All posts by GGaurav

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About GGaurav

I am passionate about old movies, songs and trivia.

Hum (1991)

My Reviews,

The early 1990s brought in a new bunch of actors including the 3 Khans who would cast their distinctive spells and rule the industry for the next few decades. But there were others who continued to stay relevant with their immense star power and acting talent.

Today, we visit the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Hum. Produced by Romesh Sharma and directed by Mukul Anand, Hum is a showcase of the aging Amitabh Bachchan’s “angry young man” image, probably for the last time as a leading hero. It is a kind of revenge drama full of action, masala and entertainment with many characters and subplots. Though an out and out commercial film, it confirms why Amitabh Bachchan is regarded as one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. He won the FilmFare award for best actor for his memorable performance. The film is also remembered for its iconic song Jumma chumma de de.

The Plot

The very first scene begins with Amitabh Bachchan’s voiceover. He describes Mumbai (or Bombay) docks area, the destination of ships where goods are loaded and unloaded. Some years back, a businessman called Bhaktavar (Danny Denzongpa) arrived here. He took advantage of the poor conditions and compulsions of the dock workers and made them his slaves. The workers would slog round the clock in return of almost nothing. The exploitation continued over the years. Bhaktavar’s power and cruelty multiplied. He ruled the docks with his band of trusted men. Hardly anyone could dream of raising their voice against Bhakhtavar. Those who did, met with fatal consequences serving as a lesson for others.

One of Bhaktavar’s right hand man was Pratap (Deepak Shirke). He had 3 sons. The eldest being Tiger (Amitabh Bachchan). Pratap remarried and had 2 sons from his second wife (played by Asha Sharma). Tiger was introduced to the world of crime by his father and he also works for Bhaktavar. But he has a rebel streak and a sense to distinguish what’s good, bad and evil.

The docks see the entry of a new police inspector Giridhar (Anupam Kher). He is accompanied by Havaldar Arjun Singh (Annu Kapoor). Giridhar is corrupt and an opportunist to the core. He has his plans laid out. He would like to side with the workers and stoke the flames of a rebellion against Bhaktavar. On the other hand, he would act as a servant of Bhaktavar, and instigate him against the workers.

Gonsalves (Romesh Sharma) is one of the workers who is trying to gather support and rebel against Bhaktavar. One day, he and a group of workers march to Bhaktavar’s house shouting Bhaktavar murdabad. Bhaktavar handles the situation shrewdly and crushes the rebellion, leaving Gonsalves frustrated.

Bhaktavar sends his men to capture Gonsalves and kill him (by throwing him in an acid tank, he owns a chemical unit too!). Enter Tiger, the angry young man who is Gonsalves’s close friend. He is all ready for action to save his friend. After the expected fight, he manages to rescue Gonsalves. Giridhar is on spot to tell Tiger that Bhaktavar is behind this. Tiger rushes to Bhaktavar’s house. He threatens him openly and warns to stay away from his friend. Pratap lectures him and throws him out. He apologizes to Bhaktavar on Tiger’s behalf. Bhaktavar warns him that this should not be repeated else his other 2 sons will have to bear the consequences.

Gonsalves has a sister Jumalina/ Jumma (Kimi Katkar) who shares a love hate relationship with Tiger. This is reason enough to present the chartbuster song Jumma chumma de de.

Giridhar informs Bhaktavar that Gonsalves has collected the signatures of 500 workers and will be filing a complaint against Bhaktavar tomorrow. Bhaktavar orders Pratap to tell Tiger to instill some sense into Gonsalves else the outcome will be worse. Tiger goes to meet Gonsalves in a drunken state. After a long scene, Gonsalves understands the message that his friend is desperately trying to convey. Amitabh is really good in this scene and a treat to watch!

The next day, Gonsalves is on his way to the police station. He is alone. Seems no one is ready to risk being seen with him. Tiger runs behind him but Bhaktavar reaches Gonsalves first and kills him. Tiger is a witness to the murder. So are Giridhar and Arjun Singh who have been watching the proceedings hidden from the view. Everyone knows what has happened but Bhaktavar’s men terrorize the area to ensure no one speaks up against him. Jumma appeals to the women to come forward. They do so. In the events that follow, Pratap gets killed (when he tries to save Tiger) and his wife (Tiger’s stepmother) also dies. Bhaktavar rushes home hoping to flee with his family and money before the police forces arrive.

Tiger has lost his friend, and his parents in quick succession. He goes to Bhaktavar’s house to kill him. He knocks him out. But Giridhar, the opportunist has already planned the next course of events. He informs Tiger that the police commissioner is on his way and requests him to to leave the city along with his step brothers. He will not achieve anything by killing Bhaktavar, after all he has to think about the future of his brothers. Tiger is fully agreeable and leaves.

After that, Giridhar sets fire to Bhaktavar’s house, loots his safe and runs away. Bhaktavar gains consciousness and sees his wife and children being charred to death. He assumes Tiger is behind all this. He jumps out of the window and saves himself. But the police arrive and arrest him. (He is sent to jail.)

Tiger boards a goods train along with his brothers. He asks Jumma to jump in but she refuses. She says his love will be divided if she comes with them. So the lovers separate. Giridhar manages to shoot the train which is conveniently carrying explosives. There is a huge explosion and he assumes Tiger is dead.

We are not even halfway into the story. Some 15 years have passed. Tiger is alive and a changed man for the sake of his brothers. He is now called Shekhar and lives in Ooty. He has established a timber business. His brothers are Kumar (Rajinikant), a police officer and Vijay (Govinda), a college student. Kumar’s wife is Aarti (Deepa Sahi) and they have a daughter Jyoti (Baby Sanjana). Shekhar is away from the world of crime. His brothers don’t know anything of his past. Strangely, they don’t remember anything of what happened to their parents etc.

More characters are introduced. Vijay’s girlfriend is Anita (Shilpa Shirodkar). They sing a sultry song shot in Mauritius airport (?). Anita’s father is General Sinha (Kadar Khan).

But Tiger/ Shekhar’s contented life is about to change as some old foes return.

Bhaktavar is released from jail. His mission is to track Tiger and seek revenge for killing his family. He is told that Tiger is dead but he refuses to believe that. It is interesting to note that Bhaktavra’s motivation is concerning the loss of his family. The importance of a family is actually the central theme of the movie.

Giridhar is now a successful businessman. But obviously not someone who is principled. His current target is the Indian army. He is planning to sell substandard tanks to the army. But his plans are thwarted by General Sinha. Then he plans to replace the General with a duplicate (an actor), who will masquerade as the General and approve the tanks’ purchase.

His path will cross with Bhaktavar, who is out of jail, as well as with Tiger, whom he had assumed dead. He knows he will be caught if Tiger and Bhaktavar meet each other and realize the truth. Giridhar’s wrong doings will be revealed.

And Tiger’s love interest Jumma, who is now a successful heroine will return in Tigers life.

All this makes for an exciting climax where a family unites to take on their adversaries.

The Music

Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal deliver a clear winner. Jumma Chumma has acquired cult status. It has a female solo version Le le chumma le le. The title song Ek dusre se karte hai pyar hum was popular too. It appears multiple times in the movie. The duets Sanam teri kasam and Kaagaz kalam dawaat la are good. Other situational song is General Sahab karo tayari.

My Thoughts

Hum was one of the final successes of Amitabh Bachchan’s career as the leading hero. Shortly after this movie, he took a break to launch his company ABCL. Mukul Anand makes full use of the actor’s talents be it action, comedy, romance or emotional scenes. His towering personality is impressive. But he looks old in the initial portion where he depicts the angry young man persona. Danny Denzongpa is convincing. Anupam Kher is irritating as he plays the villain with a comedy streak in his usual style.

Other actors like Rajinikant and Govinda don’t have much to do except in the final portion of the movie. Kimi Katkar makes a surprisingly good pair with Amitabh Bachchan though their age difference is evident on screen. Shilpa Shirodkar, Deepa Sahi and Kadar Khan (in a double role) provide good support.

While Hum may not be a great movie, it has all the key elements to hook the viewer. And it succeeds!

Ek Paheli (1971)

My Reviews,

Earlier this year I had reviewed the classic movie Mahal. It was a trendsetter in the horror suspense genre. As expected, after Mahal, there came many imitations. Ek Paheli is one such movie. While it does not involve an old mansion, it has a beautiful and mysterious woman who visits the hero and sings sad songs. The hero is mesmerised by her presence and longs to be with her. The attempt was good but the film falters in delivering to the expectations. Naresh Kumar is the director with Feroz Khan and Tanuja in the lead roles.

The Plot

Ek Paheli is set in Goa and begins with a mysterious scene. We see an auctioneer shop D’Silva and Sons in Panjim. The owner D’Silva (B M Vyas) is sitting outside the shop when a girl (Tanuja) arrives. She has heard there is a piano being sold and requests to have a look. He agrees. She goes in, sits and starts playing the piano. Later, the owner goes inside to find the shop empty. He looks everywhere but the girl has vanished. He is totally puzzled. The titles roll in.

Its time for the hero’s entry. Foreign educated Dr. Sudhir has returned to Goa. He is a millionaire, and a mine owner. The welcome party at the airport includes his employees Rajendranath (Rocky) and Lily (Tuntun). The presence of the two means there will be a comedy side plot. Sudhir is happy with the welcome. Outside the airport we see a sinister looking man Shankarlal (Madan Puri) smoking a pipe. He observes as Sudhir drives away in his flashy sports car. (It is later disclosed that Shankarlal was Sudhir’s father’s business associate but the father had terminated their association.)

Sudhir arrives home (its a brand new bungalow), and is welcomed by a very old looking servant John (Bipin Gupta), who has served the family for 40 years. Sudhir’s father has passed away and apparently he doesn’t have any close relations. It is mentioned that Shankarlal is staying in their old bungalow (the reason is not elaborated). Rocky tells Sudhir he is arranging a big party and planning is in full swing. Sudhir looks around the house. He finds out there is a church and graveyard right next to it and is a bit uncomfortable. But Rocky and John assure him in their own ways. Sudhir notices a vacant space. He decides it’s perfect to place a piano there. Apparently, he is fond of music.

So he participates in a piano auction in the same shop of Mr D’Silva that was shown at the beginning of the movie. Seems it’s the same piano that the mysterious girl was interested in. Another potential customer called Julie gives him tough competition but he outbids her and purchases the piano for 700 rupees.

As he is leaving, the mysterious girl meets him. She tells him he is a good man and she is happy he has purchased the piano. Apparently, she is interested in the piano and knows much about it. She mentions it has a faulty reel and requests him to get it repaired from a good technician. He invites her to come over and fix it herself. She is happy at the suggestion. She goes to his house, repairs it, and requests him not to allow any one else to play it except himself. He agrees and welcomes her to come and play the piano anytime she wishes to do so. She is ecstatic and thanks him.

He asks her name and she replies cryptically, singing Aansoo ki ek boond hoon main (I am a tear drop). Why does she sing the sad song? We don’t know as Rocky enters with a list of party guests and invitation cards. Sudhir takes a card for inviting the girl but when he turns, the girl has vanished. He is left puzzled.

Its party time. The guests arrive including Shankarlal and Julie (the girl at the auction). Julie mentions that a girl had requested her not to purchase the piano and is happy that Sudhir outbid her. (But who was that girl? why did Julie agree? is not revealed). Sudhir is in a jolly mood. He requests Julie to play the piano. She is about to play when the church bells start ringing indicating a funeral is underway. She excuses herself but Sudhir and Shankarlal coax her to play. She does so but the atmosphere suddenly changes. There is thunder, lightning, and a fierce wind accompanying the melody of the piano. The lights go off. Julie drops dead, shocking everyone in the party. The mysterious girl had requested only Sudhir to play the piano. Is there any connection with this event?

Shankarlal points out the inauspicious occurrence to Sudhir. Sudhir is shaken. He goes to the police station. The inspector is Sanjeev Kumar in a guest appearance. Sudhir is informed that Julie died due to a heart failure. Sudhir goes to her funeral and meets her family. As he is leaving, he sees the mysterious girl appearing in mourning attire. She again makes some cryptic comments regarding life and death and goes to pay her respects. When she is back, she is a changed girl. Suddenly all chirpy and full of life. She requests Sudhir to drop her at her school. So, she is a school student (aged 19 or 20!). (Why a student will arrive at a stranger’s funeral is another puzzle!).

Later, that night, the girl is back in Sudhir’s house. Its past midnight. She starts playing the piano and singing the same song about being a tear drop. Sudhir wakes up and rushes to find her engrossed in the song. After more puzzling conversation, he asks her name and intention. She reveals her name as Maria and she likes to be secretive to avoid people seeing them together as this will impact his reputation. (Noble thought!). Sudhir seems to believe everything. He is impressed and asks her to have some coffee and sends for John. But the girl vanishes as Sudhir switches on the light and hears John approaching.

Sudhir is puzzled as John has not seen the girl or heard her singing. John admonishes Sudhir for acting strangely. Sudhir gets irritated and shouts at him. Apparently, John was awarded some shares by Sudhir’s father. Sudhir insults him and reminds him that he is a servant and he shouldn’t forget that.

Rocky takes Sudhir on a tour of his property. Sudhir sees Maria suddenly and follows her. She is singing another song Main ek paheli hoon, barson se akeli hoon. As the song ends she enters a graveyard and he meets her. She tells him that she comes here often after school. She loves the peace and silence. He expresses his desire to spend his life with her but she cautions him. Their religions are different and they need to maintain their dignity. He doesn’t agree but she gives an example of his servant John, who would not accept her relation with his master. He admits his love but she leaves hurriedly.

When Sudhir returns home, he finds John has been murdered. Shankarlal arrives, playing the role of Sudhir’s well wisher. He reminds Sudhir that this is the second death in his house. He offers all help and guidance to Sudhir. He feels that some business rivals may be involved in this matter. He even suggests Sudhir to wrap up his business and leave for good but Sudhir does not agree. He needs to sort the matter at hand.

They go to the police. They are informed that John was killed by injecting a syringe filled with air. Its good to see that the police have done a lot of homework! They treat Sudhir as the prime suspect as he had a fight with John last night and seems John was entitled for a significant amount from Sudhir’s business profits.

Shankarlal goes with Sudhir to his office. We see him planting the (murder weapon) syringe in Sudhir’s drawer. So Shankarlal is the villain of the piece. He wants to lay hands on Sudhir’s business. But Sudhir is saved when Lily finds the syringe and informs Rocky. Thew throw the evidence in the sea. Sudhir is not amused.

The saga continues as Shankarlal tries to trap Sudhir. He also uses his secretary Rosy (Aruna Irani) for the job. Sudhir mistakens Rosy for Maria due to similarity in their figure and dressing styles. Shankarlal plots to have Rosy impersonate Maria, fool Sudhir and kill him in an accident.

Will they be successful? Sudhir is in love with Maria but she remains a puzzle. Will she reveal everything? Will they unite in love?

The Music

Asad Bhopali is the lyricist and music by Usha Khanna. The title song Main ek paheli hoon and Aansoo ki ek boond hoon are the better songs. Then there is Ab To Aaja Dhalne Laage Hai. All 3 solos are by Suman Kalyanpur.

There is a romantic duet by Mohammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur, “Mera Tumhara Saath Toh Sadiyo Ka Saath Hai.” There are 2 unnecessary songs, a long duet picturized on the comedy pair “Oh Darling I Love You” (by Mohammed Rafi and Usha Khanna) and a seductive song by Aruna Irani “Ye Raat Ye Jawani, Ye Botal Sharab Ki” (sung by Suman Kalyanpur). Overall, the music is repetitive and doesn’t have much recall value.

My Thoughts

The film engrosses you initially. Tanuja looks beautiful and plays the mysterious Christian girl convincingly. She looks the part but it is difficult to imagine her as a school girl. They could have mentioned she was in college suiting her age and attire. Her performance is controlled as most of her scenes require her to be in a sad mood, talk in puzzles and not display other emotions. Feroz Khan looks handsome and dashing but that’s about it.

The suspense build up in the first hour is good as you anticipate a certain twist but that doesn’t happen. After the villain is revealed, the film gets boring. You just hope it to end soon. There are many loopholes and red herrings just to keep the viewer’s attention. But when the final reveal happens, it all sounds silly. The comedy side plot is long and boring. Rajendranath is funny but again, it adds nothing to the story when it becomes repetitive. Other characters are predictable. Sanjeev Kumar is wasted. The film has a 60s feel and its nice to see Goa on screen with much of its natural splendor.

In summary, this one is no Mahal and that’s not a puzzle.

Ek Daav Bhutacha (1982)

My Reviews

Many years back I had seen the English movie Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968). The movie was about a pirate “ghost” whose spirit is invoked by the hero and how they team up to take upon the opposition. I realised Chamatkaar (1992) starring Naseeruddin Shah and Shah Rukh Khan was inspired from the same film. And it was the inspiration for the Marathi film Ek Daav Bhutacha (One turn/game of a ghost) too. While the setting and characters are different it succeeds in entertaining the viewers. The movie is produced and directed by Ravi Namade.

The Plot

Dilip Prabhavalkar plays a school teacher Sadashiv Tukaram Deshmukh. It’s his farewell function as he has been transferred to another village called Tagewadi. He is warned by the principal that the village is full of crooked characters and difficult for a new teacher to survive. Several teachers have run away from their jobs.

Sadashiv is a simple and meek man. He does not have a family or relatives. Next day, he starts for Tagewadi.

Sadashiv enters Tagewadi and immediately gets a feel of the things to come. 3 men rough him up when he alights from the bus as part of a prank or “timepass.” He is insulted when he goes to a restaurant for a cup of tea. Even the women don’t behave normally. Left to himself, he finally locates the village school.

The school principal (D M Mirasdar) welcomes him. He is asked to settle down in the old school gymnasium. These will be his living quarters. The principal is overjoyed when he hears Sadashiv is a bachelor and invites him for dinner. There is a reason. The principal has a dim witted daughter Shanta who is trying to clear her matriculation exam. The plan is to introduce Shanta to Sadashiv, and slowly plan their marriage.

The next day Sadashiv visits the house of Radha mausi (Sulochana). Radha along with her daughter Durga (Ranjana) run a small mess. Durga is a fiery character and makes clear the terms and conditions. Sadashiv accepts and hands over the advance payment. His food problem is solved.

It’s Sadashiv’s first day in school. On the way, he sees a temple and participates in a devotional song. This is a random song (Tuch maay baap bandhu), apparently to show that he he sings well and plays the harmonium too.

He enters the class room to meet his students. The students are bratty like the other villagers, all ready to play pranks and trouble him. Predictably, there is a cartoon of the new teacher drawn on the blackboard. Paper missiles are aimed at him as a welcome gesture. But Sadashiv is a shrewd teacher. He is able to get the class under control by finding the pranksters and warning them.

A few weeks pass. Sadashiv gets closer to Radha and Durga. They treat him as a family member after he helps them during Radha’s illness, and when a shady character tries to molest Durga and Sadashiv saves her. Sadashiv and Durga have started taking an interest in each other but both are yet to admit it openly.

Sadashiv settles down in his teacher’s role successfully. The students are under his control and the other teachers wonder how he has managed to do this.

But the crooks in the village will not leave him alone. The village chief (sarpanch) played by Mohan Kothiwan is a dominating character. One day, his son (or nephew) beats a fellow student Shankar and talks rudely to Sadashiv. Sadashiv slaps him and the boy leaves after warning him. Later, the sarpanch’s brother (a wrestler) bursts in Sadashiv’s classroom and threatens him of dire consequences. The sarpanch ensures the other boy Shankar is expelled. Sadashiv is hepless when Shankar’s mother pleads to take him back.

Things take a turn for the worse when the sarpanch invites a dancer Shevanta to perform in the village. When she complains about the accommodation provided, he forcibly evicts Sadashiv from his quarters and assigns them to Shevanta and her troupe. A powerless Sadashiv heads towards an old and abandoned building. He reluctantly settles down for the night.

Sadashiv’s life is about to change. He hears a disturbance and goes to investigate inside the building. He meets a man who introduces himself as Khandoji Farzand (Ashok Saraf). Khandoji was a soldier in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s army some 300 years back. In other words, he is a ghost (or spirit). Sadashiv has had enough of the villagers’ pranks. He tells Khandoji that he seems to be an actor from a drama company and leaves the building.

But Khandoji pursues him. He demonstrates a few tricks to prove he is a ghost. Only Sadashiv can see him and he is not going to leave him alone. Sadashiv asks him why he is wandering as a ghost all these years. Khandoji informs him that he had killed the husband of the girl whom he was in love with. She was the daughter of a sardar (commander) whereas he was a common soldier, a servant. The girl went mad after her husband died. Khandoji was repentant about his actions and his spirit has been seeking redemption ever since. He believes he will achieve it if he is able to conduct a good deed by helping someone. Of course, he cannot do this alone and needs someone in this task. Sadashiv accepts his explanation and from thereon they are inseparable and thick as friends.

Khandoji helps Sadashiv to tackle his detractors one by one. And you see some special effects on screen accompanied by some amusing scenes. The ghostly actions scare away the dancer and Sadashiv moves back to his residence. Shankar, the expelled student is reinstated. The sarpanch and his cronies are also dealt with and so on.

Most importantly, Khandoji plays a role in bringing together Sadashiv and Durga. But the sarpanch plans to disrupt their marriage and teach them a lesson.

Will he be successful? Will the lovers unite and what is Khandoji’s future? Will he ever be free?

The Music

The songs are not that well known. Sudhir Moghe is the lyricist, with music by Bhaskar Chandawarkar. Shrikant Pargaonkar sings the devotional song Tuch maay baap bandhu, and the duet with Anuradha Paudwal, Vishawalli asuni bhavti. Anuradha Paudwal renders the romantic solo Mee fasle, whereas Usha Mangeshkar sings the lavani Aho raya mala rang mahalaat thewa.

My Thoughts

The story, screenplay and dialogues are by well known writer D M Mirasdar. He also acts in the movie. The story is good and the dialogues are crispy and witty. Considering other films of the times, the subject is different. Wish there were more entertaining special effects but I think that depends on the movie’s budget. The weak production values are evident. However, the effort is worth a watch.

Dilip Prabhavalkar, Ranjana, Ashok Saraf and Sulochana share the acting honours. Their acting is natural and effective. The chemistry between the leads is convincing though Dilip and Ranjana would be considered an odd lead pair. Dilip and Ashok’s give and take are hilarious, both being such splendid actors. The supporting cast consisting of known names like Mohan Kothiwan, Mohan Joshi, Ram Nagarkar, Shriram Ranade and Raghvendra Kadakol are convincing.