Bandhan kuchchey dhaagon ka (1983)

First, apologies for the prolonged silence. I have been watching lots of movies but wasn't particularly inspired to write about any of them, apart from one, whose subtitled version promptly is stuck somewhere in the mail, and while I am still trying to find the courage to write up Clerk, I came across this 80s-movie starring Shashi Kapoor, and here I am again.





At the beginning we meet the Kapoor-family, Prem (Shashi Kapoor) and his wife, Bhavna (Rakhee), and their two children. They are all extremely happy, Prem is a successful businessman who when confronted with a young lady willing to enhance her business proposal with some more personal attention make it very clear that he is not at all interested in this sort of thing.


The happy couple:




And their cheerful house:




I am shocked, shocked, I tell you:




One day, Prem receives a phonecall from his friend (and requisite comic relief person) Ratan (Deven Verma), who is going to court in an attempt to evict his tenant and her numerous noisy children. Prem quite obviously doesn't want to get involved, but Ratan is very insistent. The reason for this becomes clear when it turns out that Bhavan is the judge presiding over his case.


This movie clearly predates mobile phones:




And very stern she appears:




Luckily for the tenant, Bhavan is not influenced by her husband's friendship with Ratan, and that evening Prem helps Ratan to drown his misery. The next day is Saturday, and we learn that Saturday is reserved as a special day for husband and wife:




whereas Sunday provides fun and relaxation for the whole family (well, maybe less so for the children):




So much happiness this early in the movie can't bode well. And indeed, the weekend idyll is interrupted by the arrival of Prakash Dutt (Prem Chopra) who has a letter for Prem. Now, the way he emphasises that this letter is meant for Prem and Prem only, strongly suggests that there is something fishy about it. However, Prem doesn't receive visitors on Sundays, and neither does he deal with any kind of business, so he asks his wife to read the letter to him. It turns out to be a request from a friend of his called Sneh (Zeenat Aman), who urgently needs his help due to unforeseen circumstances. Bhavan is somewhat puzzled as to who this might be, but Prem tells her that they met some years ago in Bombay. Bhavan then encourages him to go and see what Sneh needs him to do (Bhavan might just be too good for this world.)


He may be here to spread tidings of gladness and joy; but then again:




Just business aquaintances, sure:




I told you, just a business aquaintance:




We get a mini-flashback to Sneh and Prem's first meeting, which suggests that they were very friendly with each other and which has an incredibly frustrating (to me) scene.


This I do not approve of:




Much better:




Oh, and you might want a look at Sneh, too:




After some stock footage of a plane, Prem arrives to meet Sneh. Alarm bells begin to ring, as running towards someone in slow motion at the airport is not normal movie behaviour for people who share just a friendly business relationship. After this outburst of enthusiam, the two settle down to a more sedate and rather quite drive home to Sneh's which gives them ample opportunity to remember all about the last time they met.








This involved a picnic with friends which of course gives us the chance to enjoy our first song. The energetic dancing is interrupted by a sudden downpour which also results in emphasising some of Sneh's natural assets with not entirely unpredictable consequences. Prem had mentioned to Sneh that he is a married man in the conversation preceding the song; but this minor detail seems to have slipped both their minds. The next morning they awake to regrets, but Sneh assures Prem that she won't try to interfere with his marriage as long as he promises to remember her in his moments of loneliness.


The past is a country without glasses, but with bad hats:




What are they cooking?




That's a very scenic place you have choosen to be remorseful in:




His and hers matching remorse:







On this cheerful note we return to our car journey in the present. That evening, Sneh phones up Bhavna to let her know that her husband has arrived safe and sound, and the two take to each other. Bhavna is very understanding, but she clearly misses her husband, too. The fairly relaxed atmosphere is not going to last very long, as Sneh has some news for Prem, which stuns him but doesn't stun the experienced movie watcher: He has in fact three, and not (as he previously believed) two children. Sneh brought up their son on her own, but she now wants him to get to know his father. Prem is underwhelmed by this development, but she emphasises that she doesn't want him to publicly announce his fatherhood, or leave his wife, she just wants her son to know who his father his (she has a very good reason for this, but the movie takes some time to get there).






This conversation is surprisingly less awkward and tense than it could be:




Poor Bhavna, all in the dark:




How did he not spot the giant picture in the back before?




After some pleading on Sneh's part, Prem agrees to meet his son. For reasons which aren't clear to me (apart from providing some very nice visuals) the first meeting takes place in a church, and father and son instantly like each other. It follows a very nice family bonding song, only slightly spoilt by the niggling question what Bhavna and the children are going to make of it. In the end, all the running around on the beach proves to much for Sneh and she collapses.


Nobody can resist the combined power of my red coat and a spiritual environment:




Do I detect a hint of symbolism?




Hmm, this is all very sweet but it can't end well:




It turns out that Sneh is suffering form stomach cancer, and needs to go to the States for treatment, although the chances of recovery are very slim. She tries to continue to hide the seriousness of her condition form Prem, but her Doctor (Bindu, and no, it really doesn't work) has already told him what is going on. He agrees to look after his son, Bittu, while Sneh is in the States. It is very obvious that she doesn't have much hope of coming back. There is also someone else, who is very interested in her not coming back alive, namely Prakash Dutt, and he bribes a nurse to give her something which will ensure that she dies on the operating table.


An unexpected casting choice:




A painful conversation:




Oh, he is evil! I would never have guessed:




After taking Sneh to the airport, Prem returns home, taking Bittu with him. On their way home, they meet some friends of Prem's, Mr. And Mrs. Shrivastav, and they remark on Bittu calling Prem Papa, so Bittu suggests that Uncle may be a better form of address for the time being. Bhavan welcomes Bittu with open arms, and the other two kids take to him as well. Bhavan remarks that it is sad that some fathers are just unwilling to take responsible for their children (if only she knew), and Prem begins to show sings of stress, but otherwise things settle down fairly quickly and we have another brief instance of the family bonding song (only with a slightly different set of people).


I begin to worry about everyone still being so happy around here:




Deceiving my wife is giving me a headache:




And she looks so lovely, strange fashion notwithstanding:




Over in the States, a close inspection of a piece of foil reveals that Sneh's chances are not looking good but she takes the news fairly calmly. Prem, on the other hand, is feeling more and more uncomfortable with the situation, but his friend Ratan advises him that it is his duty not to tell his wife about his infidelity, given that at the moment only he is unhappy, if he tells her, they are both going to be unhappy.


Honestly, what's going on here:




Snuggles, but for how long?




I suppose he means well:




Before things can get too depressing, there is some good news: Ratan has gotten married, to now other than his tenant with all the noisy kids. As he is careful with money, he and Prem have a joined wedding/wedding anniversary celebration, which of course requires another song, during which Bittu imagines the scene with slightly different protagonists.


One happy couple:




Another happy couple:




That's one happy couple too many:




Meanwhile, in the States, it turns out that Sneh's operation is possible after all, and after some rather gruesome pictures of her (or at leas somebody's) innards (honestly, don't watch this while eating); she is on the way to recovery. This joyful news inspires a bout of dangerous driving on Prem's part which sends some fluffy chickens flying. The only person not happy about this development is Prakash, who had designs on Sneh's wealth after her death. He now decides that blackmailing Prem may be the way forward.


Thoughtful:




I am sure this scene was entirely necessary:




What evil plot can I come up with next?




A spot of blackmail, perhaps?




I don't think so:




However, this plan backfires quite badly. So, what will Prakash come up with next? Will Bhavna ever find out who Bittu is? What's going on here?




And who has died?




How very appropriate:




To me, this was an okay movie. It has lots of things I like, especially in the non-teenage romance department, and in the non-judgemental manner in which the affair is handled, (and all the eyecandy it provided for me), however, the whole sub-plot concerning Prakash and its sudden violent turn somehow seemed unnecessary and out of place. I would have liked it a lot better, if it had just focused on the two (or is that 1 1/2 ?) couples dealing with the consequences of Prem's infedility. The songs are okay and there is a lot of peculiar fashion on show. All in all, an okay movie, definetely worth a watch for the devoted Shashi-fan, and nothing to be avoided by other people if they have a spare evening.



Gratuitous Shashi-pictures (rather a lot of them, I am afraid):

Raaz (1967)

Raaz is a movie that sounds very good on paper; an appealing cast including Rajesh Khanna, Babita and a host of other people whose name I can't remember but whose faces seem familiar, a mysterious story of a young man haunted by extremely precise dreams of places he has never seen, and lots of nice music. Alas, it doesn't live up to its promise. Having said that, the start is quite promising. One stormy night, a masked man with piercing eyes kills a father in front of his baby daughter.

Oh no!


The first "Nahin" and we aren't even five minutes into the movie:


A woman, presumable the wife of the deceased, is then abducted and we continue with the luridly coloured title sequence, which has extra special sound effects when the names of the two leads are shown.

Before the suspense of what the opening sequence was all about can do bad things to our blood-pressure, we meet the lady and the murderer again, this time aged by about twenty years and in a dungeon. Apparently, he, Sakar Nath, killed his brothers and abducted his sister-in-law, Paro, to punish her for not marrying him, even though he loved her. He has since brought up her daughter as his own, and she is now singing in hopeless longing for her dead lover (there is a strong implication that the cause of death wasn't natural). Paro is shocked, and with that the scene changes to a young man's bedroom whose dreams are haunted by the same song.

Aah, family, one can't live with them, one frequently gets murdered by them:

The mysterious dreamer:

The dream appears to take a turn for a worse and the sleeper wakes with a start. He gets up and goes to another room to look at some paintings. According to his best friend, the comic relief for the movie and purveyor of helpful exposition, Rocky, he paints what he sees in his dreams, including an extremely detailed picture of a railway station in India complete with the name on the sigen (how helpful), which is particularly strange, as they live in Africa and Kumar, for that is the young man's name has, to his friends knowledge, never been in India.

I rather like the lampshade:

Don't worry, maybe your next dream will reveal the timetable:

In order to get to the bottom of these disturbing dreams, the two young men decide to travel to India. They arrive late at the railway station in question, which appears to be deserted. Rocky goes to luck for transport to the town, while Kumar goes to speak to the stationmaster who is reading a significant looking book:

and who also addresses Kumar by name. Meanwhile, Rocky has found transport but when the driver sees Kumar, he is shocked and runs away. Again, the film-maker is very concerned about the negative results of unnecessary stress, so we are told straight away why he is so shocked: he actually witnessed Kumar (or somebody looking exactly like Kumar) being killed and buried. Of course, not knowing the identity of the murderer would be bad for the viewers health, too, so he is revealed as Sakar Nath (now, there is a surprise)

Oh no!

I am not sure this is the correct way of going about a mud bath:

Luckily, the next driver is not a murder witness, so they make their way to a local dak bungalow, where they hope to be able to stay for the night. However, the gate keeper refuses to let them in, as he is afraid of Sakar Nath. Assorted townspeople react shocked to Kumar's arrival, until an elderly gentleman of eccentric appearance takes them home and offers them a bed for the night. He, too, addresses Kumar by name and acts as if he knows him, but encourages him to follow the path of true love while Sakar Nath is away. Rocky is rather puzzled by it all and begins to doubt his friends assertion that he has never been here before. He points out that he was gone for four month hunting in Africa, but Kumar insists that this is his first visit to this part of the world.

No room at the Inn:

More shock!

Dedication to recycling should probably stop at using your couch covers to make suits:

Before long, the mysterious song is heard again and our host encourages Kumar to follow the voice, but Rocky has to stay behind. Following the voice involves walking a lot through prettily spread out fog. He spots a misty figure in the distance but returns home, before he establishes contact with her. In the same night, somebody comes through is window but is disturbed, and leaves, dropping a knife in the process. Surprisingly, this appearance is not immediately explained.

Listening very hard:

On the road of true love, is twirly fog one up from soft-focus?

Oh, a mysterious woman in white:

Creepy, though I am not sure a white shirt was a wise choice for this undertaking

The next day starts with some light comic relief, when two local girls come looking for Kumar babu and instead have to deal with Rocky. This ought of the way, we catch up with Kumar who for some reason is wandering around a mine. The overseer is (for a change) not shocked at seeing him, though everybody else is, but very irate and starts threatening Kumar and beats him up rather badly. Given that it is very early in the movie, and we already had one burial of the main character, I fail to be overly worried. He is rescued by one of the local girls, Indu, and she takes him home and patches him up, saying that he rescued her from some unwanted advances, and is therefore grateful to him. This leads to more puzzlement on Kumar's part.

The (presumably evil) overseer:

Our confused hero:

Meanwhile, the overseer, Thakur Singh, has come home and tells his father about having beaten up Kumar. As he is rather drunk, his father assumes that he must have been imagining things, but he doesn't explain why he is so unwilling to believe that Kumar was at the mine that day. Kumar, on the other hand is drawn out of the house again by the mysterious singing, and this time he meets the singer, a very pretty young lady, who looks a bit like a refugee from a Victorian romance and is most distressed when she realises that he has no idea who she is. However, this does not stop her from launching into the first song of the movie.

More puzzlement is being caused:

This is my thoughtful pose:

She is very happy to see him:

He is confused:

When even the song fails to help him recognise her, she tells him how they met. Their first meeting wasn't entirely auspicious, as she was pretending to be in danger in the jungle, and when he told her off for fooling him, the eccentric gentleman told him off for bothering a young girl. However, the next day, she sees him (in a very unflattering hat) defending the workers rights in the mines and is very impressed. This leads us to another song, in which Babita looks really lovely.

Apparently, grass was much greener in the past:

How dare you wear a hat that is brighter than my shirt:

Woohee, I am so happy:

Their love story proceeds not hindered by the fact that Sakar Nath as Kumar's both is unhappy with his behaviour towards Thakur Singh nor by the sudden and unexpected appearance of snow, and is celebrated by another song. Alas, Thakur Singh spots them frolicing in the very green grass and reports back to Sakar Nath, who locks his daughter in her room causing much distress both to her and to Kumar.

This doesn't bode will for a closer relationship in the future:

Snow, and so pretty:

Alas, they are less alone than they assume:

A pink peeping Tom:

His and her matching pining:

So much emotional distress of course needs to be expressed in yet another song (even my tolerance of frequently occuring songs is tested by now) and the two lovers meet at the end, only to be surprised by her father, who whips Kumar (showing me more of Rajesh Khanna than I wanted to see). He is taken home by the cart-driver (who is soon to become the murder witness, or so one assumes) and nursed by Indu and her sister. However, his recovery is very slow, and he only regains consciousness when Sapna who has run away from home, comes to see him. Unfortunately, her father has followed her and it comes to another confrontation with Kumar at the end of which he appears to agree to them getting married.

Calling out for his beloved:

With success:

Oh dear:

The best medicine:

I wouldn't trust him:

With this, we come back to the present day, where Kumar remains extremely puzzled, as he doesn't remember any of the events he has just been told about. He goes back home where we are treated to another comic relief interlude. Kumar goes out again, and after scaring the poor cart driver yet again, is almost shot by Rocky, who is gone hunting with their host and appears to have borrowed one of the latter's suits.

He is getting the hang of being puzzled:

Unfortunately, this isn't my reaction anywhere in the movie:

Bad fashion sense seems to be infectious:

That night Rocky, who is frustrated with his lack of success with the ladies, decides to dress up as Kumar to see whether this will lead to more success. At the same time, Indu learns that some goons plan to kill Kumar in an abandoned temple, where he is meant to have an assignation with Sapna. Rocky turns up in the same temple, and is attacked by a group of people disguised as statued, while he sings a male rip-off of Pyaar karna darna kya which is about as absurd as it sounds and can be easily found on youtube.

This was unexpected:

The result of all this is that Indu is now smitten with Rocky; and that Rocky raises again the four month spend hunting, and when Kumar tries to show him his diary to proof that he was indeed in Africa, it turns out that the relevant pages are missing. Kumar meets with Sapna once more and they sing another song. There is also news, that Sakar Nath has finally returned home, and Kumar is encouraged to leave town. Before anything in that direction can happen, we are treated to another song featuring Indu and Rocky in their wedding night.

The poor book:

The present really is quite foggy:

This falls firmly under the heading “Songs the world doesn't need”

Kumar refuses to leave, and Sakar Nath is somewhat puzzled by the insistence of everybody around him, that Kumar has returned. He is fairly convinced that he buried him in the particularly inconspicuous place.

What will happen next? Will Kumar ever find out that people think he is dead? Is anybody buried under all those white flowers? Will true love triumph? Who is the mystery stalker? And who is burning down the palace?

Honestly, if you aren't on a quest to watch all movies of one of the people involved in this; don't watch it. It's very irritating because the story could have had potential, if the writer hadn't insisted on telling us almost everything two minutes after something mildly mysterious happened, and then to pad out the lack of plot with a felt 146 songs. I like songs, I don't mind lots of songs, but this was pushing even me over the edge. No more singing! That said, the songs which don't involve Rocky are very nice, and may be pleasant to watch on their own, when they don't slow down the hardly-existent plot even more. Especially the one with Babita freshly in love is so much fun, and it might even have a rare appearance of her own hair. In some ways, it does take real talent to use a plot with that much potential and turn it into something this boring, however, it does not make for a pleasant viewing experience.

Pyaar ki jeet (1987)

Whereas Pighalta Aasman felt like a romance novel, Pyaar ki jeet is very much a condensed version of a soap opera. We begin the story at Dr. Kumar's hospital. He is a successful surgeon, and he is also very clearly of the opinion that medicine should pay and therefore unwilling to treat people who can't pay his full fees. He is good friends with a minister and his son, Anand, (Vinod Mehra) who just finished his medical studies. His father is planning to built a hospital for him, but while the building work is going on, he plans to send him to a small village where Dr. Rehman (Shashi Kapoor) is working, so he can buy a formula from him. Though Dr. Kumar and Dr. Rehman studied together (the creaking sound you hear is my disbelief suspender trying to cope with the strain), they went very different ways, and Dr. Rehman dedicated his live to serving the poor and now lives in a village, being himself not very well off, although he is highly qualified and has several degrees from abroad. Dr. Kumar thinks that Dr. Rehman could do with tightening a couple of screws.

They are such good friends:


They even have the same coffee set:



Dr. Anand


We first meet Dr. Rehman while he is attempting to repair his bicycle. His trusty servant/practice nurse/loyal retainer/general dogsbody is not only our comic relief for his movie but also provides useful exposition if necessary, so we learn that Dr. Rehman is looking for a sucessor, mainly because he is suffering from a heart condition, but he is finding it very difficult to find someone to come and work in this remote village. So, when Anand turns up and tells the locals that he is a doctor and looking for Dr. Rehman, it is only natural (well, sort of) that everybody assumes that he has come to be Dr. Rehman's successor. Everbody is terribly happy about his arrival and any attempts to clear up the misunderstanding are brushed away.

Dr. Rehman (and his bicycle)


The first meeting:


I am sure he wasn't expecting that:


The next morning, while accompanying Dr. Rehman on his round through the village, Anand again tries to clarify the misunderstanding, but alas, he doesn't manage to get a work in edgeways. In the end, Anand resort to writing a very strongly worded letter, saying that he isn't an idiot like Dr. Rehman to spend his entire life in a village in the middle of nowhere, he is just here to buy the formula. However, when he goes over to the doctor's house to place the letter on the hall table, he finds Dr. Rehman collapsed on the floor, as he has suffered an attack of his heart condition and had (as heart patients have a tendency to do (at least in the movies)) placed his medication in a particularily inaccessible place.

Determined letter writing:


Early movie happiness doesn't bode well even for middle-aged doctors:


Anand to the rescue:





After Anand has sorted the medical side of things and helped Dr. Rehman back to his bed, the two have a conversation at the end of which Anand makes up his mind to stay and work in the village at least for the time being. Shortly afterwards, the tranquillity of village life is disrupted by the arrival of Sohni (Rekha).

Half the men in the village are very happy to see her, while the women are distinctly underwhelmed (and the other half of the men is on the Committee for prevention of moral corruption). There is a strong implication that she is a woman of loose morals. Sohni announces her arrival by means of a song.



However, her arrival ends with her having a stone thrown at her, but who should come t oher rescue by Dr. Anand. Sohni is immediately smitten, the doctor is less convinced.

She appears to have taken a liking to you:


Subtelty isn't her strong suit:


Over the next days Dr. Anand has to fend of various advances by Sohni. He isn't terribly successful, especially since he does come to her aid when the village women are nasty to her at the well which only serves to convince her further that he is interested in her. Her plans include: dressing demurely (though that doesn't last very long, mainly because she is offended because Dr. Anand doesn't notice), pretending to have been bitten by a snake, and in the end she comes with a wedding procession to fetch him which leads to another song:

Plan A:


Plan B:


Dr. Rehman dispenses relationship advice:


Now, this is what I would call determination:


I don't think he stands a chance:


In between we learn that the local Thakur is very interested in Sohni, but she isn't interested in him at all. Sohni also attempts to buy food for an elderly couple who have lost their son, but the wife doesn't want to take her money, so she gets Dr. Rehman to act as a go-between. We also learn that Dr. Rehman's payments very rarely involve money.

I think there is a considerably probability that he is evil:


That's not a bag of money (alas)


Meanwhile, Sohni's attempts to come closer to Dr. Anand have gotten her into trouble with the village council. It is pretty clear that the only person who is on her side is Dr. Rehman; everybody else doubts her morals and is unwilling to listen to her defence (and she is silent on one crucial point, namely how she earns her money in the city). Nevertheless, they can't force her to leave the village.

The decision-makers:


Zooni is many things but not defenseless:


The next day, Sohni comes again to see Dr. Anand, and he brushes her off again. However, when he complains about her to Dr. Rehman, Dr. Rehman fills him in on Sohni's tragic background (you didn't think she would have no tragic background, did you). She was abducted on her wedding day! By Dacoits! Her father had testified against their leader's brother in court. He is killed during the abduction and when the dacoits are arrested and Sohni is returned to her in-laws the next day, they refuse to take her in as they assume that she must have been raped. She protests that no such thing happen, but the chief dacoit confirms that she was raped, although she wasn't, because he wants to ruin her life even further and has nothing to loose. Her future husband then tried to rape her (charming individual, isn't he) but when the matter is taken to the village council he claims that she was trying to take advantage of him. Again, Dr. Rehman is the only person who believes her, and when her claim is rejected, she turned into the wild girl she is now.

The blushing bride:


Of course, I would trust him rather than my daughter-in-law:


If you think I am wild; I will show you wild:


Shortly after Dr. Anand has been apprised of these facts, Sohniencounters the Thakur once more. He offers her a lot of money, if she spends the night with him, but she tells him that she doesn't need his money, and should she ever need it she will come to him on her own account. (Of course there is no way this could become important later). She also asks Dr. Rehman for relationship advise, and he says that maybe sorting out things with the village council might help her in her pursuit of Dr. Anand. However, before she can get very far, Dr. Anand's father turns up. He is worried by his son's long absence and concerned that he may have been enticed by Dr. Rehman's lofty (and economically non-viable) ideals. The two have a long discussion which culminated in an impassioned defense of his choices by Dr. Rehman, who thinks that for the pursuit of economic success a textile mill might be more appropriate than a Doctor's practice.

Dispensing sage advice:


Not seeing eye to eye:


Dr. Anand is taken back to the city by his father, who throws a party in honour of his return. Sohni has followed him, and when he isn't particularly welcoming (which really shouldn't come as a great surprise to her), she gate-crashes the party in the guise of a dancer and we get another song. Anand then tries to drive her back to the village, but on the way they encounter a couple who have been involved in an accident. Anand tries to rescue the husbands wife with an emergency operation carried out there and then but the patient dies. His widow regards Anand as her husband's murderer and the whole matter ends up in court.

My poor eyes; so much sparkle:


He still isn't particularly impressed:


Bad ideas I had today:


While Dr. Kumar seems to be mainly concerned about what this whole court-case is costing him (well, he is nothing if not consistent), Dr. Reham manages to convince the court that Dr. Anand isn't a murdered by (yet another) impassioned speech. There is also a quick reminder that Dr. Rehman isn't a healthy man as all this excitement isn't good for his heart.

A knight in tweed and bow-tie:


She may be causing a lot of trouble, but she is very pretty:


These events also have convinced Dr. Anand that maybe his father's focus on making money isn't the best way forward and he decides to return to the village. His father is so unhappy with this decision that he breaks off all relations with his son; for him his son is dead (now, what are the odds that Dr. Anand will require a substantial amount of money urgently in the next twenty minutes or so). Sohni, on the other hand, is very happy about Dr. Anand's return, and he can only get her out of the house after he has assured her that it doesn't need cleaning, nor do his clothes, and all his buttons are present and accounted for. She isn't deterred and returns again and again, even spending a day standing in the rain when Anand tells her to wait outside, but he doesn't warm towards her.

Oh, the drama:


Andand is really amazingly resistant to her charmes:


More resistance:


After a brief (and rather screechy) comic interlude involving Sohni getting drunk, and Dr. Rehman finding out how Sohni earns her money and why she isn't telling anybody what she does, the Thakur, who has heard of Dr. Anand's interest, sends some of his ruffians to deal with the competition. The come across Sohni who beats them up single-handedly but is injured in the process. This, finally, makes Dr. Anand realise that he loves her, regardless of her bad reputation, and the two expresss their newfound happiness in a song involving large butterflies.



However, can their way to a happy future really be that simple? What misfortune will befall them next? Will the Thakur let Sohni go this easily? Will Dr. Anand's father agree to their marriage? And most importantly, can Dr. Rehman's heart withstand any further excitement.

This is one of these movies which has enough plot for three or a several month long TV-series. I found it fun to watch, especially since I found Dr. Rehman very adorable (and he has plenty of screen-time), and it is entertaining to try and predict what is going to happen next. Rekha was good as Sohni, and I liked the fact that she was never transformed into a demure heroine who lets the hero do all the fighting. Vinod Mehra didn't impress me, however, this was my first movie with him, so I am reserving judgement; and he was okay (ish) as a straight-laced doctor. All in all, it's solid entertainment of the cheesy variety. There is a message about medicine and money-making in there, too, but it isn't rammed down one's throat (too much) and garnished with so much other stuff that the movie doesn't feel too preachy. And because I liked Dr. Rehman, there are:


Gratuitous Shashi pictures:

Pighalta Aasman (1985)

Pighalta Aasman (1985) has all the charm of a Harlequin romance (and that isn't a bad thing). We start with a lady (Rati Aghnihotri), obviously meant to be older as she wears huge glasses and has tastefully sprayed on grey hair, receiving a telegram that her book has been published. Before we even know her name she starts reminiscing about the story. An undetermined number of years ago, she worked as a secretary (then without glasses and grey hair) for a rich businesswoman (Rakhee). Anu tells us, that her employer is very proud and not too fond of men, as she is convinced that they are all faithless, while she herself spend her spare time writing about an as yet unfinished story. After the credit sequence, we learn that Aarti's unmarried state deeply disturbs her aunt, as, of course, a woman's life is unfulfilled until she is married.

Meet the family:


Anu may be keeping a romantic secret:


As the day of Aarti's company's annual function draws close, she is asked to participate in a song-contest. Before the contest, Anu probes Aarti some more on the topic of marriage, and it turns out that her father, who was very proud, always refused any proposals, as he considered all suitors beneath him and his daughter, and some of this attitude has rubbed off. In the song contest, Anu defends love, while Aarti proclaims that love can only lead to unhappiness as men are always unfaithful. Anu lets Aarti win, but Aarti knows full well what Anu has done.





Aarti has also business interests in Kashmir, and one day she learns that there are some problems with a field, which belongs to her but has been used by a person named Suraj for years, though her father may have given permission for it to be used. Aarti has no idea who Suraj is, but luckily, her aunt is fully informed: Suraj's father and Aarti's father were best friends. They married on the same day, and their wives' gave birth on the same day. Unfortunately, Aarti's mother died in childbirth, and her father, at loss what to do with the infant, left her with his best friend's family while he went of to Dehli to make money. Suraj's father is already dreaming of getting the kids married to each other (as you do).

It's not going to last:



Years passed, and one day Aarti's father returned, now very wealthy, to collect his daughter. Suraj's parents are naturally not very keen on letting her go, but Aarti's father insists and seems to have acquired more than his fair share of arrogance with his wealth, insulting his former best friend quite badly. We also learn that Aarti suffers from the same illness as her mother, and that upsets of any kind lead to a fever, but her father points out that he has the money to get her treated and takes her away. Suraj's mother asks the aunt (who actually is her aunt) to go with Aarti, so the poor thing won't be all on her own. Suraj's father died a couple of years later, heartbroken by how his friend had treated him.

Oh dear:


However, all the money in the world could not cure Aarti from her illness, of which she got an attack after being taken away from her family. We get treated to the very silly visuals used to indicate that she is having an attack of rheumatic fever:

Because people just talking about it wouldn't have had enough impact?


We return to the present, and are introduced to Suraj, who looks just like his father, (which is all right with me), just without the beard and the glasses (which is kind of a shame because I liked the beard and the glasses). He has received a legal notice from Aarti's solicitor and isn't exactly happy about it, but his mother is really upset, murmuring things about like father, like daughter.

Hello!


Mother and son:


Meanwhile, Aarti has arrived in Kashmir. As she is driving along she finds her road blocked by a motorcyclist (any guesses who said might be?), her car then sprays him with dirt, he forces her to stop the car and they proceed to have on of these fights which clearly indicate that the two participants are meant for each other. When Aarti arrives at her factory, one of the machines isn't working. She is clearly underwhelmed by this, and not  much better pleased when it turns out that the person who fixed the machine much earlier than expected is no other than the offending motorcyclist. Suraj decides to hide his identity and tell her that he is called Badal, and is a good friend of Suraj. Suraj actually has a friend called Badal, who works with him in their electronic goods shop (though it later would seem that Suraj has an engineering firm of some description, and now, I am not really sure why he is repairing random machinery for Aarti's company either), and who is our requisite comic side kick. He is mildly comic (and only appears in very small doses, which helps).

A match made in heaven:


Not love at second sight either:


Ah, I suppose there was no way around you:


Personally, I would recommend some gloves:


Over the next days/weeks/month (I am not sure, the weather is extremely variable), Aarti and "Badal" keep bumping into each other (not literrally) and having disagreements about the merits of Suraj's character. It also becomes more and more obvious that Aarti is rather fascinated by her new acquaintance and that he likes her, too. Back at home, his mother is complaining that Aarti hasn't been to visit them yet.

Sometimes on horseback:


Sometimes in restaurants:


This looks good:


Aarti, on the other hand, would quite like to meet Suraj in person to sort out the court case, so she goes to his house. Nobody is home, apart from Badal (not "Badal"), who claims to be Suraj. However, Aarti isn't a successful businesswoman for nothing (and there are also large pictures of Suraj and his father dotted around the living room), so she works out what has been going on. She leaves without meeting the other members of the family. The next time she meets "Badal" she provokes him into admitting that he is actually Suraj by being very uncooperative about the court case. Once the identity-issue has been cleared up, Aarti expresses her feelings for Suraj in a song which involves running in slow motion, soft focus, and superimposed images of the beloved.

If you look really hard, you may spot some subtle clues:


Alas, a sign of things to come:


It must be true love then:


and the snow is back:


well, temporarily:


This jumper-thing, does it run in the family then?


Unfortunately, the romance is cut short by a phone-call from Anu (remember her?), who reminds Aarti that there is work waiting for her back home. Aarti isn't to happy about the separation, but Suraj assures her that he is going to come to see her as soon as his work allows him to do so. It seems that Aarti's resistance to love and men has been summarily overcome.

Hi!


Sooo cute


Back at home, Aarti tells Anu all about the recent developments and also asks her to tell her about Anu's own love story. We are then treated to a flashback, as Anu remembers her first meeting with her lover. He charmed her by driving his motorcycle all over the sari she had spread out do dry on the lawn, as he came to visit her father, a retired teacher, because he had just passed his engineering degree. Several meetings later, Anu is proud owner of a red rose and thoroughly charmed. However, he has to leave for a while, which gives Anu the  and when he returns, Anu has lost her father

Oops



I suspect this doesn't mean what you think it means:


One brave woman:


Suraj feels responsible for Anu and takes her home. His mother isn't very impressed by this. She wants him to marry a rich girl who will bring lots of dowry so he has a financial safety net, if times should get difficult. Suraj doesn't want to get married yet, and he makes it very clear that he feels only compassion for Anu and has no intention to get married to her. Anu, who has overheard the conversaion, decides to leave the house and goes to Dehli.

This is my “ I don't want to get married” face:


This is my “He doesn't want to marry me” face:


While Aarti expresses surprise, that their men share the same name, neither of the two realises (yet) that there is actually only one Suraj. This does seem a bit odd, given that Anu presumably knows where in Kashmir Aarti went. Before long, Suraj announces that he is going to come and visit Aarti. Unfortunately, the great joy of this news brings on another bout of Aarti's fever and she decides to spend some days in a nursing home, rather than having Suraj see her in her illness. She asks Anu to look after Suraj till she is well again.

Suraj is more than a little surprised to find Anu at Aarti's house. He is als relieved, as he was quite worried about her sudden disappearance, and clearly completely clueless as to her reasons for leaving. The two settle quickly into an easy and friendly relationship. However, Aarti, who makes frequent check-up phonecalls, isn't too happy that Suraj spends so much time with Anu and in the end tells Anu to tell him that she is in a nursing home. Anu also asks Suraj not to tell Aarti that they have known each other earlier.

Any initial awkwardness


is quickly overcome:


Poor Aarti seems to spend most of her time on the phone:


A habit which is also adopted by Anu:


and Suraj:


A rather worried Suraj comes to see her the next day, but is soon convinced that there is nothing seriously wrong with her, and the two celebrate their love in another song. However, their happiness is only short-lived, as Aarti becomes very jealous one evening when a dinner guest is being overly friendly with Suraj. They have a fight which involves both parties smashing some rather pretty plates. Suraj, however, manages to convince her that she is overly suspicious. Unfortunately, realising Aarti's suspicious nature, doesn't make him break off his friendly relations with Anu who he clearly regards as a little sister.

Angry stares contest:




Aaah:


What will happen when Aarti finds out, that Anu and Suraj actually knew each other beforehand? Will she be able to trust the man she loves, or will her natural suspicion take over? How will Anu react when Aarti confronts her with the truth? And will Suraj get any say in the matter of who of the two he is meant to marry?

And will the protagonists overcome their tragic phone adiction?


I do not have a problem with phones:


This is a very straightfoward movie, concentrating on the three main protagonists and their conflict. As I said at the beginning, it feels very much like a Harlequine romance and I wonder whether it is actually based on a novel of some sort. It's very nice to have people falling in love, who aren't teenagers and refreshingly, there are no random fight scenes. All in all a very pleasant movie.

Gratuitous Shashi pictures:























And one very tasteful ashtray:

Uran Khatola (1955)

Apologies for the even longer than usual gap between posts. It's mainly due to holidays; mine (which were excellent) and other people's (which mean that I have to spend more time at work and less time watching movies).

Uran Khatola starts in a very promising fashion with a disclaimer:



Though I would rather fancy a country where this is a common mode of transport:


After a lovingly hand-crafted title sequence we are dropped right in the middle of what turns out not to be the plot, but the framing narrative. There is a stormy night and a ship in distress, and when the next day dawns, there is a sole survivor (who rather looks like he has escaped from a silent movie) stranded in a remote place with a wild forest inhabited by all sorts of unpleasant creatures. He is therefore relieved when he notices a house on the horizon, even though it doesn't look like the most inviting of places. As he approaches the house, he hears some ethereal music. Unfortunately, the subtitles are less than poetic.



The print of my Dvd wasn't great, so the pictures are somewhat on the obscure side.


Well, I suppose it beats spending the night with the snakes in the forest:


Inside he finds an elderly man (Dilip Kumar), who, while not talkative, gives him persmission to stay the night (which seems to have fallen rather quickly). The room gets to stay in is somewhat less than inviting, but our intrepid traveller nevertheless tries to settle down to sleep. However, before long, the ethereal singing starts again, and when he gets up to investigate he is confronted with a heavenly vision.



I think she is stunning and beautiful:


He seems to find her rather scary:


When the apparition notices the traveller, she hastily leaves, much to the distress of the elderly owner of the house. The traveller, not unreasonable asks for an explanation; and his host, abandoning his silent ways (and a good thing he does, too, otherwise we would have a distinct lack of plot), recounts a tale which takes most of the remainder of the movie.

Once he starts talking, he isn't easily stopped:


Several decades earlier, he was traveling in a plane across a remote country when his plane met with an accident:



Before this dramatic occurrence the arrival of the plane was greeted by a group of young women on horseback led by Soni (Nimmi) riding in a chariot with a very bouncy and cheerful song. Of course, Soni is one of the first to arrive at the crashed plane and its injured and unconscious pilot is taken to her house to be looked after by her and her brother Hira (Agha).

This is obviously not where the special effects budget went:


Unfortunately, things are going to get worse for all involved:


When he regains consciousness he gets a glimps of Soni who then hides from him. He is somewhat puzzled by this behaviour but Hira explains that she is shy and that according to local custom girls don't talk to men other than relatives and the one they have choosen to marry. In fact, if a girl talks to you it means she wants to marry you and there is very little you can do about it. Furthermore, the law of the land doesn't allow strangers to stay for more than eight days, and Kashi's (for that is the pilot's name) time has already passed. He may get permission to stay longer, as all the roads are blocked and sending him away at the moment would be sending him to his certain death. Soni, who has reappeared, is very much in favour of the stranger staying longer, and her brother points out that the chances are good, as the chief priest of the land is actually their father. Before much more conversation can happen, the stranger is summoned to present himself to the priest.

Not a bad sight to wake up to:


Confused and worried:


On the way to the city, Kashi learns a bit more about the country he so unexpectedly finds himself stranded in. The local god is presented by a smoke-breathing statue, if the sins of the people increase too much he will start to breath fire and a storm will descend destroying the entire settlement. Also, the laws are very harsh and include one which forces women accused of promiscuity to walk across fire (I wonder whether either of these pieces of information will be in any way, shape, or form relevant to the plot later on?).

Worried and puzzled:


The local deity appears to be a chain-smoker:


And look who has spoken to Hira, who is not too happy about this:


The meeting with the priests goes well, but he points out that the final decision whether the strange can stay lies with the queen, who rules the area in worldly affairs. Also present is a court official, probably called Shango (Jeevan), who is obviously interested in Soni, who is obviously not interested in him but in the stranger. (Jeevan, for once, is not trying to take over the kingdom, but he causes enough harm by his determination to get married). The meeting with the queen (Surya Kumari) is at first not very promising, mainly because Shango got there first and reported that the stranger seems dangerous, but also because the queen is deeply suspicious of any strangers, and especially men. We first meet her throwing knives at the torso of a male statue. She has, however, a sudden change of heart when she turns round and sees the stranger for the first time. Therefore, his is granted permission to stay but he is warned not to get too close to any of the local young women. Alas, it's a bit late in the day for that.

Father and daughter:


In my book, Soni choose wisely:


She is impressed, but not overly friendly:


I am impressed, too:


The queen's palace is highly decorated with lots of statues, swishing curtains and a musical bridge. I don't usually hanker for colour in a black and white movie, but this one makes me curious what the sets would have looked like in colour.

This, for example:


or this:



and another impressive set:


That night, Soni celebrates the stranger's arrival and continued stay with a song and dance. He has adapted to local customs and doesn't talk to her until she gives him permission and there romance is well under way. However, things are not going to go smoothly, as soon afterwards Kashi is summoned to the palace. Soni is deeply troubled by this development and decides to follow him, dressed as a man. The queen has asked Kashi to sing for her. She is very, very interested in him, but he tries to let her down gently by singing a song about how one has to be careful in love. She is very impressed with his singing, and doesn't seem to pay any attention to the words. The meeting ends abruptly when Soni shoots an arrow into the room. She is captured but manages to make an excuse. She also impresses the queen's maid, Shamiya.

He seems to be enjoying himself:


So does she:



I am not sure I would have worked out the was meant to be a man if the movie hadn't told me:


The first of many arkward meetings:


We appear to have been subject of an assassination attempt and we are awfully calm about it:


Before things can get too serious, which are re-united with Hira, his fiance and a guy in a bear suit for some comic relief:


However, this gaiety can't last for long. Soni and Kashi have agreed to meet at night on a hill overlooking the sea. When Kashi sees a woman swimming in the sea, he assumes that she is Soni, and sings to her. Unfortunately, she is actually the queen who decided to go for a swim and who is convinced that Kashi sang for her. He tries to disabuse her of this notion without implicating Soni, but doesn't make much of an impact. Sonis is angry, too, but at least that misunderstanding is cleared up comparatively swiftly. However, when they embrace to celebrate this, they are seen by Soni's brother who is all set to kill the stranger, until Soni convinces him that the stranger his her choice and she wants to marry him. Hira is reassured and even promises to help getting permission from the marriage from her father.

I detect a hint of symbolism:


The bed!


Hints are not going to help:


All in all, not the best night of either of their lives:


Back at the palace, the queen is having visions of Kashi, and is more than ever determined to make him her own. Both she and Soni prepare to spend an evening with him. It is also very obvious who he would rather spend an evening with but that is not to be, as he is summoned to attend the queen. Soni follows them, and watches as the queen flirts with the stranger. She is almost noticed, but when the queen throws a knife into a moving curtain (thereby proofing beyond any doubt that she is truly evil) she manages to kill one of her servants (which doesn't seem to bother anybody). Soni tries to escape but is spotted and pressed into playing the harp for the only 50 % happy couple. Harp-playing seems to be a common skill in this country and we get another song. Kashi realises fairly soon who is singing and is becoming rather concerned.

This is not a good sign:


Their happiness worries me:


She may be evil but she definitely makes an impression:


Soni demonstrates her musical ability:


Before Soni can giver herself away, the queen decides that she wants to show the stranger her picture gallery. Soni follows them and is noticed by Shango, who tries to convince her, that the stranger has given in to the advances of the queen. She isn't convinced until she sees a ring on his finger, which the queen has given him. It never seems to cross her mind that, given that he has only been in the country for a week or so, he may not know what the rings signifies.

The ring of doom:


Soni is allergic to ostentatious jewellery:


That night, Soni takes the ring from Kashi while he sleeps, and returns it to the queen in her disguise as a young hunter, using Shamyia's infatuation with him/her to reach the queen. The queen is angered by this rebuff of her advances and orders Kashi to leave the kingdom, which still means certain death as the roads aren't clear yet. He tries to plead with her but to no avail. In the end it is Soni, in her male guise, who manages to persuade the queen to let her friend stay, and who also gets permission to stay in the palace. This leads to another comic interlude with her brother, who visits her in the palace. The only person who recognises her, apart from Kashi, is Shango (does that mean he can't really be in love, as love would make him blind). That evening the queen orders her young guest to play the harp for her and the stranger in yet another attempt to win the strangers heart. The attempt is not successful but we get another rather nice song (no, of course nobody notices that "he" has the same voice as the maid who sang the other evening, but thanks for asking).

Stunning, shame about the homicidal tendencies:




I don't think he is interested in either you or your grapes:


We briefly check in with Hira and his finace, who obviously is a friend of more hands-on (or rather rope-on) solutions. We continue with him pretending to be his sister and making fun of Shango (whose eyesight appears to have drastically deteriorated), getting him to play horse for him, and making him sit on the cage of a rather aggressive chicken.



It is probably better if you don't ask:


Meanwhile, back at the palace, Kashi and Soni are trying to find a way, how they could end up together, without antagonizing the queen. Before they can come to any conclusion, the queen appears, and Soni has to hide. She manages to escape and find refuge in Shamyia's room, who doesn't mind his/her presence at all, though she displays some unexpected attitudes:





The two find themselves near the sea, and come across the queen and Kashi who are about to take a romantic boat trip on the moonlit sea. Soni manages to come along to row them, which gives us opportunity for another song complete with naval chorus, but in the end she can't bear the advances of the queen on Kashi any longer and capsizes the boat. Of course, an attempt on the queens live can't go unpunished, and Soni is threatened with execution. When Kashi's pleading proofs futile (he isn't a very successful pleader, is he), he starts whipping her, which satisfies the queen's thirst for revenge. However, Soni is also thrown out of the palace.

Personally, I would find my boat trip more romantic without them:


The tastefully appointed torture chamber:


Before she leaves she is threatened by Shango, but also makes Kashi promise her to meet her that night. Shango, who is in charge of palace security, tries his best to make it impossible for Kashi to come, which gives Soni the opportuninty to express her longing in song, but in the end he manages to reach her by jumping out of a window into the sea. Shango uses the opportunity to blacken Kashi's and Soni's reputation with the local moral purity preservation committee and the next morning the two find themselves confronted by an angry mob wielding stones. Before anything too untoward can happen the priest (who has been curiously absent all this time) intervenes.

More longing, this time without a harp:


Ah, symbolism:




He actually comes with his own halo:


He manags to calm the mob, but nevertheless the matter has to be brought before the queen, who insists that Soni undergo a trial by fire. What will happen next? Will Soni's innocence be prooven? Has Shango any other dastardly ploys up his sleeve to get Soni? Why has Kashi spend the last several decades in a tumbledown hut in the middle of nowhere? How many more songs are there going to be?

What is in the giant cup?


And why is he so angry?


I really enjoyed this movie. The story is somewhat on the predictable side, but the music is excellent and draws one into the movie. Of course, if one doesn't like 50s film music, this is best avoided as it manages to have 11 song in just under 180 minutes. It is also refreshing to see nobody behaving like a complete idiot (well, apart from the comic relief), but rather have people attempting to make the best of what is basically an impossible situation, even though the premiss of the story requires some suspension of disbelief. There were a couple of instance where I wondered whether the scene had been shot, and then the story changed slightly, so that is made less sense now, but these are really minor quibbles. Dilip Kumar is great as the slightly confused traveler trying to fend of the unwanted advances of someone who holds his life in her hands. Nimmi hams a lot less than in some other movies I have seen her in, and she looks very beautiful, when she isn't doing the flared nostrils and bug-eye face which seems to indicate distress of and form or shape. Surya Kumari is absolutly stunningly beautiful and does a very good job, managing to keep the queen human despite all her actions. Does anybody know of any other movies with her?

All in all, a movie well worth even giving up a sunny afternoon for.

Random pictures:

Chakkar pe chakkar (1977)

Chakkar pe chakkar provides one with an odd viewing experience. In contrast to some of the other movies I have reviewed, this doesn't look like something which was made on an extremely tight budget. It looks like something which had a moderate budget but managed to misplace a chunk of the script during filming (or never had one in the first place). It doesn't help that there are obviously scenes missing from my copy. However, once one abandons attempt to make terribly much sense of the plot it does provide a fun couple of hours as wacky disguises abound, people look etremely attractive and most of the music is fun.


The movie starts with an exciting chase seen involving a holy man carrying a briefcase and assorted armed people. After we have been told the important things:








and





we learn that it is in fact a scene from a movie in the process of being shot. The main protagonist is played by Ravi Kumar (Shashi Kapoor) a famous film star who does the movie as a favour to the director who is a childhood friend.





We then go and see the holy man who is (presumably) the model for the one in the movie. He is holding a meeting with a substantial number of devotees, but after the praying public has left, he uses a switch to activate his revolving platform. On the other side is a group of young women in white singing devotional hymns but on his signal, that is, when he turns round a record to play disco music, they drop their white sarees to reveal party cloth, and the whole temple turns into a disco with a bar. It also includes an old man forging money hidden behind a statue, but in a stunning twist he does not turn out to be anybody's long lost father.


Looking all very devout:







The all important signal:




Even the columns change:




One of the Holy man's henchmen is somewhat worried about the movie being made, but the Holy man assures him that the movie will not be made, he has means and ways of dealing with the director. The director is on his way home, where he is confronted by his wife, who also thinks that making the movie isn't the best idea her husband has ever had; and by a threatening letter. However, he is determined not to stopped either by spousal or postal dissaproval.





Usually people get that concerned about letters from their bank:




Next we are introduced to our comic relief guy:




Ravi also has returned home, and we learn that he lives with his widowed mother (Lalita Pawar), who is rather determined to see him married, a plan he isn't too keen on.


I have no idea why:




The comic relief guy (Asrani) comes to Ravi's house, to tell him that a journalist urgently wants to interview him, but Ravi refuses, he doesn't want to be disturbed when he is with his mother. Ravi then finds a young lady on his bed, presumably the journalist, though the movie doesn't tell us and this seems to trigger a memory of another interview, which seems to have led to more romantic feelings and our first song.



He has much the similar reaction to the guy as I do:




I can see that he might have been distracted:




Mind you, the same goes for her:







Ravi tells Shila (Rekha) that he has to leave town for some outdoor shooting. We also discover that Shila has a missing brother, and he indeed will become important later. During the outdoor shooting Ravi learns that his character, while being central to the story is actually the villain of the piece (wouldn't one generally establish something like this before filming starts), a fact about which he is very unhappy. The director manages to calm him down by promising him to narrate the script to him that night (again, this seems an odd oversight, but there is evidence later that Ravi may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer).


You want me to play what?




Later the same night, in a remote farmhouse, Ravi and the director settle down for the narration. The director says that on a night very much like this, in a farmhouse very much like the one they are in at the moment, his father was confronting the evil holy man about his evilness (the holy man's not the father's) when all of a sudden a knife-wielding man appeared at the window, very much like the one who now appears at the window and proceeds to kill the director. Ravi, proving once and for all that he may be good looking but is not necessarily well endowed in the thinking on your feet department, grabs the murder weapon and is found in the incriminating position by the director's wife. He does, however, manage to escape, before the police arrive.





I can't even say I wasn't expecting him:




Oh, Ravi:




His flight through the night, is stopped suddenly by the appearance of horsemen who block the road. They turn out to be Dacoit Sher Singh's (Pran) men, and they take Ravi hostage because refuses to sign a cheque for a substantial amount of money. Luckily for Ravi, Sher Singh turns out to be his greatest fan and is more than willing to help him.


Fake pretend night, the best there is:




He is quite a sight to behold:




If this is what being a devoted movie-fan leads to, I may need to find another hobby:




We are then taken to the house of a local (presumably) dancer (Bindu), for who Sher Singh has a great affection. The police want to use this to catch him and have set up a trap at a wedding where the dancer performs, which mainly seems to involve draping wooly blankets around policemen. Sher Singh arrives, also in disguise, carrying flowers and what appears to be a cauliflower. Despite the police's best efforts he manages to abduct the dancer during her performance.





I can not guess at all who of these guys may be hiding a uniform:




Actually, it is an improvement on the earlier outfit, cauliflower and all:




Of course, the was all part of the police's cunning plan, and the dancer leads the police to Sher Singh's hideout by dropping her jewellery along the way. While the police is still following the lead of dropped jewellery (a good thing she didn't go for the minimalist approach in accessorising), Sher Singh and his men are having dinner. However, Sher Singh notices that Ravi isn't eating, and when aksed why, Ravi pours out his heart telling the tale of the evil holy man, who is an enemy of the country and has ruined his life with the false murder charge. Sher Singh, who may rob rich people, but still is a patriot at heart, promises Ravi to help him in his quest to bring the evil holy man to justice and to clear his name (given Ravi's performance so far, he needs all the help he can get).


No Dacoit's lair is complete without a stuffed tiger:




He is taking this whole "my favourite actor is accused of murder"-thing quite calmly:




Sher Singh aslo comes up with a cunning ploy to fake Ravi's death (pushing his car of a cliff). Unfortunately, nobody had had the time to inform Maa of this cunning plan and she isn't taking the news of her son's death very camly, which really is no surprise. Comic relief guy also is upset, but I have less sympathy for him, especially as he seems to be mainly concerned about the fact that he owes some rather unpleasant people some money, which he had invested in Ravi's movie, and they would quite like it back (presumably, the movie isn't terribly explicit, and I don't know why it feels that we need a third lot of bad people, besides Sher Singh and the fake holy man).


The car actually catches fire before it hits the ground; it's amazing:





Maa is complaining to a higher authority:




They are trouble:




Meanwhile, the holy man is given the reels of the unauthorised biopic by his henchmen:




Sher Singh and Ravi make their way to the city quietly and unobtrusivly with the help of a song and some fake beards. I haven't seen this approach to keeping a low profile since Dhongee.











After a thankfully brief interlude chronicling the adventure of the comic relief guy trying to escape the money retrieval comittee, we meet Ravi revealing the fact that he isn't quite as dead as the newspapers' reported to his girlfriend (ts, ts, shouldn't he have gone to Maa first?). She is somewhat perturbed to by the company he is keeping, but Sher Singh solves the problem by making her his sister.



Now only literraly in the dark:




You know, sometimes a movie doesn't need a plot to provide you with moment of pure bliss:




Instant family:




After they discover the comic relief person in the fridge (don't ask), we are thrown right into a car chase, which involves Sher Singh in a different wig, and leads the police to the fake holy man's ashram. The chase takes as along a beach and there is lots of spraying water and I am not sure why comic relief man is there, too.


This makes comparatively more sense:




than this:




Moving swiftly on, we know see the police asking for permission to search the ashram as some robbers were seen to make their way over its walls. Unfortunately (for the police) there was enought time for the holy man to transform his disco/club back into a temple, a process which is signalled by another turning of the record. The police see no reason to doubt his holiness and sincerity (though it seems as bit odd that all the devotees are young and female).


From this:




to this (I do wish I had their rapid saree draping skills):




Ravi and Sher Singh then come up with a cunning plan to con their way into the Ashram. Sher Singh is going to impersonate what appears to be a minor royal complete with (extremely irritating) stutter, and Ravi his secretary. They move into the hotel one of the holy man's henchmen uses as a front for his illegal activities. They manage to attract his attention by talking freely in their bugged room about valuable diamonds which need safekeeping and are then taken to the gang's hideout.


They are certainly making a grand entrance:




More disguises, just what the movie needed:




After depositing the diamond's in the high security chamber in which also the reels of the movie (remember the movie? the one whose director was killed?) are kept, the gang try to kill Sher Singh with the help of a poisoned drink, and when things don't work out, they invite him to a party, with a view to getting rid of the superfluous owner of the valuable diamonds.


It looks a bit like an oversized bird-cage:




More plotting:




During the party we are treated to another song with Bindu dancing (it's all about daggers) and it becomes obvious that Sher Singh has been recognised. In the end, his is arrested by the police, which on closer inspections are actually members of his gang. While all this is going on, Ravi is liberating the movie reels.


This is probably not the best moment to trash out your relationship problems:




The evil people then learn from a movie poster that Sher Singh and Ravi are planning to finish the movie about the fake holy man. They have roped in Shila, to play one of his devotees, but before they can get very far, the holy man's henchmen appear, and there is a fight.


Movie-making seems to lead to odd choices in head-gear:




Maybe it would have been an idea to first finish the movie and then advertise for it:




Presumably the good guys one, but the movie is reticent on this. We continue with a song which involves Shila trying to seduce hotel henchman (which means that he isn't her as yet unidentified brother), while Ravi tries to sneak into the Ashram.


I am rather used to seeing her with more clothes:




I think this may be Shila's brother (not that there is much of a family similarity)




Unfortunately, the not so holy man recognises that his henchman's voice has changed. He is, however, completely shocked to discover that the intruder is Ravi, as he assumed him to be dead. Ravi proceeds to demonstrate that a turban makes a very handy weapon but it is all to no avail as Shila has ended up as the holy man's prisoner.


One cunning plan not working out so well:




Now working out even less well:




However, the ashram is surprising well supplied for the ensuing fight with fire and water squirting fittings and a provison for poison gass.





What will happen next? Will our heroes escape? Will there be more disguises? How many of the substantial number of loose ends will be tied up? Will Maa ever learn that Ravi is still alive?


What is going on here:




And don't miss out on the climax envolving a death trap:




and a white horse:





There is also more cauliflower:




For me, there are two reasons to watch this movie: the sets, which are elaborate and quite bizzarre, and Shashi, who is extremely good looking. If neither of these are attractions enough to make you go and watch an entire movie, you are better of spending you time doing something else. Otherwise: enjoy!


Gratuitous Shashi pictures:



























I realise my blog has become somewhat of a Shashi-only zone recently. This is about to change, but I just couldn't let the opportunity pass by to share the cinematographic gem with my readers.

Pakhandee (1984)

Pakhandee is a very silly movie which nevertheless manages to be highly entertaining. We start of in court where Ashok Ahuja (Sanjeev Kumar) is charged with having promised marriage to a lady and then made of with her jewellery on the day of the engagement. It turns out that ir isn't the first time he has done this, and he is sentenced to three month in prison and a fine.

Suave and handsome confidence trickster?


Well, it appears she got her jewellery back:


Once in prison, he has bad luck in picking a sleeping spot, as that spot belongs to Shetty Dada, and he literally thrown on top of another prisoner, Kishore (Shashi Kapoor). The two join hands (and feet) and proceed to beat up Shetty and his henchmen. Once they have managed to knock him out, Kishore says that he will have been released from prison when Shetty comes round, but what about Ashok. Ashok decides to fake illness and is taken to the prison hospital.

This is were I sleep:


You came from where?


This is only a temporary solution:


Kishore is impressed with Ashok's quick thinking. When one of the other prisoners asks why he helped a stranger as if he was his brother, he says, he doesn't really know why but once he finds his brother (ah, isn't it nice when a movie doesn't let you down), his life will be made. We get a short flashback, of him and his brother as children getting a tattoo split between their two forearms because it was too big to fit on one of them.

The extremely significant tatttoo:


and it's origins:


Meanwhile in the prison hospital Ashok is interrupted in the enjoyment of a cigarette by the arrival of a nurse bringing ice-cream. He also remembers his childhood, and how he lost his little brother when the lorry in which he had hid him from their evil aunt and uncle choose an inconvenient moment to depart. The flashback makes it clear that he is indeed the other half of the tattooed brothers, rather than a completely unrelated person who just also happens to have been separated from their family in childhood (now, that would be a novel twist).

Ice-cream is really no substitute for a nice cigarette:


More childhood memories:


Kishore has been released from prison, well temporarily, the guard asks him when he is going to come back, so he seems to be an old customer. We learn that he regards 13 as his lucky number, and he uses taxis with a 13 in their number plate, and cons people who live in houses no. 13 (Hmm, shucks, I don't live at no. 13). His first stop is at the house of a doctor for homoeopathy whose living room wall seems oddly familiar.


He pretends to be the adopted son of their neighbour back in the village they came from, and when the questions of the more suspicious wife become to awkward, he starts shaking all over and collapses “unconscious” (this is his standard way of getting out of being asked too many question). The doctor force-feeds him some of his pills and they leave him to recover on the couch, with the wife grumbling about all the trouble they will have if he dies during the night. She doesn't seem to have overly much confidence in her husbands medical expertise.

It's really a very simple and straightforward relationship:


Aw:


The next morning, Kishore has recovered, and he leaves, after accepting a present of 20 rupees from his “uncle”. We learn that he never takes more than 20 rupees of anybody and we move on into a song which shows us Kishore conning a variety of people out of 20 rupees each.





Ashok also is released from prison, and finds a welcoming committee in the shape of members of a gang who are impressed with is work and would like to hire him. He isn't entirely convinced that this is a good idea:


Kishore is now returning home. He lives with an elderly laundryman (who presumably took him in after he was separated from his brother, but we are never told this explicitly) and a lady, Asha, (Asha Parekh) he rescued from a suicide attempt, and her little son, who isn't his.
This is actually not quite what it seems:


While his not-quite relatives are happy to see him, the are also angry about his long absence, and challenge him as to where he has been. Kishore manages to evade their questions (without resorting to a fainting fit) and then turns round and asks Asha, why she was trying to kill herself that day. She tells him that she was abandoned by her husband on her wedding night. He took all her jewellery and left her. As she was pregnant and therefore couldn't go back home, she tried to kill herself. To the viewers complete surprise, her absconding husband turns out to be:

Well, who didn't see that coming?


Kishore realises that the husband is probably one of his colleagues and is going to try and find out who that might be. The next scene takes us to Ashok crying his eyes out about how the first woman he conned stole his heart. I have to admit I have only limited sympathy for him. While he is still wallowing in his grief for his lost love, some members of the (quite persistent) gang turn up and ask him again to join them. After he beats up some of them, he meets the bosse's son (Ranjeet, in a very ugly hat) and agrees to have a look what this business is all about.

Lovesick:


Oh dear:


Basically, the idea is to court Preeti (Zeenat Aman), the only daughter of an extremely rich father and relieve her of her money before abandoning her after the wedding (Ashok's plan)/killing her of after the wedding (everybody else's plan). I sense a conflict in their future.

Preeti isn't easy prey, as she has a black belt and isn't really interested in finding a life-partner. Ashok, however, is confident that he will be able to deal with her. Before we see him go about his business, we check back in with Kishore, who his followed by a crowd of people, dissatisfied with being conned out of their money. He hides in a car, which belongs to no other than Preeti who proceeds to race her friends to their picnic destination. Kishore is most dissatisfied with her driving style and tells her so in no uncertain terms when they arrive.

And off we go:


Unexpected lugage:


I am not sure you have any reason to complain about other people's driving:


Where is our picnic?


Kishore and Preeti suffer a severe case of dislike at first sight; and she is most adamant that she is not going to give him a lift back to the city. She is however going to give a lift to a random elderly gentleman who has had his money stolen. She also offers him some money for a taxi when they arrive in the city, but he only accepts a one rupee coin.



This coin leads us neatly into the next song, which has Kishore imagining running around trees with Preeti, amongst other more peculiar things:

It sort of makes sense in context:


Ashok also sets out to woo Preeti. First he refuses to fight with her in her Karate class, on the grounds that she is a woman. Then he buys a statue at an auction which she wants to buy and presents it to her at a party. She sends the statue back, but is impressed with all the flowers he has send and there are signs of her softening towards him. At the same time, Ashok also sets about to impress Preeti's father with is charitable work.

I am impressed by this dress:


Father and daughter both suitably impressed, they agree that they want Ashok as Preeti's future husband. Ashok now plays difficult to get by refusing to come and visit Preeti's father and insisting they come to his house to see his (fake) mother. The members of the gang are quite worried by this, but Preeti's father continues to be impressed and is even more keen to have Ashok as a son-in-law. Preeti's father is also good friend with the lawyer from the beginning of the movie (Kader Khan), but he has conveniently lost his memory following an accident. While they are still talking, who should turn up but Kishore (Ashok lives at no. 13) pretending to be Ashok's younger brother (ping goes the irony-meter). Of course, Ashok knows Kishore from prison, but he goes along with deception.

Hi, I am your fake-pretend brother:


This is a loud meeting in more than one way:


Preeti's father's probing questions soon have Kishore collapsed on the floor. Ashok takes him to a bedroom, where the whole gang the presents to have a meeting trashing out all the details of their plan, in the presence of a random stranger whom they believe to be unconscious. I wonder how they managed to stay out of prison as long as they have.

Keeping your eyes firmly shut seems the way forward here:


Aw:


When Kishore gets up (probably to look for some food), he sees a picture of Preeti on the bar, so he realises that Ashok's target is the girl he likes. He is spotted by the gang but manages to escape. Next he invades a dance competition in which Preeti takes part. It's a rather fun song:





He then winds up at Preeti's house, which after the interior decoration madness previously enjoyed/endured (delete as appropriate) is decidedly dull:



No somewhat less dull:


Be that as it may, Preeti only knows Kishore as the irritating guy who first turned up in her car and then in her dance competition, but of course her father thinks that he is his future son-in-law's younger brother, so after some difficulty he is invited to stay the night, in a lavishly appointed room, complete with early morning wake-up service and fresh egg dispenser:



He soon relocates, but Preeti doesn't seem to be happy about this either:


The next day, Preeti insists on driving her car to go to Ashok's place, rather than joining her father who is taking the plane. Of course, the car isn't Kishore-free, which turns out to be a good thing, when Preeti joins some dancing hippies who turn out to be (at least partly) a gang of wandering rapists. Not that she needs terribly much rescuing, what with the black belt, but it is the thought that counts and she realises that she is really rather fond of Kishore.

Kishore never leds an opportunity to eat pass him by:




True love means: letting him drive:




Will her father agree to a switch in fiancee? What will happen with Asha and her son? How long will it take for either of the brothers to bare their arms? Will the lawyer regain his memory? Will there be a dance number including Helen and/or a climax involving a helicopter?

It's a fun movie; extremely silly in bits, quite predictable in other's and I personally have problems believing that Sanjeev Kumar managed all these women to get engaged to him, but definitely worth a watch. My main complaint is that Asha Parekh is woefully underused. I would have liked at least a song with her and Sanjeev, maybe in exchange for one of the fight-scenes. There are some plot holes, especially the question why Ashok actually went through with the marriage to Asha, but I suppose that was necessary given the presence of the child, but they are easy to overlook.

Gratuitous Shashi pictures: