Sharmeelee

I can't believe this movie has not inspired any comments. It's founded upon a couple of beloved concepts for Indian films -- arranged marriages and identical twins. Here we have Kanchan (Rakhee), lovely but just misses being cloying, a traditional girl who loves animals and moves in a brilliant-colored setting that looks like fantasy Kashmir recreated on a Disney soundstage. Her problem? She's shy and nobody wants their sons to marry her. Everytime a prospective mom-in-law comes over, it winds up as, "Can't we have the fun sister, Kamini, instead of that dull Kanchan?" Under the circumstances, you can hardly blame the girl for being shy and self-effacing.

Twin Kamini (also Rahkee) is a westernized chick, and would demand that noun, I'm sure. This being a 1971 film, she looks sorta like she's dressing herself out of SEVENTEEN magazine, about 1967. She's very outgoing and has a bunch of swinger friends she likes to spend time with, going on vacations to the Himalayas &c. During the latter, she has a meet-cute encounter with army officer Ajit (Sashi Kapoor). kamini steals food from the army base for herself and her friends, and Ajit tracks her down to the lodge where they're all staying. A musical number leads to love, as it always does in Hindi films. But she and her friends catch the midnight train to Georgia, leaving love-struck Ajit with those "I Wonder Where She's Gone Blues."

Meanwhile, Ajit's foster dad and the twins' parents decide that Ajit would be a great match for the difficult to marry off Kanchan. When the two are introduced, natch, Ajit thinks she's the same hottie he met up in the mountains and he's ecstatic. Kanchan thinks it's herself that he has these feelings for and falls deliriously in love, up to a gorgeous bright pastel pregnancy fantasy that has even an old crab like the 12-stringer going, "Awwww... " Until the real Kamini shows up and Ajit realizes his mistake in identification, and, just like everybody else, he demands the other sister. Now we have plot complication.

Out of the blue the filmmakers spring it on us that Kamini is not just the free spirit we've been spending time with, but rather, what those of us in backwoods West Virginia would spell S.L.U.T. It's an out of the hat, rather than a payoff of anything we've been prepped for. But it leads to quite a dramatic plot turnaround, and not nearly the last in this story.

For the rest of it, you need to watch the movie. It's a typical Hindi musical romance, about 2:45 in length. The DVD quality is pretty good, but I have to note that while the image is 1.33:1, the original film looks like it was shot in 1.66:1, and cropping is noticeable here and there. Nothing to interfere with your enjoyment of the film, but it's amazing how fast we get spoiled by letterboxed DVDs.

Kapoor's Captain Ajit is a bit of a jerk at times, though you can give him the benefit of being besotted with love for that swinging babe Kamini. Rakhee gets lots and lots of beautiful closeups (especially as Kanchan) and is pretty good in both roles. Kamini has more edge than Kanchan, who seems awfully submissive from the western perspective. But this is part of the characterization, so you really can't fault her for not being as feisty as a western audience might prefer, in the light of the story's events.

On the IMDb scale, I give this a 7. The musical numbers weren't especially memorable for me. Kamini's swimsuit and near-rape scenes must have impressed the frontbenchers in Uttar Pradesh (they sure impressed the 12-stringer). I'd still like to know, where did the ocean come from in the big action finale? Weren't we amid the Himalayas just a minute or two ago?

Disclaimer: I'm quite new to Hindi films and had never even seen one until June '03, when Turner Classic Movies carried a "Salute to Bollywood" festival which changed my life -- or at least the movie-loving portion of it. Now I just can't get enough of these films!

Cool pot-boiler from Bollywood. Rakhi has an unusually important role with wide range and depth in both characters. This has to be her best movie ever. The other review describes the movie well but completely missed the soundtrack.

Sharmilee is one of the best ever Hindi music soundtracks. Each and every song is incredible. These are not catchy simple songs but classical songs rooted in Hindustani ragas. No wonder then that serious contenders in singing contests will often pick tunes from the soundtrack of Sharmilee.

Without the songs, I would rate this movie a 7 but with such a soundtrack, this is a must watch.

Gulshan Nanda wrote Hindi novels so proficiently during the period spanning from the sixties to the nineties that not only his works became exceedingly popular, making him the undisputed king of Hindi pulp fiction but also led to the making of many Hindi movies. I feel, after success for a few years in this context, he had started writing novels by keeping an eye on the making of movies on them only. That's why, his novels took the shape of the scripts of Bollywood movies when arrived on paper.

One such immensely popular novel of his is - Sharmeelee (the shy girl) which led to the making of a commercially successful movie of the same title in 1971. I have read the novel and also seen the movie and I liked both. But the celluloid version has become superior courtesy the beautiful snowy locations shown on the screen alongwith unforgettable melodies and heart-winning performances. Presented by Subodh Mukherjee and directed by Sameer Ganguly, Sharmeelee is a very good movie which entertains as well as impresses.

It's the story of twin sisters - Kanchan and Kaamini (Raakhee in double role). Kaamini is an extrovert, smart and ultramodern girl whom any boy may fall for whereas on the contrary, Kanchan is a coy girl who speaks very less and is hesitant to interact with the outsiders. The trouble is that both are identical in looks and thus whosoever (prospective groom and his family members) comes to see Kanchan to decide for a matrimonial alliance, falls for Kaamini instead and the marriage offer for Kanchan gets diverted to Kaamini. Though the parents of the sisters refuse to marry Kaamini to any such person, they get more and more worried for Kanchan and her future. The shy girl (Sharmeelee) Kanchan is deeply aggrieved within her due to such happenings and feels that she has become a burden for her family.

The story takes up when a young and smart army officer, Captain Ajit Kapoor (Shashi Kapoor) comes across Kaamini (alongwith her friends) and instantly falls for her charms. He is an orphan and has been fostered by the priest of a church, Father Joseph (Nazir Hussain). The narrative takes an interesting twist when the offer of matrimonial alliance comes for him from the parents of the sisters. They are willing to marry Kanchan to him and because of the sisters being identical, Ajit readily agrees for it but coming to know of the fact it's Kaamini whom he had met and got smitten by, he refuses to marry Kanchan and makes all others agree to marry Kaamini only to him. Now comes a storm in the lives of all concerned.

Kaamini who was earlier ready to marry Ajit, flees away from her house on the D-Day and it is known after some time that her car met with an accident. Though her dead body is not found, there's enough evidence that she is no more. Now to save the prestige of the family, the parents of the sisters marry Kanchan to Ajit. Though Kanchan tells this fact to Ajit in a letter prior to the marriage, Ajit remains unaware of it because that letter is not allowed to reach him. He marries Kanchan mistaking her for Kaamini and comes to know the truth on their first conjugal night. Feeling betrayed and heartbroken, he returns to army base, leaving a weeping Kanchan behind.

After some time, when Ajit has drowned himself into alcohol in the fond memories of Kaamini and is trying to extinguish the fire in his heart through drops of liquor only, he happens to meet Kaamini again which is a pleasant surprise for him. Kaamini's loving association improves his condition. The final twist in the tale comes when Ajit is assigned the responsibility by his superior to catch some traitors spying for the enemy country. These traitors include a young female also and Ajit is shocked like anything to find that her face is the same as that of his sweetheart. Who is she - Kanchan or Kaamini ? To find out the answer to this question alongwith Ajit and to know what's the finale of this story, you have to watch this movie.

Shashi Kapoor and Raakhee have done brilliantly in lead roles. Raakhee deserves special mention for her superb performance in the twin roles which are polar apart from each other. Her switching over from one role to other is so natural that you can assert only one word for that - WOW. In the scenes involving both the sisters, we see two utterly different colours of her acting in the same frame. The complete supporting cast has done justice to the assigned roles.

The melodious music composed by Sachin Da (S.D. Burman) with the beautiful lyrics penned by eminent Hindi poet - Gopal Daas Neeraj, is a very big plus point of Sharmeelee. Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan is the most popular song sung separately by both Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar for Shashi Kapoor and Raakhee respectively. Megha Chhaye Aadhi Raat (Lata singing beautifully in the classical Raag - Madhuranjani), Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaaye Re Mera Mann (Lata-Kishore), Reshmi Ujaala Hai Makhmali Andhera Hai (Asha Bhosle), Kaise Kahen Hum Pyar Ne Humko Kya Kya Khel Dikhaaye (Kishore) and the title track (O Meri Sharmeelee) sung again by Kishore Da; all are quality songs which stay with the listener. Any genuine music lover can never forget many of these.

Whether you watch this heart-winning love story alone or with your sweetheart, you are sure to get drenched in the shower of love.

A wonderful adaptation of a Gulshan Nanda's Hindi novel. It's a family drama not a suspense movie, yet you will find twist in story every 15-20 minutes. Shashi Kapoor with his 880 watts smile and eccentric body movements. Rakhi in double roles & Nazir Hussain at their best. A magnificent line up of songs wonderfully penned by Gopaldas 'Neeraj' & composed by S.D.Burman namely; 1) Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaye Re, 2) O Meri Sharmeelee, 3) Kaise Kahen Hum, 4) Khilte Hain Gul Yahan 5) Megha Chhaye Aadhi Raat and even 6) Reshmi Ujala Hai Makhmali Andhera.