Khudgarz (1987)

My Reviews,

Khudgarz was the directorial debut of Rakesh Roshan. Khudgarz means “selfish” or “self interested” and is the story of 2 friends played by Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha. Typically, one is rich while the other is of the illiterate and poor villager type. In spite of the differences in their background, they are thick friends. A series of misunderstandings leads to cracks in their friendship and has a long term impact on their relationship.

The plot may seem predictable but it has its moments. It was a success at the box office and established Rakesh Roshan as a successful producer and director. Apparently, he thought the letter K was lucky and named his subsequent films beginning with “K.” To name a few, there were Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), Kishen Kanhaiya (1990), Khel (1992), King Uncle (1993), Karan Arjun (1995) and Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (2000).

The Plot

Amar Saxena (Master Rinku) is the only son of a rich hotelier Brij Bhushan Saxena (Saeed Jaffrey). Amar’s mother has passed away. He longs for his father’s company who is always busy in his work. Brij Bhushan is a calculative man looking for some gain in his every action.

One day, Amar is going in his car when the driver accidentally splashes mud on a boy called Bihari – Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (Master Javed). An angry Bihari throws a stone and shatters the car’s rear glass. Amar steps out and the boys get into a fight rolling in the mud. Bihari’s sister Lalita calls her mother (Sushma Seth), who stops the boys.

Things are sorted out. Bihari’s mother tells Amar that he is also like a son to her. Amar starts visiting the family regularly. He develops a close friendship with Bihari and treats Lalita as his sister. Every year, Lalita ties a rakhi on the wrists of both her brothers. The 2 boys are inseparable and this is underlined with the song Zindagi ka naam dosti (featuring Rishi Kapoor in a cameo).

The boys grow up, played by Jeetendra (Amar) and Shatrughan Sinha (Bihari). Their friendship continues. Amar handles his father’s hotel business. Bihari owns a small restaurant/hotel next to his house. He also owns a tract of prime land in front of his house. He has got many offers but he has no interest in selling the land and happy to live a simple life with his family.

Some time is spent on the romantic tracks of the friends. Amar is in love with a girl Jaya (Bhanupriya), who works as a florist. After some initial hiccups, they get married. Brij Bhushan is not amused as Jaya is not from a rich family but respects his son’s wishes.

Bihari is attracted to Lata (Amrita Singh) who works as a construction worker. After an irritating track and with Amar’s helping hand, they admit their love for each other.

Brij Bhushan plans to gift a 5 star hotel to Amar as a marriage gift. The problem is the land on the proposed site is owned by Bihari. Amar goes to meet Bihari with the proposal – he will continue to own the land and the profits of the hotel will be shared 50:50 by both the parties.

Bihari is more than willing to help Amar. But Brij Bhushan is a shrewd businessman. He makes Bihari “sign” documents to give up his ownership of the land. Bihari is an illiterate man and readily gives his thumb impression on the documents. Amar is unaware of this move.

The hotel is ready. On the inauguration day, the chief guest (played by Abhi Bhattacharya) points out to Bihari’s house and hotel on the premises which is an eyesore. Brij Bhushan tells him that it will be taken care of soon. Amar is busy attending Bihari’s wedding (on the same day).

Sudhir (Kiran Kumar) is a close confidante of Brij Bhushan and a corrupt man. He raises the issue of demolishing Bihari’s house and hotel. Brij Bhushan knows this is difficult and seeks Amar’s help.

Amar goes to meet Bihari and promises a huge house and hotel in return of demolishing his property. Bihari is totally against the demolition. The house is the result of his father’s blood and sweat and he will continue to live in it. Amar tries to convince him that he should change for the better but Bihari is in no mood to listen and slaps Amar. This is the first sign of a strain in their friendship. Later, Amar gets drunk and can barely remember what happened after his meeting with Bihari.

Brij Bhushan and Sudhir are waiting for this opportunity. They proceed with the demolition on the same night. Bihari is shattered and goes to confront Amar. Amar claims that he doesn’t know anything about the demolition. Sudhir intervenes and tells him that this action was taken on his advice. Amar is unable to recall the conversation as he was drunk.

Bihari blames Amar for his plight and lectures him. This is one of the most important scenes of the film. He challenges Amar that he will compete with him and build his own hotel business.

Circumstances lead to Bihari and Sudhir joining hands. Unfortunately, Bihari does not know Sudhir’s real character and starts trusting him. Bihari manages to obtain a loan from the bank and begin his journey of being a successful businessman. He doesn’t miss any opportunity to compete with Amar, be it an auction or the hotelier association’s presidential election.

Meanwhile, Lalita’s marriage is arranged with Sudhir. Amar and Jaya (who is pregnant) are attacked as they try to reach the marriage venue. Jaya gets seriously injured. She delivers a boy and passes away in the hospital. Bihari’s mother goes to offer her condolences hoping that things will improve between Amar and Bihari.

But that is not to be. The rivalry between Amar and Bihari continues. Years pass and Bihari and Lata have a daughter. Amar and Bihari’s children (played by Govinda and Neelam in a special appearance) fall in love. But they have to overcome the hurdle of their respective fathers.

Will the children help their fathers to reconcile? Will things be normal between the ex-friends? Will Sudhir be exposed?

The Music

The songs were written by Indivar and composed by Rajesh Roshan. The Zindagi ka naam dosti track appears thrice. The most popular song is Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se picturized on Govinda and Neelam.

My Thoughts

Khudgarz is a well made film of its time but may appear boring today. It talks about friendship being over and above everything else. It has a typical family drama feel of the 80s. Nevertheless it was instrumental in establishing Rakesh Roshan as a successful director, who went to make some interesting films on different subjects. He is also credited with the story idea of Khudgarz.

Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha are good in their roles but don’t appear convincing as young men. They are more suitable in their older avatars. You are reminded of similarities with Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel novel when the two bitter rivals take on each other and their children get romantically involved in spite of knowing their fathers will not approve.

Bhanupriya looks and behaves like Sridevi! It is strange that Amrita Singh agreed to play Neelam’s mother’s role so early in her career. The rest of the cast perform as required. Kadar Khan appears in an unwanted comedy side plot. Music wise, the song Aap ke aa jaane se has retained its popularity.

Ina Mina Dika (1989)

My Reviews

What happens if someone looks at a photo and the person or object in the photo materialises in front of you? The Marathi film Ina Mina Dika is based on this fantasy. It is a comedy film starring Ashok Saraf, Prashant Damle, Archana Patkar, Rekha Rao and Sudhir Joshi. Archana Patkar had produced the film while Raju Parsekar was the director. As evident, the title is borrowed from the famous song Ina Mina Dika from Aasha (1957). There was also a Hindi film Eena Meena Deeka (1994), but based on a different plot.

The Plot

Vasudeo Inamdar (Prashant Damle) is known as Ina. Ina works as a clerk in an office on a meager salary. He is not known for his efficiency. He sleeps in the office and commits some blunders like dispatching a consignment of apples to Kashmir! No wonder, the apples are sent back, leading to the frustration of his boss Mr. J D Shahane (Viju Khote). Shahane vents out his fury on Ina and orders the loss to be recovered from his salary each month.

Ina’s wife is Shalu/Shalini (Archana Patkar). They had a love marriage but Shalu is frustrated because Ina is unable to fulfill any of her wishes. The items on her wish list include a colour TV, refrigerator, steel cupboard and so on. She is a dominating character and knows how to have her way.

Without informing Ina, she brings a colour TV home on instalment basis. Ina is angry and helpless at Shalu’s behaviour but she is no mood to listen. He tells her he does not have the resources to fulfill her demands. He sees a Mehmood song playing on the TV – Main marne chala hoon. Drawing inspiration, Ina attempts suicide by putting a rope around his neck and hanging from the ceiling fan in the kitchen. Unfortunately the rope is flimsy and he falls down. Shalu rushes to see what happened.

Ina is admitted to the hospital. His close friend Mina (Ashok Saraf) comes to visit him. His full name is Digambar Minapure. He explains in detail the origin of Ina’s and Mina’s short names. Mina is a car mechanic but he is shown flirting with girls rather than enjoying the company of cars.

In one such scene, he attempts to flirt with a girl when her car breaks down. The girl intends to teach him a lesson and summons her friends. They gang up and start beating Mina. He is saved by Laxmi (Rekha Rao), a tiffin delivery girl (dabbewali) by profession. As expected, there will be a romantic track between the two.

Ina is recovering but a new complication enters his life. If he looks at a photo and falls asleep, the person or object in the photo will come to life in his dreams. This happens for the first time in the hospital, when he looks at the girl in the calendar. This is Sonika, a film actress (played by Anuradha Patel). She comes alive, fondles him and also sings a song. It takes some time for Ina to realize his “problem” and convince others that he is speaking the truth. This leads to some hilarious experiences. Ina sees his childhood photo, falls asleep, and the young Ina comes to meet him.

Later, to convince Mina, he looks at a painting of Narasimha and the man-lion avatar materialises and attempts to kill Mina. Ina wakes up in time and Mina is saved (as the avatar vanishes when the dream breaks).

Shalu is concerned about Ina’s problem and goes to a psychiatrist Dr D’costa (Sudhir Joshi) for consultation. He agrees to meet and treat Ina. Ina names him Dr. “Dika”. But Dika is a crooked character. He is engaged in some criminal activities like drug trading and distribution. He sees an opportunity to earn easy money with Ina’s assistance.

He makes Ina look at a photo of currency notes and then hypnotises him to fall asleep. As expected, money materialises from thin air. His plan is ready.

Dika manipulates Shalu and convinces her to help him in his money generation scheme by using Ina’s special ability. Shalu is reluctant but agrees when he promises that she can have all the luxuries she had been wishing for. The scheme is successful. The only catch is the money will disappear as soon as Ina wakes up. Through proper planning, Dika manages to procure the money and spend it before it vanishes. Poor Ina is subjected to prolonged periods of induced sleep.

But Mina is suspicious of Dr Dika. Through chance meetings, he knows about the man’s character and is worried about Ina. With the help of Laxmi (who is now his wife), he decides to expose the doctor and save his friend.

Will he be successful? And what about Shalu? Will she let go of her greed and enjoy a normal life with Ina?

The Music

The music by Shrikant Telang is good but the songs don’t contribute much to the story. Sudesh Bhosle, Uttara Kelkar and Jayshree Shivram lend their voices to Shantaram Nandgaonkar’s lyrics.

My Thoughts

The film works mostly because of its casting. Ashok Saraf is impeccable in his timing and reactions. Prashant Damle and Archana Patkar are perfect as the quarreling husband and wife. Sudhir Joshi plays the vile cum comedy character of the doctor convincingly.

The fantasy scenes could have been more exciting but this would be because of budget constraints. Some of the comedy scenes are stretched, the Ashok Saraf and Rekha Rao track could have been trimmed. There are masala elements like a cameo from a Hindi actress (Anuradha Patel), a seduction song between Shalu and the doctor, and the climax chase sequence shot in Goa to keep the viewer engaged. Overall, a decent effort!

“Holi” 90s songs

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Its time for Holi and today’s post is a celebration of film songs based on this colorful festival. It is probably the most favorite festival depicted in Hindi cinema. There have been some all time hit songs all the way from Holi Aayi Re Kanhai, Jaa Re Hat Natkhat, Aaj Na Chhodenge Bas Humjoli, Holi Ke Din and Rang Barse. It is a long list and the songs have continued to remain popular.

Today’s post is about post 90s Holi songs. There are some traditional and others with a modern touch in line with the times. Needless to say, the festival and theme continues to stay relevant in Hindi cinema. So enjoy, and which songs do you remember?

1) Song: Ang Se Ang Lagaana
Film: Darr (1993)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Shiv-Hari | Sudesh Bhosle, Vinod Rathod, Devaki Pandit, Alka Yagnik and chorus

Darr is the story of love and obsession. Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla are celebrating Holi with her bhaiya Anupam Kher and bhabhi Tanvi Azmi. Everything is all right until Shah Rukh Khan enters disguised as a Dhol player. An entertaining song as you wait to see what happens next. Shiv Hari had given us the evergreen Rang Barse from Silsila, which was also a Yash Chopra production.

2) Song: Rang Di Rang Di
Film: Dhanwaan (1993)
Credits: Sameer | Anand-Milind | Nitin Mukesh, Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Chorus

This is a melodious composition in Raag Shivaranjani. The song starts on a sombre note but becomes lively when Karisma Kapoor remembers the Holi celebrations in a flashback. Ajay Devgan and Manisha Koirala are her co-actors, celebrating in full swing.

3) Song: Jhankaaro Jhankaaro
Film: Krantiveer (1994)
Credits: Sameer | Anand-Milind| Udit Narayan, Sapna Awasthi and chorus

Krantiveer was a hard hitting film but also featured some melodious and catchy numbers. Nana Patekar forces Dimple Kapadia to tell her story. She reacts in shock and mentions one word “Holi” as she remembers this song in a flashback. In happier times, she is celebrating Holi with her lover (played by Girish Malik) but their life is going to change soon.

4) Song: More Kanha Jo Aaye Palat Ke
Film: Sardari Begum (1996)
Credits: Javed Akhtar | Vanraj Bhatia | Asha Bhosle

And now a different flavour. This is not a typical song with Holi visuals. The protagonist Kirron Kher (and Smriti Mishra who played the young Sardari) enact the song as part of a song recording scene and a stage performance. It is a thumri style song based on raag Pilu. It describes the Holi sequence involving Lord Krishna or Kanha. The lyrics, music, and rendition are all impactful.

5) Song: Soni Soni Ankhiyon Wali
Film: Mohabbatein (2000)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Jatin-Lalit | Udit Narayan, Jaspinder Narula, Manohar Shetty, Udbhav, Ishaan, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Pritha Mazumdar

This is a multi starrer of a song in all respects. Shah Rukh Khan enjoys the festivities with his students (Uday Chopra, Jimmy Shergill and Jugal Hansraj), and their love interests (Shamita Shetty, Preeti Jhangiani and Kim Sharma). Not to forget Anupam Kher and Archana Puran Singh carrying forward their track from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Aishwarya Rai makes an appearance as well. The song is a combination of festive celebration, teasing with a touch of romance.

6) Song: Hori Khele Raghuveera
Film: Baghban (2003)
Credits: Sameer | Aadesh Shrivastava | Amitabh Bachchan, Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik

This song immediately reminds you of Rang Barse. The tune is inspired from the folk music of Uttar Pradesh and sung by Amitabh Bachchan himself. While he plays an aged character, he enjoys to the fullest with his wife (played by Hema Malini) and joined by family and friends.

7) Song: Holi Re
Film: Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
Credits: Javed Akhtar | A. R. Rahman | Aamir Khan, Udit Narayan, Madhushree, Srinivas and Chinmayee Sripada

This song has the stamp of A. R. Rahman and you are reminded of Lagaan’s music. A good song but somehow not remembered easily today. The song showcases a boisterous celebration of Holi with Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherji participating.

8) Song: Do Me A Favour Lets Play Holi
Film: Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005)
Credits: Sameer | Anu Malik | Anu Malik and Sunidhi Chauhan

A desi song with a western twist, courtesy Anu Malik. He also lends vocals to this different number. Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra perform the song which is a mix of traditional and western elements, right from the lyrics, choreography to the costumes. Its different, but catchy.

9) Song: Itna Mazaa…Balam Pichkari
Film: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)
Credits: Amitabh Bhattacharya | Pritam | Vishal Dadlani & Shalmali Kholgade

This is arguably the most famous Holi song post 1990s. The infectious tune makes you want to groove. And it is a treat to watch. Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur add their glamour to to the setting.

10) Song: Gori Tu Latth Maar
Film: Toilet – Ek Prem Katha (2017)
Credits: Siddharth-Garima | Manas-Shikhar | Sonu Nigam & Palak Muchhal

And the final and a unique song in this list. It showcases the tradition of Latth Maar Holi from the Barsana and Nandgaon towns in Mathura. Here the women hit the men with sticks who try to shield themselves. In the movie, the heroine Bhoomi Pednekar is adamant to have a toilet installed in her husband’s house. He disagrees and she leaves him. He comes to meet her during Holi. This is an opportunity for him to seek forgiveness. Will she relent?