/>The end of idealism, and the beginning of compromise is also the culmination of many creative pursuits. One such was Raman Kumar's small slender but immensely large-hearted 1980 film Saath Saath.

The cult film featured Farouq Sheikh as an idealist whose visions crumble as his wife Deepti Naval watches her husband's dreams turn to dust.

It remains Raman Kumar's only genuine work of art comparable with the best coming-of-age end-of-idealism films that came out of the Mumbai film industry between Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Satyakam in 1969 and Sudhir Mishra's Hazaron Khawashien Aisi in 2005.

Now Raman is ready to carry the Saath Saath story forward. "Yes I'm making a sequel to Saath Saath. The idea came to me on New Year's Eve.

Only three friends—Farouq, Honey Irani and me --were together and we were discussing Saath Saath. We brought in the New Year's with the resolution to make the sequel. It will have to feature Farouq and Deepti again.

I've told them I can't make the film without them It's the story of the moral dilemma faced by their son as he inherits a new world in the new millennium. See, a lot has changed since I made Saath Saath 28 years ago. But the basic theme of idealism and its compromise remains unchanged.

I've been personally troubled by the compromises that I've to make as a human-being and an artiste. Television is a very corrupting medium."

Raman has lately locked himself away from the world to write the script for his sequel to Saath Saath.

"It's a thought that I'm completely consumed by. If you remember. the film had outstanding poetry and music by Javed Akhtar and Jagjit Singh.

I've already asked Jagjit to lend me his songs. Kuldeep Singh who composed the music will also be back. I'll also be using portions of the footage in Saath Saath as part of the sequel."

The one thing that Raman is sure about is, this sequel about the compromise of values will have no compromises. "I've told Farouq and Deepti that I'll be producing the film.I'll somehow gather the funds schedule by schedule. No one would be looking at any kind of profit. We're doing this film for the love of the theme."

The film will go on the floors in three months.

Notable Films On The Erosion Of Idealism
Guru Dutt's Pyaasa
Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Satyakam
Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Bemisal
Vijay Anand's Tere Mere Sapne
Raman Kumar's Saath Saath
Rakeysh Mehra's Rang De Basanti
Raj Kumar Hirani's Lage Raho...Munnabhai
Sudhir Mishra's Haazaron Khwaishein Aisi
Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol