Category Archives: My Reviews

Khudgarz (1987)

My Reviews,

Khudgarz was the directorial debut of Rakesh Roshan. Khudgarz means “selfish” or “self interested” and is the story of 2 friends played by Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha. Typically, one is rich while the other is of the illiterate and poor villager type. In spite of the differences in their background, they are thick friends. A series of misunderstandings leads to cracks in their friendship and has a long term impact on their relationship.

The plot may seem predictable but it has its moments. It was a success at the box office and established Rakesh Roshan as a successful producer and director. Apparently, he thought the letter K was lucky and named his subsequent films beginning with “K.” To name a few, there were Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), Kishen Kanhaiya (1990), Khel (1992), King Uncle (1993), Karan Arjun (1995) and Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (2000).

The Plot

Amar Saxena (Master Rinku) is the only son of a rich hotelier Brij Bhushan Saxena (Saeed Jaffrey). Amar’s mother has passed away. He longs for his father’s company who is always busy in his work. Brij Bhushan is a calculative man looking for some gain in his every action.

One day, Amar is going in his car when the driver accidentally splashes mud on a boy called Bihari – Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (Master Javed). An angry Bihari throws a stone and shatters the car’s rear glass. Amar steps out and the boys get into a fight rolling in the mud. Bihari’s sister Lalita calls her mother (Sushma Seth), who stops the boys.

Things are sorted out. Bihari’s mother tells Amar that he is also like a son to her. Amar starts visiting the family regularly. He develops a close friendship with Bihari and treats Lalita as his sister. Every year, Lalita ties a rakhi on the wrists of both her brothers. The 2 boys are inseparable and this is underlined with the song Zindagi ka naam dosti (featuring Rishi Kapoor in a cameo).

The boys grow up, played by Jeetendra (Amar) and Shatrughan Sinha (Bihari). Their friendship continues. Amar handles his father’s hotel business. Bihari owns a small restaurant/hotel next to his house. He also owns a tract of prime land in front of his house. He has got many offers but he has no interest in selling the land and happy to live a simple life with his family.

Some time is spent on the romantic tracks of the friends. Amar is in love with a girl Jaya (Bhanupriya), who works as a florist. After some initial hiccups, they get married. Brij Bhushan is not amused as Jaya is not from a rich family but respects his son’s wishes.

Bihari is attracted to Lata (Amrita Singh) who works as a construction worker. After an irritating track and with Amar’s helping hand, they admit their love for each other.

Brij Bhushan plans to gift a 5 star hotel to Amar as a marriage gift. The problem is the land on the proposed site is owned by Bihari. Amar goes to meet Bihari with the proposal – he will continue to own the land and the profits of the hotel will be shared 50:50 by both the parties.

Bihari is more than willing to help Amar. But Brij Bhushan is a shrewd businessman. He makes Bihari “sign” documents to give up his ownership of the land. Bihari is an illiterate man and readily gives his thumb impression on the documents. Amar is unaware of this move.

The hotel is ready. On the inauguration day, the chief guest (played by Abhi Bhattacharya) points out to Bihari’s house and hotel on the premises which is an eyesore. Brij Bhushan tells him that it will be taken care of soon. Amar is busy attending Bihari’s wedding (on the same day).

Sudhir (Kiran Kumar) is a close confidante of Brij Bhushan and a corrupt man. He raises the issue of demolishing Bihari’s house and hotel. Brij Bhushan knows this is difficult and seeks Amar’s help.

Amar goes to meet Bihari and promises a huge house and hotel in return of demolishing his property. Bihari is totally against the demolition. The house is the result of his father’s blood and sweat and he will continue to live in it. Amar tries to convince him that he should change for the better but Bihari is in no mood to listen and slaps Amar. This is the first sign of a strain in their friendship. Later, Amar gets drunk and can barely remember what happened after his meeting with Bihari.

Brij Bhushan and Sudhir are waiting for this opportunity. They proceed with the demolition on the same night. Bihari is shattered and goes to confront Amar. Amar claims that he doesn’t know anything about the demolition. Sudhir intervenes and tells him that this action was taken on his advice. Amar is unable to recall the conversation as he was drunk.

Bihari blames Amar for his plight and lectures him. This is one of the most important scenes of the film. He challenges Amar that he will compete with him and build his own hotel business.

Circumstances lead to Bihari and Sudhir joining hands. Unfortunately, Bihari does not know Sudhir’s real character and starts trusting him. Bihari manages to obtain a loan from the bank and begin his journey of being a successful businessman. He doesn’t miss any opportunity to compete with Amar, be it an auction or the hotelier association’s presidential election.

Meanwhile, Lalita’s marriage is arranged with Sudhir. Amar and Jaya (who is pregnant) are attacked as they try to reach the marriage venue. Jaya gets seriously injured. She delivers a boy and passes away in the hospital. Bihari’s mother goes to offer her condolences hoping that things will improve between Amar and Bihari.

But that is not to be. The rivalry between Amar and Bihari continues. Years pass and Bihari and Lata have a daughter. Amar and Bihari’s children (played by Govinda and Neelam in a special appearance) fall in love. But they have to overcome the hurdle of their respective fathers.

Will the children help their fathers to reconcile? Will things be normal between the ex-friends? Will Sudhir be exposed?

The Music

The songs were written by Indivar and composed by Rajesh Roshan. The Zindagi ka naam dosti track appears thrice. The most popular song is Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se picturized on Govinda and Neelam.

My Thoughts

Khudgarz is a well made film of its time but may appear boring today. It talks about friendship being over and above everything else. It has a typical family drama feel of the 80s. Nevertheless it was instrumental in establishing Rakesh Roshan as a successful director, who went to make some interesting films on different subjects. He is also credited with the story idea of Khudgarz.

Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha are good in their roles but don’t appear convincing as young men. They are more suitable in their older avatars. You are reminded of similarities with Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel novel when the two bitter rivals take on each other and their children get romantically involved in spite of knowing their fathers will not approve.

Bhanupriya looks and behaves like Sridevi! It is strange that Amrita Singh agreed to play Neelam’s mother’s role so early in her career. The rest of the cast perform as required. Kadar Khan appears in an unwanted comedy side plot. Music wise, the song Aap ke aa jaane se has retained its popularity.

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.