Category Archives: My Reviews

Haatim Tai (1990)

My Reviews,

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

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

The Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Music

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

My Thoughts

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

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

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

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

Tu Sukhkarta (1993)

My Reviews,

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

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

The Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Music

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

My Thoughts

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

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

Imtihan (1974)

My Reviews,

Imtihan meaning examination or test was a commercially successful movie from the 70s. The film was produced by B A Chandiramani and directed by Madan Sinha. It tells the story of a young man who leaves his rich and comfortable background to take up a job as a lecturer in a college. His tricky experiences in the new role test his resolve time and again. How he tackles them forms the core plot of the movie. Imtihan attempts a different theme compared to the other films of its time. Vinod Khanna, Tanuja and Bindu play the key characters.

The Plot

Pramod Sharma (Vinod Khanna) is the son of a rich man (played by Murad). Pramod is all suited up with a suitcase in hand to leave his father’s bungalow. He has got the job of a lecturer in Adarsh Mahavidyalaya (college). The father is angry because he has been slogging to earn money all his life in the hope that his son will take over the family business. But his son wants to give up everything to work as an ordinary teacher. Pramod counters that for him money is not the focus rather he would like to distribute his knowledge gained among others. The father begs him to stop and reconsider his decision but Pramod has already decided his life’s mission.

The titles roll and the inspirational song Ruk jaana nahi tu kahi haar ke plays in the background. Pramod reaches the college and meets the principal (Abhi Bhattacharya). As they make a tour of the college, the principal introduces Pramod to Rita Sharma (Bindu) who is the chairman’s daughter. Rita’s reaction conveys she is awestruck by the handsome Pramod.

Rita is an important character. She dresses stylishly in modern bold clothes and her arrival in college is considered a happening event by the male students. Everyone vies for her attention probably because of her looks and influence. This behaviour is disgusting and sums up the general condition of the college.

The overaged students look as if they have been spending too many years in the college. They dress in terrible clothes and have no regard for their tutors or studies. They openly throw objects like tomatoes on their professors and play music when the lecture is in progress. The professors (like Asit Sen and C S Dubey) suffer this treatment meekly. No wonder the students have to resolve to mass scale copying during exams. In case they are caught, they openly threaten the invigilator by pulling up a knife. This is the sorry state of affairs. The college is not adarsh in any way! Wonder what the principal has been doing all these years.

Pramod has a tough task on his hand. His colleagues warn him to be careful but he is confident to step in the classroom and get on with his work as a history lecturer. The class is waiting for him to give him the most memorable welcome. But Pramod is ready. He tackles their maneuvers like a skilled player, leaving them impressed. Most importantly, he teaches a lesson to Rakesh (Abhijeet Sen).

Rakesh is the college bully. He has a say in everything and is engaged in illegal activities like supplying liqour, drugs, explicit photos of girls etc. The students are scared to oppose him. His close friend is Paul (Ranjeet in a special appearance), a photographer who aids him in his illegal activities. Rakesh is not amused when he becomes a laughing stock courtesy of Pramod. He is itching to teach a lesson to Pramod.

The story cannot be complete without a love angle. The principal has a daughter Madhu (Tanuja), a heartbroken character. Madhu was once a chirpy student and ace painter. She was in love with an air force officer. Unfortunately, one day, news come in that his plane has crashed. Madhu is unable to bear the news and falls down the stairs. The physical and emotional turmoil is too much for her. Due to the accident, she walks with a limp in one leg. She has given up painting and remains immersed in her own world.

The arrival of Pramod brings a tinge of positivity in her life. Pramod lectures her to admire the beauty around her and suggests her to start painting again. She is resentful but thaws gradually. She starts liking his company. She convinces him to be pose as a model for her painting (she is good at portraits). He agrees leading to some funny moments. He doesn’t have the patience to pose as a model and she is fed up with giving him instructions to stay composed and maintain the pose!

Pramod is instrumental in bringing her out of her self imposed shell. She starts visiting the college campus and interacting with the students. Many of the students are happy to have her in their midst. What follows is Madhu’s acknowledgment of a change in her life. She sings the memorable Roz shaam aati thi in the company of Pramod.

With one exception – Rita. Rita is infatuated by Pramod. She tries multiple ways to get closer to him. Strangely, he doesn’t tell her outright that she is a student and needs to stay within her limits. She could have been given an official warning but that doesn’t happen. Rita resents Madhu’s presence in Pramod’s life. A day comes when she realises that Pramod has fallen for Madhu and she has no chance of gaining his love. She is consumed by a bitter jealousy and vindictiveness and will do anything to teach a befitting lesson to Pramod.

This is the opportunity Rakesh had been waiting for. He poison’s Rita’s mind. The students are set to go on a college trip to a historical site. Pramod will be accompanying them. This is where Rita executes her plan and lures Pramod into a trap in the middle of the night. She accuses Pramod of molesting her. Everyone believes Rita and Pramod faces suspension from the college.

Will Pramod accept his fate or make an attempt to clear his name? Will his ideals help him to overcome the allegations? The exciting climax reveals the outcome.

The Music

The film has only 4 songs. They are written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Ruk jaana nahin (Kishore Kumar) and Roz shaam aati thi (Lata Mangeshkar) are the well known songs. The other songs are Dekho idhar bhi jaane tamanna (by Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar) which is a kind of face off between the 2 female characters. Then there is the over the top erotic number Bujhade jal gayi (Asha Bhosle).

My Thoughts

I was expecting a film where the new lecturer is successful in reforming the rowdy students and endearing himself to them. Unfortunately it falls short on these expectations. Rakesh doesn’t change and Rita almost succeeds in her mission to defame Pramod. The ending is a bit ambiguous. What is Pramod’s state of mind? Does he consider himself at least partly successful in achieving what he had seeked?

Vinod Khanna shines as the idealistic lecturer. He has a commanding screen presence with his acting and looks. His chemistry with Tanuja is lacking. Bindu has a meaty role and gives her best. The student characters are irritating to watch. Overall, in spite of its shortcomings, the film makes for an interesting watch and leaves its impact.