Based on Marie Corelli's novel "Vendetta", AFSANA certainly has all the ingredients of the classic Film Noir genre. Veteran Hindi film producer & director B. R. Chopra (in his directorial debut) along with another veteran, I. S. Johar (who wrote the screenplay adaptation without crediting the source), put forth a mesmerizing Hindi film noir with AFSANA. Why this veteran team remade this very film as DASTAAN (1972) 20 years later defies reason. The remake was so incredibly inferior in comparison in spite of the presence of the Tragedy King of Hindi cinema Dilip Kumar.
AFSANA was arguably the last major role as a heroine of actress Veena before her screen career gradually slipped into supporting roles. This was mainly due to the fact that Veena was such a class act that she was really incapable of performing silly song-and-dance routines which became the standard of Hindi films. Keeping this in mind, B. R. Chopra did 2 things which the Hindi cinema audience longed to see: (1) Veena playing a truly vulnerable, mournful character that was a total 180 degree opposite turn from her dragon lady role in the ironically titled DASTAN from the previous year (1950). (2) Veena had played the romantic interest of Ashok Kumar in the 1943 classic NAJMA, in which they play soulful lovers who end up marrying other partners which left audiences unfulfilled. AFSANA was the long overdue film which fulfilled the unfulfilled: Ashok Kumar & Veena playing characters which reunite with each other. Had any other actress been cast in the role of the heroine of this film, this would have indeed been considered a rather bland, depressing part. However, B. R. Chopra remedied this by capturing some of the best screen shots of Veena: She never looked more breathtakingly gorgeous than in this film. An East Indian version of a cross between Paulette Goddard & Hedy Lamarr.
Ashok Kumar proved in this film that he could stand on par with the upcoming Hindi film superstars Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand, who were clearly his junior and undoubtedly inspired by him. His acting talent is equally matched by his charismatic screen presence. Actress Kuldip Kaur had the role to die for in this film and she makes the most of it. Pran is excellent in this film and displays something he almost never had a chance to: An antagonist who is vulnerable. One of Pran's finest roles. And it is a real treat to see the often sinister & devious Jeevan portray a light, comical role in which he has some real scene-stealing dialogue.
What B. R. Chopra achieved in this film begs the question: What happened to him later on in his career as a filmmaker? Directing all those masala potboilers which only had commercial value but very little artistic value. But in this film, B. R. Chopra and I. S. Johar really brought forth a hypnotic tale in AFSANA...65 years later, this film holds the viewer spellbound. An unmistakable testament as to what B. R. Chopra was capable of accomplishing.
