Promise : Yeh Vaada Raha

40 Years of Yeh Vaada Raha.

Adapted from Danelle Steel's "Promise" a hugely successful book on star crossed lovers in an unusual triangle ..or is it ?

Set in Kashmir where Vikram Rai Bahadur (Rishi Kapoor) spots a lovely belle in the temple. He is immediately struck by her innocent beauty. He describes her to his friend who is a painter who creates a painting of hers. The young men make posters of this painting and paste it on every wall in the town. Understandably, Sunita (Poonam Dhillon), the girl in question, takes offense.

From " Takraar to Pyaar " ..and then Inkaar from Vikram's mother Sharda Devi ( Rakhee). An accident takes place. Vikram is injured and unconscious. Sunita is nastily disfigured. Sharda rushes to be with her son and taking advantage of Sunita's vulnerable mental condition, forces her to leave Vikram. and informs him that she is dead.

The doctor treating Sunita (Iftekhar), a good soul, realises that he must help Sunita, who is a young girl and has her whole life ahead, refers her to an eminent cosmetologist called Dr Mehra (Shammi Kapoor). Sunita is taken away to Dr Mehra. The poor girl weeps on being separated from Vikram but clings on hope that some day fate will again bring her to him.

Dr Mehra meanwhile studies Sunita's case and finds it challenging. Since he has no picture of the girl to refer to, he gives Sunita a new face, that is as attractive, but very different from what she was.

How Sunita now..Kusum Mehra confronts and later finds the truth and realises that the Promise given by Vikram has not been broken .. 

There is another angle of Rita ( Sarika ) the woman Mom wants her son to marry. A very restrained performance showing unseen compassion.

What holds this film is the music by the wizard himself..Pancham .

Six exquisite tunes with timeless appeal. Gulshan Bawra, for once, abandoned his trademark colloquial, frivolous lyrics for real poetry and what emerged was arguably the best romantic album of the eighties. All the songs fit the film’s story perfectly, making the album all the more enjoyable.

Starting with "Yeh Vaada Raha" the album sets a standard that is upheld throughout the soundtrack. The title track has one of the coolest intro.’s ever, leading to a very ear-friendly duet. The touch of modern jazz fused with an Indian melody is made even more enjoyable by some great singing by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar, and some infectious rhythmic hand-clapping which is used to great effect in the film. Very few songs have this kind of appeal: the more you hear it, the more you want to hear it. Rewind!

There are three versions of this song all fitting into the storyline.

The solo, "Aisa Kabhi Hua Nahin" has Kishore Kumar describing the girl of his dreams. Listen to Kishore sing the heroine’s name, "Sunita, Sunita, Sunita…." at the beginning of the song and you’ll recognise where Ismail Darbar got his inspiration for the recurring riff in "Aakhon Ki Gustakhiyan" from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar team up again for three more duets. Firstly, "Jeene Ko To Jeete Hain Sabhi", which is a light hearted tune with rather philosophical lyrics.." Kyon hum rahe Ajnabi.. Humsafar hain sabhi.."

"Maine Tujhe Kabhie Kuch Kaha Tha" is a more conventional love song with a tune you’ll be humming for hours.

The more up-beat, "Ishq Mera Bandagi Hai", Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar continue to enthral us. The hand-clapping resurfaces briefly connecting it to the title track.. another gem from R.D. with a gypsy feel.

Finally, Asha Bhosle goes it alone for, "Mil Gayee Aaj Do Lehren". Asha’s singing is impeccable as she gives real shape to this finale number. The by now famous hand-clapping recurs giving a final turning point to the story (watch the film and you’ll know what I mean).

Yeh Vaada Raha is definitely one of R.D.Burman’s most accomplished albums. Indian melodies orchestrated.

We still hum the songs 40 years later.

Now if asked will I read "Promise" again or see " Yeh Vaada Raha".. my answer would be the latter

Jeetendra turns 80, Aakhri Daao

Happy Birthday 

Ravi Kapoor..

Known better as Jeetendra or Jumping Jack in White , turns 80 today.

Jeetendra survived successfully the onslaught of Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and then on.

In case of career longevity he is second to few.

He after Sanjeev Kumar was an actor who did not hesitate to play White or Grey hair roles even in his prime.

He is known for his serious roles with Gulzar and also his action roles .

He in his career did only one film with Amitabh Bachchan Gehri Chaal and just one with Salim Javed Too.

Let's look at the latter

1975 film Aakhri Daao which released exactly a week before Sholay.

This is a simple thriller and the narrative is linear. Safecracker Ravi (Jeetendra), who works as a freelancer to help companies improve their safe designing, somehow gets involved in a terrible crime with Robert (Danny ) in an attempt to help a woman Julie (Padma Khanna). He runs away from the city to a remote hilly area to become manager in an woods estate owned by (Satyen Kappu), and his daughter, Reena (Saira Banu). Everything goes well and he falls in love with Reena, improves the prospects of the estate and manages everything to the best of his capacity - until the day Robert lands at his doorstep. He wants Ravi to crack a safe, and a refusal means he will divulge his crimes to the local cops. Watch the movie to know what happens next.

A fantastic script by Salim-Javed means 2 hrs 25 minutes fly by. Jeetendra is spot-on in his act, and Danny turns in another excellent villainous act. Watch the scene where Jeetu punches Danny and he rises from the ground and warns him never to do this again. Simply a class act.

Jeetendra fits the role like a glove and is aided ably by the beautiful, charming and slightly comical Saira Banu. Padma Khanna is amazing too, and Iftekar is best in yet another cop act. The rest of the cast, comprising of Satyen Kappu, Ramesh Deo and Ranjeet, are excellent.

I am taking out two stars for the inferior music. Only the track Aisa Na Hoke In Waadiyon Me by Mohammed Rafi stands out. The rest by LP are really average compositions. Stronger music would have made this thriller a perfect 10. Direction by A. Salaam is tight but not enough to do justice to the script . Production values (M.M. Malhotra) are fantastic. Watch it at night, and you will love to revisit the movie.  No super human acts from the hero or wild leaps in the story. A simple thriller, nicely told.

Adapted from a Hindi Novel of the same name by Bhagwati Charan Verma (which was adapted from the James Hadley Chase " Come Easy Go Easy").

The film was good but was bulldozed by Sholay and even though it flopped made no difference to the popularity of Salim Javed.

Aakhri Daao also proves that filmmaking is a collaborative effort. With the advantage of hindsight, some analysts often claim the kind of taut and explosive scripts Salim-Javed wrote, any filmmaker with a basic understanding of the medium would have delivered. It is when you watch an “Akhri Dao” that you realise the value of a Ramesh Sippy and a Manmohan Desai.

Jeetendra Excelled in this role and the flopping of this movie made no difference to his standing.

The Versatile Duo Faarooq Sheikh and Sai Paranjape

Down Memory Lane

19th March was Sai Paranjape's birthday.

Today 25th is the late Farooque Sheikh's 74th Birth Anniversary.

One's mind goes back to 

1981 and 1982-83 when both worked together as Director Actor in Chashme Baddoor and Katha.

Farooque Sheikh :

In the cookie-cutter world of mainstream Hindi cinema, actors need stock ingredients to deliver salable performances. Farooque Shaikh was never on the list.

Farooque Shaikh’s untimely death at the age of 65 on December 27, 2013, has left a void in Indian cinema that still hasn’t been filled. After working in theatre, Shaikh got his first break in MS Sathyu’s landmark film Garm Hava (1973),

Labelled as a serious actor Farooque Shaikh found his comic groove with Sai Paranjpye’s Chashme Baddoor (1981), a delightful tale of three room mates who fall for the same woman, Neha (Deepti Naval). This was the first time that Shaikh and Naval were cast together, and the two went on to become one of the most charming on-screen pairs in the ’80s.

This was followed by Katha by the same team a year later..

Shaikh’s crowning glory was this brilliant turn as the boastful and gregarious Bashudev (Bashu) in Katha ; When Bashu comes to live with the shy and timid Rajaram Joshi (Naseeruddin Shah), his shenanigans turned life in the once-peaceful chawl upside down. Bashu is the proverbial hare to Joshi’s tortoise, beating him to woo Sandhya (Deepti Naval). The shameless and unrepentant Bashu, who juggles his relationship with Sandhya with an affair with his boss’s wife (Mallika Sarabhai) while also flirting with her daughter Jojo (Winnie Paranjpe), is easy to detest. Instead, Shaikh makes him irresistible.

Both these films are remembered even today for their clean and light comic approach.

Cape Fear

One fear that controls me and hold me back

from taking action and going after what I wanted most of the time.

That fear is the fear of failure I'd like to share one big thing

that has helped me to greatly minimize it.

And that is to learn to see failure from a helpful perspective.

Because failure is in most situations not all that bad really.

It can actually be very helpful if you choose to change how you see it from being

something that makes your legs shake to something useful and important for your

growth as a human being.

Here are three great things I have gotten out of failing:

1. You learn.

Instead of seeing failure as something horrible you can start to view it more as a

learning experience.

When standing in the middle of a failure, ask yourself questions like: 

What's one positive thing about this situation? And what is one thing I can learn

from this situation?

2. You gain experiences and understanding you could not get any

other way.

Ideally, you probably want to learn from other people's mistakes and failures. 

That's not always easy to do though. 

And oftentimes you just have to fail on your own to learn a lesson and to gain an

experience and a real understanding no one can relate to you in mere words.

3. You become stronger. 

Every time you fail you become more accustomed to that experience. 

Your mind and body becomes more emotionally desensitized to it. It hurts less and

you can get up, refocus and take action quicker again. 

And you realize more and more that failing is honestly not the end of the world. 

You see that yes, things did not go as planned and it might sting a bit. But you did

take action instead of still sitting on the sidelines of your own life like you used

to (and like many still do). 

And that is, in my own experience, truly an inspiring and self-esteem boosting

thing to realize.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Dial A for Aitbaar

22.3.1985

37 Years of Dial A for AITBAAR

( Adapted from Dial M for Murder )

Aitbaar is the story of Neha (Dimple Kapadia) who loves a singer – Saagar (Suresh Oberoi) but finding him as not prepared to marry her immediately, she under pressure gets married to a Tennis player /playboy– Jaideep (Raj Babbar) according to the wish of her father. But her married life proves no better than a nightmare for her. Aggrieved due to the ill-treatment meted out to her by her husband, she is about to commit suicide when suddenly she comes across Saagar again. Immediately thereafter, an unexpected but apparently joyful twist arrives in the tale of her life when she finds her husband as transforming himself for the better. She is extremely happy for the welcome change in him and the consequential pleasant change in her life but her happiness proves to be short-lived when a letter of Saagar that he had written to her, gets stolen from her purse and then someone blackmails her on the basis of that. She pays the demanded money to the blackmailer but does not get the letter back. One day a stranger known as Vikramjeet (Sharat Saxena) breaks into her house and tries to kill her but loses his own life in her hands. Neha is arrested, tried and awarded death-penalty for the crime because it is proved in the court that she has deliberately killed Vikramjeet. However police inspector – Barua (Danny ) smells a conspiracy against Neha in the chain of events that has taken place and starts re-examining the facts silently. And before Neha is executed, he is able to unearth the conspiracy and unmask the conspirator. He only tells (now proved innocent) Neha how a perfect murder had been planned to eliminate her, how it backfired, how the conspirator cashed even the unplanned result of his conspiracy to his advantage and how the destiny ensured poetic justice leading to her exoneration.

( No Spoilers)

Aitbaar is an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Director Mukul Anand has been able to indianize the classic work of Alfred Hitchcock ( Dial M for Murder) very well and present a highly entertaining and virtually spellbinding movie for the Indian audience. Nowhere the story slackens and nowhere any boredom creeps in. It’s a brilliant drama in which there is hardly any suspense for the viewer, nevertheless there is no dearth of curiosity for him. It’s the sheer brilliance of the story idea as well as its proficient execution that the viewer cannot leave the movie in between even for a single minute. 

Tight and speedy screenplay has been ably supported by the power-packed performances of the principal characters and the melodious and meaningful songs are the icing on the cake. Resultantly, the overall impact of the film is just superb.All the four principal actors – Raj Babbar, Suresh Oberoi, Dimple Kapadia and Danny have performed excellently. However if I have to choose the best performer, I will select the coughing but cunning police inspector – Danny for the honour. And needless to mention, Dimple looks very pretty and emotes very well and is the central focus of the film.

Bappi Lahiri has composed laudable melodies and music for this movie with the meaningful lyrics being penned by Hasan Kamaal. Two songs out of total four, are unforgettable. Kisi Nazar Ko Tera Intezaar Aaj Bhi Hai, sung by Bhupinder and Asha, is one of the best Bollywood Ghazals of all times. However my liking is even more for the Bhupinder-Asha duet – Aawaaz Di Hai Aaj Ek Nazar Ne Ya Hai Ye Dil Ko Gumaan.

There is Leena Das with a classical cabaret Tum aur main aur yeh bekhudi which has Asha Bhonsle at her seductive best

Producer Romesh Sharma and 

Director Mukul Anand have nowhere compromised with the production value or quality of the movie. Cinematography is brilliant, editing is par excellence and all the other significant aspects of the movie have also been taken care of very well.

If you have not seen "Aitbaar", do so right away. I promise you that you will not regret it.

The same has been adapted into a Marathi Drama aptly titled " A Perfect Murder".

I have seen all 3 and beleive me they are all worth the time and money spent.

The Film Which Inspired Many ..

Come March 2022..A cult film completes 50 years and is being re-released.

GODFATHER

14th March 72 the movie Godfather was released and millions of people across the world even without google or WhatsApp or Insta or FB & without any hashtag, came to know about two terminologies which were relatively unknown i.e., Mafia & Don!! 

The impact of Godfather showed the movie industry it's true power as now we know, the success of a movie is not to be measured by  just money it makes on the box office but Godfather went beyond that & made us realise, real success of the movie is how much it make the masses to change their attitude towards the life!

Mafia is a taboo word and gangsters are the people you keep away from, no question of marrying them or being friends with them! If you don’t get justice for any crime that happened to you then the only way is you try higher courts or just keep mum, blaming your bad luck and weakness as a white collared person and that’s all!!

But Godfather changed all of this in mere three hours as now you know there is nothing such as total dark or black but every black has got shades of grey and even black can be good at times! Now you think that not all the gangsters are bad and even in the crime there are real bad crimes and lesser bad crimes and some are even good crimes; such as beating up the bad goons which are troubling innocent people and getting away from law as there are bad cops & corrupt judges which can be bought & you can actually get justice by indulging in to a crime which includes beating the bad goons by hired men who works for the Don!

Godfather has not only inspired thousands of movie makers across the world to change their thought process about the script and theme of the movies but it changed the mindset or say expectation or the purpose itself of billions of the movie watchers (read as aam janata) to watch the movie in the first place!! This is why Godfather is special as it has made such an offer to watch this movie that no one can resist it!!

Godfather has been adapted/Remade / copied / etc etc in Hindi Films and Regional films too.

Dharmatma , Nayakan (Dayawan), Sarkar , amoung the top noutch followed by Aatank Hi Aatank / Zulm Ki Hukumat and more in the B graders.

Sarkar goes a step ahead and is a Triology.

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, Marlen Brando, Al Pacino & Don Corleone ...Take a Bow.

Classic Reboot Chalti ka Naam Gaadi

Today again saw an evergreen film ..

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

Thinking about it I realised I had not written about it..

A fancy race-car, three brothers and a murder – seem like the elements of another thriller novel, don’t they? But  this is about something fun, entertaining and ageless.

Chalti Naam Gaadi, released in the year 1958,  Directed by Satyen Bose, the movie is still popular among many people, especially for its evergreen music that was composed by Sachin Dev Burman and the combo of the Ganguly brothers Ashok, Anup and Abhaas ( Kishore) Kumar.

Brijmohan (aka Bada Bhaiyya), Jagmohan (aka Jaggu) and Manmohan (aka Mannu) are three brothers who can’t seem to live without each other. Together, they manage an automobile workshop called ‘Mohan Garage’. Brij ( Ashok Kumar) is not only the main manager of the workshop but is also a father-figure to his younger brothers and a former boxing champion. Then again, he expresses a certain dislike towards women. Jaggu (Anup Kumar) is an electrical engineer who does not seem  confident about his skills and bumbles while Mannu (Kishore Kumar) enjoys being the happy-go-lucky person.

Brij however could not possibly have accounted for the charms of Madhubala! On a rainy night, Manu runs into a running-nosed damsel in distress, Renu (Madhubala). The petulant Renu has been seized by a fit of sneezes and is saddled with a car that refuses to cough to life. After a lot of debate and persuasion, Mannu agrees to look in to the car and after a lovely " Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" gets the car back to life. Things take a turn, when Mannu realised that the customer was unlike the others. However, Renu had forgotten to pay him for his services.

Compelled by his elder brothers, Mannu decides to track down Renu and collect his earnings. But the attempt fails in a most hilarious manner. after another classic " Paanch Rupiya Baara Aana."

On his way back ( after falling asleep in Renu's car and a hilarious interlude with her )Mannu noticed a group of people dumping a corpse in the middle of the road, which was eventually picked-up by the cops.

Shocked, Mannu continues to walk back to his destination and narrated the incident to his brothers. 

Enter now  mobster Raja saab (K N Singh) providing eyebrow entertainment) and his accomplice Prakash (Sajjan), who are after Renu's millions. 

What happens next, is a fun yet interesting tale of unexpected twists.

Jaggu falls for Renu's friend Sheela ( Sahira ) and Bade Bhaiyya Brij finds his lost love Kamini (Veena), under house arrest for years by Raja Saab.

In the free-for-all climax, the three brothers combine forces and pound the villains while their girlfriends applaud enthusiastically.

The film ends where it started with the three brothers singing the title track

In the one-for-the-road shot (pun intended), the three wives sit in the front seat of the family's jaunty jalopy, perched-on-the-backseat brothers yodel in unison Babu samjho ishaare, horn pukare, pom pom pom while a grinning Madhubala steers the film to it's ending.

The film ably directed by Satyen Bose ( and as is rumoured Kishore Kumar himself ) Certain sequences shine like beacons --- the naughty-frothy nuggets, Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si and Hum the woh thi aur samaa rangeen, samajh gaye na (with Anup and Kishore huffing like a train); Madhubala and Kishore Kumar camouflaging their rapid exchange of secrets with a gaggle of exaggeratedly loud giggles (to distract a suspicious Sajjan); and a car race where Kishore Kumar, amongst other juvenile antics, squirts water on a rival. Only Kishore could have carried this preposterously implausible scene with such comic chutzpah.

Madhubala ( so very beautiful) and Kishore are perfectly in tune with each other's comic rhythms. She exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious.

Besides, in how many films do you have the heroine romantically address the hero as Pagle, only to have him respond moony-eyed: Pagli..😍

As mentioned the USP is the music. Having listened to these songs while growing up, these evergreen soundtracks can bring a smile on my face at any point in time. The joy of listening to music that was recorded live without any technology altering the many audio levels is priceless!

I would recommend this movie to anybody ( who hasn't seen it) who wishes to truly understand and appreciate the joy of film-making. It is worth a watch or more.

And to think Kishore Kumar wanted it to flop to make losses to cover up the due income tax..

But finally Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi..