Peetering out (Shaadi ke Baad)

Generally I'm quite predisposed towards any film from the L V Prasad stable, but something about Shaadi ke Baad kept nibbling at me after a point of time. The cast was good, the story was fun, the performances were just and the songs were in place. But something, which I'm yet to pin-point correctly, left me quite dissatisfied. Was it the rambling turn of events after intermission, the lack of concretised drama or simply the lack-lustre script? Also, what left me pondering was why the director would waste a fine artist like Shatrughan Sinha by casting him as an aging landlord who's lost all his fortunes but is too proud to give up his royal behaviour? This actor, who's capable of turning a drab script into a enticing one, is given just about a few scenes which does him no justice.

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Satisfaction guaranteed! (Aaye Din Bahaar Ke)

I'm always game to watch a film for umpteen times provided it guarantees wholesome entertainment. There might be flaws and redundant inclusions, but after it ends it should leave me happy and satisfied. Sadly, not many films of today deliver such fun. So, I keep going back to the films of yore to extract my daily quota of entertainment. I might know every scene by heart, every dialogue might just rotate in my mind and everything looks all too familiar. But nothing stops me from re-watching them. J Om Prakash's romantic drama Aaye Din Bahar Ke is one of them. Only heaven knows how many times I've watched this Dharmendra-Asha Parekh lovely, but does that mean I'll stop? No way...

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Super Shyama (Do Behnen)

I've figured that this has been mostly a Rajendra Kumar month for me in terms of blog posts. But I am loving it. Simply because I've managed to watch some very good films (and some tepid ones). I now agree that this actor did make a mark in the audience's mind through his own mettle and talent. He was a good actor (even if he was not the best looking among them) and did manage to star in some very likeable films. This post of course will talk about a film starring Rajendra Kumar, but will this time celebrate his co-star in the movie--- Shyama.  

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Women's lib (Pati Patni)

If you discount the main leads in this S A Akbar comedy, you are in for a jolly good time. Not that the main story is bad or the cast dismal, but it is the supporting cast that comes up trumps in the entertaining Pati Patni. The lead cast is good, the story conventional, replete with the usual romance, twists and misunderstandings. But it is the utter uproariousness of the supporting plot that takes the film to another level. The best comedians are all brought under one roof but every one of them has a special part to play. The dialogues are so darn hilarious and the situations are absolutely funny. Wonder why this 1966 film is not spoken about much. I think this film deserves much more than obscurity. It needs to be celebrated as one fine comedy. Fast paced, action-packed and utterly hilarious!!

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For her eyes only (Sunayana)

Hiren Nag's Sunayana could very well have been a different film if the end would not have gone the tried and tested path. Partial as I may sound, but somehow I feel that Inderjeet deserved Sunayana as much as Raju. For, didn't he look after her unconditionally when she had nowhere to go to? Didn't he keep mum about his feelings for her knowing full well that she would feel pressurised if he were to own up that he felt for her? Didn't he want to find her a suitable groom, never once presenting himself as a suitor? And most importantly, he never took undue advantage of her helpless condition.

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Family feud (Do Raaste)

Let's not get judgemental. For, it's very easy to find faults with the wicked parties in Raj Khosla's Do Raaste.  The director, whose thrillers I feel are a hundred notches better than his family dramas, doesn't put any energies in creating grey characters. He makes the good ones in the film absolutely saccharine and the bad people never do anything good. There is hardly any subtlety in dealing with emotions and every bit of melodrama is retained. Still, in my opinion, Do Raaste is one of the best domestic sagas I've seen. It's engaging, high strung and full of attractive moments. And yes, this 1969 film has solid performances...

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The original HAHK (Nadiya ke Paar)

The first thing that hit me in Govind Moonis's Nadiya ke Paar is how real everything looks. The village setting, the costumes, the rustic characters, the incidents and most importantly, the dialect. This original of the Madhuri Dixit-Salman Khan starrer Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, is absolutely fascinating in its simplicity and narration. Its characters are real, they talk as if they are the characters and whatever happens in the film seem so true to life. Sometimes, this 1982 film turns out to be so enjoyable that you think the remake is a tad OTT and unnecessarily long...

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Strong ties (Dosti)

Seldom have I seen a film that stands strong just because of the engaging series of events. It does not have a stellar cast, it has no romance as its core element, it has no dashing hero, no pretty heroine and no slimy rogue. But still, it just keeps you hooked. The melodrama and some unnecessary plot elements notwithstanding, as well as some irrational behaviour. Dosti, Satyen Bose's tearjerker about two thick friends, is a film that defines all of the above...

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Long and very drawn (Sasural)

Blame it on my overtaxed brain. I've been choosing the wrong films for a few days now. When I most need a frothy entertainer with great songs and a charming lead pair, I'm making erroneous choices of social dramas that look engaging from outside, but are tedious and hollow once unraveled. T Prakash Rao's remake of Telegu hit Illarikam is one of those blunders that I'd better stayed away from. For, Sasural is long, monotonous and lacks the winning punch.

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Check mate (Shatranj ke Khilari)

Satyajit Ray's films are like onions. With every viewing, they spring new layers. Every film of his guarantee a new thought, a new feeling, a new imagery, a new parallel, a new subtext, a new meaning, with every watch. Unraveling Ray, hence, becomes such a splendid experience.
In his first Hindi film, Ray toys with a story by Munshi Premchand. Shatranj ke Khilari narrates the tale (Amitabh Bachchan is the narrator) of Awadh's last emperor Wajid Ali Shah at the fag-end of his rule. It depicts how the East India Company confiscates his empire by pulling the strings cunningly. But the 1977 film is not merely a historical chronicle.

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Incorrectly titled (Nirala)

I should have steered clear of this one. But, how was I supposed to know? Dev Anand, in 1950, looked simply awesome, Madhubala was as usual ravishing, and the expectation of a breezing romance between these two attractive people surely looked enticing.

But, I was duped. For, the very title of Deben Mukherjee’s Nirala turned out to be stupendously misleading. Yes, it was different, as ‘nirala’ should be, but in a very negative way. What starts out as a fun romance disintegrates into a weird tragedy that is puerile and vague, with no plausible reason for becoming so.

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Feminism of yore (Khushboo)

Given Gulzar's sensitive approach, it is but obvious that his handling of a proud woman's emotions would be different. And Khushboo does not disappoint on that count. No matter how sorrowful her life is, Kusum does not sacrifice her dignity and pride to attain happiness. She abstains from grovelling in self-pity and shuns any kind of sympathy from the world. Simply because she feels honoured to address her rights and expects her dear ones to acknowledge that. This is a girl who is strong, dignified and fiesty, yet sober, mature and loving. It is this Kusum who will grab your attention in Khushboo...

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Tragic romance (Goonj Uthi Shehnai)

My brother believes that a tragic ending makes a romantic film even more memorable. And, if not sad, an expectant one, where the lovers' union is far from achieved. He is of the view that when the denouement is not rosy, it tends to haunt you. Call it poignance or what, I can sense the same when the end credits roll in Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai. When circumstances and society tear Kishan away from his sweetheart Gopi, you kind of feel a hollow in your heart. The pain increases when the two lovers meet their end far away from each other, only with the hope that in death will their union be possible. The love that stung the eyes of society shall be consummated in the jaws of death. Perhaps, that is why this Rajendra Kumar-Ameeta romantic tradegy continues to be so memorable...

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Twin trouble (Ram aur Shyam)

Somewhere in the middle of Ram aur Shyam director Chanakya loses steam. That's my guess. For, what starts as a perfectly exciting family drama turns into a rambling and tedious potboiler. The film just goes on and on. So dragged is the denouement that when Anjana and Shanta get to garland their heroes, I kick myself up from semi-slumber to say, "Gosh, at last the deed is done!"

Pardon me, but I think this film could have been so much more entertaining if it had been sharper and tighter. A few inane scenes here and there could have been omitted and Dilip Kumar's sometimes forced comedy could be saved for a more favourable day...

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