Man, woman and doctor (Dil Ek Mandir)

It's not for nothing that Raj Kumar received a Best Supporting Actor Filmfare award for his portrayal of Ram in C V Sridhar's emotional drama Dil Ek Mandir. For, here is a man who despite being diagnosed with lung cancer and waiting on the brink of desolation and doom, is buoyant, pragmatic and jocund all the time. He is not afraid of death and he has no qualms in securing a stable and safe future for his wife after his death. He relaxes the tension in the plot with his amiable repartee and is a foil to the otherwise morose and dejected doctor who is suffering from the pangs of unrequited love. If you ask me, Ram is one of the main reasons why I was able to complete the film.

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Mehmood mania (Biwi aur Makan)

I wish they made more like these. And gave Mehmood top billing in them. That would ensure total fun. Like in Biwi aur Makan, a comic caper on the problem of finding accommodation in big Bombay. They protagonists have to twist every rule in the book to find a shelter and that too with funny after effects. This 1966 film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee may not have a stellar cast (I did not even recognise so many faces) but it has a name that catapults this mediocre script into one of utter fun and laughs. And that name is Mehmood.

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Guru Dutt's last (Sanjh aur Savera)

Considering that this 1964 drama was Guru Dutt's last film outing before he succumbed to the dangerous cocktail of sleeping pills and alcohol, I'm ready to overlook any minor glitch that happens in the film. True, Sanjh aur Savera does have some unnecessary plot twists and some of the sadness could be done away with, but on the whole this Hrishikesh Mukherjee classic is quite an engaging tale on the games that God plays with us. The sequences are masterminded by the Almighty and it only is true that we are mere dices in His hands. And what better way to show that than the events that happen in Gauri's life. After all, she does not want to be unhappy, but can she force suffering away from her life. No, she does not have the choice to do so.

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A likeable love triangle (Patthar ke Sanam)

There was a time when I thought that Waheeda Rehman was hardly a looker. Pardon me, but this was before I had seen some of her greatest black and white classics. And yes, I swallow back my words with utmost humility. For Waheeda Rehman is absolutely enigmatic and alluring in her old films. The camera loved her and the monochromes highlight the depth she had in her eyes and cast a attractive sheen on her sharp contours. Today if anyone asks me to talk about Waheeda Rehman's beauty and talent, I'll probably spend much more time waxing eloquent about her participation in the black and white films rather than in the coloured ones.

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More of Jubilee Kumar (Hamrahi)

My tryst with Rajendra Kumar continues...

This time I encountered Kumar playing a philanderer turned good husband. Did he do it well? I didn't get to reason that out because I kept feeling let down by the director's decision to cast Jamuna in the role of the leading lady. A good actress she is, but certainly not gorgeous in the looks department. And definitely not the person for whom Shekhar might be forced to rid himself of his frivolous ways, his penchant for girls and for plunging into total depression when she tells him how unfortunate she is that she had to marry this rich and spoilt individual. Throughout the film, I kept missing Sadhana, who would have added so much meat to the role of this defiant girl. And maybe then Hamrahi would have been so much more pleasing. Great cast, good story but the fun fizzles out in many parts...

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Love... Set in Paradise (Arzoo)

How important is it to have a romantic ambience to make hearts flutter in love? If you take into consideration that Usha flips for Sarju (the man she found quite irksome inside a aeroplane in Delhi) while at the beautiful valley of Srinagar, you'd seriously think that the spectacular surrounding induces the tender feelings in her. With the verdant valley, the colourful flowers, the brilliantly azure sky and the breathtaking mountains to uplight her senses, it is but a matter of time when the young lovers will serenade in Kashmir. Not to forget the blissful Dal Lake and its magical power that makes every soul see stars in their eyes. Yes, I think there is something about Kashmir that is therapeutic in terms of falling in love. And I speak because I know what Kashmir and its awesomeness can do to you...

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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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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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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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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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Supporting it strong (Beti Bete)

One thing's a given when you sit down to watch a L V Prasad film; there will be a plethora of twists and turns in the life of the main protagonists, family members will be separated by a freak stroke of fate, while one sibling regales in wealth, the others will have tormented livelihoods, there will be umpteen occasions when the members will come face to face with one another without each realising that they are related and most importantly every crease will be ironed out as the climax approaches.

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For want of a good wife (Naukar)

Now that's what I call a funny family film. The story is good, the performances able, the execution is easy and the characters are well-etched out. The comedy is entirely situational and most importantly, done by none other than the gargantuanly talented Mehmood. Even though he is past his prime in Hindi films, is awkwardly bloated and wears a hideous wig, his comic timing is just too perfect. In Ismail Memon's Naukar, this comedian gets to wear the most ludicrous shirts and trousers but there is no moment when he is not in his elements. And he is just one of the good things about this 1979 film.

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Crafty Kanhaiya (Bharosa)

This films stands solely on its story. It's engaging, freewheeling and full of attractive moments. Even though a bit melodramatic, like all K Shankar classics, Bharosa is very believable and in parts funny. And yes, it has Kanhaiyalal, the Parsi actor who made every role his second skin. Here, as the scheming foster father, Kanhaiyalal is a revelation. He enthralls, extracts irritation and giggles at the same time. An apt instance of a brilliant character actor!!

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Drama galore (Zindagi)

The best thing about Ramanand Sagar's Zindagi is Vyajyanthimala. Not only is she ravishing and dances like a dream, she actually makes you sit up and take note of her histrionic skills. She is utterly believable as the sensible Beena who reasons with her mother that acting as a profession needn't be slighted at. When she is loathe to barter her love for the sake of easy money, you really feel like lauding her wholeheartedly. She is brave, honest, hardworking and extremely lovable.

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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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Destination music (Manzil)

I have hardly seen Dev Anand play such a brooding character. Generally this suave and dapper young man entertains with his light frolicky persona. But his Rajkumar Mehta is different. Defiant and determined to the core, Anand, in Mandi Burman's Manzil, is most of the time inebriated and weeping over his unfaithful beloved. But, this 1960 romance's lead pair piqued my curiosity. Nutan and Dev Anand make a handsome couple and the way the film starts, you will be keen to follow this Raju as he scales the heights of success.

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Asian fiesta (Love in Tokyo)

When you have Asha Parekh in a film, no matter how far-fetched the plot is and how irksome the melodrama, just sit tight. For, this spunky actress guarantees fun. Disguised as a young Sardar, she entertains to the hilt and when the charade is over, she enthralls as Ashok's pretty sweetheart. Dancing like a deer and a crackshot with emotions she makes Pramod Chakraborty's Love in Tokyo a delight. Not to mention her sparkling chemistry with the dashing Joy Mukherjee...

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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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Drab drama (Aarti)

Now I've seen all three. Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Main Chup Rahungi and Aarti. Meena Kumari won a Filmfare best actress nomination for each of these films in 1962. She went on to win the black lady for Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam. Rightly so. For, while Main Chup Rahungi is a tad melodramatic in its execution (Kumari was very good), Phani Majumdar's Aarti is quite boring. And Kumari here is certainly not in her best acting shoes.

She plays Aarti, an idealistic doctor out to serve society. Her ideals clash with that of Prakash (Ashok Kumar), a talented brain surgeon who wants to be rich and famous. Incidentally he wants to marry Aarti, and expresses his intentions before her father.

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Miscast Meena (Chandan ka Palna)

Meena Kumari's Baharon ki Manzil was enough to warn me against her later films. Her lost beauty, her bulky figure, her bloated face, the alcohol-induced heaviness in her voice, the loud makeup, everything about Kumari's persona in this slow thriller was disheartening. It kept reminding me about her faded glory and glamour; her beautiful eyes, her perky voice, her grace and of course, her superlative performances in her heydays. How we wish she would not drown herself in high spirits (pun intended obviously)...
But, something about Ismail Memon's Chandan ka Palna, drew me. Was it the lead pair (Dharmendra and Kumari again), the fun supporting cast, the dramatic plot or the music (RD Burman's score is pretty good)? A relatively unknown film starring Kumari, I was a tad curious about this 1967 classic.

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