All posts by GGaurav

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About GGaurav

I am passionate about old movies, songs and trivia.

Disco Dancer (1982)

My Reviews, , ,

A few months ago I had read about the popularity of the Hindi film Disco Dancer (DD) in Russia (then Soviet Union). The film met with unprecedented success and became the highest grossing Indian film in the Soviet Union (replacing Awara (1951), which held the honour till then). That got me curious and the result is today’s post.

Mithun Chakraborty stars as the main character in this B Subhash produced and directed movie. Bappi Lahiri gave some extremely popular numbers like I am a Disco Dancer, Koi yahaan naache naache, Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy aaja aaja, possibly starting the disco music trend in Hindi film music. So, over to the film!

The Plot

DD is the story of a poor boy Anil. Anil is a singer cum dancer who performs on the streets of Mumbai with his uncle (father’s friend) Master Raju (Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance). They play a variety of instruments and sing songs like Goron ki na kalon ki. At the end of the day, he goes home. His widowed mother Radha (Geeta Siddharth) is waiting for him. Anil informs her that Raju uncle had to go to his village as his mother is seriously ill. Anil’s father used to perform with Raju and wished that his son will be a successful artiste. No details are given how his father passed away. Also, we don’t know if Anil attends school and seems his mother relies on his earnings to run the house.

Anil has a (bad) habit. He will not eat until his mother feeds him with her hands. This is a daily ritual. Next day, Anil goes to perform with his mother. A small girl invites him inside her bungalow. She has been watching him perform everyday and likes his singing. She even knows the song by heart and has a guitar. Soon the children start singing and enjoying until the girl’s father arrives – Mr. P N Oberoi (Om Shivpuri).

He sees people watching the kids’ performance by climbing the compound wall of the bungalow. He shoos them away angrily. He is in an extremely foul mood and barges inside. He slaps his daughter and orders her to go in. He slaps Anil and pushes Radha when she comes to protect him. Radha gets injured. Anil tries to hit him with the girl’s guitar when the police arrive. Oberoi cooks up a story. He sees his daughter’s guitar in Anil’s hand. He accuses him of stealing the guitar. Radha claims she is the culprit and is sent to jail.

Anil comes to meet her and promises he will grow up soon and teach the “Seth” owning the bungalow a lesson. After she is released from jail, Radha goes with Anil to their house in a basti (settlement). The neighbours keep harassing Radha, calling her a thief. The taunting continues even though Radha is innocent. Anil threatens to cut their tongues. Radha pacifies him and decides to leave Mumbai. They move to Goa.

18 years pass and Anil is now a young man (Mithun Chakraborty). We see him performing at a wedding in Goa (Tuntun is the bride). She pays him 100 rupees which he distributes amongst his friends cum musicians. They are not pleased by the paltry amount. He mollifies them saying at least they got something. He is waiting for the day when he will be a successful musician and will reward them in a better way.

Anil comes home. He still insists his mother to feed him with her hands else he won’t eat. Being the Hindi film mother, she obliges. He promises her that when he will be a big man, there will be a big party in his honour and she will have to feed him with her hands in front of the guests. He is still bitter about their experience in Mumbai and waiting for the day when the same city will welcome his mother with respect. He will sharpen his musical talent like a sword and stab the city (what a dialogue!).

In Mumbai, Oberoi is still staying in the same bungalow. His son Sam (Karan Razdan) is a famous disco dancer. He is traveling to Goa for a show. He performs one of the many hit songs of the movie Koi yahaan naache naache, with his partner/lover Nikki Brown (Kalpana Iyer). She is the daughter of his manager David Brown (Om Puri).

After the show, Sam is enjoying some romantic moments with Nikki in the Green Room. David enters the Green Room to talk about their next show, and Sam doesn’t like the intrusion. Sam is arrogant like his father. He insults David badly. David is hurt by this behavior. He is not a servant or secretary and demands respect but Sam is no mood to listen. Apparently,  this has happened many times but this time David takes a tougher stand. He decides to leave Sam and teach him a lesson. He vows to create a new superstar in the disco universe, and Sam will drown in his brilliance (wow!). Nikki cares for Sam and doesn’t know how to react.

Very conveniently, Sam’s replacement is readily available in Goa. David sees Anil dance walking on a bridge in the night. He is impressed and approaches him. Anil is overwhelmed by the opportunity, that to from Sam’s manager. He agrees to perform in the show. Anil assumes a new name Jimmy.

Sam is not sitting quiet. He has sent his sister Rita (Kim) and her friends to disrupt the performance. David introduces Jimmy. As expected, the audience is not very receptive of Sam’s replacement. Rita mocks him, calling him sadak chhap many times but Jimmy maintains his calm and concentrates on his performance. He performs the song Ae Oh Ah…zara mudke mila ankhen, which wins over the crowd. He doesn’t leave the opportunity to mock Rita, who is not amused. The show is successful and David is relieved.

Next day, Anil/Jimmy meets Rita. It seems Jimmy knows Rita is Oberoi’s daughter i.e the daughter of his old enemy. But is she still the small, kind girl who had invited him to her house? Doesn’t seem so. She behaves like a typical rich man’s haughty daughter. He agrees he is a sadak chhap singer cum dancer, risen from the streets. But he is confident the day will come when he will be successful enough to compel her to ask for his autograph.

Fresh from their successful collaboration, David is arranging more shows. He plans to take Jimmy to Mumbai, the place for fame and riches. Radha is reluctant to go but Jimmy convinces her. They arrive in Mumbai and pass by Oberoi’s bungalow. David mentions that it is their common enemy’s residence.

David calls Sam and informs him that he has been replaced by Jimmy in all future shows, making him agitated. Sam’s father Oberoi hears this and is angry too. He calls Basco/ Bosco (Yusuf Khan) to take care of Jimmy and ensure he does not reach the show venue. Bosco and his gang meet Jimmy. While initially helpless, Anil gathers courage (like a Hindi film hero) and tackles all the men single handedly. Jimmy rushes and manages to reach the auditorium and performs Krishna, dharti pe aaja tu.

The show is a success and Jimmy becomes a star. He is all over the media. Fans follow him everywhere. His merchandise floods the markets – Jimmy T-shirts, fabrics, perfumes, and so on. But at heart, he is the same person who cares for his mother.

Sam has sunk into depression and spends the whole time in Nikki’s house. He is unable to accept his downfall. He drinks all day. David is aware of this. He asks Nikki to join Jimmy’s troupe but she refuses politely.

One day, Jimmy meets his old friends from Goa. He also visits the basti where the residents had taunted his mother. There is a sub-plot where Oberoi is trying to grab the basti land and develop it for immense profits. Oberoi engages a foreign goon (Bob Christo) with Bosco’s help to threaten the dwellers and make them vacate the land forcefully. Jimmy helps in thwarting these plans by tackling all the goons. He comes to know that Oberoi is behind all this.

The city mayor Khandelwal (Khandelwal) invites Jimmy for a party (it’s his daughter’s 18th birthday). It is the big party Jimmy had been waiting for. The VIPs and notable personalities from the city will be attending the function. The big names gather around Jimmy. Even Sam feels insulted when his fans rush to meet Jimmy on his arrival. The mayor welcomes Jimmy and Radha with respect. Oberoi and his daughter Rita are among the guests.

Jimmy has tears in his eyes as he describes the past events of his life and talks about the sacrifices by his mother. (Yes, and his mother feeds him lovingly with her hands, as expected.) The mayor introduces Oberoi to Jimmy who refuses to shake hands and insults him openly, reminding how he had behaved 18 years back, beaten him etc. Rita realizes Jimmy is the same boy who used to sing in front of her house.

Next day, Rita comes to meet Jimmy and gifts him the same guitar that he had been accused of stealing 18 years earlier. She apologizes for what has happened. Love blossoms. Oberoi is angry when he sees Rita with Jimmy. Rita is adamant and leaves her house and comes to live with Jimmy.

A revenge game between Jimmy and Oberoi begins. Sam has started taking drugs and Oberoi cannot bear to see his condition. Rita has already revolted against him. Oberoi plots to destroy Jimmy. There are many plans. One plan is to electrocute him when he picks up an electric guitar at a party. Nikki informs Radha about this. Radha rushes to the party and picks the guitar before Jimmy can do so. She gets killed due to an electric shock. Later, Jimmy is beaten up and his legs are broken. He spends a lot of time recovering with Rita assisting him to walk.

All this has impacted Jimmy. He develops guitar phobia (if that is a term). He imagines his mother whenever he sees a guitar. He is reminded of the shocking incident. He doesn’t have the courage to pick the guitar and perform. Nothing motivates him to sing and dance.

David and Rita try to bring him out of this state but are not too successful. Will Jimmy overcome his demons and perform again? Music is his life, how will he carry on? And what happens to Oberoi? All is answered at the end after few more songs and even Master Raju reappears in the climax.

The Music

Bappi Lahiri shot to fame with his disco themed music and it attained popularity outside India as well. While not of a classic quality, all songs are catchy and hummable.

“Goron ki na kalon ki” (Suresh Wadkar and Usha Mangeshkar), “Ae Oh Ah…zara mudke mila ankhen” (Kishore Kumar), “Koi yahaan naache naache” (Bappi Lahiri, Usha Uthup) and “Yaad aa raha hai” (Bappi Lahiri) feature famous names.

There are some new names who sing popular numbers like “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja” (Parvati Khan), the title song “I Am A Disco Dancer” (Vijay Benedict), and “Krishna, dharti pe aaja” (Nandu Bhende).

My Thoughts

I am confused about the reason for the huge success of the movie. It’s not a mediocre movie but the execution could have been better. I cannot comment about the quality of Mithun’s dance or technicalities, but yes, he has the moves. (He outperforms Karan Razdan who just couldn’t dance). But Mithun outshines all others in the acting department. He has a raw and natural presence, the emotional scenes are particularly impactful. In comparison, the action scenes are tedious to watch. But Mithun convinces the audience that his character has learnt to sing and dance on the streets. He has also learnt to fight and defend himself on the streets. So, it works in his favour!

The romantic track between Mithun and Kim seems forced and they lack the chemistry. Kim is memorable in the iconic song Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy aaja aaja. Om Puri is good but doesn’t have much of a role. The villains are uninteresting and ham all the way. Om Shivpuri and Karan Razdan are irritating. Yusuf Khan and Bob Christo have strong screen presence but their characters lose steam when the hero tackles them easily!

At the core of DD is the revenge theme. The wronged hero, who returns to claim his place. He is down many times but rises each time to take on his enemies and move ahead. Maybe that thought resonated with the audience. And the music, which was “different” and something the audience was fine to accept. And credit to Mithun Chakraborty, who connects the character with the audience successfully.

Gharabaher (1999)

My Reviews,

The women’s reservation bill has been an ongoing topic for many years in India, meant to improve the status of women by giving them representation in Government bodies. Gharabaher (literally out of the house) handles this subject through the story of an influential political family. It shows how the deeply rooted beliefs are difficult to overcome. This is not limited to gender inequality but other factors like social standing, caste that matter while holding public positions and being successful in politics. Produced by Ratan Madaan and directed by Sanjay Surkar, Gharabaher makes it’s point.

The Plot

Annasaheb Patil (Mohan Joshi) is the head of a political family based in Hanamantwadi. With a political experience of 30 years, he has been the local MLA for many years. He has a strong hold on his constituency. A shrewd and experienced politician, he knows how to manage his supporters and opposition. He is looked at with respect. One of his close friends is businessman Hasmukh Patel (Madhav Abhyankar), who owns a factory in the village.

Through a breakfast table discussion (where he is joined by the village chief (Jayant Sawarkar) and a political worker (played by Prashant Damle), we come to know that the Government is planning to introduce reservation for women in the legislative assembly. The men discuss that this was already implemented in local rural and urban Government bodies. But that hasn’t made a difference. The place of a woman is in the house and should remain as is.

Annasaheb’s wife is played by Smita Talwalkar. She has no interest in politics and happy to manage the house and care for her family. Annasaheb has a son Balasaheb (Sachin Khedekar). His wife is Laxmi (Mrunal Kulkarni). Balasaheb runs an educational institute.

Annasaheb has a daughter Vasudha (Sonali Kulkarni). She is studying to be an architect in the city college, and appearing for her final exam. She is a practical and modern woman in spite of her rural family background. She is fond of photography. On a study tour she comes across a woman candidate busy in campaigning. Her husband has been the local councilor for many years. Due to introduction of reservation, the wife has been forced to contest the elections. But she is a mere rubber stamp as is evident from her responses to a press reporter. For every question asked, she points to her husband – why dont you ask him? much to the delight of the onlookers.

Vasudha and her friends laugh at this response. Her friends have a discussion about women in politics. The elected women don’t have a say, the real power remains with their husbands. They ask Vasudha if she is ready to plunge into politics. After all, she has a strong family background. But she makes it clear she has no interest in politics and will leave it to her father and brother to manage.

The men are not without their vices. Annasaheb is involved with Chandrakala (Reema Lagoo). Balasaheb is close to Rajni Jadhav (Kishori Ambiye). Both the women are aiming for plum posts in Government bodies. They hope that their relations with the influential politicians will help to achieve their ambitions. The politicians are in turn using them for their benefit. Such is the compulsion when politics are involved.

Balasaheb is following his father’s footsteps. He runs the educational institute but not without charging hefty donations. Corruption is perhaps a by product of politics! And he has an eye for women.

There had been an unpleasant situation when he was involved with a woman (apparently a college staff member). The woman had committed suicide and Annasaheb had a tough time getting the case closed. The matter was closed but Balasaheb has not learnt a lesson. He now has his eyes on Naina Gholap (Madhura Lele), a new professor. He promises her a post in the public relations department in return of her “services.” She runs away when he tries to take advantage of her.

Back to Vasudha. Vasudha returns home after her exams. The whole house including the servants dote on her. She is glad to be back. Her mother mentions its time for her to get married which her father and brother agree upon. But she counters them stating the world has changed and women are not limited to managing the house and stay within its confines.

One of her classmate was Sameer Shinde (Kishor Kadam). He is the member of Gramvikas Yuvak Sangh, a youth organization and also a progressive farmer. His associate and love interest is Nanda Thorat (Aparna Kumar(?)). Sameer is working for the welfare of the villagers. He is fed up of people like Chandrakala who are involved in illegal activities and resist any effort made by his team for the betterment of the villagers. He raises his concern with Annasaheb, who pacifies him in a fatherly manner. Needless to say, Annasaheb is fully supportive of Chandrakala and doesn’t care for people like Sameer, who is the son of a farm labourer and of a lower caste.

Sameer invites Vasudha for a hurda party arranged on his farm. There is a celebration song Punavechi raat sakhya. At the end of the song, Naina comes running to meet Sameer and tell him about her experience with Balasaheb. He directs her to Vasudha, who is shocked to hear about the matter.

She rushes home disturbed to talk to Balasaheb. It is quite late in the night but Balasaheb is yet to arrive home. He comes late and drunk. The next morning, she confronts him on Naina’s claim. He downplays the matter and tries to put the blame on Naina. But Vasudha doesn’t agree. She counters asking why a respectable woman would make such grave accusations?

Later, Laxmi goes with Vasudha on a long drive and shares her thoughts. Apparently, Balasaheb comes home late everyday. She knows he is a womanizer. That’s how it has been since their marriage. She feels like a trapped bird and so on. Vasudha is disturbed to hear all this. There is another song at this point – Paus ranaat.

The Naina matter is taken by Sameer to Annasaheb for intervention. Chandrakala tries to threaten Naina in her style but things don’t work out as desired. Annasaheb is forced to comply as the elections are round the corner. A meeting is arranged between Naina, Sameer and Balasaheb. Balasaheb apologizes to Naina. Annasaheb advises that Naina should resign and leave the college. He is happy to help with another posting. Sameer agrees reluctantly.

Vasudha is further acquainted with the happenings in the rural area. She meets a woman Ramabai, village head of a neighboring village. Ramabai was elected on basis of a caste based reservation but the men and high caste functionaries do not allow her to function independently. She is helpless and appeals for help.

And the assembly elections are announced. Unfortunately, Annasaheb’s family seat is reserved for a woman candidate. Potential candidates like Chandrakala and Rajni are considered but he knows that he needs someone who will be acceptable to all, especially his detractors and party seniors. The choice is limited and after much deliberation, he identifies Vasudha as the perfect candidate to fill in his shoes. Most importantly, a family member will occupy the seat in the assembly.

Vasudha opposes the plan but there is emotional blackmail from Annasaheb, her mother and brother. Finally, her father tells her that this is her opportunity to do something good which makes her agreeable.

Her life is about to change. She is pulled into the election campaigning, all managed by her father, brother and the party’s supporters. The election campaigning and polling is depicted through a song Dhav ghe karunakara. Vasudha she gets elected by a record margin.

This is just the beginning. It doesn’t take long for Vasudha to realize that she is just a pawn in the political game. Her father continues to have his way. And all is not hunky dory as she had assumed. Vendetta, corruption etc are all part of the game. In a moving scene, she is reminded of that woman candidate who directed all questions to her husband. She seems to share her plight.

Events keep happening where she is forced to take a stand for herself and her constituency. The businessman Patel’s factory is responsible for contaminating the village’s water sources. Sameer keeps raising the matter and expose the wrongdoings of Annasaheb, Balasaheb and their associates. Seeing him as a threat, Balasaheb orders Chandrakala to finish him off.

Sameer is murdered and his wife seeks justice from Vasudha. Chandrakala is arrested who spills the beans to Vasudha, laying the truth in front of her. Does she have the guts to get her brother arrested and ensure justice?

What option does Vasudha have? Will she go against her family? Or will she save the family’s prestige and play the same game?

The Music

There is no scope for the 3 songs which unnecessarily break the flow. Vijay Kuvalekar is the lyricist and Shridhar Phadke the composer. Suresh Wadkar sings Dhav ghe karunakara which is set against the backdrop of the election campaigning. It is a devotional song which doesn’t match the visuals. There is a hurda party song Punavechi raat (Asha Bhosle) and another song on the farm Paus ranaat (Asha Bhosle and Mahalaxmi Iyer).

My Thoughts

The film is a sincere attempt to highlight the subject of women’s reservation and their role in politics. We have a long way to achieve the expected objectives. Rich and influential families continue to control the political landscape in their areas. The film sticks to its core theme and doesn’t divert with sub plots including comedy and romance. It also speaks about the place of women in society. Being from an entitled household doesn’t guarantee that all is well. The film won 2 National awards for best feature film and best director. It also won multiple Maharashtra state awards.

The star cast is filled with seasoned actors making it a pleasure to watch. Sonali Kulkarni is the protagonist and performs convincingly. She plays the happy go lucky character looking for relaxation before she can think of future plans. But life has other plans, making her take a stand against her own family. Mohan Joshi, Smita Talwalkar, Mrunal Kulkarni, Kishor Kadam and Sachin Khedekar are good. Reema Lagoo portrays a different character than her usual motherly roles and she looks the part. Prashant Damle adds a touch of comedy but his role seems wasted.

Bond 303 (1985)

My Reviews

The James Bond series is one of the most famous and long running film franchises in Hollywood. Hindi cinema was quick to be inspired by the series and come up with its desi versions. Farz (1967) was one of the first movies to do so. Jeetendra played the Indian secret agent and the film’s success made him a dependable star. (Farz was actually a remake of Gudachari 116 (1966)), a Telugu film!)

Many years later, Jeetendra starred in Bond 303, where he plays the patriotic secret agent and tackles the enemy of the nation. Unfortunately, the film didn’t achieve the same success as Farz but had its entertaining moments. The film was produced by B C Devra and took many years to complete. Ravi Tandon was the director.

The Plot

The first scene starts with a murder, supposedly in Goa. A girl Julie is killed by Moses (Dev Kumar) under the orders of their boss Tiger. Tiger’s gang is involved in various anti-national activities like smuggling etc. Julie’s brother Tony also works for Tiger. He is shaken when he sees Julie being killed in front of him. He phones the police and informs them about a consignment of fake medicines and drugs that has arrived in the country. The police raid the location (Miramar Beach).

Tiger’s deputy(?) is Shakti (Prem Chopra). He is furious at the police raid. This has never happened in the organization. He is sharing this information with other gang members like Moses, Dr Ranjit (Satyen Kappu), his wife Lily (Helen), Mac (Mac Mohan), and Vikas (Vikas Anand). Suddenly the overhead lights start blinking and they hear Tiger’s voice. Tiger announces that Tony is the traitor and needs to be eliminated immediately. The task is assigned to Ranjit, who drives a truck and crushes Tony.

Shakti welcomes the delegation of Cosmos led by Tom (Tom Alter). Shakti mentions that Cosmos will help them in ensuring that India remains an under developed nation, and is sponsoring their effort in achieving this. Dr Ranjit gives a demo of the proposed plan. On 13th February in Anjanapur, the Government of India is planning a huge exhibition showcasing its military strength. Dignitaries and scientists etc will be arriving there. Tiger’s gang has developed a bomb, stored at a launching site 500 km from Anjanapur. Once launched, it will destroy the city and seriously dent the country’s security and morale. Cosmos is happy with the demo and ready to work with Tiger’s organization.

Shakti informs the other members to get into action. They will introduce the fake medicines in the market, and destroy the infrastructure by bombing bridges, sabotaging the railway network and so on. This will ensure the police and defense forces’ attention is diverted and their focus will stay away from Anjanapur. The actions are executed causing destruction across the country.

The police commissioner (played by Iftekhar) is keeping a close watch. He has summoned Ajay (Jeetendra) also known as agent Bond 303 to meet him. Bond is currently on vacation and flirting and singing with a bevy of girls.

Meanwhile, the editor of Daily Samachar K. K. Verma (Shreeram Lagoo) is tracking the deaths caused by fake medicines and covering the matter in his newspaper. He meets the IG (Chandrashekhar) and warns him that he will continue to highlight the situation in his paper and blame the authorities. It is shameful that the authorities are unable to handle the situation and find the perpetrators.

Bond is forced to curtail his vacation and meet his boss. He enters in style and first flirts with Mary, the commissioner’s secretary. He has brought a gift for her. The secretary admonishes him for not bringing her a nail polish for her toes. (This is actually a coded message for him which will be useful later.) She asks him to enter the commissioner’s office.

Apparently, he has to pass through a huge room/ vacant space before entering the office. As Bond is passing, he is attacked by a group of men. He tackles them all and enters the boss’s office. The men were sent by his boss to test his fitness. Bond assures him that he is fully fit and ready for the job. The boss explains him about the recent spate of criminal activities and thinks the source is in Mumbai. He has received some inputs from another agent Aslam (Deven Verma) in Mumbai. Bond is to go to Mumbai for investigation. Mary will join him too.

Bond thanks him. As he is about to leave, he sees a science magazine with a photo of outstanding student of the year and is impressed by the beautiful girl (Parveen Babi) in the photo. The scene shifts to a college laboratory in Mumbai.

We meet Kavita (Parveen Babi) and her friend Salma. Seems she is a science student studying in Mumbai. Kavita tells Salma she has invented an injection for reducing tension(!). She tests it on 2 professors (a male and a female). After getting injected, they generate romantic feelings for each other much to Kavita’s delight. She decides to try it on a random person and test its effectiveness. (We can very well guess who that is going to be!)

Bond arrives in Mumbai and is welcomed by Aslam. He is driving a vintage car which stops in the middle of a forested area. Kavita and Salma are conveniently hiding nearby. They manage to inject both Bond and Aslam. The men seem to forget their tension and follow the girls and sing a romantic song. Later, Bond and Aslam go to their hotel to meet Mary. But they are greeted by her corpse. As Bond is searching her body, he remembers the coded message and checks her toe nails. He find a film clip stored there. It has the photo of a graveyard. Aslam identifies the place. This is where Moses (one of the criminals) was buried 5 years ago. Bond suspects Moses’s grave may give them some clue and probably Mary had found out something.

In the graveyard, they are attacked by dogs but Bond manages to kill them. They stumble upon a secret chamber next to Moses’s grave. This leads them to a godown/warehouse where fake medicines are being stored. There are statues all around. This is a well shot scene. The statues are actually Tiger’s gang members, ready for attack. Later, Moses arrives. Seems he had faked his death. He tries to kill Bond and Aslam but gets killed himself.

Shakti is furious when hears about Moses’s death and Bond being responsible. Mac informs him that Bond is looking for Tony’s sister Julie (who was killed by Moses earlier). Shakti tells Lily to go and meet Bond posing as Julie. She does so. Later, she and other members try to kill Bond, but he gets away skillfully.

Circumstances lead him to meet Kavita again, this time in a health club. They fall in love. Through the police records, Bond comes to know about Lily’s true identity. She is Dr Ranjit’s wife and he suspects Ranjit is part of the same gang that is trying to kill him. He takes Kavita’s help to visit Ranjit’s laboratory and do some investigation. Bond follows Ranjit and gets the required proof. Ranjit tries to kill Bond but gets killed in the action.

Tiger orders Shakti that they have to get rid of Bond immediately or it will jeopardize their big plan. It is revealed that Kavita’s uncle is the editor K. K. Verma. Verma invites Bond to his house for his son’s birthday party. The son is none other than Shakti Verma (Prem Chopra) who is after Bond’s life. Once again, there is an attempt to kill Bond by placing him in a coffin and throwing it in the water. But Aslam saves him in the nick of time.

Shakti brings in 4 scientists from abroad who will carry on Dr Ranjit’s work to execute the 13th February plan. There is a party arranged for the scientists. Bond, Aslam and Salma pose as dancers and perform at the party.  At the end of the song, Bond reveals himself and shoots at Shakti, who gets injured. Bond manages to abduct the scientists.

At this time, Tiger’s identity is revealed. He is none other than K. K. Verma, Shakti’s father and Kavita’s uncle.

Tiger has his plans ready. There is a further twist by introducing Kavita’s twin sister Suzianna who stays in Italy with their mother (played by Shammi). All this leads us to 13th February and Anjanapur, where the disaster is set to happen.

Will Tiger be successful by bombing the area? OR will Bond 303 be successful in saving the country? Watch with bated breath as the action unfolds.

The Music

Music is the weakest link here. In general, a spy / secret agent movie may not have much scope for romantic or other songs. But this needs to be thought of properly as in the case of say Farz or Ankhen which had great music but did not seem put of place. Unfortunately, the songs are a dampener in this movie in spite of Gulshan Bawra and R. D. Burman’s efforts. Probably worth mentioning is the Helen song Main hoon Lily (by Asha Bhosle) where she tries to pass on a message to Bond secretly.

My Thoughts

The film has a fast pace throughout and things keep happening continuously. In that sense, it keeps the viewer engaged. The film tries hard to incorporate the original Bond movie elements. We have a so called larger than life villain with grand plans of destruction. The identity revealing of the villain is a bit disappointing. The set of the rocket launch site is nicely done including shots of the rocket loading and unloading. We see those typical control room panels with switches, blinking lights and telephones which are a staple of spy movies! Then we have those fancy gadgets like a watch which is also a communication device.

Acting wise, Jeetendra tries hard to play the sauve and debonair Bond but has limitations. Parveen Babi’s Kavita character is confusing. She hardly looks or behaves like a serious student engaged in chemistry experiments or do something outstanding. Her “invention” sounds silly. She is more convincing as the stylish and ruthless twin sister Suzianna. Unfortunately, the voice of both characters is dubbed as the actress was not available for dubbing. Deven Verma’s character is too frivolous to be believable as a secret agent. The villain gang contribute as expected. The songs and romantic track do not add much value.