Category Archives: My Reviews

Ina Mina Dika (1989)

My Reviews

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

The Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Music

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

My Thoughts

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

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

Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1970)

My Reviews,

My introduction to Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (GGKK) is the evergreen Kishore Kumar song Samaa hai suhana suhana. Though a family drama it is not the regular story of hero meets heroine, romantic songs and the mandatory villain. But still is a decent watch. It was made under the banner of Vijaya International by B. Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani. The director is T Prakash Rao. As trivia, there was another film with the same name released in 1988, and was a remake of Gharana (1961).

The Plot

GGKK is the story of 3 families. Shankarnath (Balraj Sahni) and wife Padma (Nirupa Roy) are one happy couple, I mean family. They have 3 school going children – Ravi (Mahesh Kumar i.e. Mahesh Kothare), Raja (Master Ripple) and Rupa (Baby Sonia i.e. Neetu Singh). Shankarnath earns Rs. 630 per month. He seems to work in a Government office and is an honest and principled man who does not accept bribes. He is known for his clean character. Shankarnath is very careful in money matters. He is of the opinion that money needs to be spent thoughtfully.

But his children dont think so. Ravi wants to go to Ajanta Ellora on a school trip but Shankarnath refuses to pay the money. Similarly, Rupa is participating in the school gathering and needs a new frock. Raja requests for a new bicycle. Shankarnath tells them outright that he does not have money for these (unwanted) expenses. He explains that they have to be very careful how money is spent and is unable to fulfil their demands.

Ravi’s school mate is Murli. His father is Sadhuram (Om Prakash). Sadhuram’s boss is Shankarnath. His character is opposite to that of Shankarnath and is an extremely corrupt man. His wife is Jamna (Shashikala) and they have 5 children. Thanks to his “under the table” dealings, he is able to afford every luxury. He readily gives the money to Murli for the school trip which Ravi is also hoping to join. Ravi ponders how Sadhuram is so well off when his boss is barely able to make ends meet. Month on month it’s the same story.

The third family is that of Padma’s brother Mamaji (Jagirdar). His wife is Praveen Paul, who comes from a rich family. They have a pampered son Gopi (Jr Mehmood). A spoilt kid, he gambles on a daily basis. His mother, being the money controller of the house, supplies him with money. He cons her readily with his sob stories and extracts as much money as he wants from her. His father is a shrewd and observant man, waiting for the right opportunity to expose him.

Back to Shankarnath and family. The children have had enough. They want their demands to be met. Ravi sits on a hunger strike (satyagraha). The parents try to intervene but no one is ready to budge. Finally, Shankarnath comes up with a solution. He has a man to man talk with Ravi. He tells him that he will hand over his full salary to him and it is up to him to make the budget of the house and manage the finances. This arrangement will continue for 6 months. Ravi is reluctant to agree to this plan but his siblings push him and he accept the challenge.

Thus begins the interesting challenge. Ravi tries to balance the income and expenditure every month. The focus is on bringing down the spending which he finds is difficult to achieve. Some hard decisions are imminent. The children ask the maid to leave and do the chores themselves. They start walking to school. During Diwali, they ask Padma not to purchase new clothes for them. Looking at their efforts, Shankarnath is also ready to make some sacrifices. All this for saving money.

But there are hurdles along the way. Shankarnath’s nephew Surendra (Jagdeep) arrives with his family to spend Diwali with Shankarnath’s family. He is a miser and Ravi has to bear all their expenses including the taxi fare. After Diwali, Padma falls sick leading to unplanned medical expenses.

On the other hand, Sadhuram is enjoying the fruits of his shady dealings and continues to live in luxury. Gopi is up to no good and indulges in everything else apart from studies.

And there is also a young couple. Sadhuram’s daughter Seema (Bharati) is in love with Suresh (Rakesh Roshan). The song Samaa hai suhana suhana is picturised on this couple while Jalal Agha does the singing.

The entertaining but predictable events continue. All these threads unite as the climax approaches. Things are sorted and the film ends on a positive note.

The Music

Kalyanji Anandji is the music composer with lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri and Qamar Jalalbadi. The other songs are not bad but could not attain the popularity of Samaa hai suhana suhana.

The songs are voiced Lata Mangeshkar, Hemlata, Mahendra Kapoor and Kishore Kumar. This includes the number Aisa banoonga actor main yaaron picturized on Jr. Mehmood.

My Thoughts

I came to know that the film’s producer B Nagi Reddi was also the founder of the children’s magazine Chandamama, published in multiple Indian languages. He later started producing films. The setting of GGKK reminds you of the type of stories published in Chandamama – simple, engrossing and with a social message.

The main plot in GGKK focuses on the three children and their efforts to manage money. They are ready to sacrifice for long term gains. The common factor among all the families depicted is money, and its impact on the behaviour of the family members. The casting is good and all seasoned actors perform as required. The thoughtful dialogues between Shankarnath and family are believable. Junior Mehmood is convincing as the bratty son from a rich family. He is irritating and over the top as the role demands. This was Rakesh Roshan’s debut film. He and Bharathi hardly have anything to do in the movie. Not sure if their track was edited.

Overall, you know what is going to happen and there is hardly any twist. Nevertheless it makes for an entertaining watch.

Raigadacha Rajbandi (1965)

My Reviews

Films centred around the Maratha empire have been a favourite subject for Marathi filmmakers. They often tell the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These make for an interesting watch with all the planning, plotting, interesting twists leading to the defeat of the enemies of the Marathas.

Raigadacha Rajbandi (the political prisoner of Raigad) belongs to the same genre but the plot is unusual. Raja Badhe is the producer as well as the lyricist. Raja Thakur is the director.

The Plot

The film’s focus is on Sambhaji Raje’s character (the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). Sambhaji Raje (Chittaranjan Kolhatkar) is held captive by the Mughals. He is being forced to accept Alamgir i.e. Aurangzeb’s authority. He is promised gifts and luxuries if he shifts his allegiance to the Mughals. They torture a dummy in front of him to demonstrate what lies in his fate if he refuses. Sambhaji Raje refuses to bend and would rather accept death than compromise his principles. Left alone to ponder the consequences, he calls someone called Sati Godavari to make an appearance. Who is she, we come to know through a flashback.

Sambhaji Raje is out hunting deer when he arrives at a river, a bit exhausted and thirsty. There he sees Godavari (Sulochana) out to fetch water with her younger sister Krishna (Nayan). Godavari recognises him and offers him water. During the brief interaction, he is taken in by her beauty and demeanor.

The next day, he is shown handling his daily duties as the administrator of Raigad. He arrives in the court to meet people and sort matters. Then he is shown testing some guns, to be purchased from the firangis (foreigners). But he has not forgotten Godavari.

Godavari is the daughter of Hari Pandit. She is staying with her parents but will be going to her in laws place in a few days. It is not clear if she is newly married. [Note, her younger sister is played by Reema Lagoo who started her career as a child actor.]

Godavari goes with Krishna to fetch water where she encounters Sambhaji Raje again. He wants to thank her for her services and as a reward, he flings a valuable necklace towards her. As it happens in movies, it lands around Godavari’s neck. She is shocked at the behaviour. Krishna tells him that Godavari is going to her in laws place tomorrow and she will miss her.

He doesn’t know how to react and leaves without a word. He spends a restless night lost in the thoughts of Godavari and her impending departure. He is convinced that she is not happy with her in laws. She is eager to meet him again. They both want to spend time with each other. He longs for her company. The decision is made. Next day, he ambushes the palanquin procession and abducts Godavari. She is brought to the fort.

At the fort, he offers to marry her. But she delivers a long lecture and asks him to stay away from her. He obliges. Even his shadow would not be touching her against her wishes. The days go by. Godavari mellows down as Sambhaji Raje keeps his word; he treats her respectfully, always maintaining a distance between them.

But all is not normal in Godavari’s house. Godavari’s mother is furious at Sambhaji Raje’s behaviour. She sets to go and confront him but her husband stops her. Later, Hari Pandit and Krishna go to meet Rajmata Jijabai (Durga Khote), the grandmother of Sambhaji Raje. Hari Pandit is tongue tied. How can he reveal the abductor’s name in front of Sambhaji Raje’s grandmother?

After much coaxing, the young Krishna blurts out Sambhaji Raje’s name. The necklace is handed over as proof. Rajmata Jijabai is shaken and promises action. A faithful servant called Dharaai (Mai Bhide), who was the governess of the young Sambhaji seeks forgiveness. Dharaai also meets Sambhaji Raje to understand what happened and the reason behind his rash behaviour.

It doesn’t take time for the news to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Chandrakant Gokhale). He goes to meet Rajmata Jijabai. They have a long conversation on Sambhaji Raje’s behaviour. Both of them attempt to accept responsibility for his actions. After all they were responsible to look after him after his mother passed away when he was 2 years old. Is the father responsible or the grandmother? A crime has been committed and justice needs to be ensured.

Finally, the day of the decision arrives. There is an altercation between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Raje. The father is about to behead the son when Godavari rushes in to stop him. She speaks in favour of Sambhaji Raje. Agreed, he had abducted her but after that he has treated her respectfully. She has no complaints.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj then decides to blind Sambhaji’s eyes in order to teach him a lesson. Sambhaji Raje agrees but Ramdas Swami steps in and stops the act. Sambhaji Raje is made the prisoner of Raigad.

Arrangements are made to send Godavari to her in laws’ house. But she has other plans. She does not want to burden her family with the consequences of what happened to her. People are bound to talk and she wants to avoid that at all costs. What will she do? What solution does she offer?

The Music

Raja Badhe is the lyricist while D.P. Koregaonkar (K. Datta) is the music director. The songs are melodious and well rendered. Suman Kalyanpur sings 3 songs (He vrindavan sangte satichi katha, Sutena maherachi mithi and Anand mani maeena). Asha Bhosle sings Sakali uthuni mukh pahava aaicha and Chalali Godavari. There is also a short song Chashme paimana uthale (by Mubarak Begum). The climax features a powada by Pirajirao Sarnaik narrating Sambhaji Raje’s story.

My Thoughts

The film is different from what you would normally expect from this genre. There is no plotting from the Maratha’s enemies (Adilshah, Nizam, or the Mughals) and the fitting response given by the Marathas. The thrill is missing. That itself is a disappointment.

There are many long scenes with the characters mouthing expressive dialogues. At times the movie resembles a play making it tedious to watch. You wish there was less dialogue and more action. The solution at the end may be relevant to the times but leaves the viewer with a debatable question – is justice really delivered? The message is not clear. Most of the cast are well known names. Sulochana stands out with her impressive performance.