Category Archives: My Reviews

Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969)

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Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (ABGP) is based on a Marathi play by writer Vasant Kanetkar and is presented by Ashok Kumar. His brother Anoop Kumar is the producer and direction by Satyen Bose. ABGP is a tale of principles, the right way and the wrong way. What happens if your life long principles crash in an instant? Where does this lead you?

The Plot

Principal Vidyanand (Ashok Kumar) is the “adarshwadi” college principal. He was appointed by the current trustee Seth Dharamdas’s father on account of his honest and non-corrupt nature. He has dedicated his life to the well being of the college. The vice principal Shyam Rao (Anoop Kumar) has been Vidyanand’s protégé and is like a family member. Vidyanand’s wife Sumitra (Nirupa Roy) is a doctor. And he has a not so shareef friend Shambhu (Pran) with a third wife Neelam (Helen).

Things are happy going. Vidyanand and Sumitra have lost their own son and treat the college children as their own. 

There is an extra smart student Chandrashekhar/Chandu (Deb Mukherjee) who keeps playing new pranks like coming to college on a donkey. He is a poor boy who aims to be educated as well as rich one day. His love interest is played by Krishna (Alka). The other professors are fed up of Chandu’s antics and complain to Vidyanand.

Vidyanand has a strong conversation with Chandu regarding his ongoing education and future plans. He admonishes him of his casual approach towards education and money. He has to be clear of his life’s ambition and how to pursue it. The dialogue between Vidyanand and Chandu is one of the more impactful scenes of the movie.

Later, Chandu is selected for police training and leaves the city. He is happy he has found new parents in the form of the kindly principal and his wife. And has assurance from Krishna she will wait for his return and they can get married. Which they do!

But things cant be calm for long. Seth Dharamdas (Raj Mehra) is the college trustee and main antagonist. He wants a free hand in the running of the college and invest in new buildings meaning more profit. But Vidyanand is not agreeable as the building contractor is Dharamdas’s close relative with a dubious reputation who was recently involved in a newly constructed building’s collapse.

One thing leads to the other. Dharamdas manages to corrupt the other professors including Shyam to do his bidding. Shyam gets Vidyanand to sign a blank cheque. The police arrest Vidyanand for the embezzlement of college funds worth Rs 1,35,000. Vidyanand assures Sumitra and Shambhu that Shyam will tell the truth in court and all will be sorted. But Shyam points to Vidyanand as the source of the crime leaving Vidyanand shattered. In a fit of rage and disbelief, he admits to the crime.

Vidyanand is jailed and after release has only one ambition – to destroy Seth Dharamdas. He joins hands with Shambhu and Neelam, open up a luxury hotel and engage in shady activities including gold smuggling. His various tips about Dharamdas’s smuggling operations help the police come closer to the villain. Things reach a point when he kidnap’s Dharamdas’s son Naveen and is ready to kill him in order to save himself. Shambhu is not agreeable to the scheme as murder was never supposed to be part of the revenge saga. He tells Vidyanand he should consider leaving the country.

This leads to an interesting climax at the airport involving Vidyanand and the newly appointed DSP Chandrashekhar, who happens to be his old student and has looked up to him for his infallible ideals and principles all these years.

The Music

Songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. There are 5 songs which slow the progress of the story. The duet “Jaane kaisa hai mera diwana” is well known.

There are 2 songs picturized on Helen. One of them Meherbaan Mehboob dilbar janeman is the last song of the movie and is performed wonderfully by Ashok Kumar and Helen. It is placed at an important plot point in the story.

My Thoughts

The movie showcases the tale of morals and principles nicely. Ashok Kumar brings out the shock of betrayal with his exaggerated mannerisms. From the non-corruptible principal to seasoned smuggler, Ashok Kumar plays both roles impactfully. Vidyanand goes on his revenge spree and doesn’t know where to stop. Here he displays a different kind of anguish as he seems to have lost control and is even ready to justify murder. Thankfully he receives redemption at the end bringing him peace. He shines in the climax scene.

Deb Mukherjee, with his unconventional looks actually acts well in the movie. His initial irritating character to his transformation as a police officer is remarkable. Alka doesn’t have much to do.

Pran, Nirupa Roy, Helen are excellent. The villains are the weak link and appear as caricatures. There should have been a stronger character to take on Vidyanand which would have made it a more convincing watch.

Buddha Mil Gaya (1971)

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The most surprising fact about Buddha Mil Gaya (BMG) is it’s a murder mystery directed by none other than Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Having said that its not a hardcore suspense or thriller movie. The subtle directorial touches and comedy are noticeable but engulfed in a layer of mystery. It may not be among his classic movies, but BMG with its combination of good acting, story and music make it a highly watchable movie. The fun starts from the titles itself!

The Plot

There are many subplots in the movie which is another uncommon feature for a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie.

We have 2 jobless friends Ajay (Navin Nischol) and Bhola (Deven Verma) who are photographers. They wander around Mumbai photographing random people and expecting to get paid but life is not so kind. Ajay is MA pass, a good singer and writer. It is not explained why he is still jobless!

Both of them are tenants in an old lady (Dadima) Lalita Pawar’s house. Given their condition, they haven’t paid the rent for 3 months and the future looks bleak. Dadima has an adopted granddaughter Deepa (Archana). Deepa lost her parents as a child and Dadima has brought her up as her own grand daughter.

Deepa is aware of the Ajay and Bhola’s dire situation. She stays awake late to give them entry so that Dadima doesn’t meet them and demand the overdue rent and most likely throw them out. She offers them free food and possible money making prospects (like a music teacher’s job for Ajay and information about photography competitions). Deepa is specially fond of Ajay, who reciprocates by dedicating a song to her…“Raat kali ek khwab mein aayi.”

Deepa’s friend is Parvati, an advocate of women’s empowerment. She runs a judo training centre exclusively for women termed “Nari Sena.” She catches Bhola secretly photographing her and her trainees and threatens him with dire consequences. The misunderstanding is cleared when he mentions Deepa’s name. She agrees to support him wholeheartedly in his efforts to participate in the All India photo competition. Parvati soon falls for Bhola’s simple nature and he returns in kind.

Now we come to the movie’s central character Buddha (old man) i.e. Seth Girdharilal Sharma (Om Prakash). Girdharilal is a mysterious character. There is an ad in the newspaper with Girdharilal’s photograph. The ad mentions that Girdharilal is requested to show up by a specific date. Otherwise he will be legally declared as dead and lose his share of Rs 15 lakhs in the business partnership.

Ajay and Bhola are hanging around Hanging Gardens searching for clients. Coincidentally, Girdharilal is resting in the garden and hears Ajay and Bhola talking about the ad. For some unknown reason he attracts their attention. Both recognise him and follow him. They call him their Chachaji (uncle), requesting him to come and stay with them.

A reluctant Girdharilal agrees and goes to their house. Of course their real purpose is to get some money from him to pay their rental dues. Bhola is the mastermind in this scheme and cooks up a story that Chachaji is Ajay’s rich uncle (for Dadima’s benefit).

But Chachaji is not a fool and sees through their scheme. While he hoodwinks them initially and “escapes”, Chachaji soon returns and becomes an integral part of the house. He develops a special bond with Deepa.

In reality, Chachaji has his own plans. And this is related to the business of Rs. 15 lakhs. There are other partners who will benefit if Girdharilal does not return. Among them are Jhunjhunwala (Asit Sen) and Bhagat (Brahm Bharadwaj).

There is a secretary Mona (Sonia Sahni) who has a special interest in peeping through doors and eavesdropping conversations. And a tough character Shetty (played by Shetty) who seems to have his own agenda.

All this leads to a series of murders with the needle of suspicion pointing towards Seth Girdharilal. But who is Girdharilal exactly and does he have a motive for murder – the movie answers the question.

The Music

BMG was the first Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie which had R.D. Burman as the composer. It has two romantic numbers “Raat kali ek khwab mein aayi“and “Bhali bhali si ek soorat.” Both are hugely popular even today.

The show stealer is undoubtedly “Aayo kahan se ghanshyam”, classically rendered by Manna De. It is strategically placed and Girdharilal sings it after each murder has occurred leading to doubts in the minds of Ajay, Bhola and the audience!

Another lesser known gem is “Jiya na lage more jiya” picturised on Archana and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

And finally a weird song featuring Om Prakash, Archana and Aruna Irani – “Oye buddho lambo lambo“

My Thoughts

BMG is an entertaining movie with identical amounts of romance, mystery, comedy and drama.

It is risky to base a movie on a character actor and Om Prakash delivers perfectly. His character moves through a variety of emotions and he carries them wonderfully. His presence is energetic and charming throughout the movie. Of special mention is his “enacting” of the song Aayo kaha se Ghanshyam which is a delight to watch.

Navin Nischol doesnt have much to do. Archana starred in very few movies but here she actually acts well. Deven Verma and Aruna Irani are delightful to watch and share great chemistry. Lalita Pawar excels in a small role with comedic touches.

Unfortunately the movie is not without its flaws. There are some glaring loopholes which are hard to digest. But still BMG retains its charm as a light heated murder mystery from the Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie universe.

Mr. X in Bombay (1964)

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Mr X in Bombay can be termed as one of the first movies to depict the “invisible man” concept. And when its Kishore Kumar playing the lead character, you can be assured of silliness, comedy and some great songs.

The Plot

Our hero is Kavi Sudarshan (Kishore Kumar), who joins Nritya Kala Mandal as a poet cum singer. Here he meets the heroine Shobha Mathur (Kumkum),  an actress and dancer. Sudarshan falls for Shobha. Its not exactly love at first sight! Shobha meets him dressed as an old woman (a character from the play) and then dances on his poetic creation as a young woman. Sudarshan falls for the younger version!

While initially Shobha makes fun of his simple look (read dhoti kurta), she falls in love with him. Sudarshan undergoes a makeover in his dressing sense as well as his music. Sudarshan happily announces to his mother (Leela Mishra) that he has found the “bahu” for her.

Shobha’s father Professor Mathur (Randhir) is a scientist who is inventing interesting(?) products like energy tablets which make humans jump high up in the air and cars that fly.

Shobha tells her father about Sudarshan but he reminds her of the bitter truth and reality. Enter the villain Rajan (Madan Puri) and Neena (Jeevan Kala). Rajan knows a dark secret about Prof Mathur and is blackmailing him. He has sights on Prof Mathur’s promising invention that will make him rich and wants to marry Shobha too as part of the deal.  

Now comes the “invisible” plot point. Due to Rajan’s pressure, Shobha is compelled to reject Sudarshan’s marriage proposal and insults him in her house. Unable to face the reality, Sudarshan writes a suicide note. He sees a poison(?) bottle conveniently lying unattended and drinks it after singing a beautiful parting song – “Mere mehboob qayamat hogi.”

As expected, the so called poison liquid is one of Prof Mathur’s inventions which makes a person invisible. But why is it kept unattended in the house instead of the laboratory is anybody’s guess!

Sudarshan’s tranformation to invisibility leads to those typical Hindi movie funny situations. People cannot see but hear him and term him as a bhoot/atmaa.

The invisible Sudarshan meets Shobha, the professor and his mother and convinces them he is alive. It gives him a chance to teach Rajan a lesson leading to a car chase, kidnappings, a bit of suspense revealing followed by the villain’s bashing and reunion of the lead pair at the end.

The Music

This was one of Laxmikant Pyarelal’s initial movies in their long career. Mere mehboob qayamat hogi is a classic. Other catchy tunes are Khubsoorat haseena janeja janeman and Ye rang-e-mehfil, ye jashn-e-bahaara.

My Thoughts

While an interesting subject when the movie was made, it doesn’t translate into a very entertaining final product. The invisible sequences seem stretched out and the special effects don’t look that convincing. You are invariably reminded of other movies like Mr. India which seem so funny and memorable. It’s the songs that stay with you in this otherwise forgettable film. Kishore Kumar is up to his usual antics.  Madan Puri is good as the negative character.

Trivia shot: Kishore Kumar and Kumkum had starred in another film in the same year (Ganga Ki Lehren).