Reviews

The film had a wonderful premise and great promise (given that it was directed by none other than peter jackson), but somehow i feel it failed to make an impact...especially the 'creatures' jumping out of nowhere in the island seemed weird and unaccounted for. Maybe a little more explanation (ala Spielberg) would have helped .The sequences in the first half seemed hackneyed and clichéd; felt like a typical Hollywood-big creature-special effects flick... On the positive side, the special effects were brilliant, to say the least and the director's effort to portray an unconventional love (between the creature and the heroine) must be applauded. But finally, i don't think the film deserves as much praise as it is getting.

Undoubtedly, one of the finest examples of film-making.This film is an absolutely original, Indian story, and does not owe anything to the west.Every aspect of the film is top-notch. The songs(each one, a masterpiece) blend so beautifully with the sequences, that one is convinced that the film would be incomplete without the songs.Adapted from the novel written by RK Narayan, the film explores the adventures and misadventures of the happy-go-lucky tourist guide, Raju(played by Dev Anand).The film moves on to the next level with the beginning of a love affair between Raju and a danseuse named Rosy(Waheeda Rehman) who is already married, but is discontented because her archaeologist husband doesn't really give a damn about her.The husband (Kishore Sahu) is shown to be deeply engrossed in the caves of Udaipur(the city where Raju is famously called "Raju guide")However, there is hardly any intimate scene between Raju and Rosy (later christened Nalini, in the film) and their feelings for each other are depicted in a very subtle manner. The characterization is so good that we sympathize with Rosy, rather than condemning her for having an extra marital affair....What happens next and what awaits Raju and Rosy is what the film is all about. Definitely a must-see film and certainly 10 on 10