Rollicking discovery (Do Ustad)

I've been telling this to people and they are cracking up. My friends are brushing my statements away. My husband wanted me to repeat what I said thrice pretending that I wasn't clear enough. Well, all the reactions are understandable. I do not grudge them even a bit. For, when you tell anybody, yes, anybody, that Mohd Rafi did sing for Raj Kapoor, there might be times when people would suspect your mental stability. Thankfully, before I was declared a loony, YouTube came to my rescue. I promptly searched for the songs of Do Ustad and put them in front of my husband. And, as expected, like me, he stood amazed, gaping at the screen.

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Mind full of Monty (Karz)

There was a friend in college who always made fun of Rishi Kapoor. She said he was too plump, too pink and too goofy to be a hero. This was the time when he was making a fool of himself in films like Prem Granth. I'm sure there must have been other duds like that. No matter how much I convinced her that Rishi Kapoor was once a seriously good-looking fellow and a very smart one at that, she just brushed my claims away. Till of course one day when she chanced upon Subhash Ghai's Karz. Next day all I could hear from her was how luscious his lips were in the film, how dapper he dressed and how crazily romantic his eyes were. The 28-year-old Rishi Kapoor had scored big time and I kept saying, "Didn't I tell you!"

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Surprisingly thrilling (Mahal)

I would call this Shankar Mukherjee film a serious washout if not for the gripping last hour. Mahal, like its earlier cousin, turns out to quite a thrilling venture thanks to the taut storyline and the unconventional execution. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill trying-to-be-clever noir mystery, actually unravels as a innovative entertainer. I admit that Dev Anand is past his prime and tries his mannerisms a bit too much, Asha Parekh hardly gets a meaty role, and the character actors are too scattered in their job, but overall I found the film picking up pace towards the end. And trust me, if it would not have been worth it, I wouldn't have been writing this post. For, I wouldn't have spent time completing the film.

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Love, after all the trouble (Blackmail)

It's quite funny that one song from Vijay Anand's Blackmail is celebrated as being one of the most erotic melodies of those times. Given the situation that the song is played in, and the circumstances the leads find themselves in, on any given day, one might be more than ready to sight it as signage of consummation. But then, for me, this song is certainly not one that will melt me into a puddle. I'd rather just call it a breaking of barriers between the protagonists, who till now, failed to unify, owing to the battery of misunderstandings concocted by the devious villain. In this song, the man and the woman realise that all shackles of bitterness are broken and if the circumstances so grant, they would be able to lead a blissful life together now. Well, for me, Mile do badan, is just about that.

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The delicious dreamgirl (Seeta aur Geeta)

This is perhaps one of the few films which has been rehashed prolifically. Identical twins getting separated at birth. One grows up being tortured brutally by evil guardians, the other is rambunctious owing to an indulgent upbringing. The mal-handled one is shy, apprehensive and thinks twice even before breathing. A freak accident makes them change places and mayhem ensues due to mistaken identities. The extrovert teaches the evil ones a lesson or two, the shy one gets her due love at last. There's fun and loads of laughter before the kingpin of the villains find out the truth and quickly there is more action towards the denouement before everything becomes crystal clear and all go home happy. A film like this can only be awesomely entertaining, with great performances, frothy comedy and sweet romance. Not to forget the great songs. Yes, in totality, films like Seeta aur Geeta are absolute winners.

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A feast for the eyes (An Evening in Paris)

It's not just one evening. Shakti Samanta's superhit 1967 romance features the goodies of Paris and other exotic locales in Europe throughout the entire length of the film. Pretty women, flashy cars, stylish clothes and scenic landscape, all this more make the musical drama quite an eyeful. And then there's Sharmila Tagore, all delicate, gorgeous and sexy in her awesome attires, and the prince of entertainment, Shammi Kapoor. Wooing the lady in his inimitable style, this man knew how to win hearts. Here of course, he does it with a completely new Parisian flourish.

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If not for Shammi (Janwar)

The irrepressible Shammi Kapoor can be credited for often carrying an entire film on his lone shoulders. Signing this rebel star would mean that with his charm and antics he would see to it that a somewhat likeable film would attain sweet success. Janwar, Bhappi Soni's romance, is a film that falls into this category. If you were to ask me what this 1965 film has apart from Shammi's class histrionics, loads of fun cooked up by him, great songs picturised on the superstar and a nice romantic plot where Shammi rules the roost, I'd say hardly anything else. Even in the scenes where Prithviraj Kapoor hogs the limelight, he is praising Shammi Kapoor, who happens to be his younger son in the film!! That's the magic of our sweet prince, he just takes all the credit away with his characteristic flamboyance.

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