The Sai Paranjape-Faaroque Sheikh Equation

Down Memory Lane

19th March was Sai Paranjape's birthday.

Today 25th is the late Farooque Sheikh's 76th 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 world of mainstream Hindi cinema, actors need stock ingredients to deliver salable performances. Farooque Shaikh was never on the list. However 

Farooque Shaikh’s untimely death at the age of 65 in 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 Farooque Shaikh and Dipti 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, Farooque Shaikh makes him irresistible.

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

Yodha

First Day Review YODHA

In a current trend Bollywood is taking action in to the skies for the audience. After Runway 34, Tejas, Fighter, and Operation Valentine from the South, Yodha is the latest in the trend of aerial adventures.

To add to this is the Dash of 

Desh Bhakti and it has become a delicious menu to serve.

The story is wafer thin..

Following in the footsteps of his late father,Surender Katyal (Ronit Roy), who is the founder of the Yodha Task force , Our hero Arun Katyal (Sidharth Malhotra) also joins the Yodha Task Force. Arun’s critical mission during the Amritsar plane hijack, where his efforts tragically led to the death of a VIP passenger whose security he was responsible for, results in the suspension of the Yodha task force. A few years later, Arun finds himself on another hijacked plane.

He is now into Inflight security.

Circumstances However, make his former coworkers. and the government suspect him of orchestrating the hijack as a form of revenge for the Yodha Task Force’s dismissal. Is Arun the villain as portrayed, or is there more to the story? We find out everything eventually.

Directed by newcomers Pushkar Ojha and Sagar Ambre, the highlight of the film is the combat scenes in the skies, some of which take you to the edge of your seats. Sidharth Malhotra, once again, impresses with his screen presence, booming voice, and agility. Moving with a sense of purpose that the character demands, here is a young action hero who doesn’t need to announce his presence by going bare-chested but his neonate charisma and his wife Priyamwada played by Rashii Khanna’s also matches him.

Disha Patni plays her part well.

The physical punches land well but the emotional ones are a bit tame. The surprise element crucial for the middle portion.

The Twists are interesting

Overall, the delightfully twisted narrative, characters, and breathtaking action sequences make for an enjoyable experience even if you have seen it many times off late. This action adventure resembles a plane journey; while the takeoff may not be smooth, as the journey progresses, it draws you in. Despite some turbulence in the narrative, eventually, you’ll be glad you ventured on this exhilarating ride.

I give it 3.5 *stars out of 5