Category Archives: My Reviews

Satyakam (1969)

My Reviews

Lets’s begin with some trivia today. What’s special about 8 December? Its Dharmendra’s birthday. Its also Sharmila Tagore’s birthday. Frequent co-stars, they have starred together in multiple movies such as Anupama, Devar, Mere Humdum Mere Dost and Chupke Chupke. And Satyakam, on which today’s post is based upon. Satyakam is regarded as a masterpiece of director Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

The Plot

The movie begins with a voiceover by Narendra/Naren Sharma (Sanjeev Kumar). He is narrating the mythological story of Jabala and her son Satyakam. Satyakam goes to Gautam. He requests Gautam to accept him as his disciple. Gautam asks him what’s his “gotra“. When Satyakaam asks his mother, she replies he was born after she serviced several men and she cannot confirm who was his father. But her name is Jabala and his name is Jabal Satyakam. When Gautam hears this from Satyakam, he proclaims Satyakam is a real brahmin as he had the guts to speak the truth. Naren then then starts narrating the story of the modern Satyakam.

It is pre-independence time. Naren and his best friend Satyapriya (Sath) Acharya (Dharmendra) are engineering students, awaiting their results. Satyapriya, true to his name is a stickler for honesty. The results are out and both are now engineers having cleared the exams successfully. The college students are traveling back home. Unfortunately, the bus meets an accident and they lose one of their friends in the tragedy. Sath and Naren escape with minor injuries.

Recovering from the tragedy, they are looking forward to start their careers with the promise that physical separation will not affect their long term friendship. Sath spends time with his grandfather “Dadaji” Satyasharan Acharya (Ashok Kumar) who is a high caste Sanskrit scholar and runs a gurukul. Dadaji wants Sath to get married soon.

Sath clears an interview with United Paper Mills in Mumbai. The managing director Shyam Sunder (Rajan Haskar) interviews him. Ananto Chatterjee (Rabi Ghosh), the overseer is his colleague. Sath comes to know from Chatterjee that there is no work in the office. He has joined a couple of months back and waiting for work to be allotted. Sath is uncomfortable hearing this. Being the “principled” employee, he cannot earn money by sitting idle.

There is a board meeting and he is introduced to the company’s owner Kunwar Vikram Singh (Manmohan) of Bhawanigarh, a princely state in central India. Sath openly questions him about the commencement of his work. Kunwar informs that Sath’s work is to survey land in his state as they are planning to open a new mill there. The next day, Kunwar & Shyam Sunder along with Sath and Chatterjee leave for Bhawanigarh.

Its June, 1947. At this point, through a radio announcement, the movie incorporates the topic of the annexation of princely states in the soon to be independent India. Kunwar is listening to the radio and is not happy as he awaits his own fate and that of Bhawanigarh.

Sath, Chatterjee and Shyam Sunder are staying at the guest house. The caretaker is Rustom (David). They are served by a young girl Ranjana (Sharmila Tagore). Ranjana’s mother had run away with a driver. Apparently, Ranjana is the driver’s daughter. Kunwar has his sights on her and she entertains him with a song when he is alone in his suite.

Next day onwards, Sath and Chatterjee begin the land survey. They are waiting to be provided with important equipment like theodolite but only get assurances. Sath is restless as he believes in the output and value of his work. Its July, 1947 and Chatterjee tells Sath that they should run away because the future of Kunwar and Bhawanigarh is unclear. Sath convinces him to stay and continue their work. But other circumstances are going to interfere soon and change Sath’s life forever.

One night, Rustom pushes Ranjana and forces her to spend the night in Sath’s room. Sath maintains his distance from her. The next morning, Rustom tells Ranjana’s story to Sath. Due to the unpleasant reputation and deeds of her mother, Ranjan’s fate is bleak. Who will marry such a girl? Her life will be spent entertaining characters like Kunwar. Sath comments generally that anyone will be happy to marry such a beautiful girl. Rustom challenges him if he will do it. Sath realises he cannot. It is easier to talk than commit.

Further, Rustom tells him to take care of Ranjana for a few days as he will be going to Bhopal. She starts accompanying Sath to the survey site and spends time with him. She begs him to take him away from this place; she is ready to serve him as a servant but he tells her it is not possible. A situation arises after Ranjana is raped by Kunwar. It is further revealed she is pregnant and there are questions around the father’s identity. Sath makes the hard decision to marry her in spite of knowing all the background.

Kunwar’s true intentions in employing Sath also get disclosed. He wanted an engineer urgently to sign the land survey document for submitting to the registrar. Seems he wants to exploit the land for other reasons. But Sath is not ready to be bribed.

Sath and Ranjana marry and settle down. They have a son called Kabul (Sarika). Dadaji refuses to accept Ranjana because of her questionable past and Kabul, as he is not Sath’s son.

Due to Sath’s principled nature, he is not able to hold on to a job for long. He encounters corruption at every stage that demands him to make compromises in some form, which are not acceptable to him. Thus they keep moving around. Ranjana accepts this meekly.

A time comes when Naren and Sath meet again. But this time Naren is Sath’s boss. Naren is taken aback by Sath’s attitude towards honesty and inability to bend for practical reasons. There is a corrupt contractor Mr Ladia (Tarun Bose) who wants Sath’s signature on some documents which will benefit Ladia hugely. As expected, Sath refuses. Naren asks him to be realistic but Sath sticks to his stand.

Thus Sath’s life continues with more hardships on the way. One day, Naren comes to know Sath is in the hospital and being treated for last stage cancer. Mr Ladia is supporting the family. Sath is worried about Ranjana and Kabul’s future. Ladia is willing to help to seal the family’s future by giving Rs 25,000 only if Sath agrees to forget his principles and sign the pending documents that Ladia was chasing him for. He shares this proposition with Ranjana and requests her to convince Sath and get his signature.

Ranjana contemplates Ladia’s offer and lectures Sath that he never thought about them before. What will they do once he is dead? Will he be happy if she becomes a prostitute like her mother and what about Kabul’s future, where will the money come from? This leaves Sath in a dilemma. His one and only compromise will secure his family’s future but will he do it?

The Music

There are only 3 songs which are forgettable. Lyrics by Kaifi Azmi and music by Laxmikant Pyarelal.

My Thoughts

While an unconventional subject, Hrishikesh Mukherjee handles it deftly. The movie avoids being preachy. Mukherjee resolves Sath’s dilemma effectively and ties up the climax with the original story of Jabala and Satyakam. There are some lighter touches which are a trademark of Mukherjee’s direction. Sath’s unwavering stand on principles may seem a bit far fetched but he has a position that one has to start somewhere for honesty to prevail in the society. Even the independence of the country did not help to change things and that’s his regret. The dialogues by Rajinder Singh Bedi are impactful (he won the Filmfare award for this movie).

This is definitely one of Dharmendra’s finest performances. Too bad, he did very few of such characters in his long career. Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar and Ashok Kumar are all good in their roles. Interestingly, Sanjeev Kumar is credited as “and Sanjeev Kumar” in the titles.

Duniya Kari Salaam (1979)

My Reviews

Duniya Kari Salaam (The World Salutes) is a Marathi movie based on the famous Hindi proverb Duniya jhukti hai, jhukanewala chahiye meaning “the world bows, we need the one who makes that happen.” Directed by Anant Mane, the movie makes an attempt to share a social message wrapped in an entertainment package.

The Plot

Amol (Ravindra Mahajani) and Arun (Ramesh Bhatkar) are 2 unemployed postgraduates. They are looking for soft and cushy jobs and not ready for any hard or physically draining work. One day, after another unsuccessful interview, they are sitting dejected at a restaurant when they are joined by an old classmate Anand (Ashok Saraf) who had been rusticated from college. Anand joins the conversation stating hard work does not earn money. Money can be earned only by fooling people. The friends do not agree. He gives them a couple of demonstrations to show how people are gullible and it is not difficult to fool them. The title song follows.

He then takes them to a jeweler who is known to buy smuggled gold. He makes a fake deal with the jeweler to supply him gold in exchange of cash. The jeweler sends his two men in the night in a secluded area to complete the transaction. Amol and Anand complete the exchange. They get the cash but give a bag of stones in return. The 2 men attempt to chase and beat Amol and Anand. Arun, wearing a police uniform blows the whistle and the jeweler’s men are forced to run away empty handed. Anand convinces his friends that people are waiting to get fooled and they can make the most of it (i.e. get rich).

Next day, they are sitting at the same restaurant thinking of a plan. They are joined by Amol’s classmate Padma (Ranjana). Ranjana is a rich modern girl who has become a disciple of Acharya Bhajneesh. She calls herself Bhogini “Popins” and is trying to follow the path of spirituality. The 3 friends get a warning letter from the jeweler to return the money or be ready for the consequences. Anand hatches a plan to run away from the city and set up an ashram posing as sadhus (godmen). The others have no choice but to agree. Padma volunteers to join but Anand tells her she will be called later once they have settled.

So they come to a village and scout for an ideal location to set up the ashram. There is a lavani performance (Raghucha tapun basalay thawa) at the local temple in the night. The next day, the trio arrive outside the temple dressed as sadhus. They are Swami Parmanand (Amol), Swami Shivanand (Anand) and Swami Swanand (Arun). The priest and villagers approach them. They make up a story that the temple’s premises need to be purified after the song and dance performance as a sin has occurred. Anand performs a so called purification test to confirm a sin has indeed been committed and repentance is required.

The priest (Suhas Bhalekar) and villagers are convinced and they go to the Sarpanch (village head), but the Sarpanch (Jairam Kulkrani) refuses to believe them. He thinks the 3 sadhus are imposters. The 3 sadhus share an elaborate plan to complete the temple purification obviously involving a lot of expenditure. They continue to demonstrate (so called) miracles to gain the villagers’ confidence and they succeed.

Rich people start visiting the ashram, to meet and seek blessings from the godmen. Their “voluntary” contributions are most welcome.

One day, they have an unexpected visitor in the form of Anand’s wife Jyoti. The debtors are chasing her and she has no money. Anand gives her money and asks her to leave. She is adamant and he lets her stay in the ashram as a so called disciple.

The Sarpanch is not happy with the success of the sadhus. He approaches the lavani dancer Maina (Usha Naik) to entrap one of the sadhus and expose their real faces. Maina sings a song Ya dhagana laal laal and catches the attention of the sadhus. But she is unsuccessful in her mission as the sadhus are alert and are not influenced by her seducing charms. Maina is repentant of her actions and decides to join the ashram and serve the sadhus.

Meanwhile, Padma/Popins has contacted the trio and arrives in the village to a grand welcome. There is a boisterous celebration song on the occasion of Guru Pournima, Bhagawan aa raha hai. The Sarpanch is not impressed. He goes to the police station to complain about the ashram.

The sadhus have begun a new scheme where devotees are invited to confess their sins. The confessions will get recorded and the confidential information can be used to extract money from the confessor. The corrupt start arriving and confessing to their ill gotten wealth. This includes builders, doctors, government officials etc. The sadhus decide to target such corrupt people who loot the society. They begin with a builder who has stashed Rs 7 lakhs in his bathroom. The sadhus disguise themselves as income tax officers and raid the builder’s house and loot the cash. Unfortunately, the builder passes away due to shock the same night. The police come investigating and find a digging tool left behind by the robbers.

The police investigations bring them closer to the truth and they suspect the ashram and its inhabitants. They send a spy (Jyoti Chandekar) to the ashram. Will the police be able to raid the ashram and catch the perpetrators? Who will win in the end?

The Music

Veterans Jagdish Khebudkar (lyricist) and Ram Kadam (music director) share the music credits. Somehow the songs are not that effective compared to their more famous songs. The songs are quite situational. Dev jagavegala ho, dev jagavegala is melodious.

My Thoughts

Among the performances, the focus in mainly on Ashok Saraf, Ravindra Mahajani and Ranjana and they are entertaining. The others including Ramesh Bhatkar, Roohi and Usha Naik seem like supporting characters.

The film’s plot is good but fails somewhere in its execution. Right from the initial scenes, it is shown how easy it is to fool people. And the protagonists get out of tight situations very easily which is not really believable. Their transition from fraudsters to Robin Hood like sentiments is abrupt and not very convincing. As if they suddenly remembered there is a social message to be passed to the audience. It could have been a better film with the all the talent and known faces.

Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar (1973)

My Reviews

There have been many movies depicting a suspicious husband or wife leading to serious or hilarious consequences depending on the tone of the movie. Based on a Gujarathi play “Chakdhol,” Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar is a funny take on how a suspicious wife compels her husband to make up an imaginary story to save himself and the chain of events that follow. The movie is directed by Rajendra Bhatia.

The Plot

The film begins with a party scene. Sunil Mehta (Kiran Kumar) and his wife Geeta (Radha Saluja) arrive. Sunil meets Helen who behaves like an old acquaintance. This is enough to sow the seeds of suspicion in Geeta’s mind. Next day, Sunil leaves for office. He doesn’t come back in the evening. A worried Geeta goes to sleep waiting for his return. She dreams he is spending time with Helen totally ignoring Geeta’s presence. Time for a dream song Khilta hua shabab hai…

Geeta wakes up from her dream to find Sunil is still not home. Her sister Pinky (Arpana Choudhary) stays with her. Unable to sleep, she visits Pinky’s room and goes downstairs to wait on the sofa. Its almost morning. The Mehtas have an oversmart and unscruplous servant Ramji (I.S. Johar) whose habit is to keep making social commentary on current issues. Whenever he receives an order, his response is Main wohi toh karne wala tha. He has had enough of the Mehta family and is leaving them soon for a new employer.

Geeta asks Ramji if he has seen Sunil home yesterday night. He tells her no. He informs her indirectly that he is leaving them for a new employer and his new mistress may come and meet her for feedback on his conduct. An already suspicious Geeta misinterprets that Sunil is leaving her for a new mistress. Pinky comes down. Its her birthday and Geeta wishes her. She tells her about Sunil and the new mistress. Pinky calls Ramji and thankfully clarifies the matter. Pinky has a supposed to be fiance Captain Ranjit (Narendranath). For some reason, Sunil disapproves of Ranjit and leaves no chance to insult him.

Meanwhile Sunil comes home. Geeta cross questions him on his absence. Knowing her nature, Sunil knows she will not believe the truth. The simple truth is he was returning home when he saw a fun fair/exhibition. He visits the fair and takes a giant wheel ride. Unfortunately the machine develops a technical glitch and he has to spend the whole night suspended in the air. But there is a catch. Also stuck with him for company is a young woman (Manju Asrani). (He refers to her as “giant wheel lady.”) If Geeta comes to know about this, she will raise hell all over.

To get away from the situation, Sunil invents a not so convincing story. He tell Geeta that he met an old friend called Champak Bhumiya and spent the night at his house chatting about old times. Geeta further questions him and he has to invent a fake address – Boti Mansion, Damar Galli in Betegaon. Geeta is not convinced but allows him to go to their room. She books a telegram for Champak Bhumiya, requesting him to meet her as soon as he receives the telegram as her happiness is dependent on him. She also packs her bags in anticipation that Sunil is lying, the telegram will come back as the address was fake and she will go to her mom’s house. Sunil vents his feelings through a song Mujhe meri biwi se bachao.

Sunil comes down and asks Ramji for breakfast. The bell rings and unexpectedly, the “giant wheel lady” comes to meet Sunil. Apparently he has her sunglasses and she wants them back. But Sunil has gifted them to Pinky as a birthday gift. He asks the woman to meet him later.

The bell rings again. This time the visitor is Sunil’s old friend Amit Desai (Asrani). He has recently got married in Paris. His wife has come back to India. He was supposed to arrive 2 days later but managed to come earlier. However he doesn’t want to go to his home immediately. He wants to enjoy his last days of freedom before meeting his wife. A weird story which Sunil accepts and invites him to stay at his house.

Sunil informs Amit of the last night’s events and his fake story. He spots the telegram message and knows the cat will be out of the bag soon. Amit ponders and offers a solution. He will come to visit Geeta, posing as “Champak Bhumiya” and Sunil’s story will be validated. Luckily, Geeta has never met Amit. Sunil agrees. The only problem is Ramji who had opened the door for Amit. Through some bribing, Ramji becomes a part of the plan.

Thus, Amit arrives at the house again and meets Geeta. She is at first flustered to meet the man with the strange name and address. He tells her about his friendship with Sunil and how they spent the night chatting. And about his wife and 2 imaginary kids – Luv and Kush. Geeta is convinced and apologizes to Sunil about her actions.

Things are sorted. Its time to celebrate Pinky’s birthday through a song Happy birthday to Pinky. Amit helps to settle matters between Captain Ranjit and Sunil amicably. There is another song featuring Mehmood – Raat hai baat hai.

But there is a twist coming up. It appears in the form of a woman Motiya (Padma Khanna) who claims she is Champak Bhumiya’s wife. She confronts Geeta for sending the telegram and summoning her husband. Motiya leaves in a huff leaving Geeta feeling sorry for the situation she has created. Geeta tells Amit about his wife’s visit. Amit is confused and realizes there is indeed a real Champak Bhumiya and the address is real too. And that’s the reason the telegram did not return.

So we have the entry of the final character, a colorful Champak Bhumiya (Paintal) leading to more confusion. Things get complicated when the “giant wheel lady” visits again. She is none other than Amit Desai’s newly wedded wife and is upset to find him in Sunil’s house. Things get sorted when the truth comes out. All’s well that ends well.

The Music

Shankar Jaikishan and Hasrat Jaipuri share the honours. Mujhe meri biwi se bachao by Kishore Kumar is the stand out song.

My Thoughts

The movie manages to keep the viewer engaged and there are hardly any boring scenes. The situational comedy is good. Most of the cast are lesser known actors but do their job well. Asrani and I.S. Johar add flavour to their roles. There are guest appearances from Helen, Jayshree T and Mehmood in the songs. The songs could have been trimmed but well, that is the compulsion of a Hindi Movie.