All posts by GGaurav

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About GGaurav

I am passionate about old movies, songs and trivia.

Yaraana (1995)

My Reviews,

What happens when you remake an English movie and add Hindi cinema elements without anticipating the outcome? The result is a mess like this movie. Inspite of a good story, actors and music the result is a disappointment. Yaarana is inspired from Sleeping With The Enemy (1991) starring Julia Roberts. During the same time there were two more remakes of this movie – Daraar (1996) and Agni Sakshi (1996). Yaraana was directed by David Dhawan, better known for the comedy genre. Unfortunately, the movie falters to make an impression and is one his forgettable offerings. The movie is best remembered today for its iconic song Mera piya ghar aaya o Ramji.

The Plot

The movie begins and we see Madhuri Dixit, dressed as a bride, running on the road in the night. Her character is called Lalita and she is being chased by her would be husband JB (Raj Babbar). Later, through a flashback we come to know Lalita is a talented dancer. JB had come to see her performance (Dil loye loye, aaja aaja mahi) and is mesmerized. Apparently, he is super obsessed with her. Lalita’s uncle Madanlal (Tez Sapru) works for JB. JB bribes Madanlal and proposes to get married to Lalita. Madanlal, being a shady character agrees willingly.

Madanlal hurries home to share the good news with Lalita and a neighbour “aunty” Mrs D’Souza (Sulbha Deshpande). Aunty is close to Lalita and a well wisher unlike Madanlal. Aunty and Lalita immediately smell a rat. Lalita accuses Madanlal of selling her off to JB and she will not agree to this marriage at any cost.

But JB is unrelenting. He forcefully brings Lalita to his house and treats her like a caged bird. While attending a party, he thrashes the photographer for taking photographs of Lalita. So extreme is his obsession. He warns Lalita that he “owns” her and there is no escape for her. Soon, the day of the wedding arrives. Lalita collapses in the mandap before the 7 pheras can be completed. JB sends for a doctor but Lalita manages to run away before she can be attended. Thus JB is chasing her, to take her back and marry her forcibly. The chase scene is impressively done.

Finally, he catches her but she slips away and enters a hotel. She sees some mannequins on display and gets an idea. She disguises as a foreign looking mannequin, with a wig and blue eyes (how she manages to replace the mannequin without attracting attention, how does she gets blue lens at short notice?.. is best answered by the director!).

We see a guest Raj (Rishi Kapoor) leaving the hotel in a drunken state. He looks at the mannequin, is impressed by her beauty and takes her with him, just like that. JB and the disguised Lalita cross paths but she is not recognized. The scene moves to Switzerland with an unwanted song Jaadu jaadu jaadu jaadu (there are many random and unwanted elements in this movie). Raj is too drunk to figure out whether he is dancing with a mannequin or a real girl. Lalita runs away as the song ends.

Now we are introduced to Raj’s family. This is a plot we have seen earlier. Raj’s grandfather dadaji Rai Saheb (Kader Khan) wants Raj to get married soon. He conspires with his friend and doctor Rashid (Anil Dhawan) and fakes a heart attack. Raj returns home and receives the sad news. Rashid tells Raj that he better get a “bahu” for dadaji, else he may not survive his heart condition. Raj doesn’t know what to do a decides to meet his friend Banke for advice.

The scene moves to a drama theatre. Banke (Shakti Kapoor) is the manager. Apparently his dancer has not arrived. The crowd is shouting Mohini Mohini (an obvious reference to Ek do teen from Tezaab). In steps Lalita and performs Mera piya ghar aaya, winning the crowd’s approval. After the performance, Banke thanks her for being a saviour. She calls him bhaiya and asks him to give her a job, which he does.

Raj enters suddenly. Lalita is scared he will recognize her as the mannequin cum foreign girl. But she is not wearing western clothes or the wig and Raj barely looks at her. Banke listens to Raj’s problem and understands they need to arrange a temporary wife for Raj. All this to pacify dadaji and make him feel better.

Next day, Lalita dresses up as the fake bahu and goes to Raj’s house. She is called Shikha. Dadaji is overjoyed to meet her. She takes his blessings and leaves. Raj hopes the matter will end here but dadaji has other ideas. He wants to meet Shikha again and make her stay with them. Raj is forced to go to Banke’s drama theatre and bring her back much against his wishes. Shikha shows reluctance but agrees to return. She settles down in her role and plays the perfect daughter in law, leaving everyone impressed. But for Raj, she is a nuisance.

There are other unwanted schemes in the pipeline. Banke makes Lalita meet Raj in the foreign girl’s disguise. She does so. This time she gives her name as Kavita Krishnamurthy. Raj falls in love with Kavita. He wants to marry her.

But dadaji wants to make Shikha his daughter in law as soon as possible. The track continues for some time. We also have Shikha’s fake parents (played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Himani Shivpuri) meeting dadaji and giving their consent for Shikha and Raj’s marriage. So Lalita acting as Shikha is troubling Raj all the time. On the other hand, she meets him as Kavita and romances with him.

Amidst all this, Raj is bound to find out that Shikha and Kavita are the same person, which he ultimately does! And Lalita has not told the truth about her past to Raj.

As things are getting sorted, it is time for JB to enter the scene again. He has been tracing Lalita. Will Lalita confess the truth to Raj and his family? What will be the consequence? Needless to say, the ending is predictable.

The Music

Anu Malik was heavily inspired when he composed the music and you can figure out the inspirations in most of the songs. There are many songs – Dil loye loye aaja aaja mahi, Jaadu jaadu jaadu jaadu, Rabbi re ralli, Noorani chehere wale, Mohabbat ki nazrein karam chahta hoon and Jaane woh kaisa chor tha, which were popular. But Mera piya ghar aaya remains timeless. Madhuri Dixit and Saroj Khan’s collaboration makes this one of their best remembered songs. Kavita Krishnamurthy won the Filmfare award for best playback singer.

My Thoughts

The title is not clear as Yaraana means friendship. Performance wise, all actors have done well. The problem lies in the mixing of 2 genres. It would have worked if it was a stand alone thriller or comedy movie. The comedy track involving fake heart attack, fake bahu, heroine in disguise have been seen earlier and seem stale. Not to forget the random songs which are a must in Hindi films. On the other hand, Raj Babbar’s obsession filled track is more impactful. This reminds us of other David Dhavan films like Aankhen, Shola Aur Shabnam which had well executed thriller/ drama filled scenes.

Rishi Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit make an odd pair. Raj Babbar is convincing as the villain. The supporting cast, most of them David Dhawan regulars, deliver as expected. This was a time when Switzerland had become the go to destination for Hindi producers. Most of the songs are shot in Switzerland and the locations would seem very familiar to the audience.

Aadhar (1969)

My Reviews,

Aadhar meaning support is a Marathi film made by veteran director Raja Paranjape. It has been adopted from Shakuntala Gogate’s novel “Chandane Shimpit Jaa. ” It has an unusual storyline involving an older hero and a much younger heroine. This reminds us of another movie Jagachya Paathivar by the same director which has achieved classic status. Unfortunately, Aadhar leaves a lesser impact.

The Plot

The leading lady of Aadhar is Geeta (Anupama). She has married the man she loves Raju (Gajen Joshi) against their parents’ wishes. Raju hails from a rich family from Sangli. He is a college student and will be completing his graduation soon. Geeta works in an office. The house is run on her income, and she takes care of Raju’s education expenses. They stay in a small, rented house in Pune. The landlady is Geeta’s aunt and the only supportive relative after her marriage. In spite of their dire financial condition, Geeta supports Raju to the best extent, even gifting him some fabric on his birthday. They sing a romantic song in Saras Baug, Majhya re preeti phoola. Geeta loves him wholeheartedly and wishes he complete his studies and get a job.

But Raju is not as he seems. He is in contact with his parents unknown to Geeta. They send him a good allowance every month, which he spends on entertaining his friends, movies etc. They do not care about their daughter in law Geeta (who hails from a lower income family) but want their son to lead a comfortable life. One day, Geeta comes to know the reality when she sees a telegram from his father. She confronts him and they have an argument. Next day, on the pretext of visiting his parents, Raju leaves her forever. Through a letter, he admits everything. There had been other girls in his life before her. The only difference is Geeta made him marry her. He was never serious about their relationship. His parents have found a suitable match, and he is looking forward to settle down with the girl of their choice. There will be no obstacle in their divorce, and he is ready to pay alimony.

Geeta is devastated. Her aunt pacifies her. Geeta has some money from her father which she has not touched. She decides to utilize that, go to Mumbai and settle down there. She has many bitter memories in Pune and can’t stay there any longer. Accordingly, she manages to get a job in Mumbai and accommodation in a chawl.

Geeta is thought as snobbish by her office colleagues but thankfully that perception doesn’t stay for long. One of her colleagues and friend is Kishori (Lalita Desai).

Geeta leads a solitary life and doesn’t mingle with her neighbours in the chawl. There is a neighbour called Dinanath (Bal Kolhatkar), who is the chawl’s secretary. He attempts to befriend her but she rebutts him every time.

Dinanath conducts tuitions. One of the neighbour’s daughter Gooji (Neelam) is his student and flirts with him all the time. Her intention is to marry him. She even calls him “Naath” lovingly. Dinanath has no interest in her. There are some unnecessary “comedy” scenes between the teacher and his flirtatious student.

Dinanath longs to get close with Geeta. During the Ganesh festival celebrations, he invites Geeta to come and watch his performance (he sings a song Kaahi tari tu bol). But she deliberately avoids him and spends time with Kishori before returning late in the night. Dinanath feels insulted but Geeta doesn’t give a heed.

One day, Barrister Prabhakar (Raja Paranjape) visits Geeta’s office. As Kishori introduces Geeta, he is startled to see her. Later, Kishori informs Geeta that Prabhakar is a rich man. His wife has passed away 20 years ago. He loved her too much to think of settling down again. Geeta is impressed at hearing this given her own failed marriage and the character of her husband.

When Prabhakar returns home, we come to know the reason for his startled reaction. Geeta is a lookalike of his late wife Nirmala. It’s as if he saw Nirmala standing in front of him in the office.

Prabhakar and Geeta’s paths are going to cross soon. One day Geeta brings a stray pup to her house. She has rescued it from the clutches of the municipal authorities. The chawl residents oppose the entry of the new resident stating he will be a nuisance. The owner of the chawl hands over an official letter to this effect. Geeta and Kishori consult Barrister Prabhakar, who clearly states the law is not in favour of Geeta. Geeta accepts the reality and lets the dog go.

Later, Prabhakar sees Geeta drenched in the rain at the bus stop and offers her to drop her home. He realizes she has high fever and calls for the doctor. But her condition worsens. He requests Dinanath to call Dr Gupte (Vivek), who is his family doctor. Dr Gupte also notices Geeta’s striking resemblance to Nirmala. He treats her and confirms the case is moving towards typhoid. Prabhakar is shaken. Nirmala had passed away in similar conditions with the same disease. He doesn’t want the same fate to fall upon Geeta.

One day in the hospital, Prabhakar is lost in the thoughts of Nirmala and inadvertently tries to get intimate with Geeta. Geeta suspects his intentions and informs the doctor of her decision to get discharged. She is much better now and would prefer to go home. Additionally, she cannot afford to stay in the hospital due to her financial condition. Prabhakar visits her at home, and she attempts to pay back her treatment costs. Prabhakar apologises for his behaviour but she is no mood to listen.

The misunderstanding continues for some time. Prabhakar falls sick and Dr Gupte requests Geeta to visit him. She reluctantly does so. Upon entering his room, she sees Nirmala’s portrait and her doubts are soon cleared. Prabhakar is surprised to see her and requests her to leave. She apologizes for her behaviour.

He advises her to get married soon. He knows what it is to live alone without your partner as a support. She is young and has a long life ahead of her. He promises to do anything for her to see her happy. Her response is unexpected. Geeta proposes they get married and he is taken aback. After much drama, he agrees, and they are husband and wife.

Dinanath is one of the people who is not happy. He accuses Geeta of falling for Prabhakar’s wealth and making a selfish and hasty decision. She is the same person who had decided to stay away from any relationship after her prior experience. How could she change overnight?

Unfortunately, other people have the same thoughts and taunt the couple. They talk about their age difference and Geeta’s true motive. Things reach a point where Prabhakar suspects Geeta of having an affair with Dinanath (who is making all the moves to poison Prabhakar’s mind). All this leading to tragical circumstances for the couple.

The Music

The golden trio of G D Madgulkar,  Sudhir Phadke and Raja Paranjape once again collaborate for some memorable music. Majhya re preeti phoola is one of the most enduring duets by Sudhir Phadke and Asha Bhosle. 2 Asha Bhosle solos, Wara sute sukhacha and a sad song Khel kalena tujha are other gems. The fourth song is Kaahi tari tu bol by Vasantrao Deshpande.

My Thoughts

The music and direction are engaging. But the film has a depressing tone and moves at a slow pace. The scenes are long drawn and get boring. Anupama is effective but Raja Paranjape does not seem comfortable in the role of the hero. He wears a wig and his dialogue delivery is not clear. The chemistry seems forced between the 2 leads. It is difficult to comprehend Geeta’s sudden decision to marry Prabhakar. Later, Prabhakar (a barrister) is shown gullible enough to get suspicious about his wife. Can’t he confront his wife and clear the matter? The way he distances himself from the reality and relies on his own assumptions makes the character weaker.

The doctor character played by Vivek is wasted (maybe he could have played the hero more convincingly!). Dinanath’s transformation into a negative character is also not convincing.

The songs come as a relief but are few in number considering its a Raja Paranjape film. Maybe more songs could have helped to balance the dull proceedings.

Itni Si Baat (1981)

My Reviews

Itni Si Baat means “such a small thing” or “a minor matter.” But a small thing can easily escalate into something big with a not so happy outcome. The same thought is portrayed in this movie where Sanjeev Kumar and Moushumi Chatterjee play a happily(?) married couple. It is said Sanjeev Kumar was the actual producer of the movie but does not feature in the credits. The director is Madhu M. So over to small things…

The Plot

Our hero Raja (Sanjeev Kumar) lives in Mumbai. He travels on the same bus with a girl named Asha (Moushumi) everyday. Raja has feelings for Asha but is unable to voice them. One day Raja boards the bus and gives the conductor a 100 rupee note (the bus ticket costs 50 paise). Unsurprisingly, the conductor gets angry. Listening to their heated exchange, Asha steps in and offers to buy Raja’s ticket. Asha and Raja get down and Raja thanks her. Raja requests her to have a cup of tea in a nearby restaurant so that the change for the 100 rupees can be arranged and he can return her money. She agrees. But things are not different at the restaurant. The manager is scolding a customer for handing a 10 rupee note and not having the exact change. Raja realizes the situation and Asha again obliges by paying on his behalf (bill = 50 paise!).

Then Raja requests Asha to take an auto-rickshaw ride with him. He attempts to get change from the rickshaw driver but one look from the man at the 100 rupee note is enough for Raja. Asha pays the Rs 1.50 fare. Later, Raja sights an ice-cream shop. He asks if he can get change and the owner is more than happy to oblige. Unfortunately, Raja drops the 100 rupee note on the road and Asha once again ends up paying for him (bill = Rs. 2). Thus Raja ends up owing Rs 4.50 to Asha.

Next day, they meet again in the bus. Change is not an issue that day but the bus breaks down. Coincidentally, they get in the same auto as the previous day (Raja calls it “scooter”) to reach their destinations. Apparently, both have been traveling in the same bus for last 6 months and are interested in each other. They finally admit their mutual feelings and start singing a romantic song; the credits start rolling. During the course of the song, they get married and have 2 kids -Munni (Baby Geeta) and Bablu (Master Gautam).

Thus Raja and Asha have settled down happily with kids. But are they really happy? They live in a rented house without any luxuries. Even the wall clock is waiting to be fixed (it always points to 6.15). Raja earns a low salary and it is difficult to manage the monthly budget. Luxury is something only in their dreams. If only he could earn more.

Its morning time. Asha prepares tea for Raja but there is no sugar. He asks her how did it get over so soon. Is she incapable of managing such a simple thing? She responds that he brings his friends home without informing and she has to serve them tea and sweets. She asks him to earn more money if he wants her to manage these expectations. This is her daily struggle. She labours at home while he goes to office and enjoys under the ceiling fan.

A frustrated Raja reaches office late (he has to change 2 buses which is another problem). Waiting to welcome him is his irritable boss (Asit Sen), who is an old man with a very young wife (it’s wife no. 3). As expected, the boss lectures him for coming late. Also working in the office is the boss’s brother in law (Roopesh Kumar), a good for nothing fellow. His only job is to flirt with women in and out of the office and is always on the lookout for a fresh target. Poor Raja voices his home and office frustration to his colleague Anil. Anil tells him to purchase a 2 wheeler so he can reach office on time and avoid the dependency on public transport. Raja thinks it over.

Asha is equally frustrated at home. There is no gas connection in their house. Cooking in the traditional way using the chulha leads to unavoidable delays. She will request Raja to arrange a gas connection, so the cooking problem can be solved.

We are introduced to Asha’s parents. She comes from a rich family. Mukundilal (Om Prakash) is a halwai (confectioner or sweet maker) by profession. He used to work for Nathuram halwai and ended up marrying his daughter (played by Ashoo). Apart from Asha, they have a son Anand (Arun Govil).

Anand’s girlfriend is Radha (Tamanna), who works in Raja’s office. Her father is a classical singer Darbarilal (Madan Puri). There is a so called comedy side plot where Darbarilal needs to get convinced before he gives the green signal for Radha’s marriage with Anand. Anand doesn’t want Darbarilal to know that his father is a halwai as it does’t match Darbarilal’s stature and expectation.

Back to Raja and Asha. Due to the morning fight, Raja had left for office without taking his lunch. Due to delay, Asha is unable to prepare the full lunch and packs the hastily made khichri. She requests their helper cum servant Bansi (Dinesh Hingoo) to deliver the tiffin to Raja. Raja is desperately waiting for his lunch to arrive and notices his peon has many delicacies in his tiffin. His peon gives credit to his wife for managing to do this in spite of his meager salary. Raja is further frustrated when he hears this and compares with his own situation. The arrival of Bansi with the khichri tiffin rubs salt into his wounds!

But the truth is Raja and Asha still love and respect each other. They reconcile at night. But matters are going to get worse.

Raja tells Asha about his plan to purchase a scooter and she tells about her gas connection requirement. Finally, Raja brings home a second hand scooter. The gas connection will be arranged in a few months once he receives his bonus. Asha is not very happy but agrees to the arrangement. The root cause of their problems is money and she is waiting for the day when Raja will earn more and they can lead a better life. They have a new neighbour Meena (Kanan Kaushal), who seems to be a leading a comfortable life with her husband. Asha hopes for a similar day in her life as well.

And Raja is presented with a golden opportunity. The office is going to open a new branch. If Raja can impress his boss, he can become the manager of the new branch. Raja invites the boss and his wife for lunch at his house. Asha is supportive, she slogs and prepares a delicious meal. But tragedy strikes. Bansi informs her that he saw Bablu gambling when he should be in school. She rushes to take stock of the situation leaving the door open (there is no one else at home). Unfortunately, a cat and a dog make a mess of the food. Asha returns and is shocked to find the state of the kitchen and the food. The boss will be arriving any time. She explains the situation to Raja, who is extremely angry at her behaviour. She counters him stating their son’s future is important for her. But Raja is no mood to listen and blames her for screwing up his future. He even uses some unflattering terms for his boss. Unfortunately the boss arrives and hears everything. He leaves in a huff and asks Raja to forget his promotion and be ready for a demotion.

The matter is about to settle down but that does not happen. Raja compares Asha with his friend Anil’s wife who has manages their finances effectively, and has set up their home so beautifully with all comforts. Later, Asha insults Raja in front of their neighbour Meena. Meena works in a private firm and manages to earn Rs 2000 per month. She is a woman and is earning much more than Raja. So, the grass looks greener on the other side.

Raja decides to teach Asha a lesson and make her realise that earning money is not easy as she thinks. He will show her he can mange the house more efficiently. Thus he proposes a reversal of roles. Asha will be the working “woman” whereas he will stay home and manage the house. He is serious and Asha reluctantly agrees to all this. In a fit of anger, she challenges him she will be successful and will be earning more than him.

So, who will succeed? As expected there are some hilarious consequences of the role reversal. But is the grass really greener or there is a reality check ahead for both of them?

The Music

The lyrics are by Anjaan and music by Kalyanji Anandji. There are 5 songs but none have much recall value.

My Thoughts

The film plot is predictable but the performances keep the viewer interested. The highlight of Itni Si Baat is Sanjeev Kumar’s portrayal of Raja. Playing the initial romantic to the later helpless and frustrated character, he again proves what a marvellous actor he is! He is too good in the lighter scenes. And the sudden transformation in his angry reactions is worth watching. He is complemented by Moushumi Chatterjee and they share a wonderful chemistry. Dinesh Hingoo and Asit Sen are effective in their small roles. The comedy side plot involving Asha’s family is really unnecessary.