Community feeling (Biradari)

There is a magnanimous old woman, who is forever kind to her poor and helpless tenants. There is a handsome young man who is impressed with her affectionate behaviour when he comes to live in the same chawl. There is a sweet love story that brews between him and the old lady's attractive daughter. There are the simple and funny neighbours who keep the halcyon atmosphere intact. There is the big builder who is scheming to get the building to himself, there are misunderstandings, songs and dances and everything that a chawl film should have. Yet, Biradari comes across as pretty unconventional.

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A peek into domesticity (Abhinetri)

Wonder what kept me away from this Subodh Mukherjee film till now? I had heard about this film ever since they played the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa song in Chitrahaar when I used to be a little girl. By the time I was in my senses to retain it in my memory, I knew that Shashi Kapoor looked extremely attractive and Hema Malini looked uber-fetching in a film called Abhinetri. So then, why did I not make an effort to see this one? Beats me!

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When the past haunts (Humjoli)

I am not too fond of Jeetendra. Rather, I cannot brook Jeetendra. I think that he being called "The Jumping Jack" is no exaggeration. I think his acting is flawed, he is not much of a looker and his style sense is horrendous. So what brought me to watch Humjoli, a film that where Jeetendra plays the male lead? Well, if I am to be honest, I watched it not for the jumping jack (and how true this film proved him to be!), but for the histrionics of Leena Chandravarkar, whose films I'm yet to explore in totality, for Pran, who plays a repenting villain and for Mehmood, a guy who pulls all the stops when it comes to ribtickling comedy.

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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!!

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Almost nothing to like (Sharada)

Those of you who have seen Sharada and have liked the L V Prasad flick, please pardon this blogger. I too, like all you old film buffs wanted to see this Meena Kumari and Raj Kapoor enterprise for a long, long time. I had imagined that it is going to be one good drama with plenty of twists, turns, histrionics and punchy dialogues. But lo! What I got in return was an utterly contorted, soppy, vague and inane film that should not have been in the first place itself. This is not the way you project a self-sacrificing and great woman. The emotions are forced, the actions are unrealistic and a great team of actors totally wasted. There, I've said it. I've said bad things about a much celebrated 1957 film and I'm ready to accept the brickbats for it. But then, I have reasons for doing so.

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Toying with melodrama (Khilona)

There are times when I'm game for a film where I wouldn't have to put in much thought and reasoning. I'd only have to go with the flow of the story, the ups, downs, drama, melodrama, songs, sequences and inanities. These are the times when I am lazy, tired or rather bored. These are times when one can surely watch the film Khilona. Yes, I did too. There's nothing much to say about the film except that Mumtaz looked lovely and Sanjeev Kumar was so different from his other celebral roles. But somehow, I cannot say that I did not like Khilona. There is something very dramatic about this movie that sat well with me!

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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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A superlative endeavour (Koshish)

Whenever I see a film about complex human emotions and end up being disappointed, I mull over the idea of how Gulzar would have treated the subject. Yes, I'm  partial to the man and his art. For me, he is the sole creator of those films that have the power of extracting the last drop of tears from your eyes. But his brand of movie making is not loud, melodramatic or heart-wrenching. He is a magician with a very subtle flamboyance. He comes, narrates a simple story and goes. And even before you realise it, the story casts such an indelible impression on you that you keep thinking about the beauty, or the surprises, that life has in store for everyone. Like how Gulzar does in Koshish. A saga that could have very well be one tearjerker is not so because of the finesse and restraint that the director exhibits. Hope and survival, the two main qualities in this film, layered with a stunning picture of love and togetherness, could not be better depicted.

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A subtle celebration of love (Chawa Pawa)

When you watch Uttam Kumar romancing Suchitra Sen on the silver screen you suddenly feel a stab in your heart. A piercing pain for something joyous that alas shall never ever be. Such was the beauty of this evergreen pair that reached the pinnacle of success in Bengali moviedom. Such beauty can be only once. And such indelible and deep was the impression of this onscreen couple that no lover of Bengali cinema will be able to give a scope to any duo exuding lesser magnetism or charm.

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