Duniya Kari Salaam (1979)

My Reviews

Duniya Kari Salaam (The World Salutes) is a Marathi movie based on the famous Hindi proverb Duniya jhukti hai, jhukanewala chahiye meaning “the world bows, we need the one who makes that happen.” Directed by Anant Mane, the movie makes an attempt to share a social message wrapped in an entertainment package.

The Plot

Amol (Ravindra Mahajani) and Arun (Ramesh Bhatkar) are 2 unemployed postgraduates. They are looking for soft and cushy jobs and not ready for any hard or physically draining work. One day, after another unsuccessful interview, they are sitting dejected at a restaurant when they are joined by an old classmate Anand (Ashok Saraf) who had been rusticated from college. Anand joins the conversation stating hard work does not earn money. Money can be earned only by fooling people. The friends do not agree. He gives them a couple of demonstrations to show how people are gullible and it is not difficult to fool them. The title song follows.

He then takes them to a jeweler who is known to buy smuggled gold. He makes a fake deal with the jeweler to supply him gold in exchange of cash. The jeweler sends his two men in the night in a secluded area to complete the transaction. Amol and Anand complete the exchange. They get the cash but give a bag of stones in return. The 2 men attempt to chase and beat Amol and Anand. Arun, wearing a police uniform blows the whistle and the jeweler’s men are forced to run away empty handed. Anand convinces his friends that people are waiting to get fooled and they can make the most of it (i.e. get rich).

Next day, they are sitting at the same restaurant thinking of a plan. They are joined by Amol’s classmate Padma (Ranjana). Ranjana is a rich modern girl who has become a disciple of Acharya Bhajneesh. She calls herself Bhogini “Popins” and is trying to follow the path of spirituality. The 3 friends get a warning letter from the jeweler to return the money or be ready for the consequences. Anand hatches a plan to run away from the city and set up an ashram posing as sadhus (godmen). The others have no choice but to agree. Padma volunteers to join but Anand tells her she will be called later once they have settled.

So they come to a village and scout for an ideal location to set up the ashram. There is a lavani performance (Raghucha tapun basalay thawa) at the local temple in the night. The next day, the trio arrive outside the temple dressed as sadhus. They are Swami Parmanand (Amol), Swami Shivanand (Anand) and Swami Swanand (Arun). The priest and villagers approach them. They make up a story that the temple’s premises need to be purified after the song and dance performance as a sin has occurred. Anand performs a so called purification test to confirm a sin has indeed been committed and repentance is required.

The priest (Suhas Bhalekar) and villagers are convinced and they go to the Sarpanch (village head), but the Sarpanch (Jairam Kulkrani) refuses to believe them. He thinks the 3 sadhus are imposters. The 3 sadhus share an elaborate plan to complete the temple purification obviously involving a lot of expenditure. They continue to demonstrate (so called) miracles to gain the villagers’ confidence and they succeed.

Rich people start visiting the ashram, to meet and seek blessings from the godmen. Their “voluntary” contributions are most welcome.

One day, they have an unexpected visitor in the form of Anand’s wife Jyoti. The debtors are chasing her and she has no money. Anand gives her money and asks her to leave. She is adamant and he lets her stay in the ashram as a so called disciple.

The Sarpanch is not happy with the success of the sadhus. He approaches the lavani dancer Maina (Usha Naik) to entrap one of the sadhus and expose their real faces. Maina sings a song Ya dhagana laal laal and catches the attention of the sadhus. But she is unsuccessful in her mission as the sadhus are alert and are not influenced by her seducing charms. Maina is repentant of her actions and decides to join the ashram and serve the sadhus.

Meanwhile, Padma/Popins has contacted the trio and arrives in the village to a grand welcome. There is a boisterous celebration song on the occasion of Guru Pournima, Bhagawan aa raha hai. The Sarpanch is not impressed. He goes to the police station to complain about the ashram.

The sadhus have begun a new scheme where devotees are invited to confess their sins. The confessions will get recorded and the confidential information can be used to extract money from the confessor. The corrupt start arriving and confessing to their ill gotten wealth. This includes builders, doctors, government officials etc. The sadhus decide to target such corrupt people who loot the society. They begin with a builder who has stashed Rs 7 lakhs in his bathroom. The sadhus disguise themselves as income tax officers and raid the builder’s house and loot the cash. Unfortunately, the builder passes away due to shock the same night. The police come investigating and find a digging tool left behind by the robbers.

The police investigations bring them closer to the truth and they suspect the ashram and its inhabitants. They send a spy (Jyoti Chandekar) to the ashram. Will the police be able to raid the ashram and catch the perpetrators? Who will win in the end?

The Music

Veterans Jagdish Khebudkar (lyricist) and Ram Kadam (music director) share the music credits. Somehow the songs are not that effective compared to their more famous songs. The songs are quite situational. Dev jagavegala ho, dev jagavegala is melodious.

My Thoughts

Among the performances, the focus in mainly on Ashok Saraf, Ravindra Mahajani and Ranjana and they are entertaining. The others including Ramesh Bhatkar, Roohi and Usha Naik seem like supporting characters.

The film’s plot is good but fails somewhere in its execution. Right from the initial scenes, it is shown how easy it is to fool people. And the protagonists get out of tight situations very easily which is not really believable. Their transition from fraudsters to Robin Hood like sentiments is abrupt and not very convincing. As if they suddenly remembered there is a social message to be passed to the audience. It could have been a better film with the all the talent and known faces.

Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar (1973)

My Reviews

There have been many movies depicting a suspicious husband or wife leading to serious or hilarious consequences depending on the tone of the movie. Based on a Gujarathi play “Chakdhol,” Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar is a funny take on how a suspicious wife compels her husband to make up an imaginary story to save himself and the chain of events that follow. The movie is directed by Rajendra Bhatia.

The Plot

The film begins with a party scene. Sunil Mehta (Kiran Kumar) and his wife Geeta (Radha Saluja) arrive. Sunil meets Helen who behaves like an old acquaintance. This is enough to sow the seeds of suspicion in Geeta’s mind. Next day, Sunil leaves for office. He doesn’t come back in the evening. A worried Geeta goes to sleep waiting for his return. She dreams he is spending time with Helen totally ignoring Geeta’s presence. Time for a dream song Khilta hua shabab hai…

Geeta wakes up from her dream to find Sunil is still not home. Her sister Pinky (Arpana Choudhary) stays with her. Unable to sleep, she visits Pinky’s room and goes downstairs to wait on the sofa. Its almost morning. The Mehtas have an oversmart and unscruplous servant Ramji (I.S. Johar) whose habit is to keep making social commentary on current issues. Whenever he receives an order, his response is Main wohi toh karne wala tha. He has had enough of the Mehta family and is leaving them soon for a new employer.

Geeta asks Ramji if he has seen Sunil home yesterday night. He tells her no. He informs her indirectly that he is leaving them for a new employer and his new mistress may come and meet her for feedback on his conduct. An already suspicious Geeta misinterprets that Sunil is leaving her for a new mistress. Pinky comes down. Its her birthday and Geeta wishes her. She tells her about Sunil and the new mistress. Pinky calls Ramji and thankfully clarifies the matter. Pinky has a supposed to be fiance Captain Ranjit (Narendranath). For some reason, Sunil disapproves of Ranjit and leaves no chance to insult him.

Meanwhile Sunil comes home. Geeta cross questions him on his absence. Knowing her nature, Sunil knows she will not believe the truth. The simple truth is he was returning home when he saw a fun fair/exhibition. He visits the fair and takes a giant wheel ride. Unfortunately the machine develops a technical glitch and he has to spend the whole night suspended in the air. But there is a catch. Also stuck with him for company is a young woman (Manju Asrani). (He refers to her as “giant wheel lady.”) If Geeta comes to know about this, she will raise hell all over.

To get away from the situation, Sunil invents a not so convincing story. He tell Geeta that he met an old friend called Champak Bhumiya and spent the night at his house chatting about old times. Geeta further questions him and he has to invent a fake address – Boti Mansion, Damar Galli in Betegaon. Geeta is not convinced but allows him to go to their room. She books a telegram for Champak Bhumiya, requesting him to meet her as soon as he receives the telegram as her happiness is dependent on him. She also packs her bags in anticipation that Sunil is lying, the telegram will come back as the address was fake and she will go to her mom’s house. Sunil vents his feelings through a song Mujhe meri biwi se bachao.

Sunil comes down and asks Ramji for breakfast. The bell rings and unexpectedly, the “giant wheel lady” comes to meet Sunil. Apparently he has her sunglasses and she wants them back. But Sunil has gifted them to Pinky as a birthday gift. He asks the woman to meet him later.

The bell rings again. This time the visitor is Sunil’s old friend Amit Desai (Asrani). He has recently got married in Paris. His wife has come back to India. He was supposed to arrive 2 days later but managed to come earlier. However he doesn’t want to go to his home immediately. He wants to enjoy his last days of freedom before meeting his wife. A weird story which Sunil accepts and invites him to stay at his house.

Sunil informs Amit of the last night’s events and his fake story. He spots the telegram message and knows the cat will be out of the bag soon. Amit ponders and offers a solution. He will come to visit Geeta, posing as “Champak Bhumiya” and Sunil’s story will be validated. Luckily, Geeta has never met Amit. Sunil agrees. The only problem is Ramji who had opened the door for Amit. Through some bribing, Ramji becomes a part of the plan.

Thus, Amit arrives at the house again and meets Geeta. She is at first flustered to meet the man with the strange name and address. He tells her about his friendship with Sunil and how they spent the night chatting. And about his wife and 2 imaginary kids – Luv and Kush. Geeta is convinced and apologizes to Sunil about her actions.

Things are sorted. Its time to celebrate Pinky’s birthday through a song Happy birthday to Pinky. Amit helps to settle matters between Captain Ranjit and Sunil amicably. There is another song featuring Mehmood – Raat hai baat hai.

But there is a twist coming up. It appears in the form of a woman Motiya (Padma Khanna) who claims she is Champak Bhumiya’s wife. She confronts Geeta for sending the telegram and summoning her husband. Motiya leaves in a huff leaving Geeta feeling sorry for the situation she has created. Geeta tells Amit about his wife’s visit. Amit is confused and realizes there is indeed a real Champak Bhumiya and the address is real too. And that’s the reason the telegram did not return.

So we have the entry of the final character, a colorful Champak Bhumiya (Paintal) leading to more confusion. Things get complicated when the “giant wheel lady” visits again. She is none other than Amit Desai’s newly wedded wife and is upset to find him in Sunil’s house. Things get sorted when the truth comes out. All’s well that ends well.

The Music

Shankar Jaikishan and Hasrat Jaipuri share the honours. Mujhe meri biwi se bachao by Kishore Kumar is the stand out song.

My Thoughts

The movie manages to keep the viewer engaged and there are hardly any boring scenes. The situational comedy is good. Most of the cast are lesser known actors but do their job well. Asrani and I.S. Johar add flavour to their roles. There are guest appearances from Helen, Jayshree T and Mehmood in the songs. The songs could have been trimmed but well, that is the compulsion of a Hindi Movie.

Dost Maza Mast (1989)

My Reviews

Dost Maza Mast (meaning My Nice Friend) is a Marathi children’s movie. Its a story of a boy and his nice friend, an elephant. The movie is directed by Gajanan Sarpotdar. It is dedicated to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru whose birthday falls on 14 November and is celebrated as Children’s Day.

The Plot

The movie opens with a song. An old man Khan Chacha (Jairam Kulkarni) lives in the jungle. He sings a song describing the green forest. He meets the forest range officer Sudhakar Deshmukh (Ravindra Mankani) who stays with his wife (Kshama Raj)in the officer’s quarters. His son Chintu (Ruchir) stays in the hostel. Sudhakar is bringing Chintu home for the summer holidays.

Khan Chacha loves the forest like his family. He admonishes some forest officers on animals being killed in the forest. But they don’t take him serious. He also informs Sudhakar about a truck carrying smuggled sandalwood. Sudhakar is a competent officer, he ensures the truck is caught.

Enter the villain, local politician cum businessman Vyankappa Sheth, talking in a not so convincing Belgavi accent. He is involved in the smuggling of sandalwood, animal skins and the like. Vyankappa is furious. His three trucks have been caught by Sudhakar and he needs to plan something to make things (smuggling) easier. He knows Sudhakar cannot be bribed.

Meanwhile Chintu is enjoying his holidays. He has befriended Khan Chacha who gives him information about the jungle and the animals. He takes him to the elephant camp. Chintu befriends a young elephant Charan and soon both become separable. Chintu informs his parents of his new friend but doesn’t reveal who he is.

Vyankappa wants to continue with the smuggling and makes a plan to outwit Sudhakar and his team. He kidnaps Khan Chacha. He tells Sudhakar to allow his trucks to pass smoothly else Khan Chacha’s life will be in danger. Sudhakar values Khan Chacha’s life. He is forced to watch helplessly as the trucks laden with smuggled goods leave the jungle without any obstacle.

Later he waits for Khan Chacha to return. When he doesn’t, Sudhakar goes to Khan Chacha’s house to find him stabbed with a knife and a bag of money lying next to him.

As frequently shown in movies, Sudhakar touches the body carelessly and removes the blood stained knife. The shrewd Vyankappa makes a timely entry with the police. Sudhakar is arrested on the spot and charged with Khan Chacha’s murder. The court sentences Sudhakar to life imprisonment.

Sudhakar lands in jail. Life changes for Chintu and his mother. He goes to stay with his uncle. His aunt and her son don’t treat him very kindly. He longs for his father and best friend Charan.

Will Chintu’s father be released and the real murderer caught? Will he meet Charan again? Will life be normal again?

The Music

The 4 songs are O.K, sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Suresh Wadkar. Sudhir Moghe is the lyricist and music by Suhaschandra Kulkarni.

My Thoughts

The movie is shot in the Mudumalai wildlife reserve in Tamil Nadu. You get to see many animals especially elephants. It is refreshing to see a Marathi movie shot outdoors, on location. The story is straight forward with the focus being on the boy and his elephant friend. The bond between them is brought out effectively. And both perform nicely. Jairam Kulkarni, Ravindra Mankani and Kshama Raj are good but the other supporting actors don’t seem seasoned. But this is a minor defect for an overall satisfactory children’s film.