* 1972: Filmfare Best Movie Award:Hrishikesh Mukherjee, N.C. Sippy * 1972: Filmfare Best Actor Award: Rajesh Khanna * 1972: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award: Amitabh Bachchan * 1972: Filmfare Best Dialogue Award: Gulzar * 1972: Filmfare Best Editing Award: Hrishikesh Mukherjee * 1972: Filmfare Best Story Award: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Plot outline

The film is about Anand Sehgal [Rajesh Khanna][in Hindi Hapiness], a cancer [lymphosarcoma of the intestine] patient who, despite knowing this fact, believes in living his life to the fullest. He comes to Mumbai to meet his friend Tipathi and to live his last days in Mumbai. Contrasting Anand is Bhaskar Banarjee [Amitabh Bachchan], a sober doctor, upset with life and the dark reality of his nation. Bhaskars tête-a-tête with Anand makes him notice the colours behind all the despair and complexity in ones life and teaches him a lesson. After spreading happiness everywhere around himself and changing the lives of many, Anand as destined, leaves them all, which inspires Bhaskar to write a book on his life. The film is a narrative, as Bhaskar writes in his diary about his life before Anand, his first meeting, how his relationship with him changes from a doctor-patient to a friend, and then to a friend for which he can do anything, and how a dying man leaves his thinking HAS changed to such a great extent .

The making

The film was originally supposed to star famous Bollywood actors Kishore Kumar and Mehmood in the lead roles. One of the producers of the film, N.C. Sippy, had earlier served as Mehmoods production manager. The character Babu Moshai was to be played by Mehmood. Hrishikesh was asked to meet Kishore Kumar to discuss the project. However, when Hrishikesh Mukherjee went to Kishore Kumars house, he was driven away by the gatekeeper due to a misunderstanding. Kishore Kumar [himself a Bengali] had done a stage show organized by another Bengali man, and he was involved in a fight with this man over money matters. He had instructed his gatekeeper to drive away this "Bengali", if he ever visited the house. When Hrishikesh Mukherjee [also a Bengali] went to Kishore Kumars house, the gatekeeper drove him away, mistaking him for the "Bengali" that Kishore Kumar had asked him to drive away. The incident hurt Hrishikesh Mukherjee so much, that he decided not to work with Kishore Kumar. Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well, and new actors [Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan] were signed up for the film. The character of Anand was inspired by Raj Kapoor, who use to call Hrishikesh Mukherjee as "Babu Moshay". The film is dedicated to Raj Kapoor and the people of Bombay. Later, Anand was remade in Malayalam, with the name Chitrashalabham [butterfly] starring Jayaram and Biju Menon.