It took nine years and enormous expense to complete this historical based in the closing years of Akbar's reign (1556-1605). The film narrates the story of Prince Salim's (later Jahangir 1605-1628) love for Anarkali, a singer. A love his father strongly disapproves of. But so strong is Salim's love for Anarkali that he goes to battle against his father. Akbar defeats Salim in battle and orders him to be executed. However, according to the royal decree, the Salim can be saved from dying if Anarkali dies in his place. Anarkali, spunky woman that she is, however does her own thing by defying Akbar in his palace. The song 'pyaar kiya to darna kya' went on to become one of the most popular songs ever recorded and the sheesh mahal created for the song was a major attraction for the crowds.
Amongst Dev Anand's best known films, Guide to date remains a sentimental favourite for many of us. Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai, gaata rahe mera dil and other very popular songs from the film are still frequently heard by audiences all over the country, more than 30 years after the film released.
The plot deals with Raju, who was kidnapped as a child by a thief, Jagga. Jagga had been told by the judge who sentenced him that 'chor ka beta chor hi hota hai'. To prove him wrong, Jagga brings up Raju to be thief too. The film has a spectacular dream sequence at the end, distributor demands being the same even then.The film, set in Bombay, has court scenes where Raju's childhood sweetheart, Rita defends him - one of the first court scenes of Raj Kapoor and Nargis.
No doubt the movie is considered a masterpiece of Indian Cinema. Even though the movie is nearly half a century old, it has the power to captivate the audience. The superb acting by all the actors further enhances its value. It has more than mere entertainment value. Like "Gone With The Wind", it deals with an era that has gone forever. Pre-independence Bengal and Calcutta come alive in this movie. In short, A must see for all those who have always wondered why every broken heart self-destructive lover is called a Devdas.
Probably the most effective reincarnation film ever made in the world.
The film uses the conventions of early ghost story films or gothic noir as hollwood called the genre:decrepit mansions,thunderstorms with fierce lightning and lashing rains,desolete jungles at night,shadows creeping across walls,all the techniques of the form were used here. yet "madhumati" took all these conventions and made them seem unique and original once more. that is often the hallmark of a great film,to use cliches in away that seem fresh. Today as sanjay leela bhansali films his remake of bimal roy's other classic "devdas" on what's believed to be the most expensive set in hindi film history,you can't help wandering what would happen if roy's madhumati were to be remade as well.
Nothing could be better and more real depiction of a real life than this movie! Excellent performance of Amitabh which proves that his acting is near real and momentarily you forget that you are still only watching celluloid. Great script encapsulating how the wishes of rags to riches ruin a fine, brave man!
ITS SHOCKING BUT TRUE. Everyone associated with this hard-hitting action-drama won awards---Shashi Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Salim-Javed, even Nirupa Roy - but not Amitabh Bachchan! such are the ironies that overtake cinema's historic happenings.
"Deewar" is the ultimate Angry Young Man Saga full of soundless fury, its protagonist's anger is so inward-drawn that you fear for his metabolism and blood pressure. fists clenched,nerves on-edge and ever itching for a fight with the scum of the earth, Vijay in "deewar" is the most wounded hero since Guru Dutt's "pyaasa".
The rains have failed, and the people of a small Indian village in Victorian India hope that they will be excused from paying the crippling land tax that their British rulers have imposed. Instead, the capricious British officer in charge challenges them to a game of cricket, a game totally alien and unknown to them. If they win, they get their wish; if they lose, however, the increased tax burden will destroy their lives. The people are terrified, but one man thinks the challenge is worth staking their entire future on. Will he convince the villagers to give it their best shot?
The emotion that Indians share about cricket is effectively taken advantage of (the cricket match played between villagers of Champaner and the British officers which forms the climax ,extends to about an hour and a half).
The best part of the movie is the characterization of the eleven players (villagers).Aamir Khan is at his best in this movie and Gracie Singh lives the role of Gauri.The acting talents of the British actors esp. that of the officer Captain Russel(played by Paul Blackthorne) is notable.
There was never a boring moment in the film, the dialogues and songs' lyrics are very meaningful.And lastly I must appreciate the work behind the entire cricket sequence as it covers most of the aspects of the game and not to mention - match fixing, sledging, body line bowling, making it gripping till the last ball! A must see for Indian cricket fans!
A scrupulously honest cop refuses kidnappers' demands at grave risk to the life of his son. The son is rescued but lives forever scarred by his father's willingness to sacrifice his own son for the sake of his principles. This works out to devastating effect when the son grows up to be a Mafia don, and his father is assigned the job of bringing him in.
Amitabh Bachchan returns one more time to play Salim-Javed's Vijay. In a way, "Shakti" extended the character from "Zanjeer" and "Deewar" thereby making this the third monument in salim-javed's trilogy.
In most vital ways, sippy succeeded in going beyond "sholay" in "shakti". salim-javed have admitted that "shakti" was almost flawless as a script.ramesh sippy never floundered in delineating the central relationship.though the media spent a lot of time and ink comparing father dilip kumar's performance with son bachchan,the two performances complemented each other perfectly.
Ramesh Sippy's direction never over-stated the case.the confrontations were always controlled and therefore doubly compelling. The climax on the runway of an airport, where the self-righteous father guns down Vijay, was stylish and energetic.
This film is brought from the stables of Yash Chopra. As you may have guessed it is a 3 way story. Raj (Shahrukh Khan) is a modern Indian guy living in London with his father (Anupam Kher). He decides to go on a Eurorail holiday with a couple of his friends and easily gets his rich father's approval. Simran (Kajol) also lives in London but is of much more traditional upbringing, in part due to her strict father (Amrish Puri). Her father starts to reckon that it is time for her to get married. She has no option but to agree. However, she asks her father for the chance to see Europe once with her friends and he is not keen on this at all. Much persuasion follows and reluctantly he agrees.
As luck would have it, Raj and Simran and both of their sets of friends end up on the same train and visiting the same places in Europe. At first she detests him. However, she eventually becomes stranded in a remote part of Switzerland with him. All their friends are in the next location. Time passes, songs are sung and lo and behold the two begin to fall in love.
The first part of the film ends as the two characters are back in London with their respective families.Her father overhears Simran talking about the events of the holiday and hits the roof. He packs the bags and takes his family back to the small village in Punjab where they come from. Raj is spurred on by his father who says if something is worth having, he must chase after it.
The second part of the film consists of Raj trying to win the trust and confidence of Simran's Punjabi family. It consists of several excellent comedy and song scenes.
This film does not really warrant superlatives. It is better than excellent. It is as near perfect as we are likely to ever see. The soundtrack is classic. Everyone knows the words to "Tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam" and "Mehndi laga ke rakhna."
The performance of the actors is first class. This really is the film that took Shahrukh to superstardom. Kajol also gives an incredible performance. This is the role that really made her name and deservedly so. Anupam Kher does a top comedy role and all the other actors have put in a magnificent performance.
Why do so may people swear by Parinda as one of the great cult classics of our times. The answer lies in watching the film. Vinod Chopra's magnum opus (many consider this the last good film he made before lapsing into megalomania) was an extremely stylish presentation, delving into life in the Mumbai underworld.
Kishen (Jackie Shroff) is the chief henchman of psychotic gangster Anna (Nana Patekar). The two are completely unscrupulous and go about their daily routine of boom-bang with ruthless efficiency. Karan is Kishen's much educated brother, who Kishen makes every attempt to keep as far away as possible from the murky underworld.
But when Anna uses Karan to draw out and kill his police inspector friend, Karan finds out about his brother's devious dealings and enters the underworld. The action picks up steam right from the first frames and never lets off right till the chilling climatic sequence.
The buildup is excellent: the psychological game between Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, the strained relationship between two brothers torn by circumstance and the star-crossed affair between lovers trapped in a violent world.
Characterizations are brilliant: Jackie Shroff came up with an award-winning performance as the gloomy gangster, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri kept from being overshadowed with good performances, but it was undoubtedly Nana Patekar's film all the way. In his chilling portrayal of a deranged gangster who fears nothing but fire, Patekar put in one of his best performances, winning the National Award.
Chopra got work not just from his lead cast, but also from the supporting cast. The film also rates as one of the best performances of Suresh Oberoi as a flute playing hitman, and Tom Alter as the calculating villain of the piece, rival gangster Musa Bhai. Excellent music by R D Burman is understated, melodious and stolen from the West.
But the reason why most consider this a cult film is that at the time of its release, it was a completely different offering. Not a single performance in the film is a ham job. There are practically no acting or dialogue cliches and no pointless melodrama that one seems to associate so much with Hindi films. Action sequences in the film were among the best ever in Hindi movies, but there wasn't a single act of superhuman work by any of the protagonists. No fistfights, no mass destruction, no acts of outstanding courage by the heroes. Chopra defied many of the standard rules associated with Hindi cinema, and that is perhaps why the film failed commercially (though it did very well in Bombay).
Chopra's use of slow motion, fast cuts and close-ups has long set a benchmark
for filmmakers in recent years. It was also this stylish direction that earned
the film such accolades, and its cult status. And what with Hindi films crowned
by elaborate climatic sequences in vast open grounds or huge villains' dens;
when Chopra suggested doing his climax in one room with two people, everyone
said he was committing professional suicide. And till date, the climax of Parinda
is considered one of the greatest scenes in the history of Hindi cinema.
A young lawyer (Rajendra Kumar) accidently witnesses his prospective father-in-law(ashok kumar), a respected judge, murdering a moneylender. A burglar who stumbles across the body is then arrested for the murder and is put on trial before the same judge's court, leaving the lawyer with a moral dilemma. "Kanoon" was not the first film to do away away with the songs completly,but it was certainly the first major hit. take into account that the film was all of 150 mins in running lenth-exactly 2 1/2 hours and that seems even more impressive today. consider that the film was a serious,intense thriller,not one of todays all-in-one timepass mishmashes and its unthinkable.
how did b.r chopra manage to hold the audiences interest for 2 1/2 hours without songs,comic relief and without even the benefit of a strong love story track? the answer then,as any director would tell you even today.lies in the three vital ingredients of any good film: script,script and script! or to put it differently,story,screenplay and dialogue.
What makes 'Satya' a cult classic is a razor sharp script plus outstanding histrionics by a team of thoroughbred 'actors' albeit with unattached market value underlying their names. Of course one cannot ignore a fabulous cameo performance by Paresh Rawal as the disciplined and straight - forward police commissioner Amod Shukla. Ironically, while the film did close to nothing for the box-office standing of actor Chakravarthy but flung Manoj Bajpai to the starry heights of recognition. One really wonders if Bajpai himself will ever be able to outshine himself after this one. Scriptwriter Anurag Kashyap had struck bull's eye with his sharp understanding of the crudeness that goes with being a bhai in Mumbai. One couldn't miss the brackish street humor where Chandu Mote ribs Satya about his nascent courtship with Vidya, ("akkha Mumbai blast ho gaya pan Satya apna fast ho gaya") or even a matter of fact "ab karna hain to karna hai" delivered with spot-on accuracy by Bajpai as he gives Satya early lessons in executing a 'supari' (mafia jargon for murder.)
In the gory underbelly of Mumbai's underworld, Ramu touches a raw nerve. An underbelly where women serve as an adornment, merely functional - or as distractions rather than distractions where it is better to watch your back for that stray bullet rather than the object of your affection. Urmila Matondkar, as the scared, questioning middle class woman does justice to a small but well etched role. The scene of her as a struggling singer having to deal with the lewd advances of a music director and how the musician is later threatened by Satya's mafia to give her a 'break' is shockingly stark.
The power games are shown up as how they really are probably for the first time. Where there are no friends and if there are, the bullet in the head will probably belong to that very friend. But Bhiku's blind loyalty to his friend Satya is touchingly displayed. As is his own attachment for his wfe (Shefali Chhaya).
The gunfights now common in every street of India, especially Mumbai, are shown with much graphic. The chases, the story telling, the harshness - with that touch of emotion too - are beautifully shown. Ram Gopal Verma, the director, paints a thought provoking canvas of terror and trauma in the underworld almost as if he were there himself, an invisible first hand spectator to the events. The visuals are simply stunning. The performances, particularly of Manoj Bajpai, as Bhiku Mhatre, are simply electric.
Interestingly what Ram Gopal Varma also had with him besides a tightly worked out script was of course outstanding histrionic support and minimal audience expectation thanks to it being marketed as 'just another 'gangster film'. In making as a volatile film as this Ramu hardly knew he was setting a benchmark in realistic, well-narrated commercial cinema. Suffice to say that the bloody truth hasn't been told better. Yet. Words aren't enough to describe this wealth of a movie, a landmark on celluloid. It is a cult film all right as it sets its own ground rules. Much like the 'godfather' had done in Hollywood so may years ago.
It is the tale that is constantly repeated in real life. When Radha was married, her mother-in-law borrowed five hundred rupees from the village money-lender, Sukhilala. The payment plan was simple: each year, Sukhilala would get one-fourth of the crop they grew. That was what Radha's mother-in-law thought was the deal. Sukhilala had actually taken advantage of her lack of education and written in the contract that he would receive three quarters of the crop. When his evil came to light, the village elders, not wanting the police to come to the village, ruled in Sukhilala's favor. Mother India is the evergreen story of a family's struggle to survive against the evil of Sukhilala.
What more can you ask for in a movie? A rich story, excellent acting, great songs, technically superb. The story is about Radha played by Nargis who works hard to bring up her two children, played by Sunil Dutt and Rajender Kumar, after her husband goes away. Birju played by Dutt is the more flamboyant one who gets in trouble with the village Lala's daughter and runs away and becomes a dacoit. The end is the most unexpected part of the movie.
Made on a large canvas, this movie runs like an epic. This Mehboob Khan's effort came very close to winning the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. During the shooting of this film Dutt saved Nargis from a fire and soon after that they were married.
Naushad's music is another highlight of the film with some great songs like "Duniya Mein Hum Aaye Hain", "Nagri-Nagri Dware-Dware", "Holi Aayi Re Kanhai", "Tan Rang Lo Ji" etc.
* feroz khan, vinod khanna, zeenat aman, amjad khan, shakti kapoor, amrish puri
Three of the best looking stars in the movie business came together in one of the most stylish films ever made-"qurbani"
It was with this movie that feroz khan's excellance over the medium came to the fore. his conceptualization of scenes,his shot-taking,his deft way of handling even emotional scenes was all proof that he was indeed inspired from the west.
Looking back ,when one thinks of "qurbani", one is instantly reminded of alluring stars, cool action,fast-paced cars,pulsating music, magnificent locales and in general-style at its best.
* waheeda rehman, shashi kapoor, amitabh bachchan, raakhee gulzar, rishi kapoor & neetu singh.
Yash Chopra is undoubtedly one of the most successful filmakers of hindi cinema and part of his enduring appeal lies in surprising the audience with every new film.
Today top stars would balk at playing parents at the peak of their career as lead stars. only yash chopra could have persuaded a whole lot of them to agree-especially Amitabh Bachchan who was at his angry young man stage A large part of the credit for the films successs would go to Khayyam who set Sahir Ludhianvi's superb lyrics("kabhi kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai","tere chehre se nazar nahin hat ti",main pal do pal ka shaayar hoon") into memorable songs.it won awards for the lyricist,composer and singer Mukesh.
* balraj sahni, dharmendra, priya rajvansh, jayant,vijay anand, sanjay khan.
The main strength of "haqeeqat" is its rugged landscape and authentic battle scenes,seldom ever captured in indian cinema until J.P Dutta made "Border" more than three decades later. Shot in Ladakh,the entire cast braved climatic and dare one say,climatic hardships as the the perfectionist within chetan anand set out to make a gripping and scathing film.
Haqeeqat ignited a sense of oneness and a patriotic pride among indians at a time when the nation's marole had hit rock-bottom. chetan anand later made another war film "Hindustan ki Kasam", in 1973 with the indo-pak war as the backdrop.
How do we explain the mythical aura of "Haqeeqat"? Besides a cast
that seems born to battle for the country,the film is also a lyrical love
story about two people who find each other during stressful and trying times.
Sunil Dutt,Raaj Kumar,Sadhana,Sharmila Tagore
Shashi Kapoor,Balraj Sahni,Shashikala,Motilal
Rehman,Achala Sachdev,Madan Puri,Jeevan.
A lost-and-found melodrama. Not the original, Kismet (1943), occupying that slot, but definitely the best known in the genre today. Yash Chopra's third film, and one of the longest as well, Chopra establishing that part of his legacy quite early.
An earthquake destroys the home of a rich trader, Kedarnath. His wife and three sons get separated and go their own ways. While Kedarnath is handed out a life sentence for murder, the three sons, Raja, Ravi and Vijay get separated. While Raja, played by Raaj Kumar, becomes a thief, albeit one who robs the rich winning their trust at parties, Ravi is adopted by a rich household and becomes a lawyer. And covet the love of the same girl, Meena and try to win her over with their contrasting charms. Vijay meanwhile stays with his mother and coincidentally becomes a driver in the house of the woman he cares for, Renu. As is decreed, their paths cross when Raja is framed for murder and all the family come to the court room where they recognise each other and fall weeping for joy in each other's arms, a pattern that was to get repeated endlessly in mainstream Indian cinema.
The film went on become a major success at the box office and established the director. The songs, aage bhi jaane na tu, din hai bahar ke, ai meri zohrajabeen and others were popular as well and helped draw in the crowds.
*Amitabh Bachchan,Vinod khanna,Rishi kapoor,
parveen babi,shabana azmi,neetu singh, pran,nirupa roy,jeevan,ranjeet.
Time plays strange tricks.Today when you say the name Amitabh Bachchan,the associations that spring to mind for most young filmgoers are that of a 'mature' screen legend with an imposing personality and voice,and an unshakeable paternal dignity.This is the result of the big B's "kaun banega crorepati" and his "mohabbatein"/"k3g" screen image.
But before this new avatar of the screen deva was moulded,the name Amitabh Bachchan conjured up a very different image.A virile, imposing superhero who played larger than-life characters capable of risking life and limb to achieve their impossible goals. A combination of great personality,physical agility,romantic charisma,drunken humour,and that totally unique dancing style that's copied by baraatis in wedding processions even today. India has never seen such a living legend dominate the scene for so long and so successfully as Amitabh Bachchan. And that historic AB avatar was set by a single film,"amar akbar anthony". Although manmohan deai's superhit entertainer starred three male leads and a host of other stars,the historic value of the film rests on its creation of the Bachchan persona.That was its greatest contribution to hindi cinema.
*Nutan,Ashok Kumar,Dharmendra Raja paranjpe, Tarun Bose,Asit Sen,Chandrima
Bhaduri
Bela Bose,Iftekar,Hiralal,Moni Chatterjee
One of Bimal Roy's best known films, this 1963 classic remains on the all time favourite lists of many a Hindi film aficionado, as much for its haunting music and storyline and a powerhouse performance by Nutan.
Set in 1930s undivided Bengal, Nutan plays Kalyani, a village girl who stays with her father. She comes in contact with a revolutionary, Bikash, actively involved in the ongoing freedom struggle, and is soon in love with him. Circumstances lead Bikash to declare that Kalyani is his wife, and he promises to marry her as soon as he can. But he disappears, putting Kalyani in an awkward situation. Forced to emigrate to the town, she works in a hospital. Asked to look after for a mentally unstable woman, she is shocked to discover that the woman is Bikash's wife. Upset, the news of her father's death reaches her. Unable to bear this double shock, and the tantrums of Vikas's wife, Kalyani kills her and is imprisoned for life. All this is told in flashback to the jailor, Deven, a doctor who is taken in by Kalyani's nature and dedication to duty. Deciding to marry her, Deven gets Kalyani's sentence commuted. On the way to Deven's house, Kalyani runs into a terminally ill Bikash...
A brilliantly shot film, there are many passages in the film that leave a deep imprint on the watcher - a classic example being with the final conflict between love and security as Kalyani is deciding between Bikash and Deven. S D Burman's music for the film recieved widespread acclaim. As for the songs - mere saajan hain us paar, o panchhi pyare, ab ke baras bhej, mora gora rang, jogi jab se tu aayaa mere dware - there has rarely been a film with a greater number of memorable songs. The cinematography is especially brilliant, and combined with Roy's genius in using subtle yet evocative imagery, the film seems to be straight from the heart.
'Pyaasa', or 'Thirst'. Thirst for answers, for recognition, for understanding, for redemption and salvation of the human spirit. When we think of 'Pyaasa' we can virtually see Guru Dutt framed in the shaft of light, or is it Vijay the young poet who is looking for recognition? 'Pyaasa' is Guru Dutt's masterpiece. Relating the story of the thirst for love, for recognition, and spiritual fulfilment. There is a strong parallel between the hero, a poet, an outsider trying to make a place for himself in the society he inhabits; and the director, the outsider, trying to leave his independent stamp in a world of formulaic cinema. It is in 'Pyaasa' that we really see Guru Dutt transcend way above the ordinary and succeed in totality. Many individual shots and scenes have become impressionistic images extolling his lyricism as a director and artist.
The story of a poet whose poetry speaks of human suffering, which has no makings of the superfluous fluff and romance that is purported to be saleable in the mainstream. At home, his brothers are angered by his refusal to take on an ordinary job and contribute to the family expenses, and retaliate by selling his poems as waste paper. This acts as the catalyst and Vijay leaves home in desperation and lives on the streets of Calcutta. Thus begins the poet's search for his manuscripts. After great pains, he learns that a mysterious woman, recognising the worth of the poems, has bought them from the paper vendor. Roaming the city, he hears the voice of a woman singing one of his poems. She is Gulab, the prostitute, who lures Vijay in, thinking him to be a client, but throws him out on realising he is not there to give her business. Later Gulab realizes that Vijay is the author of the poems that have won her heart and, full of remorse, tries to befriend Vijay who now spurns her. When misunderstandings are cleared, a rare friendship blossoms between them.
One day, at a reunion at his college, Vijay meets Meena, the girl whom he used to love. She is now married to a successful publisher, Mr. Ghosh, whose wealth proved more attractive to her than the love of a struggling poet. Suspicious of Meena's relationship with Vijay, and curious to know more about her past, Mr. Ghosh gives Vijay a small job in his office. However, soon, humiliated by Meena at a party, and sacked by her husband, he starts drifting once again. On hearing about his mother's death, along with the depression of his own failure, he aimlessly wanders through brothels and bars till he decides to end it all. But Gulab intervenes and tries to give him solace. Only to one day find that he has disappeared without trace. The newspapers announce Vijay's death by accident and Gulab, the only person who has believed in his talents, spends her life's savings to get Vijay's poems published by Mr Ghosh. But Vijay is not dead. On his way to eternity that night, he had stopped to give away his coat to a beggar. When he attempts to throw himself in the path of a speeding train, the beggar, in an attempt to save his benefactor, is killed. His body was identified by Vijay's coat. Recovering in a hospital, Vijay learns about the great success of his book; but when he claims to be its author, his brothers and his publisher, who are reaping the profits, refuse to identify him and he is sent to an asylum for the mentally ill.
It is only with the help of an old friend, a poor masseuse, that Vijay escapes from the asylum. Attending a meeting in the city hall to pay homage to the supposedly 'dead' poet, Vijay is struck by the irony of the situation, and is provoked to denounce the organizers as hypocrites. Beaten up as a gatecrasher, he is rescued by one of the publishers who had earlier rejected his works, and now has hopes of future profits. Another meeting is called to prove that Vijay is alive, but despite Meena's pleas to admit the truth, Vijay now claims to be an imposter, embittered by the mercenary attitude of the people around him. Rejecting the world that has so long refused him recognition, Vijay decides to go away, taking Gulab with him.
The movie is a classic example in its cinamatic treatment, and direction. The musical score brings to mind the passion portrayed by the baul singers which in fact voices the prostitute's passion for the poet. The earthly love she feels is uplifted and given a spiritual dimension through the words. And the amazing rendition of the song by Geeta Dutt further reinforces this. The last scene of the film shows the prostitute, overcome with joy at seeing the poet at her doorway, running down the steps of her house into his arms. They are one. What is most interesting to note in their relationship is that the prostitute shares with the poet a greater attraction for spiritual fulfilment rather than materialistic fulfilment.
Guru Dutt's films usually have him caught between two women - like in 'Baazi', 'Aar Paar', 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' and 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'. In 'Pyaasa' too there is another woman , his ex-girlfriend from college who leaves him and marries for security. Her priority for materialistic fulfilment adds to the negative shades of her role making it a more difficult and challenging in the film as against the standard prostitute with a heart of gold. The role has its shades of grey and counts as one of actress Mala Sinha's better performances, who was otherwise considered a rather mechanical and melodramatic performer. Waheeda Rehman is outstanding in the role of the prostitute and Guru Dutt himself is perfect for the role of the poet. Perhaps the parallels between him and the character help him in coming out with his best ever screen performance.
Interestingly, 'Pyaasa' has that rare element in a Guru Dutt film which stands apart - the song treated like a fantasy. An idyllic daydream of the hero, the song 'Hum aapki aankhon mein' is picturised amongst clouds as the heroine descends from the moon. It stands out when viewed against the whole film. Perhaps it was picturised to catet to the distributors who felt that an 'item number' was needed! As usual, the music by S.D. Burman is extraordinary, as is the rendering of the songs. The background music helps to create the necessary atmosphere for a number of individual scenes. Mala Sinha's character has her own signature tune - a simple yet haunting melody played on the harmonica. Whenever the poet sees her, the tune is repeated representing for him the love he has lost.
But if one person is the soul of 'Pyaasa' it is lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi on
whose poems the lyrics were based. Sahir's words seem to articulate Guru Dutt's
own view of the world and experience of tragedy. 'Pyaasa' sees some of Sahir's
best work. 'Yeh mehlon, yeh thakhton', 'Jaane woh kaise log the jinke' and 'Jinhe
naaz hai Hind par woh kahaan hai' - the last looking at the disillusionment
that had set in a decade after the giddy euphoria of Indian Independence. It
was taken from his poem Chakle (Brothels). A fine example of political comment
combined with humanitarian compassion.
To sum it up simply, a classic!
* Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rahman, Mumtaz, Pran and Nirupa Roy.
There had been 'double roles' before. But mostly B-grade or tackily done subjects with not very well-known stars. And then came 'Ram Aur Shyam' with Dilip Kumar and it went on to became the benchmark of all double role films ever. It was a germ of an idea. But the germination soon became the gigantic beanstalk on which Jack climbed. With a cast that was mammoth in the very fact that the great actor himself was to do a double role, the star status of Waheeda Rehman only added on more value. The choice for the other heroine was also her big break and shot her to instant star status. Mumtaz, till then used to doing not very big projects and confining her talents to a song and a dance in mythologicals with Dara Singh, became a hot star overnight. With the supreme villainy of Pran added to the many shades of this classic film.
Released in the 1967, the film only reinforced the versatility of the Thespian. And his prowess at the till then uncharted-by-a-hero territory of comedy. Yusufsaab's earliest films had not exactly shot him to superstar status. In fact his early attempts at tragedy had suffered 'tragic' consequences at the box-office. Not to deny his performances in his earlier 'devdas' stuff, but it took an Azaad' to smash home the awesome talent and his versatility. It was in that film that his timing and undeniable prowess for the comic had the critics in raptures. The most vaunted and the most feared critic of the time, Baburao Patil, known for his poison pen, was the first to say in print that Dilip should stick to comedy and reinforce that aspect more.
It probably encouraged the actor to experiment with the 'double role'. The director of the film was the currently unheard of Tapi Chanakya for all practical purposes, but those in the know insist that it was Yusufsaab's baton that did all the direction for this pathbreaking film. The actor was actively involved in the project from day one, and the result was one of the most entertaining films ever made -- to be emulated and enjoyed to this day. The two characters Ram and Shyam don't actually meet till post interval, and the happenings till then were hilarious to say the least. The scared, intimidated rich lad on one hand. Bearing all humiliation and even violent beatings at the hands of his brother-in-law, Pran, only so that his sister and niece (Nirupa Roy and Baby Farida) do not suffer at his hands. The evil saala tries to usurp the wealth of the young man by forcing him to sign over his jaydaat and has plans to bump him off. Overhearing his nefarious plans, Ram flees the house.
Cut to Shyam. The rogue of the village. The bane of the women. The tough guy. His pranks and cracks drive the villagers up the wall. Even the village belle, Mumtaz, is exasperated by the goon and is constantly complaining to his guardian, Leela Misra. Until one fine day he flees to the big city to make his fortune.
The scene in the restaurant, where the rogue orders two dishes of everything
in the house and then slinks away; only to be replaced at the same table by
the simpleton who has one cup of tea and ends up paying for the entire 'banquet'
is hilarious.
Even the scene where the rogue surprises Waheeda with his Bam! Pow! Smash-up
of the baddies (she, of the modern disposition, had earlier turned down a marriage
proposal from the wimp and now mistakes the superman as the earlier man transformed)
is fun-tastic. The developing love relationship between the two and Dilip's
encounters with his forever-laughing a-in-law-to-be, Nasir Husain, are extremely
funny. But funniest of all are the rogue's encounters with Pran, who suddenly
realizes that he can intimidate 'Ram' no more. The scenes where Dilip Kumar
eats a leg of tandoori chicken and then pops entire boiled eggs in his mouth,
all the while making faces at Pran; is a classic. Then he goes to Ram's house
and on discovering the anarchy there, vows to set the wrongs and the injustices
right. The scenes where he stands up to the villainous team of Pran and his
mother and their coterie can only get applause from a strongly identifying audience.
On the other hand the simpleton lands up at Shyam's village and his newfound 'godly' ways are mistaken for yet another nautanki of the charlatan. But eventually, Mumtaz falls for this simple soul. However, the evil gang discovers the 'double role' and holds everyone to ransom in a crazy climax where, encouraged by his reunited, long-lost brother, Ram too unearths his hidden strength and courage to beat up the baddies.The strong point of the movie is the riveting script, the superlative music and songs and above all, the mind-boggling performance of one of India's greatest actors -- coming TWICE as good. The novelty factor of two heroes rolled into one also contributed to the film's super success. It was a trendsetter alright. And many followed its novel path. 'Seeta aur Geeta' and 'Chaalbaaz' being among the most memorable clones.
What makes 'Ram aur Shyam' a so great is its pathbreaking approach to 'double' comedy. It was the first to understand the tussle between the Ego and the Alter Ego within the confines of the self. The conflict between what we are and what we strive to be. It was a conflict captured most recently in the Jim Carrey starrer 'The Mask'. Where the dreams and aspirations and desires of the strait-jacketed-by-society citizen are lived out by donning the 'mask'. In a double role, the other fella simply becomes the mask. The Alter ego lives out the fantasies of the sober. Reminiscent of the truth that we are all schizophrenics, dying to live out separate, dual lives, without being responsible for our actions. The basic thing that gives us the thrill is the absolution from responsibility of our actions. The basic germination of schizophrenia.
Dilip Kumar was up there on screen, living out our fantasies and we clapped
at everything he did that we could identify with.
It made a cult figure out of an intelligent actor and a cult film out of 'Ram
Aur Shyam'. That is why the movie shall be forever young. Forever evergreen.
Because the idea is young, even if the film itself is twenty-two years old.
See it again and you will know what i mean, if you can stop laughing and clapping that is.
SIX YEARS IN THE MAKING,4 hours long in its final cut, and taxing the resources of the Kapoor family and R.K Studios to their limits, this was the film Raj Kapoor intended to br his epic,the film by which he would be remembered forever.
"Mera Naam Joker" had all the ingredients that a movie needs to classified as a good entertainer.Wonderful songs by a galaxy of lyricists -shailendra,hasrat jaipuri,neeraj,prem dhawan,shailey shalendra. A great scor by Shankar-Jaikishan. A script by K.A. Abbas.An all-star line-up that included Simi,Manoj Kumar,Dharmendra, Dara singh,Rajendra kumar,Padmini,Om prakash, the entire Soviet state circus and the Gemini circus, and of coarse Raj Kapoor himself. It even had a chubby young Rishi Kapoor playing the young raju in the first part, making his screen debut just as his father made his own debut at the tender age of 11. But like most films that set out self-consciously to be epics or masterpieces, "Mera Naam Joker" bombed at the box-office and is remembered today as a magnificent failure.
Inspired by Chaplin's "Limelight", "Mera Naam Joker" is actually three seperate films rolled into one. Even today,you can see the three distinct parts. The firstpart depicts the young hero,Raju, the son of a trapeze artiste who becomes infatuated with his schoolteacher and dreams of becoming a famous clown. The second part shows grown-up Raju joining a Russian circus, falling in love with the trapeze star Marina and ends with him forced to continue performing even after his mother collapses. The third part is about his romance with a young poster artiste who is actually a woman masquerading as a man who wants to become a filmstar. ...The climax links all three films together as well as the three different women in Raju's life,coming together to witness his final performance as a clown.
With the movie crashing at the boxoffice it put rest to any plans of Raj Kapoor making a sequel,where he was to die in the end. But today As Rishi Kapoor and R.K Productions are having great problems in finding which script and story to use as their next film. The script happens to be there right in front of them....... Yes the sequel to "Mera Naam Joker" with Rishi Kapoor in the role of the ageing Joker!
*Salman Khan,Ajay Devgan,Aishwaria Rai,Helen.
"In this world... where desire rules the heart, you will discover... love is the flame that lights up the soul"
SANJAY LEELA BHANSALI conceives his films in unique fashion."I design my soundtrack first, because i love music.Thats how i worked on my first film, "khamoshi". I conceived the idea of making a film based on Gujrat's music,folk culture and rituals. Similarly after "Hum dil de chuke sanam", i looked towards the music of Bengal, and thus was born "Devdas".
In the original story, the husband comes to know that his wife loves someone else and sends her to look for him. Bhansali then remembered another story by Zaverchand Meghani,a big-name writer,in which the husband himself takes the wife back to her lover. Bhansali's next step was the casting. He was strongly advised not to take Aishwaria Rai as Nandini,the headstrong gujrati girl.he was told that she was a flop star, a bad actress and looked anything, but the character in the story. But Sanjay promptly took it up as a challenge to prove that she was Nandini incarnate!
Ajay Devgan as Vanraj,who marries Nandini, and Salman as the Italy based Sameer,who loves her like crazy even as he learns Indian music under her father were obvious choices and also won accolades for their performances, Salman outclassing himself in the climatic breakdown scene. The supporting cast in word, was perfect.
Conceptually and commercially, the film would have been lost minus a meticulous music score. Enchewing the big names who could not of given him the time and complete involvement he needed for his film,Bhansli signed Ismail Darbar, a promising musician who was recommended by a friend.
Bhansali and Darbar spent a full two years on the music of the film! The mad passion and interaction paid off in the fabulous results,with Darbar incorporating mukhdas from Gujrati and Rajasthani folk("Nimbuda"), adapting a traditional bandish ("Albela sajan aayo ri") and even composing a garba song ("Dholi taaro") set to the 2-4 rather than the conventional 6-8 beat.
For lyrics,Bhansali wanted majrooh, but Ismail convinced him to take on his close friend, Mehboob. Bhansali was initially reluctant,because he had heard only his lyrics for films like "Bombay" and "rangeela". But Mehboob's superb poetry like "Aankhon ki gustakhiyaan maaf ho",Tadap tadap ke iss dil se",Man mohini", (the song that introduces the heroine and in which Mehboob's brief was to inculate all the four elements-Fire,Water, Air and Earth-in one song), the title-track and "jhonka hawaa ka aaj bhi" was the soul of the outstanding music score.
As Bhansali says, "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" was all about everything falling into place and going just right. The passion and pain that went into its making by a man out to excel in cinema and yet 'connect' with the audience oozed out of every frame and word that went into this beautiful painting on celluloid.
(Path-Breaking Comedy Of Errors)
In the middle of the night on a deserted road in Mumbai if you were to see a coffin with a dead man in it holding a wreath and you, drunk as you were, thought of it as a man in a car with the wreath for a steering wheel, I'd know where you got the inspiration. Bizarre, na? Of course not, for this and more such pranks were played on us by debutante director Kundan Shah, in what is now considered to be a path-breaking film in Indian cinema, 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.'
Nearly two decades later, the film finds acclaim amongst audiences and critics alike as one of the most inspiring comedies in recent times. And we couldn't agree more. With its wry humour and wit, it proved to be an uproariously hilarious experience (as exaggerated as it might sound).
Apart from its dark humour, the film was also a farce on the bureaucratic system of which the common man ultimately was the victim, not that we needed to mention it. So, with characters like the 'commissioner' (note the pun on the word) D'Mello played by the rotund Satish Shah and the ubiquitous builders, Tarneja and Ahuja played by Pankaj Kapoor and Om Puri respectively, the film became a cult classic in its portrayal of the failing system three decades after independence. (It released in 1982) Remember this one telling scene? Tarneja is trying to woo D'Mello in granting him permission to construct two additional floors on his building illegally, (not without a little 'womanly' help from Neena Gupta) and D'Mello denies it, asking them, "Kya BMC mere baap ka hai?" in an American twang. To which, Tarneja's assistant, Namboodiripad, played by Satish Kaushik, scriptwriter of the film, promptly replies, "Nahi, Sir, aapka hai." They then go on to celebrate a phoney birthday for D'Mello as an excuse to bribe him. And there you have it. Two additional floors ready! (BTW, may we mention, that the names of the builders add up to the name of a well-known builder, Raheja.) Sound familiar even today na? Yeah, well, we know. FSI is not just about some letters thrown in. That's exactly what makes this film a cult film. It's universal appeal. And the fact that it also lives up to the standards of what make a cult film. Tell me the truth, you would go back and watch the film for the 40th time and still go into peals of laughter, wouldn't you? I rest my case!
With its fabulous cast, most of them fresh from NFDC and FTII, including director Kundan Shah himself, the film still proved to be a dampener at the BO, at a time when parallel cinema was just about beginning to lose its hold over audiences in India after the peak it had seen in the seventies. Naseeruddin Shah was not a star then and Ravi Baswani was just another geeky looking youngster wanting to make it big as an actor. Look at Neena Gupta, now popular for her weepy soaps and you wouldn't believe she ever started out as a girlfriend to a diabolical boss. Then, of course there was Satish Kaushik who, happy with the script-writing never dreamed of playing the foolish doormat Namboodiripad who exchanged telephone receivers with his "secret caller" who is in the same room as him.
Ask Kundan Shah about this and he will say," It took seven years for my film to be acknowledged as a cult film. But by that time, I was crucified. If the film were to release today, it still wouldn't do well. The thing with my subjects is that they are so fresh." Hmmn! Makes you wonder, na? Hey, this is the man who gave us the refreshing 'Kabhi Haan, Kabhi Naa' which found no distributors until Shah Rukh Khan released it himself and also the its'-high-time-we-acknowledged-teenage-pregnancy-runaway hit in 'Kya Kehna.'
Besides that, the film is like a virtual who's who of Bollywood today, repeat, today. Then, they were just filmmakers, who believed in the art of filmmaking. (Pardon the sarcasm! Here's some dope on the characters. The names of the principal characters are based on two of Kundan Shah's filmmaking colleagues. Production Controller of the film, Vinod Chopra (Naseer) is aaj ke mashoor film-maker of 'Parinda' fame, ironically now facing threats from the underworld, and Sudhir Mishra (Baswani) who helped write the screenplay with Shah and later made films like, 'Yeh Who Manzil To Nahin' and more recently 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin.' Then, there was Binod Pradhan who shot the film. Incidentally, Pradhan had teamed up with Vidhu Vinod Chopra and worked on 'Mission Kashmir' with Chopra. Some more trivia. Vidhu Vinod Chopra had a small appearance in the film too. He played a press photographer at the conference hosted by Tarneja to defend himself after the collapse of the flyover.
Oh, the flyover! Incidentally, the crash of the flyover in the film was inspired by the crash of the Byculla flyover which collapsed just before the film took shape, or so we are told. And how could we forget the fact that the character of the spunky editor of 'Khabardaar, Shobha Sen, played by the late Bhakti Barve who made goofy photographer Vinod Chopra undertake the most risky assignments by placing his head on her breast was inspired by that of the former editor of film gossip magazine, 'Stardust,' Shobha De. (She is all over the place, isn't she?) Hmmn! Whatever happened to all characters and places in this film are fictional and all resemblance is co-incidental. Some co-incidence, huh?
With all the kali kartoot happening right under the noses of the goofy photographers, Vinod and Sudhir who hope to make a decent buck out of model portfolios, little do they know that they are to be framed for the collapse of the flyover when the builder bribes the other commissioner, the policewala this time and get away with it, with of course, the editor getting her share for gathering all the evidence against Tarneja, who has bumped off D'Mello. And what was the theme song of the film? Right! 'Hum Honge Kaamyaab' or 'We Shall Overcome.'! What can we say, except, brilliant? And how can you even forget that fabulous 'Mahabharata-cum-Anarkali' drama sequence that had many a viewer rolling on the floor, with Om Puri playing a very Punjabi Bhishma, knocking all and sundry out to take charge of the corpse of D'Mello with a very dead Satish Shah all dressed up as Draupadi, even as Prince Salim enters to claim what is his, his very own Anarkali.
Ask Om Puri, who played the perpetually drunk Ahuja, about the film and he will say, "It was shot at such a low budget, it's not funny. I mean, the atmosphere on the sets was like that of the shaadi of the daughter of a lower-middle class man who is desperately cutting down on the expenses. Hey, nine Lakhs at that time. That's not funny, if you think of it from the point of view of a budget these days that runs into crores." NFDC was being generous, huh? Anyways, see what we mean about this being a cult film. I don't need to justify that, do I now? 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron' was certainly an extraordinary film shot under extraordinary circumstances with some extraordinary people.
Rajesh Khanna,Amitabh Bachchan,Sumita Sanyal,
Dara Singh,Ramesh Deo,Seema Dev and Johnny Walker.
Ask watchers of Hindi films to name their favourite film, and a fair number will name this early 1970s Hrihikesh Mukherjee-social, which popularised words like babumoshai and jahanpanah as perhaps never before.
Anand starred the then present and future superstars of Hindi cinema, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan respectively - as the jolly cancer patient and his ultra serious doctor. The film became a kind of homily on staying happy in spite of the clouds that darken our lives. Anand, the title role, played by Khanna, is a very bouyant character, whose cheerfulness is very infectious and leaves none affected apart from his taciturn doctor, Bhaskar Banerjee, who just cannot fathom how somebady whose remaining lifespan can be measured in weeks can be so cheerful.
Anand went on to become one of the most widely appreciated film ever and even cameo roles in the film like those by Walker and Deo are fondly remembered to this day. Its dialogues, eg - hum sab to rangmanch ki kathputlian hai...' are still oft repeated and its songs kahin duur jab din dhal jaaye, maine tere liye hii saat rang ke sapane chune, jiyaa laage naa, zindagii, kaisii hai paheli, haay - were all very popular when the film released and helped consolidate lyricist Gulzar's reputation considerably.
*Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Asrani,Bindu, A K Hangal,David.
Hrishikesh Mukharjee once said."Its more more difficult to portray simple emotions on screen than complex ones.And that's why i try to delve more into such themes. After films like 'Anupama', 'Ashirwad', 'Satyakam','Anand' and 'Guddi', Hrishikesh tackled a subject that revolved around the most basic human emotion-jealousy.
'Abhimaan' is all about a famous singer Subeer Kumar (Amitabh Bachchan in great form) who fall in love with Uma, a simple, village girl (Jaya Bhaduri) and gets married to her. The one facter that has drawn Subeer to Uma is her melodic voice.Uma comes to the city with her husband and things are great between them. Soon after, at a party, Subeer persuades her to sing along with him. There many important guests around and they all take note of her vocal talents. Sometime later,Uma gets an offer to do some professional singing.She refuses outright but Subeer convinces her to go ahead with it. And thats when it all begins. She makes a name for herself and starts getting loads of work.Reputed companies and music direactors want to sign her on. In the meanwhile, Subeer stops getting his regular quota of work.Slowly, the cracks develop and the husband starts feeling threatened by his own wife's success. Subeer stops communicating with Uma and begins to treat her with disrespect.A time comes when he stops spending any time at home.His frustration is tearing their relationship apart. Not being able to take the pressure, Uma suffers a nervous breakdown.That's when Subeer realises his folly and they finally come together in a rather tearful, emotional reunion.
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri excelled themselves as the couple in distress. The film was so well-balanced that at no point did one character feel overburdened by the other.
*Dilip Kumar,Nimmi,Premnath and Nadira.
Costume dramas have always maintained a special place in Indian movie history. The adventure, the spectacle and the grandeur that's usually seen in this genre of movies is quite unparalleled. Hindi cinema has witnessed many such breathtaking blockbusters. But one film that stands out is obviously Mehboob Khan's 'Aan'.
The film attains significance for many reasons. To begin with,it was Mehboob Khan's first attempt in colour.Also, it was also one of the first films to have been shot on 16 mm format and then successfully transferred to 35 mm. The impact was so colossal that overawed critics from the west termed it as India's answer to Hollywood magnificents like 'Ben Hur' and Quo Vadis'. The canvas of the film was so enormous and that's what made this film look so extravagant.
Though 'Aan' was not as big a success as Mehboob's forthcoming classic 'Mother India' was, it still remains one of his landmark movies. The film was like a virtual showcase of screen histrionics. The sets were lavish, the look of the film was grand, there were horse-chases, sword-fights and battle scenes galore in this extraordinary screen adventure. Just a movie maniac's absolute delight.
Everything about 'Aan' was imposing, including the outstanding music score by Naushad. Incidentally, for the first time ever, Naushad used a 100-piece orchestra; something that was unheard-of in those days. In fact, while recording the songs of 'Aan', Naushad put special rugs covering the walls of the studio so that the sound had better bass. The mixing for all the songs was done in London, which was again a novel feat.
'Aan' won accolades all over the globe. It was one film that made the world take note of the fact that India could come up with some equally striking extravaganzas. The biggest compliment of all came from none other than the legendary filmmaker Cecil B. Demille (of 'Ten Commandments', who wrote to Mehboob Khan after seeing the film, "I found it an important piece of work, not only because i enjoyed it but also because it shows the tremendous potential of Indian motion pictures for securing world markets. I believe it is quite possible to make pictures in your great country which will be understood and enjoyed by all nations and without sacrificing the culture and customs of India. We look forward to the day when you will be regular contributors to our screen fare with many fine stories bringing the romance and the magic of India". Need one say more?
Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure, Nanda,Kulbhushan Karbanda, Raza Murad, Tanuja and Sushma Seth.
Padmini Kohapure had worked in Kapoor's 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' as the young Zeenat Aman, and he had been bowled over by her talent. He is supposed to have said that he made 'Prem Rog' to give her a role worthy of her. Even though he screen tested her with three scenes costumes-that of a carefree young girl, a bride and a widow-before he saw the results,he had chosen his Manorama. There was no doubt about Rishi Kapoor being the perfect Deodhar-sensitive and strong.
As could be expected from Raj Kapoor with his showman reputation, he added grandeur, colour (the song among the tulips) as set pieces to a simple story. Shammi Kapoor acted in an R.K film for the first time, and Nanda made a rare appearence after retiring from films - both lending their roles tremendous dignity and intensity.
An R.K film could not but have great music, and Laxmikant Pyarelal excelled with numbers like: "Bhanvare ne khilaya phool", "Mohabbat hai kya cheez" and "Main hoon prem rogi. 'Prem Rog' may not have been in the same league as Raj Kapoor's earlier films, but it had its heart in the right place,and even now it succeeds in reducing audiences to tears.
*Ashok Kumar,Meena Kumari,Raaj Kumar,Nadira.
Without question, this film has to be one of the greatest ........ in cinematic history.
'PAKEEZAH' remains the last word among films revolving around the nautch-girl,right from its symbolic title, which means"the pure one" Meena Kumari's central performance is undoubtedly one of the finest of her career, followed closely by Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam and Phool aur Pathar. Each movement and nuance of her performance, makes any other Bollywood heroine pale into significance. Her masterly interpretation of Kathak coupled with her grace, tragic vulnerability and poetic delivery of Urdu,is like nothing ever seen on the bollywood screen.
Pakeezah is perhaps the most stylised interpretation of the human condition; the photography, sumptuous cinematography and mise en scene, are so charged with symbolism and meaning, that the viewer is left breathless. Naushads music, is unsurpassed, his knowledge of the music of the courtesan gharanas is incredible, and the way in which he punctuates the narrative with dark atmospheric motifs and overwhelming romantic melodies is indeed remarkable.
*Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy, Master Ratan, Nana Palsikar.
This unforgettable masterpiece by Bimal Roy is known for its stark imagery and the legendary portrayal of a Calcutta rickshaw puller, Shambhu by Balraj Sahni. It is said that Balraj Sahni who is known as a method actor actually rehearsed on the roads of Calcutta pulling a rickshaw with his son, Parikshit sitting in it. Do Bigha Zameen is a story of a poor farmer, Shambhu, living in a small village of Bengal who owns two acres of land and leads a tough yet happy life with his family. The twist in the story comes when the zamindar (landowner) decides to sell the land of the villagers to the outsiders who want to make a factory in the village. His two acres are coming in the way of the landlord who wants to make profits in this deal. Shambhu doesn’t want to sell his land but the zamindar warns him that if he doesn’t sell the land he’ll have to pay the already mounting debt. He comes to the city to earn quick money to pay off the debt. Thus begins the cruel tale of desperation to earn as he becomes a rickshaw puller and his son a shoeshine boy. The film won critical acclaim internationally at Cannes and Karlovy Vary and won two Filmfare awards for best film and director at the first awards function. Made almost five decades back, Do Bigha Zameen still has the power to hit you with its realism and pathos when you watch Shambhu pull a rich fat man in the rickshaw, running faster and faster as if trying to leave his poverty behind. Truly one of the best films in the history of Hindi cinema and maybe the best of Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy and Bimal Roy.
*Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Pran, Ajit, Bindu.
In 1973, in search of a "different" script, Prakash Mehra found an unusual revenge melodrama written by two talented but relatively unknown writers named Salim and Javed. The film was 'Zanjeer'. Mehra cast the talented but unstarry Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role, and the rest is history.
'Zanjeer starts out with Vijay as a cop tormented by nightmarish recollections of his parents' murder by an unknown killer. In the first half of the film, he teams up with friend Sher Khan - played by Pran who had completely turned his villain image around into a superb player of character parts - to root out crime and evil in the big city. But once he identifies the man who murdered his parents, by recognizing the horse on the chain he wears around his neck, he gos berserk and both the script and the director throw all the conventions out the window. Vijay takes the law into his own hand becomes obsessed with revenge.
Salim Javed's team-up was traditionally believed to consist of Salim as screenplay writer and Javed as a dialogue writer. Whatever their arrangement, their pairing was unique in Hindi films. As for Bachchan himself, his portrayal of Vijay and his mesmerizing performance gave birth to the most famous persona in Hindi film history. As Mehra and Bachchan proved in their next megahit 'Mukaddar Ka Sikandar', a hero could be a hero even when he wasn't a hero. 'Zanjeer' was the missing link that changed the chain of film history.
'Sarfarosh' emerged as a tour de force that worked at several levels - a patriotic thriller, a gripping entertainer and as a message film that pushed aside the cobwebs, and through terse sequences (the Ajay-Salim clash and reunion). The film had eloquent punch lines and evocative visual means, looked at a real problem that endangered India's integrity with crystal clear vision, and made valid points or suggestions with direct candour. It even seemed to uncannily prophesize a contretemp like the Kargil fiasco, which happened coincidentally within days of its release. Finally, 'Sarfarosh' was a textbook on how a mainstream commercial film should be crafted to win adulation from the masses, the classes, the critics/connoisseurs, and finally, those who are themselves part of the creative departments of filmmaking.
The background score was composed jointly by Dheeraj Dhanak (a veteran musician
with Shankar Jaikishan who passed away in 2000) and Sanjoy Choudhary, the son
of the legendary Salil Choudhary. In a culture where nostalgia is the biggest
opiate of the masses, 'Sarfarosh' will get its complete share of
acknowledgement as a celluloid classic only after a decade or two has passed.
But with a Silver Jubilee run and some prestigious awards in its bag, it has
already proved that bollywood can make a world-class film that speaks the language
of cinema with conviction and commitment.
*Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Amrish Puri, Satish Kaushik and Ashok Kumar.
Shekhar Kapoor's 'Mr. India' must be one of the very few films which is immediately associated with the name of its villain - Mogambo and his cute catchline "Mogambo Khush Hua". To battle such a cartoon villain, a film needs a cartoon hero, and he is Arun, permanently dressed in a tweed jacket and funny hat, and running a household full of too-cute orphans and an even more cute cook Calendar (Satish Kaushik). Into his house steps a journalist called Seema (Sridevi) who hates the brats and loves Arun's alter ego Mr. India. Mogambo plans to evict these rent-owing orphans and turn their house into an arms warehouse.
But as things look hopeless, Arun discovers an invisibility wristband, left
to him by his scientist father. Enter Mr .India, "an ordinary Indian"
who promises to destroy all exploiters of the Indian people. Eventually, Mr.
India, Seema and the kids destroy Mogambo's empire - as Arun says,
"All it takes is one ordinary Indian to stop you".
*Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Vyjayathimala and Tanuja.
Rarely has a director-star team consisted of two brothers as talented as the Anands. Two years after the immense critical and commercial success of 'Guide' and a year after their hugely entertaining 'Teesri Manzil', director Vijay Anand and star, Dev Anand teamed up for the jewel in the Navketan crown.
Even today, 'Jewel Thief' remains a cult film for its use of song picturizations, stylish direction and production design, and for its use of gadgets and gizmos galore that set a techno-trend that lasted well in to the 80s and was spoofed as recently as 1999's 'Badshah'. The novelty of this superb crime thriller starts with a script by Vijay Anand himself. A gifted writer,"Goldie" as he was affectionately known in the industry, wrote virtually all his own films as well as scripts for a variety of other directors, including such memorable films such as 'Hindustan Ki Kasam', 'Kora Kagaz', 'Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki' and 'Hum Rahe Na Rahe'.
In 'Jewel Thief, he excelled himself . The wildly imaginative plot centers around a police commissioner's son who finds himself mistaken for a famous jewel thief named Amar. A woman accuses him of having promised to marry her and her brother supports her claim. To clear his name, the hero masquerades as Amar, while the notorious Amar seems to be masquerading as the commissioner's son! Just when you think that the answer lies in that old staple of Hindi films - duplicate lookalikes - the script does a u-turn. The famous jewel thief dosn't exist at all! It was all a plot by the hero to try to nab the gang of thieves. Amazingly, the film manages to resolve this ingenious plot twist neatly enough to satisfy any Agatha Christie fan, something that you rarely find in a Hindi film.
* Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan, Mohnish Behl, Renuka Shahane, Anupam Kher, Alok Nath, Reema Lagu, Bindu, Satish Shah, Laxmikant Bherde, Ajit Vachchani.
This film serves as a fad with a permanent shelf life, a benchmark for the future progeny to refer to. The title of ‘CULT’ is bestowed upon only the very fortunate few. In cinema especially, where groundbreaking ideas are many, but the lot climbing to ‘pinnacle point’ are few and far between.
It is that one idea that clicks, that one thing different from the rest of the ‘feign gang’ that makes a cult out of a movie or a figure. A personality out of a persona non grata. Except that the now idolized ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ was never non grata ever. The young director of the much established ‘Rajshri Films’ clan, Sooraj Barjatya, had already proved his mettle with his very first swipe of the directorial baton. ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ had Indian movie lovers worldwide wanting to fall in love. The music was a rage. And in the floppy-haired young and sinewy Salman Khan, a superstar was born. In the melee of excitement the industry didn’t fail to register the arrival of the quiet, soft-spoken genius of a director, Sooraj. That was in the year 1989. But his best was yet to come. Sooraj began shooting for his next film with the long-winded title, ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’, with his very first star, Salman Khan, along with a few others from the earlier cast; like Mohnish Behl, Alok Nath, Reema Lagu, Laxmikant Bherde, Ajit Vachchani, and some. The biggest star of the film was of course, the baton-wielder, Sooraj himself. Besides the gorgeous Madhuri Dixit going through her best period yet. The other addition to the film was the lady with the terrific smile, Renuka Shahane. And the famous kabutar of the earlier was replaced by a dog, a white Pomeranian called ‘Fluffy’!
Huge sets were put up at Filmistan Studios, resembling the innards of lavish havelis. There was a flurry of activity with the huge starcast matching dates for the extensive combination shots. It was obvious that a magnum opus was in the making; but no one knew, at that point, how huge it would really turn out to be.
For the release of the film, Bombay’s Liberty theatre was renovated and multi track stereophonic sound was put in. The huge distribution network of the Rajshris swung into action to ensure that there was no piracy or copying of their product. Every theatre across the length and breadth of the country had a Rajshri Films staffer incognito, to oversee that there was no piracy. The video rights were withheld for over a year and in the summer of 1994, the movie was released amidst much fanfare.
The movie industry, who had managed to see a sneak preview of ‘HAHK’, swore by the superb story-telling style of the young Barjatya. They were quick to proclaim him the new Tinsel Emperor of moviemaking. It was not an epithet bestowed without justification. The movie went on to smash every record set previously, by any motion picture made in India, ever. The first movie to smash the Rs.1,000,000,000/- (Hundred Crores) mark in a straight run. The figures are still not exact due to the mind-boggling number of zeroes at the end, the likes of which had never been seen by the movie industry in India. It set Sooraj apart not only as a director par excellence, it also established him as a marketing genius. It was a trendsetting bit of movie marketing all right.
So what was it that made a cult film out of a seemingly light, frothy, well-knit story of a joint family and all their sorrows, joys and events? Replete with songs, vibrant colours, the mandatory love-story, the comic touches, the tragic moments, the emotions? Why did we want to laugh at the ‘umpiring decisions’ of Fluffy in the family cricket match? Why did we cry with Laxmikant Bherde on the tragedy in his family? Why did we wait with bated breath to see the love story between Salman and Madhuri develop? Why did we want to sing along with Mohnish Behl and Renuka Shahane, not to add the rest of the huge family, in their fun-filled moments? Or cry at the demise of the lovely Renuka and the sacrifice of the doting Salman?
Why did we leave the theaters with moistened eyes and blink away unabashed tears of a movie experience as we left the theaters? WHY? Simple. Because the movie reminded us of our very own real life experiences. It brings alive those same experiences on celluloid, lighting up the dark recesses of our memory with its projection lights. Making us relive them as though they were fresh moments. That’s what makes ‘HAHK’ so special. Its simplicity and its imitation of real life as the purest art form.
There is drama in real life too. With all its various hued emotions and sentiments. We laugh, we cry, we fear, we suffer, we thrill, we enjoy... every possible nuance of life. And the more real an onscreen drama is, the more it touches our core. The more we cherish a movie experience. Sooraj was intelligent enough to understand that and capture life on film.
It was the same delightful experience of watching a wedding video, over and over and over. Spotting a new character in the background each time. Reliving the moment. Sooraj’s use of lights running around the screen added to the wedding, festive feel of the film, sweeping the family-oriented Indian public along in a tidal wave of shaadi celebrations. It was a landmark all right in the annals of Indian Cinema.
Some say that it were the real life instances (some of them at least) of Sooraj’s large joint family that inspired a lot of the screen moments of the film. Something that the reclusive director has denied. But true art is often an amalgamation of the thoughts and experiences of the artist. And Sooraj as artist, painted every Indian’s dream on the large canvas of a Cinemascopic screen. Every little touch a delightful stroke of his celluloid brush.
The purple sari worn by the heroine. The red bandanna, the suspenders, the slingshot used by the heroes are still used in large Indian weddings to the day. The ritual of teasing the ladkiwale, the song’n’dance in the antakshri, the nok-jhok between the lead pair are all that happens in large Indian weddings to the day. The bride’s side hiding the shoes and demanding a large sum of money is a regular point of mock warfare, now considered a lucky ritual, in our extravagant culture. The series of exotic ceremonies, spanning a week or more are as much an event in the lives of us emotional Indians as the feature film on screen. Sooraj realized that, and delicately captured all the moments on film. Like a grand drama of Bhartiya sanskruti or Indian Culture. The result was electric.
Every Indian, or anyone with India in his or her blood, went to see the film. Not once or twice, but several times over. Does one see a wedding video just once? No way! It broke several records. And by now it is history about how painter famous artist M.F. Hussain saw the movie 64 times or more and made Madhuri Dixit his muse. It was the reason for his foray into film direction as well with his favourite Ms Dixit.
Salman only established his position as a leading star of the Indian movie marquee. And Sooraj began to be referred to as the man with the golden touch. The best part is that even the character artists of this film went down in the memory of a fond audience. Most famous of all being the ‘potent’ slap on Bindu’s face given by a henpecked husband (Ajit Vachchani) in a ‘last straw’ reaction to her nagging. She is pregnant in her next scene itself. And this drew a round of applause from all the ‘persecuted’ and the ‘chauvinistic’ among the males in the audience.
What worked with the film in a big way was the sense of identification among the viewers with the events on screen. It clicked.
Today ‘HAHK’ is a cult films by all means. It tells an everyday story through song and music and drama and a wedding, Indian style. An everday story told with the panache of a great moviemaker. It had to work. And in the years to come, it will always be referred to as a bookmark in entertainment.
*Waheeda Rehman, Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Anupam Kher.
IN SPITE OF 'Waqt', 'Daag', 'Chandni' an 'Darr'. In spite of 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' and 'Mohhabbatein', Yash Chopra still thinks this is the best film he ever made.And he has apoint.'Lamhe' is like a long and satisfying swig of cognac. 'Lamhe' is that moment in time which defines our commercial cinema's spasmodic derringdo. Written by Honey Irani, 'Lamhe' is certainly Yash Chopra's most daring film.
'Lamhe' was a story of a man caught between two women, though one of the women is dead. However, her lookalike daughter (Sridevi in a double role) whom the man brings up like his own daughter, nurses a crush for the man who loved her mother. "Incestuous!" screamed the purists and moralists. Yash Chopra had been advised to change the ending whereby the daughter convinces her mother's lover to stop sleeping with a ghost, in a matter of speaking. But the visionary-filmmaker was adament. "If i had changed the ending, 'Lamhe' wouldn't have been the film i had set out to make."
Released on the same Friday as Kuku Kohli's 'Phool Aur Kaante', everyone expected 'Lamhe to break records. Its failure demoralized Yash Chopra. To this day, he laments its initial rejection by the audience. But wait. Don't go away. There's a footnote to the box-office fortunes of 'Lamhe'. The film went on to become one of the biggest hits ever in the overseas market.
Contradictory? Yes. But therein lies the tragedy of audiences in India. They cannot look into the man-woman relationship as anything but a telescoped formula. Yash Chopra has always been a master craftsman whose visuals are tonic to the eye. 'Lamhe' dosn't have a single ugly frame. Whether it's Sridevi bursting into a folk dance among the sand dunes, to the sound of Lata Mangeshkar's "Morni bagha ma boley", or Anil Kapoor's look of hurt and rejection when the love of his life runs into another man's arm's, 'Lamhe' makes you fall in love...with love!
IF SHEKHAR KAPOOR NEVER made another film and if Seema Biswas never acted in another one, they would still be remembered for all times to come for their collaboration over 'Bandit Queen'.
Put simply, this is the film that put Hindi cinema on the world map. Brutal,honest,searing and haunting, its upfront rawness makes Mahesh Bhatt's 'Arth' appear futile in comparison. From the opening montage of the amazing little Sunita Bhatt being forcibly married to an unfeeling brute, to her initiation into a life of subversion crime and outlawry, the remarkable and disturbing story of Phoolan Devi comes to life like no other biographical picture in cinematic history.
If by defination, High art is elevating, then 'Bandit Queen' dosn't qualify. It is too grim, too grave in its socio-political resonances to qualify as cinamatic entertainment. And yet, there's a redeeming streak of genius, that spark in the dark, which is preserved within the dark and grim story. The film's strong language and content evoked severs censorial recrimination. But it isn't the gaalis that make Shekhar Kapur's world of caste and gender prejudice go around. It's the unrelenting and disturbing honesty of the presentation.
*Waheeda Rehman,Sanjeev Kumar,Shash kapoor,Amitabh Bachchan,Hema Malini and Raackee Gulzar.
After the phenomenal success of 'Deewar', it was only natural for Yash Chopra to bring the same talented team together for another powerful drama. In doing so, he raised obvious comparisons between the two films. And if one was to campare them, there's no question that 'Deewar' emerges as superior on many counts. But despite the comparison, 'Trishul' is no less a great film. Screen writers Salim-Javed were at the peak of their talents, Amitabh Bachchan was at the height of his popularity, and Yash Chopra was finally finding his own groove as a producer and a director. In fact, its hard to believe that the same man who made the memorable, gentle and romantic film 'Kabhi Kabhie' could also make a film like 'Trishul'.
Amitabh Bachchan's image as a brooding angry young action hero had been cemented with the success of 'Deewar' and 'Sholay' among other films. His Vijay persona had become a legendary character that had taken on a life of its own. Embodying the angst and frustration of lower class and middle class youth in those repressive Emergency and post-Emergency years, Vijay was already a symbol of rebellion and self-empowerment for millions of struggling young men.
'Trishul' added a new chapter to the Vijay saga. While repeating the mother-worship that had been the crux of 'Deewar' and which had become a crucial part of the Hindi film formula since 'Mother India', 'Trishul' introduced an important new element. Vijay's relationship with his father, played by Sanjeev Kumar.
Salim-Javed's powerful screenplay and dialogues unfolded scene after scene of dramatic conflict between father and son. Sanjeev Kumar's impressive talents were more than a match for Amitabh's smouldering intensity. The scenes between the two actors remain some of the greatest father-son scenes in Hindi cinema even today and have rarely been equalled. 'Trishul' still ranks as one of the top ten AB films, and one of the greatest father-son screen dramas made in India.
*Dilip Kumar, Vyjanthimala, Nasir Khan,
'Ganga Jumna' is one of those classic films that combined hard-hitting realism and strong story telling within the popular format. The film, produced and written by Dilip Kumar (some say also ghost directed by him), used the Bhojpori dialect to great affect - the character of the village bumpkin Ganga has been aped by actors down the ages. And the story of two brothers on opposite sides of the law repeated over and over again but never with so much power. Only Salim-Javed managed to update and urbanise the story in 'Deewar' to match the success of the original trendsetter. The strength of the film, apart from its script and skillful direction is Wajahat Mirza's dialogues (his lines keep popping up in films till today) and Naushad's brilliant folksy music. The performances are also impeccable. Ganga is unarguably one of Dilip Kumar's finest and most detailed performances.
*Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia ,Pran, Premnath.
After incurring heavy losses with his semi-autobiographical and rather self-indulgent 'Mera Naam Joker', Raj Kapoor had to make a small budget quickie to make up. Who'd have expected that a cult youth film would emerge from the collective minds of three not-so-young men - writers K.A Abbas, V.P Sathe and director Raj Kapoor.
Half the battle was won with the correct casting - a cherubic Rishi Kapoor paired with the very young and very sexy Dimple Kapadia. The story, well-defined characters (even the small parts were memorable - like the funny parsi women played by Piloo Wadia and the amorous older woman played by Aruna Irani , even the villainess Prem Chopra), the whiff of youthful rebellion and Laxmikant-Pyarelal's music score appealed tremendously to young audiences.
'Bobby' turned Rishi Kapoor into a teen idol, and millions of Dimple Kapadia fans were heartbroken when she married the then superstar Rajesh Khanna and gave up films (only to return a decade later). Dimple had been screen-tested for 'Bobby' at R.K Studios in 1971 when she was just 14 years old and was immediately selected. Her beauty and talent shining through in arole that was tailer-made for her. In a way, her retirement preserved the image of 'Bobby' in the minds of audiences as the eternal disirable nymphet. Incidentally, the first film that Dimple was ever offered was 'Guddi', which her father turned down. And interstingly, one of the girls auditioned for the role of Bobby was Neetu Singh, who lost the role but went on to become Mrs. Rishi Kapoor.
*Shammi Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Prem Chopra and Helen.
Near-perfect blend of mystery, humor, romance and music.
Always fond of the crime genre, Goldie made 'Teesri Manzil' a memorable murder thriller while retaining the successful Nasir Hussain elements of light musical romance. 'Teesri Manzil' is remembered for much more than its murder mystery. It was the movie that gave R. D Burman his first major Breakthrough, and the music was truly outstanding. Asha Bhosle's classic "o mere sona re" later became her signature tune and was the title track of her personal tribute to her beloved Panchamda, R.D Burman, who composed some of his best hits for her. And glam-girl Helen was never as vivicious and sexy as in her "Aaja Aaja" number.
While the filmmakers may have been trying for a Hitchcock-like blend of suspense, humor and romance, the eye-popping pastels of the film's Eastmancolor cinematography and outlandish, energetic musical numbers blend to create a delightful Bollywood concoction. Lead actor Shammi Kapoor is wonderfully fruity in what is probably his best performance, and dancing queen Helen is in classic bad girl mode. Not to be missed by anyone interested in 1960's Indian pop cinema.
*Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Johnney Walker and Mehmood.
The movie begins in the dying moments in the life of a famous film director, played by Guru Dutt. The movie then moves to the beginning of his career where he meets Shanti, only a debutante and unsure of everything she does. His growing fascination for her prompts him to cast her in his movies. Her growing independence and stature and his subsequent decay into mediocrity, the tension between their personal feelings and their professional goals sets the stage for the rest of the movie. The movie has several generally acclaimed songs by Geeta Dutt which are inextricable from the movie plot itself.
This Guru Dutt film had distinct autobiographical notes and the intensity with which the director bared his soul just may have discomfited audiences. But this film, along with 'Pyaasa', is now considered a masterpiece. Technically, the film was brilliant. V.K Murthy's camerawork in black-and-white was magical in its luminosity - it was India's first cinemascope film and won Murthy a lot of acclaim and awards. Like the doomed hero of 'Pyaasa', Guru Dutt's work was valued more after his death, as he was rediscovered by the West and given a place in the pantheon of cinema greats.
*Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, Raakhee and Prem Chopra.
This is one more gem of a movie made under "Yash Chopra" banner. An unusual, partly forced love triangle which is a result of a series of tragic events in the life of three characters in this movie. The original story was written by Gulshan Nanda who pioneered writing Hindi romantic novels in the seventies and early eighties. Raakhee was the surprise package of this movie who looked far better than seasoned actress Sharmila Tagore. Rajesh Khanna was at his usual best.
The Fruits of severance were sweet. Yash Chopra's first independent production, 'Daag', was 'The Fire' that set the box-office afflame.It also brought Rajesh Khanna back into the race, putting to rest all the speculation regarding his shaky box-office standing after his marriage with Dimple Kapadia in 1973. Based on Thomas Hardy's 'The Mayor Of Casterbridge' and Gulshan Nanda's novel 'Maili Chandni', 'Daag is the story of a man named Sunil (Rajesh Khanna who's seperated from his wife Sonia (Sharmila Tagore) on their honeymoon when he kills his villainess boss(Prem Chopra). Considering both the leading man and director had lately returned from their own honeymoons, such murderous thoughts regarding the romantic vacation seem rather strange. In many ways, 'Daag' was the true and proud precursor to Yash Chopra's 'Kabhi Kabhie'. Dreamy, poetic, snow-capped and serene, every pore of 'Daag' suggests love,romance and music.
*Meena Kumari, Dharmendra, Madan Puri and Jeevan.
The minute Dharmendra took off his shirt and stumbled towards Meena Kumari's bed in a drunken stupor, a blockbuster was born.
'Phool Aur Pathar' was the film that gave Dharmendra, the garam Dharam image. He was tough yet vulnerable. Most of his subsequent hits cashed on those personality traits. 'Phool Aur Pathar' was the biggest success of Ralhan's career. After playing staid, sober, shy guys in women-oriented films like 'Bandini', 'Anpadh' and 'Anupama', Dharmendra suddenly acquired superstar status with the role of the toughie who enjoys his drinks and dames without feeling like the typical leery villain. Dharmendra's antics with the vampish Shashikala as she tries desperately to seduce the He-man with Asha Bhosle's "Sheeshi se pee ya paimane se pee" and "Duniya mein pyar karna seekh le", brought the house down. Ravi's music and songs were an asset. But it was Dharmendra's hunky heroism that made 'Phool Aur Pathar' one of the biggest hits of the year. This was the first time that a top leading man undressed for the camera. While Meena Kumari remained swathed in spotless white from head to toe, beefcake finally came out of the closet.
*Sunil Dutt,Waheeda Rehman, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Vinod Khanna, Sanjay Dutt.
As an Actor, Sunil Dutt did all kinds of films - commercial as well as artistic. And as a filmmaker, he experimented with offbeat films. 'Yaadein', for instance, was a solo-actor film about a man whose wife has left him. 'Mujhe Jeene Do' was agrim story about a dacoit's life. 'Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke' was inspired by the sensational Nanavat murder case in which a naval officer was tried for killing his unfaithful wife. 'Reshma Aur Shera' was a colourful and imaginative reworking of 'Romeo And Juliet' set amidst the sand dunes of Rajasthan. The film also introduced three actors to Hindi cinema - Amrish Puri, Ranjeet and Amitabh Bachchan ( though K.A Abbas' 'Saat Hindustani' is believed to be his first). Bachchan, in a role of a mute young man, gave ample proof of his talent right at the start. There was no doubt that this actor would go far - just how far nobody could have predicted.
Though Sunil Dutt and Waheeda Rehman were a little overage playing young lovers, the film worked at every other level. It had great visuals and gorgeous costumes. The performances were excellent and Jaidev's music was brilliant with songs like "Tu chanda mein chandni", Ek meethi si chubhan" and Jab se lagan lagai hai re".
*Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Salman Khan, Rani Mukarjee, Anupham Kher.
AN ABSOLUTE ENCHANTER
No one thought Karan Johar to be anything more than the rich and spoilt heir of a filmic empire.He surprised everyone by making a film that tugged intently at the heart strings. Kajol and Shahrukh were the best of friends. Their presence in Karan Johar's directorial debut was a foregone conclusion. Karan admits that the film's characters live in a completely make-believe world. But the film had heart. The Directorseemed to believe in the power of love to heal a wounded heart and soothe a sobbing soul.
The human relationships in 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' were refreshingly new-fangled. The hero's mum (Farid Jalal) ganged up with her granddaughter to get a new wife for her grieving son. In the second half, Karan introduced the other man, played with heartwarming rakishness by Salman Khan, thereby stretching the trianguler love story into a simmering quadrangle. Even the slight bond between Salman and his future mother-in-law Reema Lagoo was full of warmth and urbane wit.
Sure, we knew the outcome of the mismatched alliances from beforehand. But did that stop us from warming up to the fabulously flush songs and music and Farah Khan's Swinging choreography? Scenes such as the one where Rahul's motherless daughter speaks on the topic of what a mother means to a child, or the one in the park where Rahul runs to tell Anjali that he loves Tina, filled the heart with pleasurable pain. Transparently sentimental and designed to wrench tears and laughter out of us, 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' was constructed as a spiral with every consecutive sequence, consciously constructed to build a harmony between emotion and technique.
*Sanjeev Kumar, Sir.Richard Attenborough, Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi, Saeed Jaffrey, Tom Alter, Victor Banerjee and Farida Jalal.
Amitabh Bachchan(Narrator)
Wazed Ali Shah is the ruler of one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British, intent on controlling this rich country, have sent general Outram on a secret mission to clear the way for an annexation. While pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political manoeuvres, Ali Shah composes poems and listens to music, secluded in his palace. The court is of no help, as exemplified by nobles Mir and Mirza, who, ignoring the situation of their country and all their duties towards their families, spend their days playing endless parties of chess.
Satyajit Ray was already an acknowledged world master when he decided to make 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi', his first Hindi film. It was based on Munshi Premchand's allegorical story on two men engrossed in a game of chess as disaster knocks at their door. It began with an animated piece about the British annexation policy, with the voiceover by Amitabh Bachchan. Scripted by Ray himself, the film had a difficult subject treated at various layers with delicate irony and humour. Set in the mid-nineteen century, when the decadent Wajid Ali Shah (Amjad Khan, perfectly cast) ruled Awadh, even as the British look for ways to annex his kingdom. The Nawab has relied on the treaty of friendship with the British to indulge in his artistic passions instead of maintaining an army. His prime minister (Victor Banerjee) looks on helplessly.
Wajid Ali Shah is more interested in music, dance and poetry than in protecting his lands. In the capital city of Lucknow, two rich zamindars, Mirza Sajjad (Sanjeev Kumar) and Mir Roshan Ali (Saeed Jaffrey) who do nothing but play chess all day. Mirza's neglected wife, Khurshid (Shabana Azmi) tries to wean him away, but he is obsessed with the game. Mir's wife, Nafeesa (Farida Jalal), however, is quite happy if her husband stays out, since she is having an affair with her cousin. Even when her husband finds out, he does nothing, since he dosn't want to disturb his game. When Wajid Ali Shah is faced with the unpleasent choice of giving up his throne or fighting with East India Company forces, he chooses the easier of the two alternatives. He agrees to hand over his crown to the British, and go into exile, singing a Thumri - "Jab chhod chale Lucknow nagri, kaho haal Adam par kya guzri". Mir and Mirza hear that the Company's troops are marching towards Lucknow. Afraid of being summoned to help the Nawab or of being forced to take some active part in the turbulent goings on, they abandon their families and go to a quiet village to continue their chess game in peace. They fight,shoot at each other and shamefully make up,but are still quite indifferent to their responsibilities.
*Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar , Mehmood, Om Prakash, Saira Banu and Mukri.
It's no coincidence that the zaniest musical comedy in Hindi film history featured the original yoodle-master Kishore Kumar in amajor role. It was one of the first major hits to feature a macho action hero, Sunil Dutt, in an out-and out comic role, and certainly the first major Hindi film to stick stubbornly to comedy, full comedy, and only comedy for its entire 2 hour 37 minutes in length. What took this simple film and elevated it to the status of an all-time classic were three elements. The first, the brilliant casting, to put a major box-office star in the lead role was a coup. No hero ever changed his look and his image as drastically as Sunil Dutt did in this film, throwing himself so wholeheartedly (and whole headedly) into the role. But the second element which really added a fantastic boost to the movie was the casting and performance of Kishore Kumar. Still not at the peak of his success as a singer (that phase would start only a year later with the release of 'Aradhana', Kishore was still hungover with his early madcap acting style that we saw in films like 'Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi' and 'Jhumroo'.
Kishore Kumar's performance in 'Padosan' both when singing the wonderful songs of R.D Burman (himself a master of zaniness! and when acting onscreen, was more than inspired. It was superlative. The jugalbandi sequence, done so well by everyone involved, was one of the greatest in our industry's history. And there's no question that Kishore Kumar steals the show. When you consider the fact that the film was produced by Mehmood himself and that the star comedian allowed himself to be upstaged by his rival in the story, its even more creditable. And finally, the third and most crucial element that made this film deserve its superhit status were the superb songs. Panchamda, as R.D Burman was affectionately called, turned out a marvellous score, with songs such as "Ek chatur naar karke singaar" and the all-time hit "Mere saamne wali khidki mein".
*Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Manisha Kiorala, Pran, Anupam Kher and Danny Dengzongpa.
Lavish Filmmaking......A Romantic Saga of Epic Dimensions
The trio of Anil, Jackie and Vidhu Vinod Chopra joined hands once again for this love story set against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement. As the love struck Nandu, Anil Kapoor exuded freshness as he sported a crew cut, a thin moustache and the trappings of an English lad. With its huge canvas, the climax shoot required thousands of artistes. Chopra therefore employed the services of fellow directors Govind Nihalani and Shekhar Kapur to execute these sequences. 1942-A Love Story was the second film in history, which had more than one director for a special sequence; the first being Lawrence of Arabia. Blending musical poetry with epic spectacle, "1942: A Love Story" stands as a definitive work of Indian filmmaking. As the film follows a pair of lovers through the Indian uprising against imperialist Britain, traditional Indian song is used to juxtapose the harsh realities of an oppre