April 1963. The well-known British filmmaker David Lean was leaving Los Angeles by an ocean liner for London when his Hollywood agent handed over a thick book for him to read during the voyage. Lean was somewhat scared by the weight of the book but as he began to read he was totally absorbed. Losing sleep he read it at a stretch wiping the tears rolling down his cheeks. When he finished the book in mid ocean, he had made up his mind to film it. The book was `Dr. Zhivago`, which won a Nobel prize for author Boris Pasternak. The Italian producer Carlo Ponti, Sophia Loren’s husband, already owned the screen rights.

Lean invited his friend, the noted British playwright and screenwriter, Robert Bolt to write the screenplay. Lean was notorious for his slow working methods. Dr. Zhivago was no exception. Bolt wrote many drafts before a workable screenplay acceptable to Lean was ready. The length of the novel, the periods of the convoluted tale, interconnecting stories, the many characters, the frequent time shifts and all made the script writing much tougher for Bolt. Indeed he told Lean, "that bugger Pasternak, it’s like straightening cobwebs!"

Expectedly casting the movie posed problems for David Lean who was fastidious in his movie-making especially in his choice of cast and locations. In this film Lara was the most important character and Lean knew that the success of the film would depend on who played Lara. At first he was scared that the producer Carlo Ponti would prefer his wife Sophia Loren to play the role. Lean felt that she was totally unsuitable for the role and would detract from the emotional depth of Laura’s character. However Ponti never mentioned his wife's name.

Lara was young, youthful and innocent and blandly virginal. So Lean looked around for an actress with such qualities and also screen presence. Many names were suggested including Jane Fonda, and Sarah Miles, the British star. And then came Julie Christie. Lean felt at his first glance of her that she was Lara!

Julie Christie (born 1940, in India) is one of the leading British actresses who made a splash with the 1963 hit film Billy Liar. It was in this film that Lean saw her and fell in love with her! Her other movies are Darling (1965, she won the Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ and also the British Film Academy Award.), Far From The Madding Crowd (1967), McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971, Oscar nomination), Don't Look Now (1974), Heat and Dust (1983) and others.

Pasha, the idealistic young Bolshevik who soon 'morphs’ into a tyrant under the new name ‘Sterlnikov’ was another character for which Bolt favored the British star Albert Finney. As he had rejected the lead role in Lawrence of Arabia Lean negatived the choice and Tom Courtney was cast. He had played the lead against Julie Christie in Billy Liar.

Another important role was Komarovsky. Lean was anxious to rope in Marlan Brando and when he declined James Mason was ticked but he too rejected the offer. Finally the role went to Rod Steiger. For Tanya (Zhivago’s wife) Lean was anxious to get Audrey Hepburn but she was not interested in the role or working with an exacting director like Lean! In an inspired moment Charlie Chaplin's daughter Geraldine Chaplin was cast.

And for Zhivago? Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ((MGM)) who bankrolled the movie wanted to cast the top Hollywood star Paul Newman in the title role but Lean rejected him. Other names considered included Burt Lancaster. Finally the Egyptian star and handsome actor Omar Sharif came on board.

After the casting problems were solved David Lean took up the challenge of finding the locations utterly realistic and equivalent to those in the Pasternak novel. The Russian writer had devoted several pages to describe the beauty of nature, the landscape and other attractions and Lean’s visual eye was eager to instill his film with the splendor that was merely described with words in the book. Ideally the movie should be shot in Soviet Russia but politically it was impossible. There were cold winters and snowfall situations in the book and Carlo Ponti suggested Yugoslavia mainly because it would be cheaper to shoot there. But Lean did not agree and decided to shoot the movie in Spain. Outside Madrid Lean erected a stunning set of the city of Moscow. The Kremlin, streets, shops, side streets, factories, tram car-lines and more.

Like most of David Lean’s classic movies the making of Dr. Zhivago was also a saga of human endeavor, indefatigable inputs, creative energy of hundreds of men and women and of course millions of dollars. When a snow fall sequence shot in Spain in winter was not fully satisfactory David Lean went to Finland where there was more snow to shoot the sequence. Such was the famed director’s passion for Cinema.

Dr Zhivago tells the stirring tale of the years before, during and after the Russian Revolution, as seen by the poet and doctor Zhivago (Omar Sharif) He is caught in a love triangle, married to aristocratic Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin), but later falls in love with Lara (Julie Christie). Lara, a nurse has been raped by ruthless politician Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), and was a former lover of revolutionary Pasha (Tom Courtenay). Zhivago’s step-brother Yevgraf (Alec Guinness), who has made his career in the Soviet Army, narrates the story in flashback.

One of the features which contributed to the outstanding box-office success of the movie and also critical impact was the immortal 'Lara’s Theme’, a composition of 'balalaika' music, created by Maurice Jarre. This musical number was an international success and continues to be as popular as it was forty years ago. No wonder the composer won an Oscar for ‘ Best Musical Score’.

Released late in 1965 Dr. Zhivago was a thundering box-office success all over the world and grossed more than Gone With The Wind. It was nominated for as many as ten Oscars and won five of them, for Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt), Best Cinematography (Freddie Young), Best Music Score (Maurice Jarre), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Costume Design.