Mr Natwarlal

8th June 1979

Mr Natwarlal

43 years today.

And would you believe this film may not have been made for if Ram Balram had not got delayed.

The Producers Tony and Tito were making Ram Balram ( started in 1978)

But Dharamendra jis dates clash led to the film getting delayed.

There was a period of minimum 3 months at hand. Amitabh and Rekha had given dates and on request they decided to use those for a new film then unnamed.

Rakesh Kumar who had made Khoon Pasina ( and assisted Prakash Mehra) was the director.

Being almost an impromptu decision the script was being made ready so it was decided to start with the songs.

All the 6 songs were recorded by Rakesh Roshan with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The shooting of these songs was to be in Kashmir. All songs indeed melodious including Amitabh Bachchan's first attempt at playback.

Rajesh Roshan’s music was a highpoint. Apart from the Bachchan offering, a duet by Kishore and Lata – “Pardesia Yeh Sach Hai Piya” – topped the charts of the day along with a peppy Asha Bhosle number – “Tauba Tauba”, the songs carrying a distinct Rajesh Roshan stamp. 

Mr Natwarlal was completed and released in a year's time.

The action film laced with raw humour was a fun film and did well at the Box office.A lot of the humour comes from how the dialogues are delivered or those small beats in timing. 

Amitabh an Rekha's  on screen chemistry  always wonderful and while Shanno appears to fall for insta-love, Rekha plays her as funny and direct in their many scenes together so the relationship comes to life. Shanno gets her share of the big scenes too, and Rekha gave her fire and resolve.

Bharti the tigress had a great role ( Rakesh Kumar had used this in Khoon Pasina too, but here the script for the tigress is extended).

Not to forget a positive role from Ajit ( as elder brother ? )and Amjad Khan as Vikram.

The locations are gorgeous and so is the cast. True masala with a modicum of moderation this is a great film.

Mr. Natwarlal” was a movie to delight when it graced the screens. It continues to be so.

Mahabharat Adapted Movies

Mahabharat has inspired bollywood. A number of hindi movies are based on this epic and rightly so, because no other epic provides the depth and variety as this does. There are a number of films and serials which have been made on Mahabharat story and in recent times, we see a modernised version of Mahabharat where the story line is inspired by the epic  Mahabharata.

There was Hum Paanch in 1980..( loosely adapting the five man army consept but not brothers..we have Sanjeev Kumar as the Krishna Charecter ,Amrish Puri as Duryodhana and also Kanhaiyalal as Shakuni Mama

There is a song too Hum Paanch Pandav Yeh Shakuni Mama dekho Mahabharata ka Drama ).

A year later Shyam Benegal Directed Kalyug which can be called a perfect adaptation of the Mahabharata in today's business corporate world scenario.

Here one starts to draw parallels between the characters from the great epic and the movie. It is surely captivating, for someone who knows a bit of Mahabharata, to decipher and witness the way in which Shyam Benegal has made some interesting moves. Some of the characters are given the same names as in the epic. 

Karan Singh (Shashi Kapoor) plays Karan, a devoted friend to Duryodhan in the book, who is Dhanraj in the movie (essayed by Victor Banarjee). Karan Singh is pretty much the central character in the movie and it seems to be an adaptation of the saga from his perspective. Other characters with the same names are Subhadra, Krishna, Parikshit, amongst others. Many plot elements are cleverly harmonized with the ones from the epic.

Rekha plays for instance Supriya ( She would be symbolic with Draupadi), the wife of Dharmraj (Raj Babbar Eldest brother of the troika playing the Pandavas), and throughout the movie comes across as an irritable lady who finds it tough to get along with her mother-in-law and her younger devar’s wife Subhadra ( Supriya Pathak) (who is also her niece). This younger devar Bharatraj (Anant Nag interpreting Arjuna) and his Bhabhi share a very unclear relationship. Till the end there is no clarity whether their relationship is just one of mutual respect or something more (In the Mahabharata there is no Bhabhi and Draupadi is wedded to all the five brothers). Similarly the relationship between Dharmraj and his wife is shown to be dysfunctional but there are no reasons given. Balraj (Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Bheem) is shown as a pleasure-loving guy, but plays no critical role in the narrative (except being a trigger to the accidental death of his cousin Sandeep- a mentally unstable Dushasan?). Also, there is no specific explanation given for the great dislike Bharatraj has for Karan Singh (The Arjun-Karan war).

There is a Bhishma Pitamah too (played by AK Hangal!), but too plays no real part in the drama unlike the book where he was termed as the root-cause of the entire war. Also, in today’s context a woman bearing kids with Sadhus and priests as a mark of her devotion is too much to digest. There is also a fleeting mention of a past love affair between Supriya and Karan Singh (In the book Draupadi had prevented Karan from participating in her Swayamwar on the grounds of him not being from a royal family. Much later she had admitted to being attracted to him despite her being married to the Pandavas).

Krishna the most important Charecter of Mahabharata In Kalyug, is a benevolent-looking Amrish Puri playing a character named Kishan, a well-wisher to the film’s equivalent of the Pandava brothers, but the notable thing was how sidelined and inconsequential he was – as if the film were acknowledging that there was no place in its world for a God-figure showing the protagonists the “right path”. ( Quite a paradox as in Hum Paanch he was the equivalent of Duryodhana)

The eighties are often derided as a dystopian wasteland of cinema, but take a minute to recall Kalyug – how precisely, how powerfully Shyam Benegal situated the Mahabharata in the arena of corporate skullduggery, with characters that recalled as well as reshaped their mythological forebears. 

Almost 3 decades later on 4th June 2010 came 

Rajneeti..A Prakash Jha Film.

Which completes 12 years today

Rajneeti adapted the Mahabharata with Politics as a central theme but with a liberal dose of Godfather.

All that remains in Prakash Jha’s unsurprising retelling are the parallelisms – how so-and-so character from the epic maps to such-and-such person followed

Here we have Arjun Rampal playing a joint Charecterisation of Yudhisthira and Bheema, Ranbir Kapoor as Arjun

Manoj Bajpai as Duryodhana , Ajay Devgan as Karan and Katrina as Draupadi ( who loves Arjun bit marries the dual Yudhishthira and Bhim).

Raajneeti’s most interesting character is the family advisor Brij Gopal, played with assurance and knowing humour by Nana Patekar. It’s possible to view Brij as a Krishna of sorts, but it’s more revealing to see him as a blend of the two most irreconciliable figures in the epic: the wise Vidura (the closest the Mahabharata has to an unblemished character) and the manipulative Shakuni. Brij Gopal straddles both roles with nonchalant ease – he can be kindly, caring and judicious, but he can also be like a mafia don, ordering and supervising assassinations when he deems fit 

Rajneeti has adapted the essence of the epic well 

Now the question arises..

Which is a better adaption ..

Kalyug or Rajneeti ?

I leave it to you without giving my answer.

Please add any more adaptations even if any other languages.

Biwi 0 Biwi

Happy Birthday Randhir Kapoor..

Definately not happy because it comes after Back to Back passing away of his younger Brothers..Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor and before that his sister Ritu Nanda (In January 20).

It was very turbulent last 12 months for the first Family 

Hopefully days ahead will be better.

To lighten things I would like to revisit one of the few comedies R.K.Films made.

BIWI O BIWI (The Fun Film)

Raj Kapoor used to Love Archie's comics and roped in Prabhakar Tamhane (A Marathi Script Writer with a flair for Comedy ) for a script.

Chander Mohan (Randhir Kapoor) desperately wants to get married. But his father (Om Prakash) simply cannot find a suitable bride for him because he is  Manglik having a strong influence in Chander's horoscope. Buddy Gafoor (Deven Verma) has the brilliant idea: Chander should accompany him to Bombay, there are women a dime a dozen who won't bother about the horoscope. Said and done. In the big city, Chander starts a career as a singer, becomes the protégé of the rich Nisha (Simi Garewal) and also meets the enchanting Asha (Poonam Dhillon), with whom he falls in love.

Asha is the daughter of Colonel Mangal Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) who has a fetish and rage on Civilian s. He would never let a civilian by his daughter's side. Chander is just that. While Chander is struggling to please his future father-in-law, enters a crook Shankar ( Sanjeev Kumar again) who wants to swindle Simi and helping him is his Girlfriend Nisha (Yogita Bali ).

Col.Mangal Singh arranges Asha's match with a Fauji Captain Manik( Gautam Sareen ) , Asha however tells him the truth and he agrees to play along with her and refuse marriage.

The sequences of Chander trying to prove he is Captain Chander are hilarious. The banter between Hari ( Hari Shivdasani) and Mangal Singh adds to the fun.

Meanwhile Nisha Suggests to Shankar that he impersonate Mangal Singh.

The Comedy of errors which starts is a true laugh riot which culminates in to a  car chase at the end. It's so great because before that everything is relatively moderate. But as soon as the protagonists get into their companions, everything falls apart. Randhir Kapoor's increasingly absurd crashes, the pace and even a guest appearance by Shammi Kapoor make this sequence a real joy for every slapstick fan. Then you can also speak of a high point, because "Biwi-O-Biwi" intensifies until all the tension is looking for an outlet to discharge even if it is laughter.

The automobile used is the one seen in Archie's comics.

Rahul Rawail who had Directed Gunehgar with Rishi Kapoor before this and was removed from the Credits of Love story shows his variety and fluency in comedy.

At the age of 20 he made contact with the Kapoor clan and assisted Raj Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor in their films Bobby and Dharam Karam before being handed over the direction of "Biwi-O-Biwi" which he made into a fast-paced comedy entertainingly told. However, the cast assembled does its part to make the comedy work.

Randhir Kapoor is marvelous in this role, comedy came naturally to him.

Poonam Dhillon and Yogeetan Bali are apt the  as the leading actresses, but pleasantly Simi Garewal masters her part with dignity as also Dina Pathak as Mummy to Mangal Singh and Shashikala who runs a marriage bureau is a laugh riot with her Oi Maa.

Rajendra Nath is  as the Colonel's sidekick , Hari Shivdasani, Gautam Sareen and a host of guest appearance from Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and others make the film hilarious band truly slapstick.

But the biggest contribution comes from two other men: Sanjeev Kumar and RD Burman. The latter delivers one of his hippest 80s soundtracks, while Sanjeev Kumar shows complete comedic power in a dual role. He has the whole range from subliminal comedy to freaking attacks and is  convincing in every scene. Despite everything, one would not include "Biwi-O-Biwi" in the list of RK classics, but it qualifies as one of the funnier comedies of the 80s. The English subtitle "The Fun-Film" is definitely deserved thanks to the great cast and exemplary staging.

Sadly it wasn't a runaway success but did marginally well.

Blast from the Golden Past CHARAS

28th May..

Today sees 

18 years of Hum Tum ( Saif&Rani)

23 years of Biwi No.1

29 years of Aashik Aawara ( Saif Debut)

40 years of Teri Kasam

( Already covered by S B )

40 years of Gazab ( Dharmendra)

And the film I am writing about

Blast from the Golden Past

46 Years of CHARAS 

Made by Ramanand Sagar much before he came in to limelight with "Ramayana" Ramanand Sagar had displayed a penchant of making films which satiated the appetite of the all important box office to the hilt. Made within frames of the commercial matrix, these films were in the genre of action-thriller, inspired, as many will vouch, by the Bond format; and Sagar kept the budget large and the span overreaching. Aankhen was one of them.

CHARAS is a sort of Sequel to that series of the crime thriller genre.

A simplistic story of Suraj (Dharmendra) who journeys through India, Rome and Malta to take revenge against his father’s killers Robert (Amjad Khan) and Kalicharan (Ajit).

After Suraj’s family is ambushed in Africa by Kalicharan’s men, Suraj and his sister Nimmu (Aruna Irani) are separated. Suraj comes to India in search of Kalicharan but makes a hasty escape when things go wrong. Suraj is then recruited by the police to stop Kalicharan’s smuggling activities which leads him to Europe. He meets Sudha (Hema Malini) a beautiful dancer, who has been blackmailed by Kalicharan, into helping smuggle the drugs. Suraj must try to find his sister, end the drug smuggling and take his revenge on Kalicharan ends up in Malta, where Robert handles most of the drug business. The question is will he able to accomplish this or will he himself fall prey to Charas.

Almost all the songs (lyrics by Anand Bakshi and music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal) are chartbusters and retain their lure to this day, including “Kal ki haseen mulaqat ke liye” by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.

CHARAS when released was banned as Emergency was in vouge. After many cuts and censor manipulation it was released.

It was the opening release at Raj Mandir Jaipur which was then considered the Royal Theatre built in a Palace.

After it was banned they re-released Sholay for a week and when the ban was lifted a fortnight later CHARAS was reinstated. It ram for 100 days in regular shows and completed silver Jubilee in Matinee.

I recently visited Raj Mandir and they have this gallery depicting the  history of the theatre.

(Images are below)

ANEK (NE is North East)

A No Spoilers Review

ANEK

Anubhav Sinha moves ahead in his series of films handling relevant prevailent social issues

Mulk , Article 15 ,Thappad and now Anek.

Anek is a film about political conflict and cultural identity that puts the spotlight on Northeast India.

Anek Set in an unnamed North-Eastern state, Anubhav Sinha’s story introduces us to the two sides of the tale – one led by a militant leader of the state’s largest rebel group Tiger Sanga (Loitongbam Dorendra Singh), and the other headlined by an undercover cop Joshua (Ayushmann Khurrana) who plays the tunes of high ranked Indian politicians wanting to sign the peace accord for their own benefits.

Joshua is on a mission to restore peace in the Northeastern region of India and the political situation that has for long plagued this belt of the country. During his task, he meets Aido, a Northeastern Indian boxer (newcomer Andrea Kevichüsa) who is struggling with biases while chasing her dream to secure a position on the Indian national team. Khurrana also has an interesting tryst with Aido's father, Wangnao (Mipham Otsal), a school teacher who has a secret.

Somewhere in the middle of these two, there is another active rebel group named ‘Johnson’, members of which start to mess up the mission.

While Sinha has picked up the right nuances when it comes to casting actors from the North East, authentic locations, dialogues, the severity of the conflict that he wants to highlight keeps you hooked. 

That being said, Anek is high on patriotism and thankfully that never takes the form of jingoism that's quite common in Hindi films. The way Sinha has tried to show racial abuse that people from the North East deal with on a daily basis, their ordeal to prove that they're as much a part of India, are great elements and do work in places. Also, you can't disregard that this is one of the very few commercial films that has attempted to put focus on the worrisome situation in the North East, which many talk about but nobody really shows the courage to delve deep into. After films like The Kashmir Files, you can say that Anek is definitely a very important film and quite relevant in today's times. 

Among other supporting cast members, Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa bring their experience to good use and deliver some great scenes. Pahwa's Abrar, a Kashmiri Muslim often likening the NE situation to the Kashmir situation, oscillates between hostile and hardened.

To sum up, Anek has its heart at the right place and is made with all the right intentions, 

Peace is a subjective hypothesis  Anek deals with the way the idea of peace can often be Utopian and be subjective. Peace for one doesn’t always translate to peace for all.

Do you want Peace or a Peace Treaty is the question asked..

Chakravarthy (Satya) is also a senior IPS shown and the discussion between him and Ayushyaman about North/ South India and regionalism is terrific.

We see Khurrana undertake his mission with all sincerity and diligence even when his loyalty is questioned. He is gritty as a cop, carries his role with confidence and is softer in scenes of helpless situations. It won't be wrong to say that he skillfully shoulders the film.

Cinematography is top class as the camera and drones catch the beauty of North East.

Background music is apt.

Recommended to be seen on big screen or wait till it comes on OTT.

DON

If Zanjeer completed 49 Years .

Don completes 44 Years Today.(12th)

Don was launched in December 1974 but was for over 3 years in the making.

Launched my Nariman Irani under the Salim Javed Umbrella to recover the losses of his earlier film and the team formed was from the RKM team with Pran added ( Again the highest paid actor but less than the Salim Javed Duo)

The germ of Don was laid in the final schedule of Roti Kapda aur Makaan and was released on 12 th May 1978 a week after Trishul.

This crime-thriller begins with an explosive scene of introduction of Don followed by the beginning titles, a montage on picture negative accompanied by some awesome background score…from then on it’s a roller coaster ride lasting the whole of 175 minutes.

Don's arrogance is made clear, as he utters the film's famous line, Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin - namumkin hai..( an iconic dialogue even 43 Years later )

Police Officer DSP D’Silva (Iftekhar) tracks him down and in an attempt to catch him, ends up killing him. But Don’s death is only known to D’Silva. So, he tracks down a lookalike of Don named Vijay. Vijay impersonates Don to take down the rest of Don’s gang while D’Silva promises him that he will provide for a proper education to Vijay’s wards by sending them to a public school. The kids, Deepu and Munni are actually the lost children of Jasjit (Pran), an ex-trapeze artiste who has lost his family and career and gets imprisoned for a robbery. He held D’Silva responsible for it and seeks vengeance. Roma (Zeenat Aman) joins the gang in order to take revenge from Don as Don is the killer of Ramesh, Roma’s brother.

Jasjit comes out of prison after serving his jail term, only to find D’Silva having a red diary that would show Vijay’s true identity. D’Silva is killed by Malik  the real king of the underworld. It’s now a race to retrieve the diary in which the D’Silva has documented the substitution of the real Don with the innocent Vijay and all the information regarding other gangsters.

Don is a thoroughly fun ride the kind of escapist fantasy that Bollywood excels at, especially in that era, and Amitabh has plenty of irresistable charm to make up where required.  And it's all in good fun - with its tightrope escapes from tall buildings, improbable urban car-chases, and exploding suitcases, Don never takes itself too seriously.   

Don's soundtrack by Kalyanji Anandji is packed with great tunes and classic pictureisation, like "Khaike paan banaraswala," in which Vijay, exhausted from playing Don and then trying to clear his name, finally gets to cut loose in his own element.  Zeenat struts in "Jiska mujhe tha intezaar," Roma's declaration of vengeful intent.  I love Kishore Kumar's triumphant vocals on the energetic "Main hoon Don," the melody of which provides the film's pulsating theme.  And, like all great films of the era, there is even a Helens Yeh Mera Dil ( which was the first sequence and song to be shot for the film ).

Amitabh has a challenge here, playing not just two roles but three:  suave and menacing as Don, goofy and energetic as Vijay, and something more complex as Vijay-playing-Don.  

He is ably supported by Zeenat Aman , Pran , Shetty, Om Shivpuri, Kamal Kapoor and Iftekhar.

A low key affair Don ended a blockbuster winning 3 Filmfare awards after being nominated for three.. Amitabh Bachchan winning his second on the trot after Amar Akbar Anthony ( He was nominated for 3 films , Trishul and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar being the other two).

Over four decades have passed since Don hit the theatres and the mystique around the film is still present. It has been ranked among Amitabh’s finest performances and is a big draw on the home video circuit. Fans have confessed to watching it each time it is shown on satellite television and are often mouthing Salim–Javed’s immortal one-liners with the hero.

Lots of Trivia remains but some other time.

#Repost

Namak Halaal

If I have written about Naseeb..it will be injustice if I don't do a piece on Namak Halaal.

Yesterday Namak Halaal completed 40 years.

Lot is written and said of the story..

The movie is memorable for Arjun Singh, Maalik Raja Babu, Poonam, Nisha , Mataji( Savitri Devi) and Daddoo ( Dashrath Singh)

Prakash Mehra and Amitabh created ripples with this blockbuster.

It was the first movie where Prakash Mehra shifted from Kalyanji Anandji to Bappi Lahiri.

By the early 1980’s, it must have been apparent that Kishore Kumar was THE voice for Amitabh Bachchan. Whenever the two remarkable performers came together, there was always a thunderous spark that delighted and entertained audiences.

Bappi Lahiri capitalized on the potential of the two artists in his album, “Namak Halaal”. He weaved a few songs that have the unmistakable stamp of the collaboration of Kishore Kumar - Amitabh Bachchan on them.

“Ke Pag Ghungroo Baandh Meera Naachi Thi, Aur Hum Naache Bin Ghungroo Ke” is a track that is interlaced with classical music and is a creative and unique song. Prakash Mehra and Anjaan have worked together to come up with the unusual lyrics. The singing is a challenge that Kishore Kumar took up and he is just terrific. His constant switching to and from various tones of singing is marvelous to say the least. Imagine listening to him switch from a sombre golden tone with, “Aap andar se kuch aur, Bahar se kuch aur nazar aate hain” to a cheerful and intentionally nasal tone with, “Aapka to lagta hai bas yehi sapna, Ram naam japna paraya maal apna”. The mind boggles with delight!

Onto something less complex yet something that Kishore must have equally enjoyed singing. Asha Bhosle joins him in, “Aaj Rapat Jaaye To Humein Na Uthaiyo”. With a catchy tune and the singers in a playful mood, this one is an entertaining tribute to the genre of rain songs. The picturisation is a lot of fun to watch with Amitabh and Smita Patil raising hell in the rain. ( Smita Patil was very embarrassed about it ).

“Raat Baaqi Baat Baaqi, Hona Hai Jo Hojaane Do” sounds like something that R.D. Burman himself would have composed for Asha Bhosle. A compliment, of course, for Bappi Lahiri (who sings the last verse) as Burmanda often chose the best for Ashaji. A seductive song with a mesmerizing disco pop score, only the Queen Bee could have done justice to it. Her rendition is an intoxicating blend of contradictions; angelic but seductive, haunting but sweet and revealing yet mysterious. It is sheer fun to hear Shashi Kapoor speaking and his voice almost being buried by the track beats. Bappi brings an atmospheric ending to it with his rendition of the last few lines. Anjaan’s words evoke an aura of enigma and romantic suspense.

You will find Kishore saab in nasha mode in “Thodisi Jo Pee Lee Hai, Chori To Nahin Ki Hai”. A classic drunk song complete with Kishore making hiccup sounds. It is remarkable how Kishore’s always perfectly mimicked the vocal situations of his star/characters in the songs. Here, he gives an entertaining and effective portrayal of a drunken man trying to deny the fact that he has drunk a lot.

(The song has a strong similarity with Haan Pehli Baar Ek Ladki Mera Haath Pakad ke from Aur Kaun also by Bhappi Lahiri)

The last number in the soundtrack is another pop song by Asha, “Jawani Jaaneman, Haseen Dilruba”. This one pales in comparison to “Raat Baaqi” and is a routine and run-of-the-mill dance track. Nevertheless, Asha applies her usual sassy and infectious approach to songs of this genre.

A lot of music listeners tend to assume that a great album can only be judged by how many songs it has therefore judging by quantity as opposed to quality. With only five songs, “Namak Halaal” demonstrates that quality (and not quantity) is what lingers in the minds of music lovers.

All the songs are well choreographed and have finesse in them.

The film is about a rich businessman, Raja (Shashi Kapoor) who is under the false impression that his foster mother Savitridevi (Waheeda Rehman) is plotting to kill him for his wealth. Arjun Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) Raja's loyal servant wants to prove his faithfulness by saving his master from every attack attempt made to his life. Meanwhile, Girdhar (Satyen Kappu)and his son Ranjit Singh (Ranjeet) try every possible method to eliminate Raja and seize his wealth. What binds them together is an incident that occurred 15 years ago, that led to the deaths of Raja's and Arjun's fathers. What follows is a series of revelations, murder attempts, kidnappings and emotional reunions that make the film Namak Halaal a cult film..