Reviews

If you are a fan of period or Muslim dramas than this is the movie for you. The period or ambiance shown in this picture may look strange to today's genre, but there was and is such male dominated rigid societies where women are mere subjects, they do not have any say regarding any affairs of home and the world. This film has brilliant performances by an expert cast. Naaz's performance is excellent and you will never forget her. She was a talent remained untapped otherwise. Meena Kumari is good too and so are Pradeep and Ashok Kumar. The Haveli culture shown in this one is itself a treat to watch with a few light moments with redoubtable Johnny Walker.

You will definitely like this one.

This is classic in real sense of the word. A tight suspense from beginning to end. Mahal is one of the greatest films ever made in Bombay filmdom. Adding to the suspense is all time great song 'Aayega aane wala...'. See it for a very young Madhubala and highly expressive Ashok Kumar. Kamal Amrohi has not made any better movie than this one. Though his 'Daira' is another great hidden classic. He is primarily remembered for 'Pakeeza'. Very few films gained the status this film achieved. This is certainly one of the ten best from Bombay. The story has twisting end which will certainly surprise you and you will never be the same again. Most of the movie was shot indoors, one can easily tell that comparing it to modern standards, yet the directorial perfection is amazing. A must see.

The film like this one and 'Victoria no. 203' and 'Ek se badkar ek' are fine attempts to entertain masses. If you are a lover of chase crime dramas, then see this one and you will never forget. Men like Ashok Kumar, Pran, Iftikhar and Anwar Hussain were indelible part of such entertaining pictures.

Storyline is simple and there is nothing much to say about performances, yet its entertaining appeal is universal. There is not a moment which would bore you, it runs and runs and runs. All the characters are in a way following each other. The scenes between Deven Verma, Shashi Kapoor and Ashok Kumar are funny. You will definitely like this one.

This is pure escapist entertainment. A handful of diamonds are hidden in a Victoria (horse cart) and world goes mad about it. All the cast is perfect with a absolutely amazing chemistry between Pran and Ashok Kumar. Film also has a sultry Saira Bano.

Such 70s films were made with keeping a popular appeal in mind. That was also the time when Hollywood started to cast its giant shadow over Hindi films. The escapist art is all right if it is not a direct takeoff from any other source. This is certainly the original one. Many films on a similar plot have been made but none comes anywhere near to this one. See it on a holiday and it will be a time worth spending.

Sanjeev Kumar's nine roles here represents 'Navras', the different moods of man as per the Indian art ethos. This is his film all the way. He play lover, a brave hunter, an epileptic, a coward, a transvestite, a drunkard, a poetic heart and so on. Now more than twenty years after his death, when one reassess Sanjeev Kumar, this film certainly stands among his best. Yet the sense of dissatisfaction remains as what else could be called among his best. Apart from 'Dastak', 'Andhi', 'Koshish', 'Arjun Pandit', 'Shatranj ke Khiladi' and a few others, his repertoire is not that full as it should have been.

Anyway, in this one you will find all that satisfy your entertainment gene. Film is an amalgamation of all the drama, a Bombay spicy movie is supposed to have. Being a Sanjeev Kumar show, there is hardly any scope for anyone else to do something, yet Jaya Bhadhuri is in good form here and its through her character the story is told.

Nice Sunday treat.

Don't blame Dulal Guha. He tries his best to mix Art and commerce, most of the times successfully. The realist in him takes you to a village here, that looks really a village, and the big city is also shown in his films in a realistic manner. I wonder why do we not have had more directors like him. Anyway, this is again a story where the dreams and ambitions clash. Its the story of three brothers, Kanhaiyalal, Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra. When the film is over, it compels you to think of what could have happened further, as the ending is not shown one hundred percent perfect, like other Bombay dramas. But you will enjoy this one.

7 out of 10.

If you are a Raj Kapoor fan, see this one. His performance is natural. I always had an feeling that his talent, as an actor, was never fully explored. He just had 'Teesri Kasam', 'Jaagte Raho' and few other movies to his credit. Though I remain in doubt regarding his directorial abilities. His career graph as a director may have been very successful, but there is hardly any movie worth remembering, except 'Aag', 'Aawara' or 'Shri 420'. He was without any doubt multi-talented, but his later directorial efforts, though successful, remained mediocre.

This movie also has Shatrughan Sinha's one of the very few fine performances. As always though, he is loud, yet believable. He and Raj Kapoor has chemistry, that works. Dulal Guha's direction is okay, but the main attraction remains Raj Kapoor, an policeman and a simpleton! 7 out of 10.

The name of this picture is a direct takeoff from James Headly Chase's novel, 'The World is in My Pocket'. At times serious and at times somewhat crazy, this movie has some thrills to satisfy your thrill loving taste buds. The heroes (Shashi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor) are supposed to be skilled trapeze artists and so is villain (Ranjeet). Only Rishi has some romance to do here not Shashi. Yet Shashi is in good form and at his charming best. When he loses both his legs in an accident, kid brother Rishi takes over the task to find the culprits. You need not you to stretch your imagination too far, as per the Hindi movie tradition, good guys win. Tinu Anand's direction looks skilled, being a Satyajit Ray pupil, he should have made some more worthy pictures anyway.

Spicy Timepass. 6 out of 10.

If you are a fan of southern make family dramas, then you will like it. This movie has all the cliché ridden ingredients. A wicked stepmother, her pleasure loving daughter, hard working stepdaughter, Two prince charming, monstrous relatives, You name it.

Its always nice to see Nadira but here even old bones Madan puri is watchable. Sanjeev Kumar and Shashi Kapoor are always fun to watch. There isn't any place for acting histrionics but usual family twists and turns make it a good pastime.

Good music with two very sweet songs.

Okay, 7 out of 10.

Director Subhash Ghai tried to make this film in a realistic manner with a dash of masala. Some good scenes and a very hummable song 'Ik rut aaye, ik rut jaaye...' Actors worked all right with a rather loud yet convincing performance by Shatrughan Sinha. Late Premnath was speaking his lines which very few can understand. He really looked old and sick. Only saving grace of this film is its location. A remote village that looks raw and beautiful.

See it if you are a Subhash Ghai or Shatrughan's fan and do not see it if you are a Shashi Kapoor fan.. ha..ha...

6 out of 10 will do.

This film is pure fun. In fact this is the picture on which great 'Sholay' was based. If Sholay had Gabbar Singh, this movie has Jabbar Singh as villain and that is Vinod Khanna, who looks every inch a bad man. Film is shot in a realistic manner and there is hardly any scope for superfluous dance sequences. Whatever music is there, is hummable. A song 'Maar diya jaye ya…'performed by Laxmi Chhaya near the end is one of the most popular melodies in Indian movie history.

Film has a good tight script, performances are also nice. The climax shot where hero Dharmendra stands in the heart of the village and challenges Jabbar Singh is scintillating. Camera work there is wonderful. Director Raj Khosla deserved to be among the very best of Bombay filmmakers of his era, it's a pity that he wasn't given his due. He has left an impressive body of work, though last few films of his career failed, yet his mark was there. This film is among his very best.

And a few words about great Laxmi Chhaya. This film has the best performance from her. She had a regrettably short film career and is not even remembered today. But see her here and you will never forget her. What a natural she was...

9 out of 10.

I saw this film long back and liked it very much. This is an honest depiction about the ugliness behind beauty business. Late Ian Hendry is good and so is Janette Scott. The dark side of beauty business is vividly shown here, the middle class ambitions and its inability to take hard failure ultimately is wonderfully depicted here. Film also points a finger towards brutal journalistic trends which needs scapegoats or people who could be used as stories. It uses them and spits them away (like the case of leading lady of this picture). It is a wonder, why this film is not even heard of these days when so many fashion shows are taking place. This tells behind the scene truths about such beauty events and nothing much has changed.

It also has a shattering end that will move you to tears.

7 out of 10.

This is an underrated movie. Good story, nice performances, especially that of Sharmila Tagore and Balraj Sahni and Laxmi Chhaya. A rather simple story about a loving couple who come to big city in search of work but get separated. The boy, becomes a Taxi Driver and girl, an actress.

Great Balraj Sahni, cast against type in a somewhat negative part of a filmmaker who turns good in the end. This is a story of small dreams that clashed with heartlessness of big city. Good music adds to the ambiance but the end is somewhat otherworldly yet believable.

Laxmi Chhaya remained a gem of an actress whose talent was never fully explored. She was such a natural, for more of her, watch 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh'. She is electrifying.

Worth watching.