Hey baby!! (Tum Haseen Main Jawan)

I call this a bubblegum film. Nothing is serious here. Even when the villain is trying to bump off an infant, you know at the back of your mind that he will reform his actions in the climactic scene. I also call this bubblegum because of the plethora of colours I see here. Every frame is bursting with multiple hues. Every song is bouncy and one can surely leave his brain behind when this Bhappi Soni venture starts. Moreover, I call this bubblegum because the moment the bubble bursts, you don't get to see the gorgeous Dharmendra anymore. Nor the perfectly charming Hema Malini. You don't get to be party to their sweet tale of love. You don't get to enjoy their infectious banter and you don't get to see them romp in nature declaring their undying love for each other. And yes, you don't get to see the baby who no matter what danger is hovering over his head keeps flashing his cute toothless smile!!

Tum Haseen Main Jawan is one of my favourite (it's a sheer happy-go-lucky movie) Dharmendra-Hema Malini starrers. And one of the main reasons for that is the way Dharmendra's character is etched. He starts off as a flamboyant naval officer who volunteers to take care of a baby, is shown to be an incorrigible flirt, becomes the lover of a beautiful damsel and then fights the goon so that everything is hale and hearty in the end. However, I particularly loved the flirt in him. He is carefree, charming and oh-so-handsome when he is teasing the nurse in the hospital (even when he has a battered eye and a limp after a heavy brawl), ogling at the stripper in the bar, cosying up to all the women whom he invites for dinner and then ultimately trying to woo the diva in blue who walks into the party and takes his breath away. Dharmendra, I believe, makes the naval officer looks triple handsome. He is funny, cute, wicked and clever all at the same time. Look at him use his friend to look after the baby. And then when he realises that Anuradha is the best governess he could ever have, he quickly tries to impress her with a luring song and dance. Ahh! Dharmendra, you make me drool... 

The story of this 1970 film is very true to the Bhappi Soni stable. When Ranjeet Singh's (Pran) uncle leaves all his property to his grandson after his death, Ranjeet swears to kill the new born. Even after his wife Jina (Helen is not just a cabaret dancer here. She is also the mother of a baby!) reasons with him that they have enough and require no more money, he is hell bent on doing the dreaded. He orders his henchman to go to the hospital in Cochin and murder the baby that Gayatri Devi has given birth to. But clever planning on the part of the doctor there ensures that Gayatri's sister takes the baby away even before the villains can come.

But while Anuradha (Hema Malini is so perfectly dressed all the time, with her chiffons, bouffants et al) hides the baby in a fruit basket and is about to leave, she is chased by Ranjeet. She has to exchange her basket with another basket at a fruit vendor's. While she is busy hoodwinking Ranjeet, her original basket is carried away by a group of navy men who are boarding a ship to Mumbai. Their shenanigans on the ship are quite a thing to watch out for. They hide the baby from their stern Captain Shamsher (Anwar Hussain) and even convince him that he is daydreaming about babies and women. While Captain Shamsher is befuddled, the young men sing a funny song called Munne ke amma (Rajindernath dressed up as a woman, holding a baby and Dharmendra leading the pack of singers!!!). It's slapstick yes, but it's kind of hilarious.

Anyways, Sunil (Dharmendra) brings the baby home and tells Bansi (Mohan Choti) to take care of him as he has work to do (pursue pretty women and shower them with lavish praises!). Bansi promptly advertises for a governess. Anuradha arrives at Sunil's doorstep and heaves a sigh of relief when she finds that her nephew is safe and sound. The focus here shifts from the baby to the relation between Sunil and Anuradha, who harbours feelings for this hunk (is that very unusual?). Tipped off by Bansi, she wards off every woman who comes Sunil's way. While Sunil is fed up of these two, he does not even care to take a second look at Anuradha, the beauty.

This is where we have the title song, a rocking number from Asha Bhonsle and Mohd Rafi, singing to the tune of Shankar Jaikishan. Anuradha disguises herself as a diva (I think her dress and hair resemble an Egyptian queen) and goes to a party where she knows Sunil has gone. Sunil is smitten by the look of her and prances about her singing a mean and appreciative song. I wonder why the man who is otherwise so resourseful is not able to figure out that this diva is actually Anuradha herself (let's give the makers some cinematic license!). Song and dance over, Sunil goes back home and discovers that Anuradha IS the diva. The two profess their love for each other (So easy!!!) and go to bed happy. Anuradha however tells Sunil that she has to hide her identity from him for some time, which Sunil accepts happily. He is after all too happy to get a girlfriend in this gorgeous female. And you can see his ecstasy in the song Chehera tera walla walla. A lot of things happen after this, like it does in all these potboilers. But I didn't not like all that because I was getting to see so many good clothes, actors and colours (yes, the film is darn colourful!!)

I wouldn't say that the acting is awesome. But yes, all the actors do quite a decent job of playing to the tune of the director and going with the flow of the story. Pran is a delicious devil with his characteristic swagger and his uff uff uffs. Helen doesn't look as saucy as she does otherwise. I even thought that her song Kaise rahoon chup lacked the punch of her other cabaret numbers. But she plays a sweet mother and a devoted friend.

Hema Malini looks ravishing. Well, she is supposed to do so. How on earth will Sunil fall for her then? But, I couldn't care much for her role. She is appropriate as the dutiful sister, the caring aunt, the perky sweetheart and the anxious damsel. But otherwise, there's not much scope for her to perform. Even in the song Kamdev jaisi, she looks a bit resigned and tired. I wanted to see her dance so badly. This film disappoints here.
The comic subplot is a repetition of the comedy we have seen in so many other films. Rajindernath is grotesque and Dhumal just does not look interested.

The best part about this film is Dharmendra. He wears great colours and carries them off with elan. A naval officer's uniform never looked more natty. He is just so good-looking that you cannot think straight when he is out there. Remember the song Dil achha hain? Tell me of another man who can carry off a fluorescent green sweat shirt with such flamboyance. Surely, nobody as droolworthy as Dharmendra...