that period, namely Aamir Khan and Sunny Deol. Their films ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Gadar- Ek Prem Kahani’ were released on this day. Both were big banner films and had different subjects. It was very difficult to predict which film would achieve success at Box office. But, both the films turned out to be Super hits.

Both these films created new records. Hindi Film lovers enjoyed watching these two films in cinema halls with full house on many occasions, because of their well presented screenplay and music. ‘Lagaan’ was also  India’s entry to Oscars and getting the nomination was a big achievement on Global platform.  Moreover, ‘Lagaan’ also won maximum awards at the prestigious Filmfare awards, in spite of competition from films like ‘Gadar’,’Dil Chahata Hai’ ‘Asoka’ and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’. 15^th June takes us down memory lane and revives our memories about their joint releases on this day.

Super star of yesteryears Rajesh Khanna’s film ‘Apna Desh’ which was a remake of 1969 Telugu film ‘Kathanayakudu’ has entered its 50^th year, since its release on 26^th May 1972. Now, celebrating its Golden Jubilee year, this film was a box office hit those days and celebrated Silver Jubilee. The reason of the film’s success was obviously Rajesh Khanna’s rising popularity, having given 15 consecutive hit films earlier during the period 1969 to 1971.

Moreover, along with his co star in this film Mumtaz, he had given hit films earlier like ‘Do Raaste’,’Bandhan’,’Sachha Jhutha’, & ‘Dushman’. The songs of this film had also popularised those days with Music director of the film R.D. Burman also offering playback with Asha Bhosle for the hit song  ‘Duniya Mein Logon Ko…’ . Produced by Venus Pictures and directed by Jambu, this film which also stars Om Prakash, Jagdeep, Madan Puri, Manmohan Krishna, Kanhaiyalal and others and is available for viewing on Zee 5 app.