BACK TO BEGINNING : AMITABH BACHCHAN FILM FESTIVAL DAY 1

BACHCHAN BACK TO BEGINNING

DAY 1

DEEWAR

Yesterday I saw Deewar on day one of the Amitabh Bachchan Back to Beginning film festival.

MEMORIES

I remember seeing Deewar for the first time in its Golden Jubilee Week in Kanpur.

26th January 1976.

Earlier we missed the opportunity during 1975.

My tryst with Amitabh Bachchan started with Roti Kapda Aur Makaan and then later saw his earlier films in reruns.

I remember the impact Deewar had on me. After the movie we went shopping and I insisted on buying a shirt larger than my size then so I could tie a knot to it. My parents were not amused but allowed it. 

Exactly a year later in January 1977 we had gone to see

Imaan Dharam, but it was House Full (Yes it has a great start but it fizzled out subsequently). In a theatre nearby Deewar had been re-released and we saw it a second time.

After that we shifted to Pune and I used to see the movie whenever it was released in Morning shows or otherwise.

I last remember seeing it twice in Amravati at Prabhat Theatre in 1984-85 where it had released as a stop gap arrangement.

That was the 25th and 26th time I saw this classic.

Since then I regularly watch it on the small screen and also have a DVD of the same.

Yesterday thanks to this festival I saw it a 27th time.

What an experience..

The Ceetees..the Dialogues being recited by the excited and enthusiastic public. 

मैं आज भी फेंके हुए पैसे नहीं उठाता

मैं यहां तुम्हारा इंतजार कर रहा हूं

ये सड़क क्या पीटर के बाप की है?

etc etc

The awe at which the new current generation was seeing this classic was a stupendous experience.

Looking ahead to the other films to be seen over the next 3 days till his birthday on 11th.

I will pen similar memoirs of all the selected films.

GOOD BYE..A first Day Review

GOOD BYE

Hum Aapke Hain Kaun had come across as a film which was called Story of a Wedding and after.

Good Bye can be called Story of a Funeral and after.

The film is about a dysfunctional family of Harish Bhalla ( Amitabh Bachchan) his wife Gayatri ( Neena Gupta) and his two sons and a daughter Tara (Rashmika Mandhana). They also have an adopted son Angad and an almost adopted house help.

The film starts with Tara who is shown a budding lawyer  winning her first case and hence goes out to party.

Her mother Gayatri (Neena Gupta) calls and messages but Tara ignores it and the phone discharges. The next day, her father Harish (Amitabh Bachchan) calls and that's when she learns that Gayatri has passed away. (She lives in with her boyfriend Mudassar (Shivan Narang).)

Tara rushes to her hometown, Chandigarh to be with Harish.

As mentioned Harish has three more children - Karan (Pavail Gulati) who is abroad and married to Daisy (Ellie Avaram), Nakul and an adopted son, Angad. All of them are away. Karan and Angad also book the first available flight to Chandigarh. Nakul, meanwhile, is unreachable as he is on a trek (His story and track is not well established). Tara is the first one to reach. She and Harish don’t see eye to eye and both clash over the funeral ceremony type. Harish also gets upset with Karan and Angad as he feels that they don't seem moved by their mother's demise. Harish's behaviour leads to induced disharmony in the house ( A bit extension of Baghban but just that small portion). But all of them have no choice. They have to stay together under one roof for a few days. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

The story is relatable and well-intentioned. Most of us will be able to relate to certain goings-on and moments in their own lives 

I personally recollected the moments after my mother passed 14 years back and father five years ago and confess had me teary eyed.

However the emotional quotient is accompanied by underlying humour which is unique and never looks forced or out of place.The tracks of the neighbourhood aunties and P P Singh (Ashish Vidyarthi) are funny. They are very relatable as we have all come across such people at funerals. The scene where the family members imagine Gayatri is talking to them is sweet and well edited. The Haridwar track in the second half, involving Pandit ji (Sunil Grover) is also entertaining and enlightening.

Amitabh Bachchan, as always, gives his best and delivers a bravura performance. The way he brings out the sadness and anger over the situation is beautifully portrayed ( There is also an animated portion of him as he narrates the story of his marriage). Rashmika Mandanna has a fine screen presence.(I couldn't believe she was the lass Srivalli of "Pushpa".) Unfortunately having a Panjabi premise , her noticable accent seems out of place but she has given a first rate performance for her first nondubbed Hindi film. Her eyes do a lot of talking indeed.

The rest have done their roles well including their pet "Stupid".

Amit Trivedi's music is well woven into the film. 'Jaikal Mahakal', 'Chann Pardesi' and 'Maaye' are quite touching. 'The Hic Song' is peppy. His background music is also very apt. 

If anything the film slips in the second half with many loose ends not connected.

However I will give it **** ( Four stars ) for meaningful emotions and Amitabh Bachchan who delivers this just 4 days before his 80th birthday.

Baaghban

Today is 19th Release Anniversary of Baghban.

A film which was scripted and was to be made in the 1973 ( after Daastaan) by B.R.Chopra with Dilip Kumar and Rakhee, but she opted out and later he fell ill. It never got made.

B.R.Chopra went on to launch his son Ravi Chopra in Zameer .

Irony was that 20 years later Ravi Chopra revived the project and cast Big B and Hema Malini. Certain changes were made in the script to make it relevant with the time, but the core essence of the script remained the same.

BAGHBAN is the story of Raj Malhotra (Amitabh Bachchan), his wife Pooja (Hema Malini) and their four sons (Aman Verma, Samir Soni, Sahil Chadda, Nasir )

They have an adopted son, Alok (Salman Khan). Arpita (Mahima Chaudhry) is his wife. After retirement, when Raj expresses his desire to stay with his sons (not Alok, because he is currently abroad), they are none too pleased. They come up with this plan of splitting the two of them, knowing fully well how much their parents love each other, with the thought that the two would refuse.

Pooja does not see through their scheme. Raj does. But she manages to convince him. So, they split up with the intent of staying on a rotation basis with each of their sons. It's needless to say how unwelcome they are made to feel there.

During his stay, Raj pens down his life on the insistence of his friend Hemant (Paresh Rawal) and his wife Shanti (Lilette Dubey).

Finally when both of them find things difficult to handle ,they leave their sons home and decide to stay together. Sometime, Alok happens to find them ( He owns a car agency and Raj test drives that very car and is humiliated by Alokama store Manager. Alok takes the manager to task and is overjoyed to be able to take care of them.

Raj's memoirs are titled Baghban and  becomes a best-seller, and also wins the Booker Prize .

In the climax speech, Amitabh Bachchan speaks about the relationship between children and parents metaphorically. He said that the children in the present times treat their parents like a ladder, they will climb on and they will forget the ladder and it’s importance once they are on the peak. He further said that the parents are actually not ladders, parents are like a huge tree with several branches and children can get absolute peace and comfort in the shadow of this tree provided they have tried hard to flourish the tree and not to make a ladder of it’s wood.

The sons want to reconsile but are shown their place by the parents and the grand children.

That is the story, in brief - very brief. The film is loaded with emotion, most of it melancholic. 

Amitabh Bachchan delivers a scintillating performance. Hema Malini looks gorgeous even in her old age. The chemistry between Amitabh and Hema is still groovy.

Paresh Rawal is apt as also the other co actors .

Baghban reminds one of many movies

Zindagi ( Sanjeev Kumar, Mala Sinha)

Avatar ( Rajesh Khanna)

Swarg (Rajesh Khanna)

And a Marathi movie

Tu Thithe Mee (तू तिथे मी) which has an identical script and was a big hit.

But one can overlook the similarity as this is a class of its own.

#Repost

S.D.Burman & Majrooh

October 1, the birth anniversary of two of the Golden Era of Bollywood music’s most creative and consistent artists. While music director SD Burman, born in 1906, continued to create melodic magic till his death in 1975, the 1919-born lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri remained active for over five decades, till he passed away in 2000. And the best thing about both these geniuses who shared birthdays was that they combined to create many outstanding songs together.

 Over the years, of course, a large chunk of their films featured Dev Anand, examples being ‘Paying Guest’, ‘Nau Do Gyarah’, ‘Kala Pani’, Manzil’, ‘Solva Saal’, ‘Bombai Ka Baboo’, ‘Baat Ek Raat Ki’, ‘Jewel Thief’ and ‘Teen Deviyan’. 

My personal favourite..Kishore Kumar’s Yeh Dil na hota bechaara and Meet na Mila reMan Ka. Otherwise all songs of this combo were truly cultured melodies.

On the birth anniversary of the two legends, it is prudent that I remember their magnificent partnership. 

And it happens to be my Birthday too.

SHAKTI

1st October 1982.

I turned 18 the day this iconic movie Released..

SHAKTI

Shakti was famous for the fact that the two titans of Bollywood, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachan starred in this movie for the first and only time. It also starred a pre fame Anil Kapoor as the third generation. The story revolves around Policeman DVP Ashwini Kumar (Dilip Kumar),his wife Sheetal(Rakhee Gulzar)and their son Vijay(Amitabh). One day Dilip Kumar arrests a man and his employers kidnap Dilip Kumar's son and tell him to let their man go or else they will kill his son. Dilip Kumar tells the kidnappers that they can do whatever they want with his son. Dilip Kumar was trying to fool the kidnappers but his plan goes awry when his son, who is still being held captive overhears him. From that point onwards he has no respect for the law, much to the disappointment of Dilip Kumar. Amitabh even gets involved with gangsters who Dilip Kumar is trying to bring to justice. The scene is set for some impactful scenes and loads of melodrama(which is what I want from a Bollywood movie). I really felt for Rakhee Gulzar who is torn between husband and son. Shakti was directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay and Shaan were followed by Shakti. The opening sequence, in which Anil Kapoor steps off the train to be greeted by his grandfather Dilip Kumar is similar to that of Sholay. Dilip Kumar  was Good but it was Amitabh as Vijay in my opinion that stole the entire show . He steals every single scene and I consider it to be one of his best movies. Both Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan were nominated for the Best Actor award. When Dilip Kumar won and not Amitabh Bachchan, Sippy had stated that “His role (Bachchan) was underplayed and intense. I don’t think anyone else could’ve played the role the way Mr. Bachchan did. He had to play a hurt and wounded son".

Now onto the music, the music is simply excellent.

The great lesson that is rendered by this movie is the same that I repeat every now and then. Be communicative and never allow any communication gap or any distorted understanding of certain facts to play havoc with delicate relationships. The ending dialogues of Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan underscores it perfectly when Father says to son, 'Main Bhi Tumse Bahut Pyar Karta Hoon Bete and then Amitabh asks, 'To Aapne Kaha Kyon Nahin Daddy ?'

The scene after Rakhee's death is one for the guides on acting. No dialogue just expressions. Even today that scene give me goosebumps.

When released in 1982 it was not a blockbuster but over the years it has gained a cult status.

FEROZ KHAN

Today is the 82nd Birth Anniversary of arguably the most suave hero of the 70s.

Referred to by some as India’s answer to Clint Eastwood for his signature cowboy swagger, 

Feroz Khan was an icon for his persona as well as his flamboyant films. Born in Bangalore to an Afghan immigrant father and Iranian mother and the eldest of five siblings. After finishing school, Feroz Khan moved to Bombay to act in films and made his debut with Didi (1960). In the early years of his career, he played the lead in films like Reporter Raju (1962) and Teesra Kaun (1964). He also made his mark by acting with veterans Ashok Kumar and Raaj Kumar in Phani Mazumdar’s Oonche Log (1965), which first got him recognition. The good-looking star was acclaimed widely for his supporting role in Yash Chopra’s Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969) and his performance as Sharmila Tagore’s possessive and suspicious husband in Asit Sen’s Safar (1970). The former won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1970. In Prakash Mehra’s Mela (1971), he acted with younger brother Sanjay Khan and Mumtaz (whose daughter Natasha would later marry his son Fardeen). Soon after he launched his own production house FK International with the action thriller Apradh (1972), co-starring Mumtaz.

Followed by Dharmatma , Qurbani and 5 movies more 

Feroz Khan launched son Fardeen with Prem Aggan (1998) and though the latter's career never quite took off, father and son were very close, both defending each other vigorously through testing times such as the younger Khan's arrest for drug possession in 2001.

Feroz Khan made very few film appearances in the 2000s, possibly due to his age and health issues. He won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. His last appearance was in the film Welcome (2007) as RDX, the top gangster.

Today as a Tribute to him would like to talk about his first Production APRADH which which the Feroz phenomena began. Ram(Feroz Khan) is a dashing Formula-1 race driver and is in Europe to take part in the world championship.He is India's hope at the race.He meets a thief by compulsion Meena(Mumtaz) by chance.

Meena is on a move after stealing a Rs. 15 lakh necklace(2,00,000 U.S. dollars in those days according to the jeweller) and hides the necklace in Ram's attire in a moment of fear.Meena keeps getting back to Ram in search of the necklace as her bosses want the necklace.When Ram comes to know about the whole thing he not only rescues Meena from the gang but falls in love with her as well.In the meantime he manages to win the Formula-One race as well(Indians are still dreaming that one day some Indian will actually do this). After winning the race Ram decides to return to India. A stranger gives him a bottle which supposedly contains medicines which are meant for his elder brother Harnam.However the bottle contains diamonds and Ram is taken by the police. On being released and returning to India Ram feels that he will live a simple life and would not induge in any criminal activities.He marries Meena and they live happily till Harnam(Prem Chopra) comes to them.Diamonds and Meena create a misunderstanding between the brothers.To make matters worse one of Harnam's men breaks away from him and swears to kill Ram. After having lived the life of a criminal for long Harnam finally dies while protecting Ram from the bullets being fired from his own men. In 1993 when in Baazigar,one could not stop praising Abbas-Mustan for shooting a motorcar race in a hindi movie.However in Apradh the hero is shown as a Formula One race driver.Clearly the story of Apradh written by Akhtar-Ul-Iman was way ahead of its time.It was aided by a tight screenplay and good dailogues.Another plus point of the movie is its good music.the songs 'Tum Mile Pyaar se...' and 'Hamaare Sivah..' are popular to this day.

Aye Naujawan hain sab kuch Yahan was the first of the disco rhythms of FK Films. Kalyanji-anandji formed a dream team with Feroz Khan starting with Apradh.Surprisingly they use Kishore(instead of Feroz's favourite Mukesh) as the voice of Feroz Khan which yielded good results.Technically the film is brilliant.The cinematography,sound recording,action sequences,editing and above all the locations are absolutely fabulous. Feroz Khan looks his dashing best in Apradh.Although Feroz became a popular star but he was famous for his supporting roles.This pushed him to become a filmmaker so that he gets a good lead role.Feroz acts quite well and fits in easily to the role of Formula One Race driver.Mumtaz also looks good and acts decently. She is infact the catalyst of the film .The film has some bad acting by the side villains specially the actors who played the gang members of Mumtaz. However if there is one performance which lingers on even after the movie is over it is that of Prem Chopra's.Apradh is arguably Prem Chopra's best performance till date.In a role which gave him ample opportunity to be that bad guy yet be human and have emotions for his younger brother even till the end Chopra gives a sterling performance. (A delayed birthday wish to him as he turned  86 a couple of days back )

Starting from Apradh was another Feroz Khan tradition that was followed in all F.K.International movies.The tradition was that the other lead actor would die in the end and will have a more power packed role as compared to Feroz himself.Whether it is Prem nath in Dharmatma,Vinod Khanna in Qurbani, Anil kapoor in Jaanbaaz or Vinod Khanna in Dayavan,all followed this trend.It is quite surprising that Feroz never casted Prem Chopra after the success of Apradh. To say the obvious,Apradh belongs to Feroz Khan the filmmaker.His work as a producer is evident from the high class production balues of the movie.But it is his work as a director which really impresses.The western influence is very visible throghout the movie.

Foreign locales,cabarets,gangsters and the murder of the lady in bath-tub show that Feroz was highly influenced by English movies.But Feroz surprised one and all in the way he handled the emotional scenes and the bonding between the brothers.He is totally in form even while handling the most Hindustani emotion.The icing on the cake however is the way in which he has shot the Car Race.It is said that he shot the famous Nuremberg Car Race(Germany) with the aid of a prince from the royal family of the Leopolds.I am still waiting for any Indian director to show a car race similar to this one in a Hindi movie. Apradh when released in 1972 was a hit and it started the trend of Feroz Khan's stylised Hindi movies.

A salute to the connoisseur of style and Panache.

46 Years of Fakira.

Released 17th September 1976 Fakira once again brought the producer N.N.Sippy & the cast Shashi Kapoor ,Asrani, Danny ,Madan Puri, and the composer Ravindra Jain of Chor Machaye Shor (1974) together.

Shabana Azmi replaced Mumtaz (who had quit the industry).

Fakira opens with young lads Vijay and Ajay forced to stand by and watch their parents die in a blaze caused by rowdies who are trying to cover up evidence. Shortly afterwards the boys are beaten, chased by the evil rowdies and, of course, separated. They start new lives that will take them on very different journeys, although Vijay still has his friend Popat to hang on to

Vijay grows up to become Fakira (Shashi Kapoor) – Master of disguise, scourge of smugglers and general ladybait.

Fakira, who takes target practice on a dummy bearing a placard reading "smuggler hamare dushman hain" - makes it his mission to redistribute among the poor the loot from his attacks on rich bandits; but money stolen from the government he returns tot he police. Meanwhile the other brother grows up to be Toofan (Danny Denzongpa), a heavy-for-hire employed by a corrupt politician (Madan Puri )to put a swift end to Fakira's career. 

Geeta (Shabana Azmi) - or Neeta, her name keeps changing - is a police commissioner's daughter and an undercover police officer herself who infiltrates Fakira's gang with the intention of bringing him to justice. Her plan is to seduce him to gain his confidence, but she soon finds herself enamoured by Fakira's Shashilicious charm - she's really in love with him, and, before she knows what hit her, really married to him too. All of this is to the distress of Neelam (Aruna Irani), one of Fakira's sidekicks who has tried, repeatedly and unsuccessfully) to seduce him for herself. While Neeta makes up her mind as to whether she's with Fakira or against him, Neelam takes matters into her own hands, forcing a confrontation between Fakira and his nemesis. Popat (Asrani) is the loyal friend.

Fakira's glorification of vigilante social justice through its dashing Robin Hood hero is the clear social message of the film. But there are some fun twists on the usual masala cliches as well. Here it is the hero, not the villain, who dwells in a luxuriously-appointed secret underground lair equipped with high-tech gadgetry. Fakira's glorification of vigilante social justice through its dashing Robin Hood hero is the clear social message of the film.  But there are some fun twists on the usual masala cliches as well.   Here it is the hero, not the villain, who dwells in a luxuriously-appointed secret underground lair equipped with high-tech gadgetry. Fakira’s sound activated lights are used to great effect

 The bad guy is just a corrupt politician, not a criminally insane mastermind.  And Fakira really tickles with some deliciously naughty sequences surrounding Fakira and Neeta/Geeta's first night together (after marriage, of course).

Shashi Kapoor and Shabana are in top form ably supported by Asrani, Aruna Irani (role having similar shades like that of her role in Caravan). Danny does his bit as also Iftekhar, Ramesh Deo and Madan Puri.

Music by Ravindra Jain is melodious.

He carries the Tota Maina story from Chor Machaye Shor to Fakira with Tota Maina Ki Kahani purani ho gayi.

The title song by Mahendra Kapoor is also catchy. Dil Main Tumhe Bithake is pleasing and it's picturisation is beautiful. And for those who have wondered what Iftekhar and Danny Denzongpa might look like in a qawwali showdown, Fakira does provide the answer with Hum toh Jukhkar salaam karte hain.

The director C.P.Dixit does well to make the film entertaining.

Definitely a one time watch.