'Amar' is very much a typical film of the 50s. The screenplay, though interesting is very flawed leaving several plot holes. The editing is quite messy in places. In the first half, it moves at a sluggish pace but in most of the second half, it jumps from scene to scene at a rapid pace that actually ended up confusing me. Even though it is a very melodramatic, the background score is extremely intrusive. Songs are very nice but excessive and really stretch screenplay (it's a long film). Characterisation also suffers. The Jayant character at times seems evil and at times seems kind-hearted. Even Nimmi's character suffers due to poor writing. She's a very poor but cheerful hyperactive wild village peasant. When she gets raped (by none other than the man she's attracted to), we see her pain and confusion but later she is shown to fall in love with her rapist (something that was quite common in older Bollywood films. This may be because she forgave him when Amar admitted to her at her wedding ceremony that he didn't have the guts to admit the truth but a lot more was needed to show the development of her feelings.
A few scenes have been brilliantly shot. For example, the scene at Sonia's wedding ceremony with the three main leads, the scenes between Nimmi and Madhubala, and the scene where Nimmi hides underwater to save herself from the evil Jayant. Performances are great too, especially the two leading ladies. Though one might say that Nimmi is loud and tends to go overboard, I thought she played the character with complete ease and did nothing short of a fine job. Madhubala does an equally wonderful job. One of the other things that stand out is the contrast director Mehboob Khan shows between these two characters. One is that of a wealthy, calm, gentle and helpful lady and the other a poor but cheerful energetic young lass. Dilip Kumar does well in most parts but sometimes he seems to have difficulty with his emotional expressions. However, he conveys Amar's guilt with gusto. So what really do stand out are the performances and the nice songs (but they're too much). I'd recommend it to fans of the actors. As for Mehboob Khan, his unforgettable 'Mother India' stands on a much higher pedestal than 'Amar'.
