Category Archives: My Reviews

Pehla Nasha (1993)

My Reviews

Lagaan (2001) is in the news because it is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In focus is obviously its director Ashutosh Gowariker (AG) whose script and vision came alive on screen with the help of Aamir Khan. That reminded me of the first film directed by AG. He debuted in 1993 with Pehla Nasha, which attempted to be a thriller cum suspense film but failed at the box office. It was inspired from the English film Body Double (1984). He followed it up with Baazi starring Aamir Khan which was also a flop. Interestingly, Lagaan was his first hit film and the rest as they say is history!

So, today’s post is about Pehla Nasha starring Deepak Tijori, Raveena Tandon and Pooja Bhatt in the lead roles. AG makes a sincere effort to present his first offering. The spark is visible but unfortunately the outcome and impact is not the same as seen in Lagaan or subsequent movies.

The Plot

Deepak Tijori (credited as Depak Tijori) plays Deepak Bakshi, a struggler who dreams of becoming a film star. At the very beginning there is a long dream sequence. Deepak imagines himself as the hero of a film called Baazigar(!). The film’s premiere is in progress. The film ends with the hero defeating the villains. The audience claps in unison.

And surprise! Sitting in the audience are 5 heroes of the early 1990s. They play themselves in what may be one of the prominent cameo appearances in a Hindi movie. We see Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rahul Roy and Sudesh Berry getting up and congratulating Deepak on his performance.

The dream ends abruptly and Deepak is brought back to reality. He is searching for work and finding it difficult to make ends meet. People like his landlady (played by Shammi) and milkman keep chasing for the dues. Things reach a point where the landlady dares him to come back without the money for the rent.

Poor Deepak spends his days giving auditions hoping for a good break. One day, he is at a producer’s office where he meets an old friend Vjay (Jayant Kripalani). Vijay’s uncle is a film financier. Vijay manages his uncle’s finances and has come to collect an agreement in the producer’s office. Once upon a time he wanted to be a film writer but has now changed tracks. Deepak is happy for him and tells Vijay about his own struggles. Vijay tells him to meet director Mahesh Ahuja (Jalal Agha) who is casting for his next film.

Luck shines. Mahesh Ahuja is impressed by Deepak and casts him as the lead hero in a film called Maut Kaa Kuaa. On the very first day, the climax scene is being shot near a well. The hero (Deepak) is being lowered in the well by the villain. However Deepak is unable to deliver his dialogue. He freezes and has to be brought up urgently. He reveals he has a fear of dark and enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).

Vijay is on the set and is concerned about Deepak. He offers to drop him home. Deepak is thankful and tells him about his medical (or rather psychological) condition and also mentions his accommodation problems. He cannot go to his old place and is searching for a new place. Vijay hears all this and is sympathetic.

Deepak is in luck. Vijay takes him to his flat located in Apollo Towers which is actually his uncle’s house but he uses it too. Vijay tells Deepak he can stay there for a few days. In the meantime he is going to Delhi and will be back in 2 or 3 days. The flat is well stocked with food and other luxuries. The only concern is to water the plants in the terrace at 8.00 p.m. daily else his uncle won’t leave him alone.

Vijay shows him the view of the city from the terrace. Before leaving he shows a telescope placed on the terrace and invites Deepak to have a look. He points the telescope at a nearby bungalow. Deepak sees a young woman dancing and singing a song Aaj raat bas mein nahi dil. Apparently, this happens everyday at the same time. Vijay tells Deepak to enjoy the view and leaves.

Deepak settles down. He is watching Satyajit Ray’s Charulata on TV where the heroine is shown holding binoculars in a scene. Deepak is distracted and is reminded of the telescope and the young woman and goes to the terrace. He sees a man in the woman’s bedroom. They seem to be having an argument. The man slaps her and leaves. The woman lies down crying in bed. Unfortunately he is unable to see the the faces of the man or the woman.

Next morning, Deepak calls the studio and is informed that he has been replaced. A frustrated Deepak goes to the studio and creates a scene but it is of no use. That night he is again treated to the young woman’s dance. That’s two nights in a row.

On the next day, Deepak is driving Vijay’s car (yes, Vijay has offered him that permission too). He sees the woman in the bungalow coming out in her car. He sees her face for the first time. He notes she is a stylish, rich and ravishing woman (played by Raveena Tandon). He also notices she is being followed by a suspicious looking looking character (Makarand Deshpande).

The woman enters a shopping centre which has a deserted look. Deepak follows her out of curiosity and also to warn her of the person following her. She enters a shop and purchases stockings. The woman goes back to her car when she notices Deepak. For some reason she throws the bag with the stocking in the trash can. Deepak retrieves them and puts them in his pocket.

The woman seems to be on her way to meet someone out of the city. She drives and reaches Igatpuri(?) and books into a hotel. Deepak has been following her. He sees her speaking on the telephone and hears that the other party won’t be coming after all. The woman looks dejected and goes outside the hotel. It is quite a secluded area. Deepak goes down and greets her. He tells her someone has been following her. She gives him a knowing look.  He assures her it’s not him but another man.

Unknowing to both, the man has been watching them. He rushes towards the woman, grabs her purse and flees. Deepak chases him and is about to catch him when the man enters a tunnel. Poor claustrophobic Deepak is helpless. He can’t move ahead in the dark tunnel and is left gasping. The man taunts him. Then takes something from the purse, drops the purse and runs away. Deepak picks the purse and finds the driving license of the woman. Her name is Avantika Bajaj. The woman reaches Deepak and he informs her what has happened. She assists him to come out of the tunnel; he becomes normal once he is out in sunlight.

Deepak is taken in by her beauty and embraces her. They have a moment of intimacy before the woman walks away.

Back home Vijay calls him to inform that his return has been delayed. Deepak spends his time spying on the neighbouring bungalow. He imagines singing a romantic song with Avantika conversing on the telephone. Deepak is lost in Avantika’s thoughts when he is jolted back to reality. He sees the same man entering Avantika’s bungalow. Deepak dials her number and tries to warn her. She sees the man in the nick of time and tries to save herself by spraying deodorant on his face. Later, she tries calling the police but the line is busy.

Deepak rushes towards his car to drive towards Avantika’s bungalow. He realises he has forgot the car keys and starts running instead. But he is too late. The man gains consciousness, strangles Avantika and leaves as Deepak enters to find her dead body.

The police come in. Inspector Mujumdar (Paresh Rawal) is a shrewd investigator. He makes Deepak blurt out everything. How he spied on Avantika, followed her, the shady man and so on. Mujumdar finds something fishy about Deepak. Additionally, the stockings are found in Deepak’s pocket leading to some awkward moments. But he knows Deepak is not the murderer and lets him go.

A further twist is about to come. Deepak goes to a dance bar with a friend. He sees a girl Monika dancing with her troupe. All is fine until he sees her performing the same dance step which Avantika used to perform. He shouts “Avantika” in the middle of the performance. Monika and her 2 twin brothers John and Jack (Amin and Karim Hajee) are not amused.

After this, it all downhill. Deepak tries to make sense of the Monika’s identical dance move. Did she know Avantika? He tries to meet her to get to the bottom of the mystery. All this leads to a boring climax where the villain/ murderer’s identity is revealed.

The Music

Anand Bakshi has written the songs with music provided by the brothers Uttank and Neeraj Vora. The songs were sung by Vinod Rathod, Sadhana Sargam and Asha Bhosle. 2 songs had became famous. One is Mr. Zero Ban Gaya Hero which Deepak sings with his friends and telephone duet Tum Ho Haseena Main Hoon Deewana which has a catchy tune.

My Thoughts

The film has a dark look throughout and does not make it pleasant to watch. The direction is slick in places. The first half till the murder is engaging but after that the director seems to have lost his hold. The plot is full of loopholes and many scenes seem half baked to say the least.

This was Deepak Tijori’s first movie as a solo hero. He performs well but is not consistent. A more seasoned actor would have worked well in the tight scenes. Raveena suits the character mainly because of her looks and screen presence. Pooja Bhatt’s character is irritating and gets repetitive. There are many actors from Lagaan who are associated with the movie including Aamir Khan, Amin Hajee, Aditya Lakhia and Daya Shankar Pandey. There are gimmicks in the form of the cameo appearances by the 5 heroes and a heroine (Juhi Chawla). Sadly, it does not make any difference to the film. AG’s effort is visible but unfortunately it does not translate into a well made and memorable film.

Sarjaa (1987)

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Sarjaa is one of the well known films in Marathi cinema; it was directed by Rajdutt. It is based on the novel Shelar Khind by Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare and is set during the era of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It narrates the story of how a common man can contribute towards the efforts of Shivaji Maharaj in tackling the enemies of the Maratha empire. The film was produced by Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo and their son Ajinkya Deo played the title role of “Sarjaa.”

The Plot

Sarjaa begins with Aurangzeb (played by Prabhakar Panshikar and voice dubbed by Raza Murad) announcing that the Mughal rule extends from Kashmir to Deccan. He is proud to announce that 2 cannons have been manufactured and they will be deployed to fight against the Marathas. Raja Jaisingh (Ravi Patwardhan) is being sent to to deal with Raja Shivaji (Ravindra Mahajani) who has been troubling the Mughals.

What follows is the siege of Purandar fort which forces Raja Shivaji to sign a treaty with the Mughals. As part of the treaty many forts are handed over to the Mughals.

Bakshachandra Bahadur Singh (Kuldeep Pawar) has been appointed as the Killedar (fort commander) of Jangad. He arrives in style to take charge. Rustom (Nilu Phule) has switched his allegiance to the Mughals and welcomes Bahadur Singh.

There is a mother daughter duo of dombaris. [Dombari is a nomadic caste. They are street performers engaged in acrobatic acts.] Gauri (Seema) along with her daughter Kasturi / Kastura (Pooja Pawar) is performing near the fort. The newly appointed Killedar Bahadur Singh sees Kasturi and is smitten by her youth and beauty.

He orders Rustom to bring her to the fort for “entertainment.” Rustom tells Gauri that he is the Badshah’s man now and Bahadur Singh has taken a fancy to Kasturi, he will shower her with riches etc. Gauri rushes to attack Rustom. Bahadur Singh grabs Kasturi and imprisons her in the fort.

Gauri follows them and enters the chamber where Kasturi is tied up. She picks a spear and injures Bahadur Singh compelling Rustom to release Kasturi. Kasturi jumps in the pond next to the fort and swims towards safety. Instead of being angry, Bahadur Singh is further impressed. The bravery of the girl reminds him of Rani Padmini’s sacrifice.

The next day, Rustom arrives with gifts but Gauri insults him and he leaves. Bahadur Singh orders Rustom to do anything as he is desperate to have Kasturi for company. Rustom returns with soldiers to abduct Kasturi by force. Gauri and Kasturi manage to flee when they see the soldiers approaching. Rustom sets their house on fire. The helpless duo arrive in Nandavli village where she goes to an old man’s house. Gauri calls him Daaji. Daaji gives them shelter as Gauri informs him what happened.

It is revealed that the man’s son and Kasturi were married when they were children. Kasturi sees a young man sleeping in the house. Gauri tells her this is her husband Sarjaa (Ajinkya Deo).

The grown up couple get “introduced” to each other. The poor Sarjaa is subject to teasing by Kasturi. He is initially angry but matters are sorted and they become one happy couple. They start performing together. Rustom knows the whereabouts of Kasturi. He again sends his men to capture her by tricking Sarjaa. The husband and wife try hard to fight off the men. Luckily 4 men from the village come to Kasturi’s rescue. Rustom has to leave empty handed again.

Later, Sarjaa comes to know that the same men who helped them are being felicitated in the village. They have been selected to accompany Raja Shivaji on his dangerous mission to Agra to meet Aurangzeb and the whole village is proud of them.

Bahirji Naik (Ramesh Deo) who is in charge of Raja Shivaji’s intelligence operations also arrives (disguised as a Mughal) to test the men’s readiness and their allegiance to Raja Shivaji. Sarjaa meets Bahirji and requests him to give a job in Raja Shivaji’s army. The locals make fun of him. He is a street performer and not a fighter. He should remain as he is. He is not able to save his wife, how can he fight with the enemy? Sarjaa is disturbed by the comments and sinks into depression. He is looking for an opportunity to prove his worth to his detractors.

This opportunity comes later. Raja Shivaji has built the Raigad fort. He wants to test the security of the fort. A challenge is announced. Any man who attempts to scale the fort without the assistance of any climbing equipment will be rewarded a gold kada, a horse and 10 bighas of land. The news reach Sarjaa and this is just the opportunity he is waiting for. He has heard of men dying and getting injured in their attempts but that doesn’t impact him. He has made up his mind.

And the day of Sarjaa’s attempt arrives. Sarjaa starts the climb as Kasturi plays the dhol at the base of the fort. Bahirji has informed Raja Shivaji of the attempt. All are curious to know the outcome.

Will Sarjaa succeed? The rest of the movie is filled with more such entertaining moments including the story of the 2 cannons which were mentioned at the beginning.

The Music

In the final cut of the film, there appear only 2 songs. Both are written by N D Mahanor with music by Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Lata Mangeshkar and Suresh Wadkar sing the 2 romantic duets. The first one is Me katyatun chalun thakale..dongar maatha jinkun aalo. But the more famous song is Chimba pawasana raan zaala aabadani.

Interestingly, the credits mention Padmaja Phenani as one of the singers but the song is missing. Wonder which was that song!

My Thoughts

Sarjaa is a good story with good direction by the veteran Rajdutt. It is full of dramatic events and continuous action. Ajinkya Deo and Pooja Pawar display great chemistry. There is a rawness in the way their relationship is portrayed which increases the impact. I was reminded of the lead pair of Sairat. While Ajinkya had acted in a few films, this was Pooja’s debut. She acts in a natural and confident manner especially in the scenes involving the hero. Ramesh Deo, Seema, Kuldeep Pawar and Nilu Phule are all impressive.

The film has many outdoor scenes which is rare for a Marathi film. However there are some gaps in the story. Some references are not explained properly. The budgetary constraints are evident in the filming. But the effort to make a wholesome film is visible. Sarjaa succeeds in telling the appealing story of an ordinary man in the backdrop of a historical period.

Do Badan (1966)

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I used to think Raj Khosla was associated with crime and suspense movies. Films like CID, Kala Pani, Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saaya and Anita all being from these genres. But assumptions can be so wrong! He did handle other themes and directed films including Do Badan, Do Raaste, Bambai Ka Babu and Dostana.

I knew about Do Badan primarily because of its songs like Jab Chali Thandi Hawa, Raha Gardishon Mein Har Dam and Lo Aa Gayi Unki Yaad and was surprised to find it is a serious romantic film directed by this great director. Interestingly it was released in the same year as Mera Saaya. The story is typical. Poor boy meets rich girl. Girl’s father is not agreeable of the poor boy. A villain is ready to spread lies and get the girl for himself. Sounds familiar? Its Raj Khosla’s credit that he makes the common subject into an entertaining film with the help of good acting performances and fabulous music. Raj Khosla passed away on 9 June 1991 and today’s post is in dedicated to him.

The Plot

The film begins with a typical college scene. Vikas (Manoj Kumar) is studying for the BA final year exams. Nearby, a group of girls are studying, listening to loud music and dancing, all at the same time! In general, they are being a nuisance to Vikas. He has an argument with one of the girls Asha (Asha Parekh). She is no mood to listen and she and her friends talk in a coded language and make fun of him. Asha’s maternal cousin Mohan (Mohan Choti), son of her Mama (Dhumal) is also studying in the same college. Mohan attempts to intervene and gets slapped by both Asha and Vikas.

An irritated and angry Vikas removes the batteries from the transistor and leaves. Asha is taken aback and complains to the principal.

The principal scolds Vikas for his behaviour. The principal reminds him of the importance of his studies. He can be penalized and will not be able to appear for the final exam. Vikas begs him not to do this. He comes from a poor family and his father has struggled to pay for his education. He needs to complete his graduation on time. Asha is outside the office and hears all this. She asks the principal that she is taking back her complaint – she admits she was also responsible for the matter.

Through Mohan, Asha comes to know about Vikas’s background. Vikas is from Jammu while Asha’s family lives in Srinagar. She goes to meet him and apologize for her behaviour. They become friends. She even gives him the books he is unable to afford. He is reluctant to accept them as he is poor, she is rich etc. But Asha convinces him through some philosophical talk about friendship and friends helping each other.

It’s time for the annual exams. All is well until Vikas is suddenly called to Jammu as his father is serious. He rushes home without appearing for the exam. Asha is disturbed as he will lose a year.

Vikas arrives in Jammu but finds out his father has passed away before he could reach there. His wily brother (Bazid Khan credited as Wajid Khan) and sister-in-law (Lalita Kumari) indicate directly and indirectly that he is not wanted in their house. They cannot afford his expenses. Vikas hears this and decides to leave the house forever. He also gives up his claim to the property. Asha has been trying to contact him but the letters are not answered.

After the exam, Asha goes to her father’s house in Srinagar. Here she meets Ashwani (Pran) who is the son of an old family friend. Predictably, Ashwani is the villainous character hoping to get close to Asha.

But Asha is sad. She hasn’t heard from Vikas. She remembers him and sings a song Jab chali thand hawa. Later, Asha meets her uncle (played by Manmohan Krishna). He has encountered some tragedy in his life and lost his wife (or lover?). He spends the whole day painting and immersed in her thoughts. Asha is moved as she realises the importance of memories and she is missing someone too. She weeps her heart out.

And where is Vikas? He is in Srinagar. He has rented a houseboat (how he manages this is not revealed – he is jobless!). Vikas and Asha meet coincidentally. He explains his father passed away and he has left the house. He is desperately looking for a job. Asha’s father is Diwan Shivraj (Wasti). He is a rich man engaged in multiple businesses. She asks him to give a job to Vikas. He does so and Vikas is appointed as overseer in the timber operations.

Asha doesn’t reveal she is responsible for getting him the job. She is aware Vikas is a self respecting man and not bound to take favours easily. But the truth is bound to be out one day and it happens unexpectedly.  Mohan, who also works at the same site reveals the connection between Diwan and Asha. Vikas is incensed and is about to resign but Asha pacifies him with a song Mat jaiyo naukariya chhodke. (This is the only happy song in the film and Asha Parekh gets to shake a leg.)

But the good times are about to end. Ashwani observes the closeness between Asha and Vikas. He is quick to inform Diwan and point out how a poor employee is aiming to get close to a rich man’s daughter. Diwan is shocked to hear this.

Asha has cleared her exams and Diwan throws a party to celebrate her success. There are many wealthy guests in attendance. Diwan invites Vikas and insults him in front of the guests, taunting him on his poverty, his inability to clear the BA exam etc. A hurt Vikas sings a song Bhari duniya mein aakhir dil.

After the song, Diwan makes a surprise announcement of Ashwani’s engagement with Asha. Asha doesn’t know anything about this and rushes to her room. Diwan tells Vikas to go to the office tomorrow, collect his dues and leave the job. He also has a word with Asha making it clear that she has to marry Ashwani – there is no alternative. Vikas meets Asha, telling her they need to part now but he will back one day. She agrees and hopes for his success.

Ashwani has his next plan ready. He wants to remove Vikas “permanently.” He offers him a job in his friend’s company in New Delhi. He tells Vikas that his friend had left his jeep in Kashmir. It would be good if he can drive to New Delhi in that jeep. Vikas agrees. Ashwani has arranged the jeep to have an accident.

Vikas survives the accident and is admitted to a hospital in New Delhi. Unfortunately, he loses his eyesight. There is a dramatic scene. Vikas is unable to accept his condition and refuses to have any food or medicine. He does not feel like living anymore. A sympathetic doctor Dr. Anjali (Simmi) is called to take stock of the situation and calm him down. How she does this is not clarified.

Ashwani was expecting the news of Vikas’s death but comes to know he is recuperating in a hospital. So his plan didn’t work. He goes to the hospital and displays a show of false sympathy. Vikas tells him to inform Asha that he has died in the accident. He is not ready to let Asha know that he is blind and she will have to sacrifice her life and become his lifelong support. He doesn’t want her to face this future. (This seems silly. If he really loved her, he would have faced her and told her everything upright. There would be no need to create a deception).

Anyway, Ashwani tells Asha that Vikas is dead. Meanwhile, Anjali brings Vikas to her home. The intention is to take care of him and convince him to get operated to get his eyesight back. Apparently, she lives alone and also has gone through some tragedy. But she doesn’t want to talk about it.

Asha is in shock after she hears about Vikas’s death. She is not ready to forget him and move ahead in life. Ashwani had been planning to marry her but she is not ready to accept anyone else and continues to be lost in Vikas’s memory.

Ashwani has had enough. He goes to meet Vikas again and tell him about Asha’s condition and they make another plan to convince Asha to forget Vikas. Ashwani informs Asha that Vikas is actually alive and he is staying with another girl in New Delhi. Asha finds it difficult to believe this and goes to witness the deception herself. Vikas acts as if he is love with Anjali. Asha is convinced that she has lost her love forever and agrees to marry Ashwani. She still doesn’t know that Vikas is doing all this because he is blind.

And the melodrama continues and gets too much at one point. Vikas sings two sorrowful songs – Rahaa gardishon mein har dam and Naseeb mein jiske jo likha tha. All this leads to a situation where Asha discovers the truth about all the false stories spread by Ashwani. She takes ill, acts delirious and loses the will to live. She sings Lo aa gayi unki yaad lying on the bed.

Being a married Indian woman, can she leave her husband and go back to her lover? Or will death be the solution? The question is answered through an ambiguous ending.

The Music

The music honours are shared by the combination of Shakeel Badayuni (SB) and Ravi (SB is normally connected with Naushad but he did some 15 films with Ravi too). Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi are in charge of the vocals. All songs are wonderful but there is an overdose of sadness in the compositions. Somehow, I felt the absence of a romantic duet song which would have helped to balance the multiple sad songs. Also, it is hinted that Dr Anjali was a sitar player. Probably they meant to picturize a “happy” song on her but did not do so.

My Thoughts

Do Badan is a serious film and a long sequence of tragic events. Its as if the characters are inviting the bad times rather than face them when they arrive. Call it self inflicted tragedy? But Raj Khosla’s direction is impressive and he is successful in making an overall entertaining film.

Among the cast, Asha Parekh is the most effective performer. Manoj Kumar is his usual self. You are reminded of Dilip Kumar in certain scenes in the way he acts and delivers the dialogues. Simmi Garewal is impressive in a supporting role and won the Best Supporting Actress Filmfare Award that year. It is not revealed if she develops any feelings for Vikas or what was her personal tragedy. Pran plays a “sensible” and toned down villain which is different than what you would normally expect. Dhumal and Mohan Choti are part of the predictably boring comedy side plot which has no scope in the film.

The film was a hit and I wonder the reason for it. Was it because of the the tragic plot with the sacrificial angle, or the memorable songs? Was it the impactful direction or simply the star power that impressed the audience?