Forgiveness comes naturally (Bahurani)

This is a typical family masala entertainer that sails smoothly because of its easy story and good performances. Yes, the melodrama, the conniving, the songs, the twists, the dances are all in place. But what stands out in this 1963 film is how a woman hold court throughout. A feisty heroine helps her husband come into his own through the light of erudition. She does all the good deeds despite the thorns strewn in the way. She does not dither, does not take the easy path and yes, she is rewarded in the end. T Prakash Rao's Bahurani, is a sweet family drama about love, devotion, family bonding, relationships and forgiveness. And what's a win-win situation here is that all the melodrama is restrained. It never flies over the roof!

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Sweet as Honey (Talaq)

I will not say that Talaq is a path-breaking film. It deals with the very sundry problems that may arise in a marriage when both parties fall prey to misunderstandings, are irrational on some count or the other and when there is that one nosey parker who spoils all the fun and love. In that, Talaq, directed by Mahesh Kaul, sticks to the tried and tested formulae. But, what makes this 1958 film stand out is the way in which the usual dramatics are handled. The narrative is rather engaging, the events are quite interesting and the actors look extremely real in their behaviour. The best part is of course the adorable child actor Honey Irani (for some reason she is credited as wonder child Ashwini) who plays the three-year-old son of the lead actors and who is a testimony to the trying state that a child may be in when parents quarrel like animals.

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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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Raw appeal (Baarish)

There is a good thing and a bad thing about watching a very, very old Dev Anand film. That would be films in the 50s, when he was yet to become the charismatic debonair who made all of us weak in the knees. He was yet to get the swagger, that style, that mischievous glint in his eyes that crushed the knee caps to jelly whenever he appeared on the screen. And yes, he was yet to get that sweeping hairstyle!

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Adventure gone wrong (Azaad)

Sometimes I wonder whether films that became blockbusters during their times would do as well if released today? Not if the treatment is as shoddy and half-hearted as I discovered in SMS Naidu's Azaad. His romantic adventure flick, I read, was the highest grossing entertainer in 1955. A watch after I am yet to decipher whether the records are indeed indicative of how good a film is. For, apart from a few mushy moments between the lead pair, some melodious songs by C Ramchanda, a gorgeous Meena Kumari and a dishy Dilip Kumar, this film lacks the punch of say maybe, Kohinoor or even Aan. Patchy in parts and disjointed throughout, the film suffers from bad editing and a tediously stretched comic subplot starring Om Prakash and Raj Mehra. Wish the director concentrated more on the love angle than attempting to make his caper a well-rounded adventure film...

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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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