Category Archives: My Reviews

Gammat Jammat (1987)

My Reviews,

The Marathi movie Gammat Jammat (Fun and Frolic) as the name implies is a fun film. Directed by Sachin with a good combination of actors and memorable songs, it leaves its impact on the viewer.

The Plot

There are three main characters who are bound by a common thread = money. Gautam (Sachin) works as a waiter in a permit room. He has a younger brother Suhas (Dhruv Ghanekar) who is physically handicapped. The doctor has assured Gautam that Suhas can be cured completely but the operation will cost Rs 25,000. But money is a problem as Gautam is seeking a higher paying job, so he can get better accommodation and get Suhas operated at the earliest.

One day by coincidence, Gautam meets an old school friend Shrikant Dalvi (Chetan Dalvi). Shrikant is a builder based in Delhi. Shrikant’s bungalow in Mumbai is vacant and he requests Gautam to stay there and take care of the house. Either he or his Dubai based uncle (Sudhir Joshi) will visit him occasionally. Things work out and Gautam’s accommodation problem is solved. Gautam requests Shrikant to help him and his friend Phalgun find good jobs with his contacts and Shrikant promises to do so.

Phalgun Vadke (Ashok Saraf) is Gautam’s friend who hass a nagging wife Ashwini (Charusheela Sabale). He is struggling with his low paying clerical job and constantly chased by debtors. Phalgun is looking for a better job to clear all the debts and live happily with his wife.

Phalgun has to deal with some interesting characters like his boss (Ravindra Berde) and neighbours (played by Manorama Wagle and Suhas Bhalekar). And he has entertaining interactions with them. Gautam informs Phalgun of Shrikant’s assurance regarding the jobs and he is relieved to hear this.

The third character is Kalpana Korde (Varsha Usgaonkar), a rich and apparently spoilt girl, whose only pastime is spending her industrialist father’s money. Kalpana has a couple of standoffs with Gautam when he almost gets hit by her car. Both throw insults at each other.

Its been 6 months without Shrikant’s response. His letter finally arrives but brings bad news. The factories are not operational due to labour problems and the promised jobs could not be arranged. But he will keep trying.

Gautam and Phalgun are desperate. After much deliberation, both arrive at the same conclusion – kidnapping a rich girl or boy and demanding a reasonable ransom to overcome their monetary problems. Their first plan backfires when they go to kidnap a boy called “Gotya” but he turns out to be a young man and boxing champ!

The next attempt is however successful and they kidnap Kalpana and bring her to Shrikant’s bungalow. What follows next are a hilarious sequence of events. They first need to convince Kalpana’s parents (Shrikant Moghe and Ashalata Wabgaonkar) to pay the ransom.

But the biggest hurdle is Kalpana herself. She realises they are not seasoned kidnappers and can have her own way. She offers to cooperate with them if they share a chunk of the ransom money with her. And they need to take care of her royally. Gautam and Phalgun are literally at her mercy and have no option. They are required to attend to her constantly and can leave the house only with her permission.

Shrikant’s uncle visits them for a day. Kalpana impresses him by posing as Gautam’s wife (Gautami). Both are forced to sing a romantic song to maintain the deception of being a newly married couple. Another character is Ganu Pehelwan (Viju Khote), who is searching for the kidnappers on Kalpana’s father’s request.

Meanwhile Phalgun’s wife is desperately waiting for him to return home. She thinks its her nagging nature that has caused him to run away and apparently married someone else. We are treated to an awesome song Ashwini Ye Naa featuring weird but entertaining choreography!

Ultimately, things are sorted out satisfactorily. And yes Gautam and Kalpana fall in love as expected.

The Music

Sachin regulars Shantaram Nandgaonkar (lyricist) and Arun Paudwal (music director) team up to make a memorable contribution. Mee aale, nighale is Varsha’s introduction song, followed by a dance number Me re tujhya sangatin (both by Anuradha Paudwal). Sachin and Anuradha Paudwal sing the romantic duet Choricha mamala, mama hi thambala. And finally the blockbuster duet Ashwini Ye Naa. This was Kishore Kumar’s first Marathi movie playback song and popular till date. It was recently “remade” in Ye Re Ye Re Paisa 2 (2019).

My Thoughts

Sachin is a masterful director and knows how to combine the right ingredients in what quantity. He looks after the little details and creates genuinely comic situations. Ashok Saraf as usual is too good. Varsha is credited as “wonder girl” and acts confidently. It is fun to watch her troubling the kidnappers and enjoying herself.

This was Satish Shah’s first Marathi movie. Other supporting actors including Ravindra Berde, Madhu Apte, Bipin Varti, Suhas Bhalekar and Manorama Wagle are impressive.

Keechak Vadh (1959)

My Reviews

The Marathi movie Keechak Vadh (meaning the assassination of Keechak) is based on a tale from the Mahabharata. The movie showcases events during the Pandavas’ final year of exile and eventual killing of the central character Keechak. The producer is P K Pathak and direction by Yeshwant Pethkar.

The Plot

After spending 12 years in exile, the Pandavas need to complete the final year in disguise. It means if they are recognized, they will need to repeat the 13 years. They decide to spend the last year in the kingdom of Matsya, ruled by King Viraat. Thus begins the movie. We are introduced to different traits of the Pandavas which will enable them to assume their roles in disguise. For example, Bheema will be a cook, Arjuna a dancer and so on.

On the way to Matsya, they come near a temple in the forest. Next to the temple is a shami tree where they decide to hide their weapons. As they are getting ready to leave, they hear someone approaching and remain hidden in the temple. We are introduced to Senapati Keechak, who is returning to Matsya with his army after winning the kingdom of Trigarta. Soon a horse rider arrives and calls out Keechak. He is Chatur, a spy of Duryodhana on the lookout for the Pandavas. Upon reaching Matsya, the victorious Keechak is greeted and felicitated by the king Viraat and queen Sudeshna (who is Keechak’s sister).

Meanwhile the Pandavas are ready to undertake their fake roles. Through proper planning and posturing, Nakula & Sahadeva become Granthika and Tantipalaa respectively to tend the horses and cattle. Draupadi becomes Sairandhri Malini, Queen Sudeshna’s maid cum beautician. Arjuna too impresses Sudeshna with his dancing skills and becomes the dance teacher Brihannala to princess Uttara. Yudishthira becomes a brahmin Kanka bhat, an advisor and teaches dice to the king. After a dramatic event, Bheema is employed as a cook Ballava in the palace kitchen. Thus all of them settle down to spend one year without detection of their true identities.

Coming back to Keechak. He is the queen’s brother and the real power behind the throne. Even the king is scared to defy him. Brave, ruthless and a womanizer. He crosses paths with the Pandavas when he spots the beautiful Draupadi/Malini and lusts after her. The queen knows Malini is married and saves her initially. But Keechak’s insistence and stubbornness wins. One day Sudeshna sends Malini to get a special drink (madira) from Keechak. Left with no choice,  the helpless Malini goes to meet Keechak. But she somehow manages to run away and approaches the king in his court for justice. She appeals to the king but its of no use. The Pandavas too are unable to come to her rescue as they are forced by compulsion to remain silent to protect their identities.

A frustrated Draupadi then meets Bheema and lectures him to teach Keechak a lesson. Bheema agrees inspite of the risk of being recognized. The plan is made. Draupadi plays coy and agrees to meet Keechak in the ntrityashala that night.

Keechak is impressed and arrives for the romantic encounter! Draupadi and Bheema are waiting for him. This leads to a thrilling  climax and Keechak is killed by Bheema.

The Music

The movie has 7 songs written by G D Madgulkar and composed by Master Krushnarao. All songs are melodious but the 2 which have attained evergreen status are Asa nesun shalu hirva (by Sudhir Phadke and Lata Mangeshkar) and Dhund madhumati raat re (Lata Mangeshkar).

My Thoughts

The story is straightforward. Inspite being a mythological, there are no special effects or rather this story does not have the scope for special effects! The sets look rich. The main characters played by known faces Sumati Gupte, Shobhna Samarth and Baburao Pendharkar are adequate. But the acting may seem dramatic at times.

There are some unwanted songs and a couple of unnecessary sequences. One is a south Indian dance performance and other is a long wrestling competition scene involving Bheema. The ending is a bit abrupt and we don’t know what happens to the Pandavas after Keechak’s assassination and whether they complete the exile successfully.

Manchali (1973)

My Reviews, ,

Manchali is a light comedy drama Hindi movie based on a novel “Swayamber” by Satyendra Sharat, directed by Raja Nawathe. Its a fun film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Leena Chandawarkar in lead roles.

The Plot

The Manchali here is Leena (Leena Chandawarkar), who is a bold, beautiful and adventurous girl. Leena stays with her uncle “chachaji” (played by Krishnakant) and aunt “chachiji” (played by Nirupa Roy) in Shimla. Leena has come of age and is supposed to receive her father’s inheritance. But there is a catch. Leena needs to get married before her uncle can complete the transaction. It is important to note the uncle and aunt are genuinely concerned about Leena’s happiness & wellbeing. They have selected a groom for Leena and want to go ahead with the marriage at the earliest. Leena also cares for her uncle who has suffered 2 heart attacks and doesn’t want to antagonize him.

Leena has no plans to get married soon and lose her independence but is compelled to do so in order to get the money. She would prefer to select her husband herself. Her best friend Pushpa (Nazima) has placed a matrimonial ad and brought the mail responses from eligible grooms. This is a funny scene where Pushpa reads out the applications. After much deliberation, Leena is impressed by one Sushil Kumar from Dehradun. He has sent his photo and is ready to meet her. The condition being she needs to come alone. For easy identification, he will be wearing a red suit and holding a bouquet of flowers.

Leena cooks up a story and informs her chacha and chachi about her decision to marry Sushil Kumar as the husband of her choice. They are of course against this plan. But adamant Leena runs away and boards the train to Dehradun. Arriving in Dehradun, she is aghast to find an old and stooping Sushil Kumar waiting for her on the platform. He is not the young and impressive man in the photo. Undecided on what to do next, she gets down the train and climbs up the opposite platform. Here she meets a talkative coolie Sanjeev Kumar.

He is a smooth operator. He gets friendly with Leena and manages to get rid of Sushil Kumar and arrange a hotel room. Apparently he is an educated man knowing multiple languages. Leena is worried about her next move. She will be a laughing stock if she goes back to Shimla without a husband. Leena is impressed by Sanjeev Kumar and tells him her unfortunate story. He suggests she take a fake husband with her and divorce him as soon as she receives  the inheritance. Leena agrees but doesn’t know where she can find a “temporary” husband at short notice. Sanjeev Kumar confidently offers to play the role of the fake Sushil Kumar for Rs 25,000. And the deal is settled.

They reach Shimla and things don’t really go as Leena had planned. The over smart fake Sushil impresses her uncle, aunt and other members of the family. He is also a hit with her friends especially Pushpa. Leena makes plans to forcibly send Sushil with a pehelwan Sher Singh and hold him in Delhi till the divorce papers are signed.

However Sushil fights with Sher Singh and returns to Shimla. Leena is concerned when she sees an injured Sushil and for the first time develops feelings from him.

Sushil keeps acting randomly to Leena’s chagrin. She feels romantically involved with him but is unable to express her feelings. Sushil leaves no chance to make her angry and jealous. He even arranges a big party for Pushpa’s birthday and flirts with her in front of Leena.

Finally the day arrives when chachaji is ready to pass on the inheritance. Leena is shocked to find that she and Sushil have been made joint owners of the property. Will Leena be able to accept the reality? Will the fake Sushil return as per the divorce agreement? Things are sorted at the end with a satisfying ending.

The Music

Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal do full justice. The title song O manchali kahan chali, Gham ka fasaana ban gaya achcha and Tan man dhan sab hai tera fit the situations and are enjoyable.

My Thoughts

The story is dramatic and the dialogues are witty. Sanjeev Kumar is most effective as the supposedly fraud temporary husband. He is at his irritating best when he interacts with Leena. His catch phrase..pichli saat pushton se..talking about the “contributions” of his family’s last seven generations is enough to annoy Leena. Great coming timing without being over the top. Leena provides good support as the dominating but helpless “wife.” Nazima is impressive. Overall, Manchali is a funny and entertaining movie.