Change Your Image
narinderflora
Reviews
Lamhe (1991)
Not such a Lamhe film (groan)
Bit of a cult movie this which gained more popularity overseas as the idea of a man trying to suppress feelings for the identikit daughter of his first love did not go down well with conservative Indian audiences. So fair play to Yash Chopra for tackling one of many taboo Indian issues (still no lip kissing though - even in the 90s) and obviously with Sridevi's passing, this becomes more of a poignant watch and an appreciation of her beauty, energy, comedy, dance talent and strong delivery dialogue that she maintained throughout her career. The surprises are Anupam Kher who is given over-the-top free rein as Anil Kapoor's best mate and 50s-60s icon Waheeda Rehman. They come to the fore in the classic song medley designed to cheer Anil Kapoor up as he mulls indeterminately over his first lost love - who didn't love him anyway. Look out especially for the clever Guide and Pyaasa nods. And that's the main problem with this movie - Anil Kapoor is wasted in his dour and wooden lead role - especially when you see the powerful moments when he does release emotions. Even then he is more charasmatic than Sridevi (mark one)'s husband - who even dressed up as an air force pilot fails to generate any screen presence. So many typical Bollywood features - lavish sets, lots of unbelievability (daughter looks exactly like her mum, how is Anil Kapoor so rich, who exactly is Waheeda Rehman and would you allow your best mate to live freely in palatial mansions, driving Mercs, jetting back and forth from India to England), great songs and overlong duration - the picnic scene could go straight out for example. Strangely enjoyable still.