Who is the loneliest of them all? (Pestonjee)

Seriously, there are so many degrees and kinds of loneliness in this world. While one might appear perfectly happy from outside, may be suffering from some crippling and gloomy depression from inside. While others may think his life is perfect, he himself knows what the abject truth is. Pestonjee, a brilliant chronicle depicting life of the miniscule community of the Bombay Parsis delves on these several kinds of loneliness suffered by man. Vijaya Mehta's 1988 tale is perfect, poignant and makes one travel with Phirojshah as he tries to seek happiness by living someone else's life.

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Brides for sale (Bazaar)

Bazaar is a much celebrated film, they say. And why not? It's got a stellar cast, a fabulously hard-hitting script, a setting that reminds one of the Hyderabad that is on the cusp of old times and modernity and seven hauntingly beautiful songs. Sagar Sarhadi's social commentary on the sad plight of girls from poor families in Hyderabad who get entwined in the commercial storm of lust and circumstances truly is the making of a brilliant film. But then, Sarhadi I believe is no Shyam Benegal. What is so marvellous about Mandi is its sharp tongue-lashing treatment of the sordid subject. 1982's Bazaar is honest, but in its many labyrinths there is a slight maze that is difficult to gauge. The film starts of with several questions. Though gradually the knots are loosened, it is too late to hold on to the interest. Perhaps, I'm the only one not absolutely impressed with the film. But then, I have reasons galore.

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Seven day saga (Woh Saat Din)

If Sonam Kapoor were half as talented as her father, Anil Kapoor wouldn't have to tax his brains double time on how to secure a sound future for his pretty-but-plastic offspring. The father was really a thorough entertainer. He acted well, right from his first films, carried some rhythm in his toes and was cute to look at. Look at his flamboyant portrayal of a village bumpkin in Woh Saat Din and you'd know that Anil Kapoor was serious about the trade he was getting into. In his first lead role as Prem Pratap Patialewale, Anil Kapoor leaves an indelible impression on sensitive minds. The film, a funny yet sweet saga about a simpleton struggling it out in the big bad city, is a window to the talent that Anil Kapoor would only unleash in his later films. That he was not just riding the popularity of his producer father Surinder Kapoor, but striving to prove that he deserved reckoning is only too true in Bapu's Woh Saat Din.

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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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Marketing a movie (Mandi)

There will never be such a brilliant set of actors. The moment they land up together on the screen they ignite the frame with the most scintillating of antics. They complement each other immaculately and spice up every story...
I'm talking of luminaries such as Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Saeed Jaffrey, Smita Patil, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Annu Kapoor, Amrish Puri and Om Puri. In Shyam Benegal's Mandi, they continue the rule; they are too good to be not true...

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Only for Amiran (Umrao Jaan)

The last time I met Meera Ali, and that would be about fours years ago, I kept singing praises about her husband's landmark film. The elegant personality that she is, Meera took my childish prattle rather sportingly and invited me to her house in Mumbai where I could meet Muzaffar Ali. Elated at the offer, I hardly gave enough attention to her new collection of weaves and clothes, which she was showcasing in Kolkata for the first time. Mind you, I was yet to see Umrao Jaan then.

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Glimpses of the Maximum City (The Perfect Murder)

I just lapped this one up the very moment I got my hand on it. A small film that impinges on you for its vibrant cinematography, real landscapes and awesome cast. A story that stands out as much for the subtle depiction of crime and deceit as for its humorous depiction of the idiosyncratic characters. In that Zafar Hai's The Perfect Murder is a joyous collage of experiences that are so life-like and easy to relate to. Every character is well-etched and every frame takes you to 80s Mumbai, when it was still yet to earn the famed Maximum City tag.

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Red hot (Mirch Masala)

Mirch Masala is like garam masala, the condiment that spices up most Indian curries. Aromatic, flavoursome and full of colour. Similarly, Ketan Mehta's 1985 film is more than just a visual splendour. Set in remote Gujarat, it leaves a spicy and tingling sensation long after Sonbai's gaze fades out. Your eyes start burning once the haze of the red chilli powder clears, you want to drink a glass of crystal clear water because the arid landscape has left you parched and then maybe, you shake yourself up from your stupor of admiration for a second round of the film. Yes, that tingling sensation is truly worth many more tries.

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Moving on (Ijaazat)

My friend is going through a difficult phase in her five-year relationship. The lady and her lover have decided to call it quits. Thanks to her egotistic father, and of course the man, who couldn't muster up enough courage to walk away with his sweetheart, my dear friend is in the doldrums. We've been counselling her to move on, simply because she deserves a lot better. But, moving on, she says, is easier said than done...
Mahendra in Gulzar's Ijaazat is tormented by a similar predicament. Straddling between his past love and his current responsibility, Mahendra is torn between right and wrong, and is a bit selfish sometimes. In the process, he is neither just to Sudha, his wife, nor is he able to shun his marriage and return to Maya, his sweetheart. On the face, this triangle seem very concrete, but the edges are deceivingly blurred. Such is the complexity of this 1987 drama. Based on Subodh Ghosh's Jotugriha, this is a contorted take on human relationships that Gulzar presents with a poetic flair...

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What a beginning!!! (Masoom)

There is a scene in Shekhar Kapur's Masoom where Mini tries to lighten the air of tension looming large over dinner. She doesn't know that her parents have had a nasty fight, resulting from her mother's new-found knowledge that her father has cheated on her in the past. Ignorant of the prevailing bitterness between the couple, she breaks into a mischievous, "Tayyab Ali pyar ka dushman hai hai..." before fading off to just a whimper.
This scene, eminently forgettable to many viewers, stay etched in my mind to this day, almost 15 years since I first watched Masoom, Kapur's directorial debut and definitely one of his best treatises on the complexity of human emotions.

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