Category Archives: My Reviews

Gardish (1993)

My Reviews,

Gardish means misfortune or adversity. That is exactly what our hero encounters throughout this film. Primarily, it is a story of a father’s aspirations, who wants his son to become a police inspector. Whether this wish is fulfilled is revealed at the end of the film.

Gardish was a remake of a Malayalam film Kireedam starring Mohanlal and was remade into Hindi by Priyadarshan. Interestingly, the film was produced by Good Knight Films. Yes,  the same company famous for its mosquito repellant brand, it was also into film production. Another highlight of the film is its music director R.D. Burman (who passed away in 1994), this being one of the last films of his distinguished career.

The Plot

Purushottam Sathe (Amrish Puri) is a police constable. His wife is Laxmi (Farida Jalal). They have 4 children – 2 sons and 2 daughters. Sathe has one dream to see his elder son Shiva (Jackie Shroff) become a police inspector. He is awaiting the day when Inspector Shiva will walk in to the police station and the proud constable father will salute him. Shiva is aware of this; he is studying for the exams and preparing to crack the interview.

Sathe has a married daughter Sulbha (Kunika). Her “good for nothing” husband (Asrani) has lost his job and his employer has filed a case against him. He has come to stay with his wife and son in Sathe’s house and has no plan to return. Sulbha requests her father to speak to the police inspector handling the case and help her husband. But Sathe tells her that he will not use his contacts or influence as it is against his principles. He will not bend his principles to help his own son, so who cares about his son-in-law.

There is a flashback scene from Shiva’s college days in Mumbai. While Shiva wants to concentrate on his studies, his friends (Harish (Annu Kapoor) and Rakesh Bedi) are aiming to woo a very rich girl and lead an easy life. Through a predictable plot, we get introduced to a rich girl Vidya Bhalla (Aishwarya), the daughter of Prithviraj Bhalla (Shammi Kapoor). After some comedy sequences involving a love letter, a bank robbery and a bomb scare, Shiva and Vidya get attracted towards each other. They soon fall in love.

Flashback over. Prithviraj has come to meet Sathe with Vidya’s marriage proposal. Both families are agreeable to the match. They concur that the marriage should take place as soon as Shiva becomes an inspector.

Shiva is going to Mumbai the next day to appear for the interview. Prithviraj and Vidya are also leaving for Mumbai. Sathe sees off the three of them at the railway station.

Sathe comes across a wrongly parked car outside the railway station and speaks to its arrogant owner. Sathe impounds the car and asks the young man to collect it from the police station. Someone tells Sathe that the man is an MLA’s son but Sathe doesn’t care. Justice is equal for all. As expected, the MLA seeks revenge and the principled Sathe has to face the consequences. He is transferred to Kala Chowk in Mumbai where the real story begins.

Kala Chowk is one of the most notorious and dreaded areas. The area has been terrorized by a goonda called Billa Jilani (Mukesh Rishi). His activities are not revealed clearly. He seems to be engaged in extortion (hafta vasooli) to maintain his hold in the area. The residents are scared to utter a word against him. He is known to have committed 18 murders but no witness is ever ready to come forward and speak against him.

The local police are aware of his reputation and mostly turn a blind eye over his activities. One day, Billa’s men kill a man who is planning to contest the local elections. Inspector Saini (Suresh Oberoi) manages to finds a man who had witnessed the murder. As a safeguard, he keeps the witness in the police lock up for the night. But Billa’s goons attack Saini and kill the witness. Such is the influence demonstrated by Billa.

Sathe relocates to Mumbai with his family and resumes his duties in the Kala Chowk police station. The only topic of discussion in the area is “Billa.” Shiva is also in Mumbai after appearing for the interview and awaiting the result.

One day, Billa’s men are beating a goonda called Kali in the market area. Sathe is nearby with other policemen who are merely watching the proceedings. For them it is a normal occurrence. But Sathe cannot control himself and rushes to deal with Billa’s men and save Kali. As the fight continues, Billa arrives and starts thrashing Sathe. The police watch this meekly and do not help their colleague.

Shiva is caught in the crowd and notices his father being beaten up by Billa. He moves in and deals with Billa and his men. After an intense fight, he manages to tackle all the men. Billa is half dead and taken to the hospital. The crowd rejoice assuming Billa is dead and hail Shiva.

But Sathe is not happy with Shiva’s behaviour. He admonishes him for his actions. He says he is ready to die in the line of duty but Shiva needs to concentrate on his future. He is relying on Shiva to take care of the family if anything happens to him. If his name appears as a criminal in the police records, his future will be doomed. Inspector Saini is aware of what happened. He ensures that Shiva’s name does not feature in the official report.

Unfortunately for Shiva, the bad times continue. He gets engaged in one fight after the other. He tries to convince his father and family that he is not responsible for initiating the fight but they do not believe him. The conflict between the father and son continues. He has multiple altercations with Sathe who deems him a criminal. Shiva becomes a victim of the unfortunate circumstances.

In all this, there is only one person who is supportive of Shiva – a woman called Shanti (Dimple Kapadia). Shanti’s husband and son were set to fire by Billa. No one including the police came to their rescue. A powerless Shanti was forced into prostitution.

Meanwhile Billa has recovered and ready to face his enemy Shiva. He targets Shiva’s family to compel Shiva to come to him. Will Shiva save his family or his future? This leads to a chilling climax.

The Music

Javed Akhtar has written the lyrics for the songs composed by R. D. Burman. The songs are good but break the flow of the story. Hum na samjhe the, Ae mere deewano, Baadal jo barse to are some of the popular songs.

My Thoughts

Gardish is a good film but good only in patches. There are multiple action and violence filled scenes. The acting by all well known names is impressive. Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia and Amrish Puri were nominated for the Filmfare awards. Priyadarshan’s directorial touch is evident through specific camera angles. The art direction is remarkable for which Sabu Cyril won the Filmfare award.

There are are too many songs and unnecessary elements which are irritating to watch. The bank robbery and the following chase sequence is silly. The focus keeps shifting from the serious plot. I wonder why the sub plot involving Annu Kapoor as a beggar was included. It was a clever plot and would have worked well in a comedy film (possibly by Priyadarshan!) but it adds nothing in Gardish.

Overall, a good film but could have been better.

Pudhcha Paool (1986)

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Cinema is a form of entertainment but it can be used as an effective instrument to deliver a social message. Unsurprisingly, films based on social themes have been attempted time and again and have retained their popularity. As a sub-theme, films depicting women related issues like empowerment & self-identity, professional equality, social customs and traditional oppression, domestic violence etc have been presented with success.

V Shantaram had tackled the issue of dowry in the aptly titled Dahej (1950). The demands of the in-laws never seem to cease and the poor daughter in law has to face the brunt. Pudhcha Paool (meaning The Next Step) covers a similar theme. The film is directed by the reliable Raj Dutt and is successful in delivering its message.

The Plot

At the centre of Pudhcha Paool is a middle class family called Patgaonkar. Anna (Yeshwant Dutt) is the head of the family. His wife is Mai (Ashalata Wabgaonkar), a school teacher. They have a son Shrinivas alias Shinu (Sagar) who works in a private firm and is hoping to be a purchase officer soon. Shinu’s [second] wife is Chitra (Manasi Magikar), a housewife. This is a seemingly normal family but it is not so. (It is revealed that Shinu had a first wife called Rekha, who committed suicide because of the way she was treated by her in laws).

Chitra’s younger sister is getting married. The invitation has arrived and she is excited to attend the wedding. But Mai and Sagar don’t think so. They make her write a letter requesting her father Babasaheb (Nilu Phule) to arrange Rs 7,000 to purchase a refrigerator. The implication is that Chitra and Shinu will attend the wedding only if the money is committed by Babasaheb. Chitra begs to go for the wedding but Mai makes her stand clear.

Anna is supportive of his daughter-in-law but is a bit helpless. Meanwhile Chitra’s parents are eagerly waiting for her arrival. They are fully aware of the nature of Chitra’s in-laws. Her mother (Suhasini Deshpande) is worried that Chitra won’t be able to attend the celebrations.

Mai has put a lot of restrictions on Chitra. She cannot step out of the house without permission. Chitra is fond of music but she cannot join a music class. She is not allowed to mingle with the neighbours who are sympathetic towards Chitra. There is a young man next door Ramu (Prashant Damle) who lends books to Chitra. Ramu is also interested in music and plays the violin. Mai does not like their interaction and tells the same to Chitra. In general, Chitra is like a trapped bird with no potential of being freed.

Mai is eagerly waiting for Babasaheb’s response on the money demand. She asks Chitra to feign illness so that everybody will think that she had the “flu” and did not travel for the wedding. Chitra is crestfallen and Anna tries to cheer her up. She dreams of the celebrations and sings a song… Kaa ga saajani bheeje paapani. But her dreams are shattered when Mai tears the wedding invitation. No money, no wedding.

Some reasons are provided as to why Mai is so money minded. Apparently, Anna owned a general store as well as a dairy. It is hinted he had to lose both because of his own mismanagement and lack of capability(!). Mai’s sisters have built their own bungalows. She wants Anna to sell a plot of land he owns. The money can be put to better use but Anna repeatedly refuses to sell the plot.

After the wedding, Babasaheb comes to meet Chitra and take her with him for a few days. Mai swings into action. First she tells him in a sugar coated manner as to why Chitra was unable to come for the wedding. He hands over the gifts brought for all four of them. But Mai has had enough. She asks him outright about the money. Given his economic condition, he is unable to commit anything which makes her flare up. She asks him to gather the gifts and leave immediately. He can show his face only when the money has been arranged.

An insulted and dejected Babasaheb leaves and settles down under a tree. He hears a poignant song from the nearby temple…Jo to aapapala yethe kuni naa aadhar, manachiya ghavawari manachi funkar. Later, Ramu informs Anna about the whole situation. Anna treats Chitra like his daughter. He is furious at Mai’s behaviour and lectures her as well as Shinu. They are shaken by his behaviour.

The next few days pass normally. Strangely, Mai and Shinu are in a subdued mood. Anna informs Chitra he is going to Kashmir on a trip. He wants to record her song so he does not miss her company. She is reluctant but Anna and Ramu push her. She sings the song…Ekaach yaa janami janu with Ramu accompanying her on the violin.

Chitra is scared that something will happen when Anna is not around to support her. There is probably a storm coming after all the calm. But he convinces her it is a matter of a few days. Hopefully she will be able to go to her parents’ house soon. And Anna leaves for Kashmir.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned and Chitra’s fears are proved right. Mai keeps Chitra locked in the house when she and Shinu are out. The neighbours are suspicious and rally to help Chitra. Ramu calls out Chitra. She tells him that she is fed up of living in the house. It is like the worst nightmare and she has to flee from here. Ramu understands the situation. He attempts to break the lock as the ladies try to divert Mai’s attention and delay her arrival in the house. But the sharp Mai enters the house and finds Chitra packing her bag with the intention to leave. Chitra begs her to let her go.

But its too late. Mai tells Shinu about Chitra’s plan. He locks her in the toilet. Next day it is found that Chitra has committed suicide by hanging. Since the door was locked from inside, no suspicion can fall upon Mai or Shinu. The police cannot do anything.

The news reach Babasaheb. Anna comes to know about the happening only after he returns from his trip. But what can he do?

Mai is already looking for a new wife for Shinu. The match arrives in the form of a man called Nana Akurlikar (Irshad Hashmi). His daughter Kamal (Archana Patkar) is eligible for marriage.

They own a lot of property in the Konkan area, which is all in Kamal’s name. That’s music to Mai’s ears. She cooks up a story on how Chitra died (stating she was insane and this was not disclosed before marriage). She further tells him that he might hear some contradictory things from Anna because Anna has also become mentally unstable. Nana is fine to go ahead with the marriage. Shinu meets Kamal and all is agreed.

Prior to the marriage, Anna and Ramu go to meet Kamal’s father Nana but they fail to make him understand the reality. Nana is all happy for his daughter. Shinu and Kamal get married. Anna is unable to come to terms. He keeps getting reminded of Chitra whenever Kamal approaches him.

What lies in store for Kamal? Will she meet the same fate as Rekha and Chitra? The film takes an interesting turn to bring out its core theme and reach its conclusion.

The Music

There are only 3 songs, all penned by Sudhir Moghe. Sudhir Phadke is the composer.

Sudhir Phadke sings the devotional cum philosophical Jo to aapapala yethe kuni naa aadhar. The wedding song Kaa ga saajani bheeje paapani is sung by Asha Bhosle. But the song that stays with you is Ekaach yaa janami janu beautifully rendered by Asha Bhosle. She won the Maharashtra State Best Playback Singer award. This is a song of positivity and hope to forget all that has happened and rise again. Of special mention is a long violin piece which leaves its distinct mark on the listener.

Trivia…It is interesting to note that Sudhir Phadke and Asha Bhosle had first worked together in a film called Pudhcha Paool in 1950. They worked again in a film with the same title 3 decades later. This was almost their last collaboration before Sudhir Phadke stopped composing.

My Thoughts

The film won the Best Film and Best Director award at the Maharashtra State Film Awards. It touches upon a sensitive subject but presents it without getting preachy. The film sticks to its core story and avoids unnecessary diversions. The comedy (or rather sarcastic) touches don’t seem boring. The songs are well placed.

The performances by the established actors like Yeshwant Dutt, Ashalata Wabgaonkar and Nilu Phule are impressive. Famous villain Nilu Phule plays the positive role convincingly. Ashalata shines in her role. It is interesting to note that Prashant Damle, Manasi Magikar, Archana Patkar and Sagar made their debuts with this film. While the first 3 are well known names, not much information is available about Sagar.

Sangeet (1992)

My Reviews,

Today’s post is dedicated to Madhuri Dixit (MD) who celebrates her birthday on 15 May. I will be covering a film which is not spoken of much. Sangeet is a rare film as it features MD in a double role. She plays the roles of the mother and daughter.

The film was made by Gulshan Kumar under his T-Series banner. It was directed by the reputed K Viswanath, who also directed Sur Sangam (1985) among others. Both films have the common theme of music and dance that binds its main characters. The film was different from the normal Hindi film of those times and MD put in a memorable performance.

The Plot

MD plays Nirmala, a middle aged lady. Nirmala is a singer cum dancer and a lover of arts. She has the habit of meeting artists, inviting them home and appreciating their talent. She is married to Yash (Shafi Inamdar), a businessman who runs an ad agency. Yash likes to exploit his wife’s singing talent for entertaining his business clients and inducing them to make a good deal with his agency.

In one instance, he makes Nirmala go back and dress “appropriately”, so that the client will be impressed and agree on a big deal. Nirmala accepts this meekly. It is evident there is no romance in their marriage.

Nirmala has a back story. Before marriage, she was in love with a boy called Upendra Joshi (Nitish Bharadwaj) who was her neighbour. Apparently, Nirmala’s family background was questionable whereas Upendra came from a reputed family. His father (played by Achyut Potdar) gives him the ultimatum to either choose Nirmala or his family. Nirmala hears this and advises him to choose his family for the sake of his future. They have a tearful parting.

It is revealed that Nirmala is expecting Upendra’s child. Her mother and uncle (mamaji – Anjan Srivastav) don’t want to do anything with the child but her maid Shanta (Aruna Irani) steps in. She requests them not to abort the child as it may not be safe for Nirmala’s life. It is agreed that Shanta will take the child with her. Nirmala will be informed that the child did not survive.

Years pass. Nirmala’s daughter grows up to be a young woman called Sangeeta (Madhuri Dixit). Unfortunately, she is blind. Shanta has brought her up like her own child and Sangeeta doesn’t know the truth. Due to economic compulsions, Sangeeta earns money by dancing and singing on stage. But the performances are attended by shady people, who lust for Sangeeta’s young figure. Shanta is aware of this but she has no alternative. She is helpless but wishes that Sangeeta lead a respectable life.

Enter the saviour called Seturam Sargamwala (Jackie Shroff). Seturam is a Rajasthani folk singer who has come to the city to make a living. He goes to see Sangeeta’s performance and is saddened to see the reaction of the public to her dance moves. After the performance, a few men rush to the stage and trouble Sangeeta. An angry Seturam comes to her rescue and sings a song lecturing the audience about treating women with respect etc.

Next day he goes to Sangeeta’s house. He is impressed by the simple girl and her beauty. It is then he realizes that she is blind. Shanta tells him about their plight and dependency on Sangeeta for earning money. She adds that if they refuse to agree to the theatre manager’s terms, he will ask them to vacate their house. Seturam hears all this and offers a solution.

He tells them that an artist has to help another artist. Why don’t they come and stay with him? After arriving in the city, Seturam had occupied an under construction building and made it his residence. He suggests Shanta to come and live in the same building. She agrees and Shanta and Sangeeta shift to the new premises.

Coincidentally, Nirmala’s husband had been planning to purchase the same building and she had come to see the site. That is where she had first met Seturam. Seturam tells her that he is a musician. She is impressed by his sincerity and innocence. Instead of being angry at the illegal occupation, she invites him home to perform at a party that evening (it’s her marriage anniversary). Seturam puts in an impressive performance. Nirmala is happy to have made his acquaintance.

One of the party guests is music director Dhrupad Prasad (Satish Shah). He adds some comedy touches with the help of mamaji. Dhrupad is engaged in lifting tunes and passing them as his own. He tries the same with Seturam, who threatens him with dire consequences.

It is not long before Seturam and Sangeeta get attracted towards each other. Seturam introduces Sangeeta to Nirmala. Nirmala proposes that Seturam and Sangeeta form a pair and start performing. She is ready to train Sangeeta. Things are fine until one day Sangeeta falls down from the building (while dancing) and needs to be operated upon. Nirmala and Shanta come face to face after many years. Shanta reveals the truth to Nirmala.

Nirmala takes care of Sangeeta until she recovers. Sangeeta is still unaware of her connection with Nirmala. Nirmala wants Seturam and Sangeeta to get married at the earliest before they begin their foreign tour as performers. But there is bound to be a twist. In a weird development, Seturam and Nirmala are planning to commit suicide (separately!), so their eyes can be donated to Sangeeta.

Will this plan succeed? Will Sangeeta know the truth about her mother? Will she marry Seturam and settle down blissfully?

The Music

Anand Milind have composed the music. The songs are sung by Anuradha Paudwal, Suresh Wadkar, Jolly Mukherjee and Pankaj Udhas. Some songs had become popular like the Anuradha Paudwal solos Aap chahe toh humko meeta dijiye and Main tumhari hoon. Jolly Mukherjee sings the folk based number Sun O hasina..main awara ik banjara whereas Suresh Wadkar sings the moving Naari ko jahan pooja jaata us desh ka rehne wala hoon. Other duets include Ho Rama haye re, Saat suron ke taar ban gaye, Jo geet nahin janma and Chali aiyyo Radhe Rani. Some songs are based on classical ragas. Being a K Viswanath film, I was reminded of Sur Sangam and its rich classical based songs by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Unfortunately, Sangeet’s songs sound weaker in comparison and fail to leave a mark.

My Thoughts

Sangeet is not a bad film but it could have been better. Some parts are not explained clearly leaving the viewer disconnected. Why does the young Nirmala ask Upendra to leave her when she knows she is expecting his child? How is her marriage arranged with Yash and how does their relationship deteriorate? Also, when Nirmala sees Sangeeta, doesn’t she notice the obvious resemblance and feel curious about it? Nirmala’s reactions are too mild and boring(!). The film is slow and there is an absence of drama or it seems toned down in the crucial scenes. Things just keep happening smoothly. The eye donation sub plot seems stretched.

The acting performances are good and all are well known actors. I felt MD is more convincing as the older character of Nirmala. Her body language, expressions and dialogue delivery suit the character perfectly. Her effort is noticeable. It is sad that she got few opportunities to perform such roles. The focus always remained on her glamorous persona and dancing. But yes, Sangeet is an interesting chapter in her long career.