Reviews

Hamraaz meaning confidante is a suspense movie directed by B.R.Chopra, known for his movies like Naya Daur,Sadhna,etc.Hamraaz is one of his best movies.

It is about Meena,daughter of an army general who secretly marries Rajesh an army officer without telling her father about it.On the day of their marriage Rajesh has to leave to the border upon declaration of emergency.Later she gets the news of his death.

She becomes pregnant with his child which supposedly dies after birth.She is then married of to Kumar,a renowned actor from Mumbai.Four years later Meena's past seems to have come back to her life and one day she get's murdered.The solving of this murder forms the rest of the story.

The direction is good.The camera work,music and art direction stand out. Amongst the actors,Sunil Dutt,Raaj Kumar and Mumtaz stand out.Vimi is unimpressive.The supporting cast comprising of Achala Sachdev,Jeevan, Madan Puri,Iftekhar,Jagdish Raj,Nana Palsikar,Manmohan Krishna,Balraj Sahni,etc are all good.Madhumati and Manohar Deepak have danced extremely well in the song 'Na mooh chupake jiyo'.

The movie could have been faster.Though not boring,the appearance of all the songs within the first one hour becomes quite monotonous.But the songs are very melodious.They have been well sung and well composed.

Overall,the movie is good and a must watch.

Basu Chatterji's movies are known for depicting middle-class lives of Indians effectively.This movie does the same.Based in Christian families of Mumbai of Tony and Nancy,it talks about their love relationship,the involvement of their families into it and marriage!!!

Basu da's direction is flawless.The movie does not falter at any moment. It is highly engrossing and makes for repeated viewing.The music by Rajesh Roshan is beautiful.All the four songs are extra-ordinary and have been sung equally well.The cinematography,art direction, costumes, editing,etc are all good and add to the beauty of the story.

Coming to the performances,Amol Palekar as always is exceptional.His look in the movie compliments his acting.Tina Munim is average.The supporting cast that consists of Pearl Padamsee,Piloo Wadia,Leela Mishra,Shobhini Singh,David,Ranjit Chowdhary,Deb Mukherjee,Uday Chandra,Arvind Deshpande,etc have all performed very well.Asrani in a special appearance and Tun Tun in an imaginary sequence leave a mark.

On the overall,the movie is very good and makes for repeated viewing.

Nikhil Advani's second directorial venture SALAAM-E-ISHQ is no great film, in fact not even a good film.But,still the film is fairly entertaining because of the presence of so many stars in the movie.This is definitely the USP of the movie.Despite the length of the film,it never bores the viewers solely because of the above reasons.

The story is about 6 couples: 1.Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla. 2.Govinda and Shannon Esra. 3.Akshaye Khanna and Ayesha Takia. 4.Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar. 5.Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. 6.John Abraham and Vidya Balan.

Each of the stories at some point in the movie interconnect with each other.The stories entertain for sure,but there is nothing special about them.The actors and music lift this movie.The direction by Nikhil Advani is average.But the last scene of the movie was very good.It was the best scene of the movie.The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyrics by Sameer are good.The 'Babuji' remix was an unnecessary song.The editing could have been crisper.Other aspects like cinematography,make- up,costumes,art direction, are all okay.

Amongst the actors, Akshaye Khanna and Priyanka Chopra are the best.The others including Juhi Chawla,Ayesha Takia,Isha Koppikar,Shannon Esra, Vidya Balan,Anil Kapoor,Salman Khan,Govinda,Sohail Khan,John Abraham, Anjana Sukhani,Kushal Punjabi,Prem Chopra,Tinnu Anand,Viju Khote,Bina Kak,Vrajesh Hirjee,Vishal Malhotra,Kamini Khanna,Manoj Pahwa and others were also very good.

The stories based on their entertaining value are as follows: 1.Govinda and Shannon. 2.Akshaye and Ayesha. 3.Salman and Priyanka. 4.Sohail and Isha. 5.John and Vidya. 6.Anil and Juhi.

On the overall,though not a great movie, SALAAM-E-ISHQ is fairly entertaining.

HUM TUM is Kunal Kohli's best film and by far his only memorable film other than Fanaa.This is also Saif Ali Khan's first hit.He also won the much deserved national award for this film.This film is slightly inspired by WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.

This is the story of Karan Kapoor(Saif Ali Khan) and Rhea(Rani Mukherjee) who time and again keep meeting each other in different circumstances. They initially hate each other and slowly become friends and then end up falling in love.

The movies is very interesting to watch.You never feel bored while watching it.The light-hearted nature of the movie is its USP.Kunal Kohli has touched upon minor nuances of each character making them very believable.Full marks to him for his direction.The music by Jatin-Lalit is very good.I feel they should team up again to make music for films.The lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are also very good and are apt for the situations.The songs are also aptly placed.The story,screenplay, editing, cinematography, costumes,art direction,make-up,dialogues,etc everything is very good.

Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee highly impress with their extremely natural and spontaneous acting.They very much deserve the awards they won for this film.Kirron Kher is very good and has a very interesting role in the movie.Rati Agnihotri also acts well.

Rishi Kapoor,Abhishek Bachchan,Jimmy Sheirgill,Isha Koppikar and Shehnaz Treasuryvala leave a mark in their special appearances in the movie.The rest of the supporting cast also does well.

On the overall,HUM TUM is a very interesting family entertainer which makes for repeated viewing.One can watch it over and over and again and again,but will never get bored.Its a must watch!

The master himself Vijay Anand directs a thriller film unique in its presentation and story.Jewel Thief, released in 1967 was one of the biggest hits of that year.The thief is on the run.

It is the story of Vinay(Dev Anand) who flirts with Anjali(Tanuja),the daughter of a rich jeweller and wins the confidence and trust of her father Seth Vishambarnath(Sapru).What are his motives behind it?Is he the thief? Or is it his alleged lookalike claimed by Shalini (Vyjayanthimala) to be her fiancé,the thief? Or is it somebody else?

The film is filled with suspense and is very very unpredictable.But the film could have been faster,as it is slightly slow paced.The story,screenplay and direction by Vijay Anand is simply superb.The music,costumes,art direction,lyrics,etc, are all good.

Coming to the performances Ashok Kumar,Tanuja and Vyjayanthimala are the best.The rest of the cast that includes Helen,Faryal,Anju Mahendru, Sapru,Nasir Hussain,Pratima Devi,Jagdish Raj,Sachin, all of them have portrayed their respective roles with honesty.Dev Anand,the hero of this film though good,is too filmy and over-dramatic in his acting.It could have been better if he was more spontaneous,as this is a suspense film not a drama film.

On the overall,Jewel Thief(1967) makes for a very interesting watch.It is definitely worth spending time watching the film.Its simply superb!!

Angoor directed by Gulzar is inspired by Shakespeare's play COMEDY OF ERRORS.Angoor is considered to be one of the best Hindi comedy movies of all time.It is also one of the best selling videos in the DVD market.

The story is about two pairs of twins separated at birth( a malik-naukar set each) whose lives collide in their adulthood when pair no.2 comes to pair no.1 's city.The whole film narrates the confusion that takes place henceforth for the next 2 days.All the characters are very well etched and leave a mark.The film has to be watched to enjoy it.

The direction by Gulzar is flawless.The dialogues,lyrics(especially the song 'Preetam Aan Milo'),costumes,art direction,everything is simple,apt,perfect and realistic.The music by R.D.Burman is okay.There are only 3 songs in the film,of which 'Preetam Aan Milo' stands out.The first song could have been done away with,still it wasn't bad or intolerable.

Coming to the performances the late Sanjeev Kumar stands out.His expressions are simply superb.No actor can even touch him.I heard that Angoor is being remade,but without Sanjeev Kumar there can be no Angoor.So, please drop the stupid idea of remaking this classic.One should not mess around with classics.Deven Verma is equally brilliant in his role.Moushumi Chatterjee,Deepti Naval and Aruna Irani are very good. The supporting cast comprising Padma Chavan,Yunus Parvez,T.P.Jain, C.S.Dubey,Col.Trilok Kapoor and Ram Mohan are also very good and leave a mark in whatever little they have to do.Utpal Dutt and Shammi are memorable in their special appearances.

On the overall,Angoor is a continuous laugh riot which has to be watched by everybody!I simply loved it!

Aap Ki Kasam is an emotional family drama directed by J.Om Prakash.It is the story of a married couple Kamal(Rajesh Khanna) and Sunita(Mumtaz). Kamal is very possessive about Sunita.Initially they are happy in their marriage,but until cupid strikes.Kamal starts suspecting an affair between his wife and his close friend Mohan(Sanjeev Kumar),which is not true. This creates a rift between both of them.One day,Kamal sees a man running out from his house compound and misunderstands him to be his wife's lover.This acts as the final blow in their already strained relationship. She leaves home and later both of them get divorced.Later,Kamal gets to know the truth,but he is too late now.Why and what happens next forms the plot of the remaining portion of the story.

The film is a remake of a Malayalam film Vaazhve Mayam.The story is good, but the screenplay of the movie is very bad.The film is no sugary tale of happy endings,and that is good for a change.J.Om Prakash's direction is average.The music by R.D.Burman is good,but the songs 'suno kaho', and 'paas nahin aana' could have been done away with.But still they are good songs.The editing could have been crisper.The cinematography is average.The lyrics and dialogues are good.

Coming to the performances,Sanjeev Kumar stands out.He is very good and gives a very realistic performance as always.Rajesh Khanna is also very good.Mumtaz gives a very good performance.The supporting cast comprising of Rehman,Ranjeet,Dina Pathak,Ruby Myers,Ranjeet,Lolita Chatterjee, Asrani,Satyen Kappu,Jayshree.T.,Keshto Mukherjee,Murad,A.K.Hangal, Sunder, all of them have acted well.The film should have concentrated more on the post-marriage plot and the movie could have been shorter.

On the overall,the movie is an above average movie.The story is very good but hasn't been treated well.

Waqt is Yash Chopra's third film and the first colour film he directed after Dhool Ka Phool(1959) and Dharmputra(1961) which released in 1965.It was one of the first multi-star cast films of Hindi cinema.Yashji had initially thought of casting Prithviraj Kapoor and his three sons Raj,Shammi, and Shashi Kapoor.But with the exception of Shashiji,he replaced the others with Balraj Sahni,Raaj Kumar and Sunil Dutt, who I feel are a better choice for the roles though Prithviji,Rajji and Shammiji are also good actors.

Waqt according to me is Yash Chopra's best film out of the 22 films he has directed.Not just that,I also consider it to be the best Hindi film ever made till now.Waqt is the story of a wealthy trader Lala Kedarnath(Balraj Sahni),his wife Lakshmi(Achala Sachdev) and their three sons Raju(Raaj Kumar),Bablu(Sunil Dutt) and Mannu(Shashi Kapoor).Destiny plays a very cruel game with them.Their lives are shattered and their close knit family is now separated.They all grow up and now all of their lives are changed.All the players of the game are back on the field of life and will have to face each other now after about 2 decades.The paths of their lives get interconnected.But,this time the game is not cruel,though has difficult situations for its players.This is "Waqt" (time) playing a game with them.The same destiny that separated them earlier brings them together now.

Waqt is a scintillating dramatic experience of love,bonding, togetherness,separation and family values.This was also one of the first Hindi films to be made on the lost and found formula which was first seen in the Ashok Kumar-Mumtaz Shanti starrer Kismet(1948).There are no caricaturish villains,silly comedians or scheming vamps in this film.All the characters are believable and relatable.The direction by Yashji is top notch.The music by Ravi is excellent with some heart-rending melodies.The lyrics,writing,cinematography,editing,art direction are also worth mentioning.

The performance of the cast that includes Balraj Sahni,Achala Sachdev,Raaj Kumar,Rehman,Leela Chitnis,Sunil Dutt,Sadhana,Manmohan Krishna,Surendra Nath,Sumati Gupte,Hari Shivdasani,Shashi Kapoor,Sharmila Tagore,Madan Puri,Jeevan,Motilal,Shashikala and others is brilliant and all of them are worth mentioning.But,Raaj Kumar stands out with his excellent acting and dialogue delivery.Last but not the least the dialogues written by Akhtar-ul-Imaan are superb and very memorable.Easily one of the best dialogues written for any film. He definitely deserves a special mention.These dialogues have been re- used and re-interpreted in many films to come in the future.

On the overall, WAQT makes for a very interesting and engrossing watch.We move with "WAQT".

Mahesh Bhatt's Saaransh is undoubtedly his best work along with Arth. Saaransh deals with some complex emotions that we human beings go through in life.Though not as much as the lead characters in this film,we do experience such emotions of loss,grief,love,betrayal, frustration,sense of support,overcoming our fears and being a coward,etc.

This film is about a couple Professor B.V.Pradhan and Parvati Pradhan (Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangadi) who have just lost their son in some riots in New York.They are unable to digest the fact that their son is no more with them.They feel that their lives have lost their meaning and that they are worthless human beings as they could not save their son. Just then,a small time actress Sujata Suman (Soni Razdan) moves into their house as a paying guest.She has a boyfriend Vilas Chitre (Madan Jain) who is the son of a local politician Gajanan Chitre (Nilu Phule). She becomes pregnant with Vilas' child, but his father is unwilling to accept neither her nor her baby.At that time the Pradhans come to her help.

But is it easy for an old helpless couple to make such an influential politician accept Sujata and her baby.What all problems do they face during their fight against Gajanan Chitre? Why are they ready to risk their lives for a paying guest whom they have known just for a few days? What are their motives behind it? What is the conclusion to all of their problems? Do the Pradhans finally overcome their loss,i.e, their son's death?

This is what the rest of the film deals with.Mahesh Bhatt should return to directing films,because this film is easily one of the best films made in this world.His direction is very sensitive and touches upon even the minutest of details in the film.His direction is very impressive.The editing by David Dhawan is good.Adeep Tandon's cinematography is also good.Since the film has been shot at real locations, it enhances the storytelling and gives a grounded appeal to the film.The film looks good.Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangadi (who were in their 20s then) look very convincing and also act very convincingly.A salute to them.They are easily one of the best actors we have.Soni Razdan,Nilu Phule,Suhas Bhalekar,Madan Jain,Alok Nath,Akash Khurana all of them perform very well;it is a delight to see them all perform on the screen.The story,screenplay,dialogues,art direction,lyrics and make-up are also top notch.

Last but not the least the music of the film by Ajit Verman is haunting.There is only one song in the film -" Andhiyara Gehraya " which is a very beautiful soul-stirring song.The music takes the film to a different level altogether.

Overall,the film is a masterpiece and a must watch for every cinema lover.

aaya saawan jhoom ke starts in a very filmy style.this makes us believe that it is yet another boring movie about bichde hue maa-beta.but the story is quite different.

Yashodha(Nirupa Roy) kills a man for trying to rape her, fearing that she might get caught by the police she leaves her baby at a temple which is later adopted by a childless couple (Nasir Hussain and Dulari).They later have a daughter (Bindu).They name their son as Jaishankar(Dharmendra). He grows up and there is happiness in the family.But his mother is dead. Once when he visits a music concert he gets mistaken to be the singer Jaidev Kanpuri by the organizer(Rajendranath).He later introduces him to Aarti(Asha Parekh). Jaishankar and Aarti keep meeting each other and fall in love.She then asks him to meet her father.But the unexpected happens.Aarti's father gets killed in an accident by Jaishankar.

What happens later forms the crux of the story.Another plot unfolds during the latter part of the film.Though the story is different and new,the treatment of the film is not good.The direction by Raghunath Jalani is very filmy and below average.The entire Nirupa Roy angle could have been done away with.The murder plot in the latter half of the film could have been given more importance.The director has tried to turn the movie into a sentimental family drama which does not work.The direction could have been better and mature.The music direction by Laxmikant- Pyarelal is good.The song 'O manjhi chal' is the best song of the film.It is also very well picturised. The lyrics by Anand Bakshi are also good.Coming to the acting department Dharmendra,Rajendranath,Bindu and Aruna Irani stand out.Asha Parekh could have been better.Laxmi Chhaya dances well and her acting is fine,but could have been better.The rest of the cast comprising Ravindra Kapoor,Jagirdar,Nasir Hussain,Jalal Agha,Dulari,Nirupa Roy and others are good.

On the overall the movie can be watched with the family but is not up to the mark.It is a one time watch.But the song O manjhi chal can be watched again and again.It is beautifully picturised.