Buddha Mil Gaya (1971)

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The most surprising fact about Buddha Mil Gaya (BMG) is it’s a murder mystery directed by none other than Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Having said that its not a hardcore suspense or thriller movie. The subtle directorial touches and comedy are noticeable but engulfed in a layer of mystery. It may not be among his classic movies, but BMG with its combination of good acting, story and music make it a highly watchable movie. The fun starts from the titles itself!

The Plot

There are many subplots in the movie which is another uncommon feature for a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie.

We have 2 jobless friends Ajay (Navin Nischol) and Bhola (Deven Verma) who are photographers. They wander around Mumbai photographing random people and expecting to get paid but life is not so kind. Ajay is MA pass, a good singer and writer. It is not explained why he is still jobless!

Both of them are tenants in an old lady (Dadima) Lalita Pawar’s house. Given their condition, they haven’t paid the rent for 3 months and the future looks bleak. Dadima has an adopted granddaughter Deepa (Archana). Deepa lost her parents as a child and Dadima has brought her up as her own grand daughter.

Deepa is aware of the Ajay and Bhola’s dire situation. She stays awake late to give them entry so that Dadima doesn’t meet them and demand the overdue rent and most likely throw them out. She offers them free food and possible money making prospects (like a music teacher’s job for Ajay and information about photography competitions). Deepa is specially fond of Ajay, who reciprocates by dedicating a song to her…“Raat kali ek khwab mein aayi.”

Deepa’s friend is Parvati, an advocate of women’s empowerment. She runs a judo training centre exclusively for women termed “Nari Sena.” She catches Bhola secretly photographing her and her trainees and threatens him with dire consequences. The misunderstanding is cleared when he mentions Deepa’s name. She agrees to support him wholeheartedly in his efforts to participate in the All India photo competition. Parvati soon falls for Bhola’s simple nature and he returns in kind.

Now we come to the movie’s central character Buddha (old man) i.e. Seth Girdharilal Sharma (Om Prakash). Girdharilal is a mysterious character. There is an ad in the newspaper with Girdharilal’s photograph. The ad mentions that Girdharilal is requested to show up by a specific date. Otherwise he will be legally declared as dead and lose his share of Rs 15 lakhs in the business partnership.

Ajay and Bhola are hanging around Hanging Gardens searching for clients. Coincidentally, Girdharilal is resting in the garden and hears Ajay and Bhola talking about the ad. For some unknown reason he attracts their attention. Both recognise him and follow him. They call him their Chachaji (uncle), requesting him to come and stay with them.

A reluctant Girdharilal agrees and goes to their house. Of course their real purpose is to get some money from him to pay their rental dues. Bhola is the mastermind in this scheme and cooks up a story that Chachaji is Ajay’s rich uncle (for Dadima’s benefit).

But Chachaji is not a fool and sees through their scheme. While he hoodwinks them initially and “escapes”, Chachaji soon returns and becomes an integral part of the house. He develops a special bond with Deepa.

In reality, Chachaji has his own plans. And this is related to the business of Rs. 15 lakhs. There are other partners who will benefit if Girdharilal does not return. Among them are Jhunjhunwala (Asit Sen) and Bhagat (Brahm Bharadwaj).

There is a secretary Mona (Sonia Sahni) who has a special interest in peeping through doors and eavesdropping conversations. And a tough character Shetty (played by Shetty) who seems to have his own agenda.

All this leads to a series of murders with the needle of suspicion pointing towards Seth Girdharilal. But who is Girdharilal exactly and does he have a motive for murder – the movie answers the question.

The Music

BMG was the first Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie which had R.D. Burman as the composer. It has two romantic numbers “Raat kali ek khwab mein aayi“and “Bhali bhali si ek soorat.” Both are hugely popular even today.

The show stealer is undoubtedly “Aayo kahan se ghanshyam”, classically rendered by Manna De. It is strategically placed and Girdharilal sings it after each murder has occurred leading to doubts in the minds of Ajay, Bhola and the audience!

Another lesser known gem is “Jiya na lage more jiya” picturised on Archana and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

And finally a weird song featuring Om Prakash, Archana and Aruna Irani – “Oye buddho lambo lambo“

My Thoughts

BMG is an entertaining movie with identical amounts of romance, mystery, comedy and drama.

It is risky to base a movie on a character actor and Om Prakash delivers perfectly. His character moves through a variety of emotions and he carries them wonderfully. His presence is energetic and charming throughout the movie. Of special mention is his “enacting” of the song Aayo kaha se Ghanshyam which is a delight to watch.

Navin Nischol doesnt have much to do. Archana starred in very few movies but here she actually acts well. Deven Verma and Aruna Irani are delightful to watch and share great chemistry. Lalita Pawar excels in a small role with comedic touches.

Unfortunately the movie is not without its flaws. There are some glaring loopholes which are hard to digest. But still BMG retains its charm as a light heated murder mystery from the Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie universe.

Mr. X in Bombay (1964)

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Mr X in Bombay can be termed as one of the first movies to depict the “invisible man” concept. And when its Kishore Kumar playing the lead character, you can be assured of silliness, comedy and some great songs.

The Plot

Our hero is Kavi Sudarshan (Kishore Kumar), who joins Nritya Kala Mandal as a poet cum singer. Here he meets the heroine Shobha Mathur (Kumkum),  an actress and dancer. Sudarshan falls for Shobha. Its not exactly love at first sight! Shobha meets him dressed as an old woman (a character from the play) and then dances on his poetic creation as a young woman. Sudarshan falls for the younger version!

While initially Shobha makes fun of his simple look (read dhoti kurta), she falls in love with him. Sudarshan undergoes a makeover in his dressing sense as well as his music. Sudarshan happily announces to his mother (Leela Mishra) that he has found the “bahu” for her.

Shobha’s father Professor Mathur (Randhir) is a scientist who is inventing interesting(?) products like energy tablets which make humans jump high up in the air and cars that fly.

Shobha tells her father about Sudarshan but he reminds her of the bitter truth and reality. Enter the villain Rajan (Madan Puri) and Neena (Jeevan Kala). Rajan knows a dark secret about Prof Mathur and is blackmailing him. He has sights on Prof Mathur’s promising invention that will make him rich and wants to marry Shobha too as part of the deal.  

Now comes the “invisible” plot point. Due to Rajan’s pressure, Shobha is compelled to reject Sudarshan’s marriage proposal and insults him in her house. Unable to face the reality, Sudarshan writes a suicide note. He sees a poison(?) bottle conveniently lying unattended and drinks it after singing a beautiful parting song – “Mere mehboob qayamat hogi.”

As expected, the so called poison liquid is one of Prof Mathur’s inventions which makes a person invisible. But why is it kept unattended in the house instead of the laboratory is anybody’s guess!

Sudarshan’s tranformation to invisibility leads to those typical Hindi movie funny situations. People cannot see but hear him and term him as a bhoot/atmaa.

The invisible Sudarshan meets Shobha, the professor and his mother and convinces them he is alive. It gives him a chance to teach Rajan a lesson leading to a car chase, kidnappings, a bit of suspense revealing followed by the villain’s bashing and reunion of the lead pair at the end.

The Music

This was one of Laxmikant Pyarelal’s initial movies in their long career. Mere mehboob qayamat hogi is a classic. Other catchy tunes are Khubsoorat haseena janeja janeman and Ye rang-e-mehfil, ye jashn-e-bahaara.

My Thoughts

While an interesting subject when the movie was made, it doesn’t translate into a very entertaining final product. The invisible sequences seem stretched out and the special effects don’t look that convincing. You are invariably reminded of other movies like Mr. India which seem so funny and memorable. It’s the songs that stay with you in this otherwise forgettable film. Kishore Kumar is up to his usual antics.  Madan Puri is good as the negative character.

Trivia shot: Kishore Kumar and Kumkum had starred in another film in the same year (Ganga Ki Lehren).

Swami (1977)

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Swami is a Hindi language movie based on an adaptation of Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s story by the same name. The movie’s producer is Hema Malini’s mother Jaya Chakravarthy and directed by Basu Chatterjee.  The movie brings out an interesting theme whether a man or woman can be independent after marriage and the obligations they have towards each other, their families etc.

The Plot

The movie, in a Bengali setting, begins with Saudamini “Mini”(Shabana Azmi) narrating her story. It’s been 6 months since she got married. She was one year old when her father passed away. After which, she and her mother (Sudha Shivpuri) went to stay with her uncle (Mamaji) (Utpal Dutt). Later Mamaji’s wife also passed away. Mamaji treated her like his own daughter, educated her, and wants her to complete her B.A. (graduation).

Brought up as a progressive and educated girl, Mini indulges in literature induced chats with her uncle. Joining them is the local zamindar’s son and neighbour Naren (Vikram). Mamaji is aware that Vikram’s frequent visits are not for the purpose of chatting and bringing books, but Mini is part of his agenda! Mini too falls for Naren and are hoping to get married.

Mamaji himself is progressive and stays away from orthodox beliefs and rituals. He wants Mini to complete her graduation before getting married. Mini’s mother on the other hand is an orthodox lady, and wants Mini to get married soon and settle down as a normal housewife.  

Fed up with his sister’s pestering, mamaji visits Madhupur for a proposed match. Mamaji assures Mini he will reject the match as he knows about her and Naren.

The proposed groom Ghanshyam (Girish Karnad) is a food grain trader and less educated than Mini. This is his second marriage. He is the eldest son of the house staying with his step mother (Shashikala), who has a married son (Dheeraj Kumar) and a daughter Charu (Preeti Ganguli).

Unfortunately, mamaji suffers a heart attack while returning from Madhupur. On his death bed, he tells Mini that Ghanshyam is the right match for her. He advises her “Naren can provide her love but Ghanshyam can carry on the responsibility brought by marriage.” Mamaji passes away leaving Mini shattered.

Her marriage to Ghanshyam is a forced marriage and she needs time to adjust in her in-laws’ home and more importantly accept Ghanshyam as her husband. Her husband is the major bread earner of the house who slogs throughout the day. But its his stepbrother Nikhil who gets all the attention. Ghanshyam accepts everything patiently.

While she slowly accepts the situation, Naren comes visiting as Nikhil’s friend to complicate matters. Things reach a point when Mini decides to leave the house with Naren while Ghanshyam is away. And this leads us to the movie’s climax where a lifelong decision awaits Mini.

The Music

Rajesh Roshan is the composer with lyrics by Amit Khanna.

2 songs that stand out are Pal bhar me ye kya ho gaya by Lata Mangeshkar and the classical music thumri “remake” “Kaa karoon sajani aaye na balam, passionately sung by K.J. Yesudas.

My Thoughts

The film belongs to Shabana Azmi. What a performer she is! She starts off as the impressive and chirpy Mini but has to mellow down after the sudden forced marriage. She is ready to tackle her mother-in-law when required and live on her terms. Gradually, she is impressed by her husband’s nature and his progressive views especially on how women need to be treated. This leads to the first thaw in their strained relationship. And we see a more mature Mini blossoming. But things take a turn for the worse when Naren arrives and she takes a stand against the whole house.

Girish Karnad appears too down to earth in the beginning but gives space to his new wife to settle down amicably. He is clear on what is right or wrong and doesn’t back away from expressing his stand to Mini or other members of the family. He brings out the balanced character nicely.

Other cast members including Utpal Dutt and Shashikala are good. 

Overall, this is an entertaining movie from Basu Chatterjee. It somehow reminds me of his another movie Apne Paraye (1980), also based on a novel by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee.

Trivia Shot – Dharmendra & Hema Malini appear in cameos in a song. They had played cameos in another Basu Chatterjee movie Chhoti Si Baat (1976) and can be seen in the song Jaaneman jaaneman tere do nayan.