Sangam (1964 Hindi film)

Sangam (transl. Confluence) is a 1964 Indian epic romantic musical drama directed, produced and edited by Raj Kapoor at R. K. Studios, written by Inder Raj Anand, and distributed by R. K. Films with Mehboob Studio and Filmistan. It stars Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar in lead roles, along with Iftekhar, Raj Mehra, Nana Palsikar, Lalita Pawar, Achala Sachdev, Hari Shivdasani in supporting roles. It tells the story of a pilot Sundar (Kapoor), who upon returning home from war after being assumed dead, weds the woman Radha (Vyjayanthimala) he had long loved, unaware that she had been planning to marry his best friend Gopal (Kumar).

Sangam was the first Indian film to be exclusively shot abroad on locations including London, Paris and Switzerland, and was also among the most expensive film of its time with the longest runtime for an Indian film up to that time. The film explores themes of love, loyalty, sacrifice, and the consequences of choices made in relationships. It portrays the conflicts and emotional turmoil faced by the characters as they navigate their complicated circumstances. The film was considered bold and much ahead of its time due to its storyline and characterizations. All these things immensely contributed to the box office success of the film.

Sangam released on 26 June 1964. It emerged as a major commercial success, grossing ₹8 crore worldwide, ranking as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, and the second highest-grossing film of the decade behind Mughal-E-Azam (1960).

Internationally, the film was released in the Soviet Union in 1964. It inspired Michael Bay's War film Pearl Harbor (2001) and was remade in Telugu and Kannada languages as Swapna (1981) by Dasari Narayana Rao.