Category Archives: My Reviews

Dhakti Bahin (1970)

My Reviews,

It’s Raksha bandhan this week which celebrates the bond between a brother and sister. So it was time to cover a film which focuses on this relationship. Today’s Marathi film Dhakti Bahin (meaning younger sister) actually begins and ends with the theme of Raksha Bandhan. Based on the novel Agnidivya by Chandrakant Kakodkar, the story is quite predictable. We have seen the plot in many movies. But the performances, direction and music leave an impression.

The Plot

The film begins with a domestic scene in the Deshmukh household. It’s morning time. Meena (Surekha) is cooking. Her sister in law (Gulab Korgaonkar) asks her to move faster and pack the tiffins. Apparently, she doesn’t treat Meena too well. Meena’s father Appa Deshmukh (Ramchandra Warde) works in the mill. He will be retiring in a few months. Meena’s brother Ganesh is the typical henpecked husband. He has a school going son.

It is Raksha Bandhan that weekend. Ganesh and his wife will be travelling to Pune to visit his sister. Ganesh wants to buy new sarees for Meena and the other sister. But his wife warns him not to purchase anything for Meena. We come to know that Meena is the step daughter of the family. Further, Appa will be retiring in a few months and will be entitled to a hefty provident fund amount. Ganesh’s wife plans to utilise the money for herself and their son’s future. Ganesh reminds her that Meena’s marriage is being arranged in a good family and they will be expected to pay dowry. But she is insistent to have her way. Ganesh agrees meekly. He and his wife leave for work, while their son goes to school.

Meena is alone in the house when an old man comes visiting. He is Athalye guruji, a school teacher. He wants to meet Meena’s brother. She informs that Ganesh has gone to office. He says he wants to meet Madhav, who is her real brother. Meena is puzzled at this revelation as she is only aware of her one (step) brother.

It is further revealed that Meena’s father had disowned Madhav and thrown him out of the house when he was a boy. At that time, Meena was a toddler. Meena’s father had been caught in a fraud when Madhav was born and had to lose his job. Madhav was accused of stealing the school teacher’s watch. This led to his removal from the Deshmukh family’s house (and life). Athalye guruji tells that it was the school peon who had stolen the watch. He came to know the truth recently and hence came to share the news with Madhav. Meena is surprised but happy to hear all this. She has a real brother and coincidentally, Raksha Bandhan is around the corner. She looks forward to meet Madhav.

But what happened to Madhav? The school authorities were going to hand him to the police but he managed to run away. As he grew up, he entered the world of crime. He is now involved in gambling, smuggling and other vices. The grown up Madhav is played by Arun Sarnaik.

After completing an assignment, he arrives in style at a hotel/ club, where he is welcomed by the dancer. We see Helen in one of her few Marathi performances. She sings…Ooi sajan aala ha. After the song, he settles down to gamble with cards.

Through his actions we come to know that he is a bad man but with a golden heart. He has suffered a lot due to his father but doesn’t want the same fate to fall upon others. He purposely loses at gambling because the other person (about to lose) is in dire need of the money. He also bashes the hotel manager when he abuses the waiter Narayan. After a filmy fight involving the manager and his goons, Madhav asks Narayan (an orphan) to come with him.

He arrives at the basti (slum) where he lives. Apparently, he is famous as Madhav dada who takes care of the basti’s residents and ensures there is no injustice. They treat him with respect. Staying with him are Abdul (Raja Mayekar) and D’Souza, who seem to have no family like Narayan. Their profession is black marketing of cinema tickets.

Next day, Meena comes to meet Madhav. He recognizes her. He refuses to have anything to do with her or his so called family. She tells him that tomorrow is Raksha Bandhan and invites him to her house. But he asks her to leave. On the next day, there is a festive atmosphere in the basti. Narayan, Abdul and D’souza casually mention they wish they had a sister who would tie rakhis on their wrists. This leads Madhav to rethink his decision and behavior towards Meena. After all, she is his real sister.

Meena is waiting expectantly as she sings Dhaaga julala, jeev phulala, vedya bahinila bhau milala. But things don’t happen as expected. Madhav arrives but is insulted by Appa. Appa admonishes him that he better stay away from Meena. She is going to get married. What will happen if her in-laws come to know about Madhav and his reputation? Madhav silently agrees. He cannot be an obstacle in his sister’s well being.

To drown his sadness, Madhav goes to a mujra performance (Hataa madhye mogryacha gajra bandhte) but his mind is still on Meena and the insult thrown at him by Appa. He goes home, drinks and collapses in sorrow. It’s quite late but Meena comes to his house and is shocked to see his drunken state. She ties the rakhi on a barely conscious Madhav and is about to leave. Narayan, Abdul and D’souza request her to be their sister too. Meena is moved and tears her saree border and willingly ties the pieces on the wrists of her new “brothers.” In the morning, Madhav wakes up and realises what has happened.

Later, a young man called Vasant comes to meet him. He will be becoming a lawyer soon. Madhav has been helping him financially since his school days. Madhav could not complete his own education but is happy he was able to support Vasant and ensure his progress.

The relationship between the brother and sister improve as the days go by. Meena comes to meet Madhav regularly. She informs him that her marriage has been fixed. He offers support in any way possible. The only hurdle being he cannot attend the marriage in person and bless her openly. She promises she will explain everything to her husband after marriage and her brother will be invited with respect.

Madhav is sent on a smuggling mission. He joins a group of college students going for a picnic on a launch in the sea. His mission is to collect the bag of smuggled goods and return. He collects the bag but sees a college student being abducted and carried off in a boat. He chases the boat and manages to rescue the girl. Unfortunately, the police see the boat chase and reach the spot. Madhav cannot risk being caught with the bag. He is forced to fling the bag in to the water to evade arrest.

The girl he saves is Lalita Prabhudesai (Anupama). She is impressed by his humanity and bravery displayed. She wants to get acquainted with him but he would rather stay away due to his reputation. But she is insistent. She tracks his address, comes to meet him and eventually falls in love.

Under the influence of the two women in his life, Madhav decides to leave the world of crime and be a decent man. But it is easier said than done. There are twists in the tale including a murder in which Madhav is the prime accused. Will there be a happy ending for all concerned?

The Music

Jagdish Khebudkar (lyricist) teams with Sudhir Phadke. Dhundi kalyanna (set in raag Yaman) is one of the classic romantic duets (sung by Sudhir Phadke and Asha Bhosle). Suman Kalyanpur sings Dhaaga julala in her trademark style.

The Helen song by Asha Bhosle is probably one of its kind in Marathi cinema. Sudhir Phadke gives this cabaret number a distinctive touch which showcases his mastery. Unfortunately, the mujra number (also by Asha Bhosle) doesn’t work that way. It has a bit of a lavani feel. 

There is also a koli geet (fisherman song), by Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle. And finally a hilarious parody song by Jaywant Kulkarni which revisits three of Sudhir Phadke’s famous songs – Mazha hoshil kaa (as Bhaji gheshil kaa), Zaalaa mahaar Pandharinath (Aala aala ho ganderiwala) and Dehachi tijori (Mast bhel kha ho).

My Thoughts

While the story line is predictable, the director Rajdutt manages to mix the right amount of drama, melodrama, romantic and thriller elements to make an engaging film. Overall, the brother-sister plot is presented satisfactorily without following the weepy, sacrificing pattern normally depicted.

The part of step parents and children is not explained properly. The fact that Meena is a grown up girl of marriageable age but doesn’t know about her real brother is not convincing. Arun Sarnaik’s dashing personality suits the character. Surekha is also good. Anupama looks like a doll and talks in a soft voice.

Yaraana (1995)

My Reviews,

What happens when you remake an English movie and add Hindi cinema elements without anticipating the outcome? The result is a mess like this movie. Inspite of a good story, actors and music the result is a disappointment. Yaarana is inspired from Sleeping With The Enemy (1991) starring Julia Roberts. During the same time there were two more remakes of this movie – Daraar (1996) and Agni Sakshi (1996). Yaraana was directed by David Dhawan, better known for the comedy genre. Unfortunately, the movie falters to make an impression and is one his forgettable offerings. The movie is best remembered today for its iconic song Mera piya ghar aaya o Ramji.

The Plot

The movie begins and we see Madhuri Dixit, dressed as a bride, running on the road in the night. Her character is called Lalita and she is being chased by her would be husband JB (Raj Babbar). Later, through a flashback we come to know Lalita is a talented dancer. JB had come to see her performance (Dil loye loye, aaja aaja mahi) and is mesmerized. Apparently, he is super obsessed with her. Lalita’s uncle Madanlal (Tez Sapru) works for JB. JB bribes Madanlal and proposes to get married to Lalita. Madanlal, being a shady character agrees willingly.

Madanlal hurries home to share the good news with Lalita and a neighbour “aunty” Mrs D’Souza (Sulbha Deshpande). Aunty is close to Lalita and a well wisher unlike Madanlal. Aunty and Lalita immediately smell a rat. Lalita accuses Madanlal of selling her off to JB and she will not agree to this marriage at any cost.

But JB is unrelenting. He forcefully brings Lalita to his house and treats her like a caged bird. While attending a party, he thrashes the photographer for taking photographs of Lalita. So extreme is his obsession. He warns Lalita that he “owns” her and there is no escape for her. Soon, the day of the wedding arrives. Lalita collapses in the mandap before the 7 pheras can be completed. JB sends for a doctor but Lalita manages to run away before she can be attended. Thus JB is chasing her, to take her back and marry her forcibly. The chase scene is impressively done.

Finally, he catches her but she slips away and enters a hotel. She sees some mannequins on display and gets an idea. She disguises as a foreign looking mannequin, with a wig and blue eyes (how she manages to replace the mannequin without attracting attention, how does she gets blue lens at short notice?.. is best answered by the director!).

We see a guest Raj (Rishi Kapoor) leaving the hotel in a drunken state. He looks at the mannequin, is impressed by her beauty and takes her with him, just like that. JB and the disguised Lalita cross paths but she is not recognized. The scene moves to Switzerland with an unwanted song Jaadu jaadu jaadu jaadu (there are many random and unwanted elements in this movie). Raj is too drunk to figure out whether he is dancing with a mannequin or a real girl. Lalita runs away as the song ends.

Now we are introduced to Raj’s family. This is a plot we have seen earlier. Raj’s grandfather dadaji Rai Saheb (Kader Khan) wants Raj to get married soon. He conspires with his friend and doctor Rashid (Anil Dhawan) and fakes a heart attack. Raj returns home and receives the sad news. Rashid tells Raj that he better get a “bahu” for dadaji, else he may not survive his heart condition. Raj doesn’t know what to do a decides to meet his friend Banke for advice.

The scene moves to a drama theatre. Banke (Shakti Kapoor) is the manager. Apparently his dancer has not arrived. The crowd is shouting Mohini Mohini (an obvious reference to Ek do teen from Tezaab). In steps Lalita and performs Mera piya ghar aaya, winning the crowd’s approval. After the performance, Banke thanks her for being a saviour. She calls him bhaiya and asks him to give her a job, which he does.

Raj enters suddenly. Lalita is scared he will recognize her as the mannequin cum foreign girl. But she is not wearing western clothes or the wig and Raj barely looks at her. Banke listens to Raj’s problem and understands they need to arrange a temporary wife for Raj. All this to pacify dadaji and make him feel better.

Next day, Lalita dresses up as the fake bahu and goes to Raj’s house. She is called Shikha. Dadaji is overjoyed to meet her. She takes his blessings and leaves. Raj hopes the matter will end here but dadaji has other ideas. He wants to meet Shikha again and make her stay with them. Raj is forced to go to Banke’s drama theatre and bring her back much against his wishes. Shikha shows reluctance but agrees to return. She settles down in her role and plays the perfect daughter in law, leaving everyone impressed. But for Raj, she is a nuisance.

There are other unwanted schemes in the pipeline. Banke makes Lalita meet Raj in the foreign girl’s disguise. She does so. This time she gives her name as Kavita Krishnamurthy. Raj falls in love with Kavita. He wants to marry her.

But dadaji wants to make Shikha his daughter in law as soon as possible. The track continues for some time. We also have Shikha’s fake parents (played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Himani Shivpuri) meeting dadaji and giving their consent for Shikha and Raj’s marriage. So Lalita acting as Shikha is troubling Raj all the time. On the other hand, she meets him as Kavita and romances with him.

Amidst all this, Raj is bound to find out that Shikha and Kavita are the same person, which he ultimately does! And Lalita has not told the truth about her past to Raj.

As things are getting sorted, it is time for JB to enter the scene again. He has been tracing Lalita. Will Lalita confess the truth to Raj and his family? What will be the consequence? Needless to say, the ending is predictable.

The Music

Anu Malik was heavily inspired when he composed the music and you can figure out the inspirations in most of the songs. There are many songs – Dil loye loye aaja aaja mahi, Jaadu jaadu jaadu jaadu, Rabbi re ralli, Noorani chehere wale, Mohabbat ki nazrein karam chahta hoon and Jaane woh kaisa chor tha, which were popular. But Mera piya ghar aaya remains timeless. Madhuri Dixit and Saroj Khan’s collaboration makes this one of their best remembered songs. Kavita Krishnamurthy won the Filmfare award for best playback singer.

My Thoughts

The title is not clear as Yaraana means friendship. Performance wise, all actors have done well. The problem lies in the mixing of 2 genres. It would have worked if it was a stand alone thriller or comedy movie. The comedy track involving fake heart attack, fake bahu, heroine in disguise have been seen earlier and seem stale. Not to forget the random songs which are a must in Hindi films. On the other hand, Raj Babbar’s obsession filled track is more impactful. This reminds us of other David Dhavan films like Aankhen, Shola Aur Shabnam which had well executed thriller/ drama filled scenes.

Rishi Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit make an odd pair. Raj Babbar is convincing as the villain. The supporting cast, most of them David Dhawan regulars, deliver as expected. This was a time when Switzerland had become the go to destination for Hindi producers. Most of the songs are shot in Switzerland and the locations would seem very familiar to the audience.

Aadhar (1969)

My Reviews,

Aadhar meaning support is a Marathi film made by veteran director Raja Paranjape. It has been adopted from Shakuntala Gogate’s novel “Chandane Shimpit Jaa. ” It has an unusual storyline involving an older hero and a much younger heroine. This reminds us of another movie Jagachya Paathivar by the same director which has achieved classic status. Unfortunately, Aadhar leaves a lesser impact.

The Plot

The leading lady of Aadhar is Geeta (Anupama). She has married the man she loves Raju (Gajen Joshi) against their parents’ wishes. Raju hails from a rich family from Sangli. He is a college student and will be completing his graduation soon. Geeta works in an office. The house is run on her income, and she takes care of Raju’s education expenses. They stay in a small, rented house in Pune. The landlady is Geeta’s aunt and the only supportive relative after her marriage. In spite of their dire financial condition, Geeta supports Raju to the best extent, even gifting him some fabric on his birthday. They sing a romantic song in Saras Baug, Majhya re preeti phoola. Geeta loves him wholeheartedly and wishes he complete his studies and get a job.

But Raju is not as he seems. He is in contact with his parents unknown to Geeta. They send him a good allowance every month, which he spends on entertaining his friends, movies etc. They do not care about their daughter in law Geeta (who hails from a lower income family) but want their son to lead a comfortable life. One day, Geeta comes to know the reality when she sees a telegram from his father. She confronts him and they have an argument. Next day, on the pretext of visiting his parents, Raju leaves her forever. Through a letter, he admits everything. There had been other girls in his life before her. The only difference is Geeta made him marry her. He was never serious about their relationship. His parents have found a suitable match, and he is looking forward to settle down with the girl of their choice. There will be no obstacle in their divorce, and he is ready to pay alimony.

Geeta is devastated. Her aunt pacifies her. Geeta has some money from her father which she has not touched. She decides to utilize that, go to Mumbai and settle down there. She has many bitter memories in Pune and can’t stay there any longer. Accordingly, she manages to get a job in Mumbai and accommodation in a chawl.

Geeta is thought as snobbish by her office colleagues but thankfully that perception doesn’t stay for long. One of her colleagues and friend is Kishori (Lalita Desai).

Geeta leads a solitary life and doesn’t mingle with her neighbours in the chawl. There is a neighbour called Dinanath (Bal Kolhatkar), who is the chawl’s secretary. He attempts to befriend her but she rebutts him every time.

Dinanath conducts tuitions. One of the neighbour’s daughter Gooji (Neelam) is his student and flirts with him all the time. Her intention is to marry him. She even calls him “Naath” lovingly. Dinanath has no interest in her. There are some unnecessary “comedy” scenes between the teacher and his flirtatious student.

Dinanath longs to get close with Geeta. During the Ganesh festival celebrations, he invites Geeta to come and watch his performance (he sings a song Kaahi tari tu bol). But she deliberately avoids him and spends time with Kishori before returning late in the night. Dinanath feels insulted but Geeta doesn’t give a heed.

One day, Barrister Prabhakar (Raja Paranjape) visits Geeta’s office. As Kishori introduces Geeta, he is startled to see her. Later, Kishori informs Geeta that Prabhakar is a rich man. His wife has passed away 20 years ago. He loved her too much to think of settling down again. Geeta is impressed at hearing this given her own failed marriage and the character of her husband.

When Prabhakar returns home, we come to know the reason for his startled reaction. Geeta is a lookalike of his late wife Nirmala. It’s as if he saw Nirmala standing in front of him in the office.

Prabhakar and Geeta’s paths are going to cross soon. One day Geeta brings a stray pup to her house. She has rescued it from the clutches of the municipal authorities. The chawl residents oppose the entry of the new resident stating he will be a nuisance. The owner of the chawl hands over an official letter to this effect. Geeta and Kishori consult Barrister Prabhakar, who clearly states the law is not in favour of Geeta. Geeta accepts the reality and lets the dog go.

Later, Prabhakar sees Geeta drenched in the rain at the bus stop and offers her to drop her home. He realizes she has high fever and calls for the doctor. But her condition worsens. He requests Dinanath to call Dr Gupte (Vivek), who is his family doctor. Dr Gupte also notices Geeta’s striking resemblance to Nirmala. He treats her and confirms the case is moving towards typhoid. Prabhakar is shaken. Nirmala had passed away in similar conditions with the same disease. He doesn’t want the same fate to fall upon Geeta.

One day in the hospital, Prabhakar is lost in the thoughts of Nirmala and inadvertently tries to get intimate with Geeta. Geeta suspects his intentions and informs the doctor of her decision to get discharged. She is much better now and would prefer to go home. Additionally, she cannot afford to stay in the hospital due to her financial condition. Prabhakar visits her at home, and she attempts to pay back her treatment costs. Prabhakar apologises for his behaviour but she is no mood to listen.

The misunderstanding continues for some time. Prabhakar falls sick and Dr Gupte requests Geeta to visit him. She reluctantly does so. Upon entering his room, she sees Nirmala’s portrait and her doubts are soon cleared. Prabhakar is surprised to see her and requests her to leave. She apologizes for her behaviour.

He advises her to get married soon. He knows what it is to live alone without your partner as a support. She is young and has a long life ahead of her. He promises to do anything for her to see her happy. Her response is unexpected. Geeta proposes they get married and he is taken aback. After much drama, he agrees, and they are husband and wife.

Dinanath is one of the people who is not happy. He accuses Geeta of falling for Prabhakar’s wealth and making a selfish and hasty decision. She is the same person who had decided to stay away from any relationship after her prior experience. How could she change overnight?

Unfortunately, other people have the same thoughts and taunt the couple. They talk about their age difference and Geeta’s true motive. Things reach a point where Prabhakar suspects Geeta of having an affair with Dinanath (who is making all the moves to poison Prabhakar’s mind). All this leading to tragical circumstances for the couple.

The Music

The golden trio of G D Madgulkar,  Sudhir Phadke and Raja Paranjape once again collaborate for some memorable music. Majhya re preeti phoola is one of the most enduring duets by Sudhir Phadke and Asha Bhosle. 2 Asha Bhosle solos, Wara sute sukhacha and a sad song Khel kalena tujha are other gems. The fourth song is Kaahi tari tu bol by Vasantrao Deshpande.

My Thoughts

The music and direction are engaging. But the film has a depressing tone and moves at a slow pace. The scenes are long drawn and get boring. Anupama is effective but Raja Paranjape does not seem comfortable in the role of the hero. He wears a wig and his dialogue delivery is not clear. The chemistry seems forced between the 2 leads. It is difficult to comprehend Geeta’s sudden decision to marry Prabhakar. Later, Prabhakar (a barrister) is shown gullible enough to get suspicious about his wife. Can’t he confront his wife and clear the matter? The way he distances himself from the reality and relies on his own assumptions makes the character weaker.

The doctor character played by Vivek is wasted (maybe he could have played the hero more convincingly!). Dinanath’s transformation into a negative character is also not convincing.

The songs come as a relief but are few in number considering its a Raja Paranjape film. Maybe more songs could have helped to balance the dull proceedings.