Haatim Tai (1990)

My Reviews,

There was a time when mythological and fantasy films were popular in Hindi cinema. Some of them were full of trick scenes and special effects. Trends changed and the number of such film greatly reduced as the 90s arrived. Haatim Tai is one such fantasy adventure film. It is based on the character of Hatim Al Tai or simply Hatim Tai who was a part of Arab folklore. Apparently, he was a real person well known for his generosity. His reference has been included in the Arabian Nights.

The story of Haatim’s adventures offered a rich potential of fantasy filled entertainment which our film makers took notice of. There was a film called Hatim Tai made in 1956. Babubhai Mistry was credited for its special effects. The 1990 version was produced by Ratan Mohan and Babubhai Mistry took charge of the special effects and direction. The film stars Jeetendra, Sangeeta Bijlani, Sonu Walia, Raza Murad, Satish Shah and Amrish Puri.

The Plot

The film begins with the birth of Haatim whose father is an emperor. The location mentioned is Yemen. The boy grows up to be a young man (Jeetendra). He prays to Allah hoping to spend his life being useful to others. He is shown as a highly helpful and generous man. There is a huge gathering of needy people in front of his palace where Haatim and his servant cum companion Nazrul (Satish Shah) distribute money, clothes etc.

One day, princess Mariam (Reshma Singh?), daughter of a rich merchant Barzat (Raza Murad) comes to him seeking is intervention. Mariam is in love with Munir (Vijayendra Ghatge) but her father is opposing the marriage. He has told her outright that she cannot get married. Haatim is surprised to hear this and goes to meet Barzat.

Barzat tells them the reason for his behaviour. One night, he was sleeping when a fairy called Gulnaar Pari (Sangeeta Bijlani) entered his palace. He wakes up and is surprised to see her. He is enticed by her beauty and grabs her forcefully. Further he is unable to control himself and tries to molest her.

Gulnaar is furious and admonishes him for his behaviour. She curses him that his daughter Mariam will never be able to marry. If she marries, her husband will die the same night and Mariam will turn to stone. Saying this, Gulnaar herself starts turning into a beautiful stone sculpture. Barzat is shocked but manages to plead for forgiveness before she has completed her transformation.

Gulnaar acknowledges his apology and leaves him with 7 questions. She will return to her original form once the questions or riddles are solved. So that is the reason for Barzat’s unexpected behaviour.

As expected, Haatim volunteers to attempt and solve the questions. This means he will have to embark on a dangerous journey in search of the answers. But he has made up his mind. Nazrul joins him on his mission. They take leave of Barzat, Munir and Mariam and start their journey.

The journey involves travelling through long stretches of desert and jungles which have surprises along the way. Haatim manages to face the obstacles and solve one question after the other successfully.

They come across men who are tied upside down and women with their heads hanging from a tree. And tree like creatures with blinking red eyes trying to crush them.

There is a young woman who has developed animal like features. And a jinn who wants to eat Nazrul, who has come to meet him disguised as a young girl.

In between all this, Haatim meets Gulnaar Pari’s twin sister Pari Bano (also called Husna). He falls in love with her. Pari’s father Alok Nath is the ruler of Paristaan. He is furious that his daughter has fallen in love with a human being. He orders to teach Haatim a lesson by blinding him. But Allah comes to the rescue of Haatim. There is an earthquake and Pari Bano’s younger brother loses his eyesight suddenly. The boy’s father realizes his mistake and is convinced that Haatim is indeed a Khuda kaa nek banda (i.e. a righteous, virtuous, or godly person”—literally “a good/pious servant of God”).

Having sorted out his romantic life, Haatim moves ahead to solve the remaining riddles. He meet a very old woman who transforms into the beautiful and young Saira (Sonu Walia) after Haatim breaks a highly valuable magical pearl. Saira tells him about Kamlaq the wicked magician (Amrish Puri). Kamlaq was after the pearl and is furious when he cannot lay hands on it.

Kamlaq captures Haatim, Nazrul and Saira. He already has Husna in captivity. This is the final challenge for Haatim. The killing of Kamlaq will solve the 7th riddle.

Will Haatim be successful and defeat the evil magician? Will Gulnaar be free? Will he marry his beloved Pari? The answer is revealed after more magic and special effects in the climax.

The Music

The songs are forgettable and do not add any value to the story. They pop up randomly. The lyrics are by Hasan Kamal and music by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Mohammad Aziz, Anuradha Paudwal, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Anupama Deshpande lend their voices to the predictable tunes. Amrish Puri sings a few lines in the climax song Aaj bachna hai mushkil tera.

My Thoughts

Haatim Tai is a film of missed opportunities. The fantasy genre is interesting with all the special effects that go into its making. That is meant to be the biggest draw for the audience. Unfortunately, the film fails badly in this department. Babubhai Mistry is regarded as a pioneer of special effects but the effort here is sadly underwhelming. Probably, the film’s budget was not supportive of the scale of fantasy that the story demanded. The sets are bad and you don’t feel like watching a film based in the land of the Arabs. The least they could have done was to show fake date trees in the background.

In one scene in the climax, Haatim and Kamlaq fight on a flying carpet. You can see they pass through Duke’s Nose in Lonavala near Pune (screen shot above!). They could have easily used footage of a desert in that scene.

You get tired of hearing that “Khuda kaa nek banda” phrase and Jeetendra has a signature pose throughout the film (that’s the nek banda praying).

Jeetendra looks old and puts in a boring and predictable performance. The other cast members seems to be inspired by him. Satish Shah attempts to add some flavour with his comedy sidekick role. It is left to the dependable Amrish Puri to instill some terror with his villanous act and is fairly successful. Frankly, you are bored by the time the film moves towards the final fight sequence and Haatim overcomes the final hurdle. The film ends on a happy note but cannot say the same about the audience. I wonder if the 1956 version was any better but it would be interesting to find out, right?

“Parody Songs”

My Lists

Welcome to the world of parody songs which was a popular genre at one time but has slowly faded from the current generation of movies. The dictionary meaning of parody refers to a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule. How well said!

Parody songs are not “original” songs in the true sense. A parody composition replaces the original lyrics of a song with (often) funny / satirical lyrics. The tune is same but the lyrics are altered to suit the film situation. They are typically used as part of the comedy side plot where a single song or a string of songs depict the humorous or dramatic situation in the story. In older films, these songs would be commonly picturized on the supporting actors or comedians.

If done correctly, the songs are highly enjoyable and hilarious to watch (a classic example is Mr. India). The fun part is identifying the original songs and appreciating the remixed lyrics. No wonder, the lyricist has to be skilled enough to think of convincing lyrics for every song to make an impact.

I have collated 10 such songs, all from pre-90s films. The links are also shared in the song title. Hope you enjoy and let me know your favourites.

1) Song: Aaye Na Baalam, Ka Karoon Sajni
Film: Main Chup Rahungi (1962)
Credits: Rajendra Krishan | Chitragupta | Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Chorus

This is a cute song from a school drama depicting an orphaned rabbit who takes on the mighty lion. Master Babloo performs the role of the rabbit as Meena Kumari and Sunil Dutt watch the performance. The songs includes parodies of well known songs like Aaye na baalam ka karoon sajni, Yahoo, Itna na mujhse tu pyaar badha, Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar, Dadi amma dadi amma maan jaao, Husnawale tera jawab nahi, Dhoondo dhoondo re saajana, Zara saamne to aao chhaliye.

2) Song: Jaa Raha Hoon Main
Film: Akashdeep (1965)
Credits: Majrooh Sultanpuri | Chitragupta | Manna Dey, S. Balbir and Asha Bhosle

Akashdeep was a forgettable movie in spite of big names like Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Nanda and Nimmi but it had good music. This song features Mehmood as the performer with his wife Shubha Khote sitting in the audience. He is fed up of his wife and thinking of marrying a second time. This thought is described in the funny song which includes parodies of Ruk jaa o janewali ruk jaa, Jo wada kiya woh, Ae gulbadan, Main to tum sang, Kabhi to milegi, Tum mujhe bhool bhi jaao, Zaroorat hai, Mujhko apne gale lagalo.

3) Song: Dheere Re Chalo Meri Langdi Bandariya
Film: Insaaf (1966)
Credits: Akhtar Romani | Usha Khanna | Johnny Whisky and Usha Khanna

Insaaf was a B Grade movie starring Prithviraaj Kapoor, Dara Singh, Helen etc. This lesser known parody track is enacted by the comedian Johnny Whisky along with Jeevan Kala. It is a typical situation where the comedian is trying to woo his love interest and she asks him to leave her alone. He calls her a monkey and she responds in kind. They sing altered versions of songs like Main kya karu Ram mujhe buddha mil gaya, Gudiya hamse roothi rahogi, Teri pyaari pyari surat ko, Mere mehboob qayamat hogi, Ek tu jo mila, Bol Radha bol sangam. Interestingly, Johnny Whisky is credited as the singer of the song; his voice resembles that of Mukesh.

4) Song: Suno Suno Kanyaon Ka Warnan
Film: Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968)
Credits: Prakash Mehra (?) | Kalyanji Anandji | Mohammed Rafi and Mahesh Kumar

Shashi Kapoor plays a college student conducting “research” about different types of girls. He presents his findings to his friends in the form of 4 parody songs. Mohammed Rafi sings the male song (Mere desh ki dharti), while Mahesh Kumar is credited for the female songs (Pardesiyon se na ankhiyaan milana, Jogan ban jaungi saiyyan tore kaaran, Ab aage teri marzi, originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar). The mimicked female voice sounds like that of Mubarak Begum. Shashi Kapoor looks cute in drag and he performs with conviction proving how good an actor he was!

5) Song: Chhahe Koi Mujhe Bhoot Kahe
Film: Waris (1969)
Credits: Rajinder Krishan | R. D. Burman | Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle

This song is picturized on Mehmood and Aruna Irani as they try to rescue Baby Sonia (Neetu Singh) from some goons. They sing parodies of numbers like Yahoo, Dil ke jharokhon mein, Tu kitni achchi hai, An evening in Paris, Mere saamne wali khidki, Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera as they tackle the bad guys. All seem to be enjoying the scene!

6) Song: Chal Chal Re Naujawaan
Film: Ek Phool Do Mali (1969)
Credits: Prem Dhawan | Ravi | Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle

This is a comedy song enacted by the supporting characters of David, Manorama, Brahmachari and Shabnam. Manorama wants her son in law (Brahmachari) to climb a mountain. He has no intention of doing so but is coaxed by his in-laws and wife. This leads to some funny lyrics from songs like Chal chal re naujawan, Jo wada kiya woh, Dil ke jharokhon mein, Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi, Dil ki kahaani rang layi, Neel gagan par udte baadal, Mere saamne wali khidki mein, PArde mein rehne do and Ye Raste Hai Pyaar Ke. The singing and the acting is too good.

7) Song: Mere Saamne Wale Kamre Mein
Film: Lakhon Mein Ek (1971)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | R. D. Burman | Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle

Lakhon Mein Ek was one of the films where Mehmood played the central character. The film revolves around his character and his neighbours, who all stay in a chawl. There is a married couple played by Ramesh Deo and Shubha Khote. The wife starts singing the song to tease her husband. They sings versions of RD & SD Burman songs like Mere saamne wali khidki mein, Puchho ho na kaise maine, Ye jo mohabbat hai, Jhan jhan jhan jhan paayal baaje, Mere sapno ki rani and O mere sona re.

8) Song: Ye Kaun Hai Ye Kaun Hai
Film: Main Sundar Hoon (1971)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Shankar Jaikishan| Mukesh, Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle

This is another film in which Mehmood plays the central character. He is Sundar, who becomes a film star. In this scene, he is part of a fund raising campaign organized by film stars. He performs a skit on family planning. Aruna Irani plays his wife. The performance is filled with parodies of songs like Wo kaun hai wo kaun hai, Teri pyaari pyaari surat ko, Roop tera mastana and Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo.

9) Song: Radha Pyaar De
Film: Insaaf Ki Awaaz (1986)
Credits: Indeevar | Bappi Lahiri | Kishore Kumar, S. Janaki and Chorus

This in one of the cringiest songs and shows everything that was wrong in 1980s cinema. There is a comedy track between a married couple Jagdeep and Aruna Irani. Her ex-lover Asrani shows up and openly flirts with her. The result is this song which depicts Asrani as Lord Krishna and Aruna Irani as Radha; they belt out parodies of Bappi Lahiri songs. The lyrics are funny but the picturization is offensive. I doubt if such a song can be imagined and executed today.

10) Song: Na Maange Sona Chandi
Film: Mr India (1987)
Credits: Javed Akhtar | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Shabbir Kumar, Anuradha Paudwal and Chorus

And finally the all time favorite song. It is a rare parody song which is picturized on the main leads. All songs parodied are compositions by Laxmikant Pyarelal. From Na maangu sona chandi (Bobby) to Om Shanti Om (Karz), it is amusing to listen to and view the classic songs in a different context.

Tu Sukhkarta (1993)

My Reviews,

Its the time of the year to welcome the elephant God Ganesha / Ganpati and I thought it was apt to write about a movie dedicated to this revered deity. Last year, I has written about Ashtavinayak, a Marathi film which revolved around the believer v/s non-believer theme. Today I am writing about a 90s film, Tu Sukhkarta (loosely translated as someone who gives or brings joy and happiness).

It is primarily a comedy film but gives a message that if you have full faith in your devotion of Ganpati, it can turn difficult challenges into achievable goals. The star cast consists of familiar faces like Ashok Saraf, Nivedita Joshi-Saraf and Laxmikant Berde among others. The film is directed by N. S. Vaidya.

The Plot

The story revolves around the Devbhakta family. Sudhir Joshi is the head of the family. His wife is Nayantara. They stay in a bungalow with their 2 children – Varsha and Manya. We don’t see any servants in the house and both husband and wife spend the whole day at home!

Varsha (Nivedita Saraf), is a science graduate. But she too stays at home immersed in the devotion of Ganpati. She is spiritually inclined. She is a vegetarian, likes to dress in traditional attire and stays away from the latest fashion trends. Her parents want her to get married soon and have been looking for a suitable match. One of the prospective grooms is Mr. Sontakke, a doctor who is moving to the US. But Varsha is rejected because she is not “modern” enough and unfit to settle in the US given her background and beliefs.

Varsha’s father is furious at her. She tries to calm him down stating that if Ganesha wants her to get married, it will happen at the appropriate time. It is the will of the God. But he has had enough. He questions her belief terming it as superstition.

Varsha’s brother is Manohar alias Manya (Laxmikant Berde). He is the working member of the family. His love interest is Aarti (Nishigandha Wad), who has recently completed a nursing course. Aarti’s aunt (played by Ashalata Wabgaonkar) is a dominating character. For some reason she despises men and is against Manya’s marriage with Aarti. This results in a comedy track between the 3 characters.

Aarti’s aunt works a matron in Siddheshwar Clinic run by Dr. Vijay (Sunil Shende). She arranges for Aarti to get a job in the clinic. Vijay is supportive and Aarti is appointed as a nurse.

Vijay is a close friend of Manya and Varsha is like a sister to him. Manya tells him about the marriage proposal rejection. Vijay recommends him a marriage bureau called “Hamkhas Vivah Mandal” which had helped him to get married. Manya immediately goes to the Hamkhas office and registers Varsha’s name. He is told that their representative will pay a visit to Manya’s house.

Dr Vijay’s clinic is called Siddheshwar Clinic whereas the Devbhakta bungalow is named Siddheshwar Niwas. As both are located very close to each other there is a frequent confusion between the patients and visitors of the two parties. This confusion leads to the arrival of a man called Vinayak Vighnaharte (Ashok Saraf) in the Devbhakta bungalow.

The family has been desperately waiting for the marriage bureau representative to visit their house. They mistakenly assume Vinayak as the man they were looking for and welcome him wholeheartedly. Vinayak tries to explain that he is looking for Dr. Vijay but the family assumes he is referring to Vijay’s recommendation of the marriage bureau. Vinayak politely explains that he cannot accept their request to arrange Varsha’s marriage. Manya and his parents are angry at this behaviour. Vinayak is about to leave when he hears Varsha singing a devotional song.

He sees her and is impressed by her simplicity, beauty and singing talent. He is surprised that such a girl is still unmarried. He accepts the challenge to get her married as soon as possible.

He meets her again in a Ganpati temple that she visits regularly. Apparently, Vinayak Vighnaharte is not a believer in spite of his weird name which literally means Lord Ganesha, the supreme leader and the remover of all obstacles and difficulties. But he doesn’t mock her belief. He handles her in a subtle way and convinces her of a makeover. Gone is the traditional attire, and a fashionable Varsha emerges much to the relief of her parents and Manya.

The Devbhakta family is impressed by Varsha’s transformation and Vinayak’s initial success. What remains is getting her to agree to a suitable match. But this is not so easy as Varsha has started liking Vinayak. They spend a lot of time together but Vinayak is reluctant to get close to her. He has his own reason for doing so.

All is fine until one day it is revealed that Vinayak has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. That is the reason he had come to meet Dr Vijay. The diagnosis has been confirmed and he has only a few months to live. The truth is revealed to Manya by accident. He goes to meet Vinayak, who is set to leave the city. He requests Manya not to tell Varsha about the real reason for his sudden departure.

But Varsha gets to know the truth eventually. She agrees to get married but the groom has to be Vinayak. She has full faith in her Lord and he will help them in this crisis. Can divine intervention cure a terminal disease?

There is another unexpected revelation made about Vinayak’s background (hint: Aarti’s aunt).

Where will this lead to? Will Varsha and Vinayak be able to unite? Will Varsha’s devotion be successful? The answer lies in the hands of the almighty Ganpati.

The Music

The songs are written by Shantaram Nandgaonkar and Varsha Desai. The music is credited to Amar Amit S. The playback singers are famous names like Ravindra Sathe, Uttara Kelkar, Vinay Mandke and Sudesh Bhosle among others. Unfortunately, the songs are forgettable and fail to leave an impact. There is a medley of Hindi film songs as well. Wish they had done it comprising of Marathi songs.

My Thoughts

The film is partly saved thanks to the casting. Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Sudhir Joshi are entertaining as always. The women provide able support. Nivedita Saraf performs the predictable role comfortably. The songs and background music could have been better.

Tu Sukhkarta is an entertaining film until it reaches the point when the truth about Vinayak’s life threatening diagnosis is revealed. After that the plot stretches and things get boring. The sub plot involving Vinayak’s background doesn’t add anything meaningful. It would have been good if the movie had ended 30 minutes earlier. The climax seems clumsy and rushed. The film does not present the conflict of the believer v/s the non-believer. It relies more on the “your devotion will not go unnoticed” angle.