Needs some re-casting (Holi Ayee Re)

Harsukh Jagneshwar Bhatt must have been seriously cashstrapped. Or else, why would he squander away a reasonable good script by casting some absolutely unknown faces in his Holi Ayee Re. The best he can manage are some famous character actors who salvage the film from the brink of disaster. But I feel, this 1970 romance-cum-family drama would have done fairly well if we would have had a better and a more formidable cast. Here's how...

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Not really Shammi-esque (Ujala)

I guess Shammi Kapoor was just not cut out for these roles. Dark, depressing and gloomy. In Naresh Saigal's 1959 drama, Ujala, my favourite Kapoor plays a poor young man suffering from the drudgery of life, yet trying to eke out an honest living and due to some unfortunate co-incidences has his self-confidence battered and bruised. He tries to prove himself time and again, with the help of an aged reformist and his sweetheart but the road to perdition is strewn with thorns. He does redeem himself of all the aspersions cast against his character but the journey towards redemption is too tedious and full of depression. Naah! Shammi Kapoor is definitely not cut out for such a gloomy role!

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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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Romance and entertainment (Lukochoori)

This is prime time entertainment. Twin brothers who are very much aware of each others' existence, sisters who fall in love with each of them, parents who are loving and indulgent yet stern, comedy that is absolutely situational, songs that hark back to the time when Bengali music ruled the roost and performances that are so easy on the senses. Set in Bombay of yore, Lukochoori is one film that pits a comic Kishore Kumar against a restrained one, each one having enough screen time and opportunity to show off his colour and ability, thereby confirming the fact that if and when Kumar wanted he could deliver a fine performance.

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Banal prejudices (Parvarish)

I don't believe this! An entire film hovering on the predicament of a father who is not able to distinguish his own son from another child who is just as cute!! Ridiculous! And I thought Parvarish would have more meat to it!

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Soulful sonatas (Maya)

This is one film that will stay on with you because of the wonderful music. The story has been heard before, the characters seen and the denouement expected. But these songs are so powerful even today that whenever they play they bring bliss to my senses. I'm talking of Salil Chowdhury's fantastic score in  Maya, the 1961 romance directed by D.D. Kashyap. The film has a likable plot and famous faces. But more than anything, the songs just stand out from the crowd of events and situations, pulling you into a soulful reverie that lingers on for eternity...

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How green was this valley (Hariyali aur Rasta)

Of 1962's Hariyali aur Rasta, 1964's Apne Huye Paraye and 1965's Himalay ki God Mein, I am most fond of the first film. All of them star the trio of Manoj Kumar, Mala Sinha and Shashikala. All of them pair Kumar and Sinha with Shashikala playing the third woman out to disturb the happy romance between the couple. And, all these films have a roughly similar plot with a tweak here and a twist there. Manoj Kumar falls for Mala Sinha but has to marry Shashikala (either because he is betrothed to her or because she is cunning enough to trap him). But the man can never forget his past love.

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Action packed (Ankhen)

Why is Ramanand Sagar's spy thriller called Ankhen? I think it should have been christened Aatish. For, every sequence contains sheer fireworks. Crackling and bursting with excitement and action, this 1968 thriller was not a blockbuster for no reason. Dharmendra as the dashing spy, Mala Sinha as his beautiful agent, Jeevan as the odious enemy chief, Mehmood as the comical aide and spinechilling twists at every turn, Ankhen is a riveting masterpiece. A very desi James Bond-ish adventure this is...

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Love's labour lost (Pyaasa)

What dampens Vijay's optimism?
Hoping against hope that some day the world will regard his creation, this struggling poet toils on. With an empty stomach and the burden of umemployment on his sturdy shoulders, Vijay keeps penning those poems, whose beauty and poignance no one is able to comprehend save the poet himself. But, there is no stopping him. Society, reeking of materialism, keeps crushing his creativity and aspirations beneath its greed and artificiality. Just like the bee, whose buzzing life is stamped out by the passer-by and his banal existence. But, Vijay writes on. For, he believes in himself and his talent. It is this talent, he feels, that will shine forth amidst the dark dreary world of hypocricy and cruelty. It is this thirst that keeps him going...

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