User Reviews

Manmohan Desai made several entertaining films, his films cared less for logic, story but more for entertainment. MDk is one of the rare directors who gave 4 blockbusters in 1977, After AAA(1977) he made several blockbusters with Bachchan from Parvarish(1977), SUHAAG(1979)and then NASEEB(1981) which was touted as a sequel to AAA as it starred almost similar stars, Big B and Rishi returned back as brothers, Pran as their lost father.etc This time MDK made the film on a larger canvas and shot the film also on foreign locales and brought a bigger supporting cast, For the song John Jani janardhan he brought almost everyone from Raj Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna to the that time favourite Vinod Mehra The story is somewhat similar, very convulted but yet treated well by MDK and it guarantees full entertainment. The film starts 20 years before, Young Pran and his friends Kader Khan, Amjad Khan and Jagdish Raj(for once not a cop) get a lottery ticket by a drunk Satyen Kapuu and they decide to share it, Then tragedy strikes and the long lost theme starts plus the film forwards 20 yrs later Strangely in the same year in YAARANA too Amitabh and Amjad both friends were separated in childhood as the latter went abroad to study 20 years later Amitabh works as the waiter in the hotel run by villains Kader and Amjad and Kader's son Prem Chopra(though same age as him) and Shakti Kapoor. The film has several funny scenes in the first half like the entire scene where Reena Roy comes with the cake and the chaos that ensure. Rishi crying for 1 mark ala Dharam in Sholay threatening for suicide and then saving Kim(Dimple lookalike) We also have Jeevan(regular of MDk)as a funny principle who flirts with girl's hostel principle Shobha Khote. Amitabh saving Hema Malini and their love story which starts off funnily but then gets serious with the predictable twist of Shatru/Amit falling for her and then Bachchan sacrificing his love(done superbly with symbolism used as a cross showing his sacrifice) Amitabh and Shatru paired in a love triangle 1 year before this film in DOSTANA which too was a superhit The film then becomes an action film and after all pairs get each other the focus begins on nailing down the criminals, Pran returns, Amrish Puri too returns and then we have the predictable MDk style get up dance song Rang Jamake ala Amar Akbar Anthony and an action filled climax. The film does have some flaws like some scenes don't make sense like how Kim does lipreading when someone faces their back, also several other scenes which are overlooked. The film is quite lengthy too like in those days Direction by MDk is superb Music by LP is superb, most songs were hit like John Jani Janardhan sung by MDK fav Mohammed Rafi who passed away in 1980 and this film was a tribute to him Strangely since SUHAAG MDK didn't have Kishore the usual fav for Big B sing for him and in this film too Kishore sang for Rishi(Pakdo Pakdo) and for Shatru(Rang Jamake)while Rafi sang for Amitabh. Mere Naseeb mein sung by Lata is still a superhit and performed superbly by Hema Malini Pakdo Pakdo a fun number on Rishi and Kim dancing while playing kabaddi(boys vs girls) and then we have Zindagi Imtehaan leti hai when Big B realises that Shatru too loves Hema, the song is apt sung by Dr. Kamlesh Avastathi. Anwar, Suman Kalyanpur, Chorus Anwar sounded similar to Rafi while Kamlesh sounded like Mukesh, but the latter was annoying, Anwar made his career singing songs like Rafi which was followed by Shabbir Kumar and Mohammad Aziz. Most memorable song is also CHAL MERE BHAI wherein a drunk Amitabh sings in his own voice with Rishi Kapoor coming to try to convince him to go home, Rafi and Big B make a good team The finale dance number Rang Jamake with all in get ups is also a brilliant number, KK, Rafi and Shailendra return after Hum Premi(Parvarish) and make a good team The film is quite similar to AAA, as in both films Amitabh has a drunk scene, Shatru's role was supposed to be played by VK who had left to US that time while Rishi does his cartoonish act similarly in the climax Also we have Pran here too as Big B's lost father

Amongst actors Amitabh Bachchan as usual stands tall and he plays the main lead He proves his versatility by performing superbly in action, romance, comedy, drama. In all MDK films he always entertained the masses and gave his most freewheeling performance, This was his last classy film with MDK like AAA, after that he made crass films like COOLIE and MARD and then GJS. Hema Malini looks beautiful and does well in her role and looks charming and has superb chemistry with Big B. Her bike scenes are a treat Shatrughan Sinha looks overweight but does quite well in his role This was his last film with Big B so far, Rumours were abuzz that both were big time rivals those days and there never spoke during the shoot Rishi Kapoor again entertains after AAA, He is one actor who always entertained never mind if his role was a second lead or main lead. His comedy timing is superb and also his drama scenes Kim resembles Dimple Kapadia and does okay Reena Roy in her biggest film perhaps does a superb job Amongst the huge supporting cast Pran is superb, Amjad Khan and Kader Khan are good as the bad guys Amrish Puri is superb in his small role Lalita Pawar does well as usual, Jeevan and Shobha Khote are funny, Viju Khote has one scene Prem Chopra and Shakti Kapoor are good as the villain cum jerks. Mukri is funny

This is not (Amar Akbar Anthony: Part 2), or a remake of it either. In fact, (Naseeb) can't be compared to it in the first place. Yes, there is the same winning formula with even more merits. But sorry, it didn't hit the mark that the previous movie did.

Back then (Manmohan Desai) was on the top of his game. Here, he made a complicated plot, as usual, with the same went-to-crime deeply-good father, the same variant but brave lost and found sons, love stories for the 3 sons anew, bad guys (numerous this round), comedy, music, action, a final song where the sons meet, masquerade and dance before beating up the badies, and most of all a celebration of the power of faith, unity and the main 3 religions of India. All of that was clear in the original. Now it's played all over again, with just different names and characters, more actors and money. The thing is.. I felt less.

The movie is 197 minutes another (Desai) masala epic. Entertaining? Yes, but lighter than (AAA). (Shatrughan Sinha) is the worst third member for (Amitabh Bachchan) and (Rishi Kapoor) heroic league. He's so heavy on screen; see the way he dances to feel the horror. He - of course - has no comic talent. And he was older than his role, being 6 years younger than his father in the movie (Amjad Khan)! May God forgive (Vinod Khanna), the third brother of (Bachchan) and (Kapoor) in (AAA), who was nominated for the role but couldn't accept it since he took a break from films. The gangster movie within the movie was weak and a bit forced. However, nothing more pathetic than the melodrama. Watch the character of (Pran)'s sister to have a loud laugh; the respectable masala never treated any character that bad before. The scriptwriter should be ashamed of himself!

It tries to look dazzling visually more than dramatically. Shooting abroad, having tons of cameos at the party scene, the sniper sequence (one of the most marvelous ever), and the aflame tower action at the end, were some of the ways. It has sparkling image and vivacious pace. But it's polished with not much of a soul. I had open eyes, and no teary ones. It exemplifies the astonishing extravaganza more than any effective suffering or well-made melodrama, despite the scene of sacrificing, beside the Christ statue, for the sake of friendship which was the sole moment where this movie had a heart. See, that's why the less lavish (AAA) surpasses.

Notice well how most of the movie's songs are being performed through parties or shows, how most of the cameos are for the stars as themselves, celebrating their stardom, and how (Amitabh Bachchan) breaks the fourth wall, talking to us, many times, to understand that it's a big ostentatious party of the commercial Indian cinema and all its stars at the 1980s start. And you know what the best part is? You're invited. So for me the grand party scene, where that crowd of stars gather on one screen, is the best of the movie, or rather the movie itself. Before and after that, it's pale and hasty repetition of a better original.

(John Jani Janardhan) and (Mere Naseeb Mein) are great classics. They are 2 of the reasons why we'll always cherish that era and those movies. While these 2 songs, along with the party scene, get a 10, the movie itself gets a 7. Dear (Desai) used to bedeck his movies with fireworks. This time, he made the whole movie out of many flashy fireworks, only.

Sure it's a great movie -- if you don't have a brain! The writers take way too many liberties with the plot. Nothing in this movie is realistic or plausible. Now I know you're probably thinking it's a movie and it's not supposed to be realistic...Give me a break. Of course it's a movie but how would you like it if Superman suddenly started to shoot web out of his wrists. Or Spiderman morphed into the Hulk. Some things just shouldn't happen! There is a scene here where one of the heroines is reading the villains' lips when they're backs are turned towards her. Also when Kader Khan realizes the true identity of who "Don" is, it's just not believable. He couldn't make the connection that fast - if in fact he were to make the connection at all. Also why the hell does Sinha marry Reena Roy? He doesn't love her and I thought that's what Bollywood films are about. On the plus side the actors all deliver for the most part. Amitabh and Rishi Kapoor nail down their roles. Shatrughan Sinha is just - weird. Amjad Khan and Amrish Puri are both really good. Of the woman Hema Malini's easily the best while Kimi Katekar is just horrible. The songs are really good as are the action sequences although the last one is a clear rip-off of the Towering Inferno and goes too long. Some Multi-starrers are made because the director wants to make a great movie (such as Amar Akbar Anthony) while others like this one are made to take your money. Coincidentally both of these movies are made by Manmohan Desai and there are many things about this one that tell you that it was supposed to be a sort of sequel to Amar Akbar Anthony (i.e. Amitabh's drunk scene in front of the mirror, two of the three heros play the same roles they did in the earlier movie, the actor who plays Dabisco also played Dabisco in the first one, Pran's character, the whole three heroes three heroines deal). The film definitely is a good one and I liked it as such ( 6 or 7 out of 10), but it certainly isn't great and didn't deserve to become the top Bollywood film of the 80s. But then again with the quality of Bollywood films you never know.

Evergreen classic film this is One of the best film Mr bachchan Desai Pair.