Bond 303 (1985)

My Reviews

The James Bond series is one of the most famous and long running film franchises in Hollywood. Hindi cinema was quick to be inspired by the series and come up with its desi versions. Farz (1967) was one of the first movies to do so. Jeetendra played the Indian secret agent and the film’s success made him a dependable star. (Farz was actually a remake of Gudachari 116 (1966)), a Telugu film!)

Many years later, Jeetendra starred in Bond 303, where he plays the patriotic secret agent and tackles the enemy of the nation. Unfortunately, the film didn’t achieve the same success as Farz but had its entertaining moments. The film was produced by B C Devra and took many years to complete. Ravi Tandon was the director.

The Plot

The first scene starts with a murder, supposedly in Goa. A girl Julie is killed by Moses (Dev Kumar) under the orders of their boss Tiger. Tiger’s gang is involved in various anti-national activities like smuggling etc. Julie’s brother Tony also works for Tiger. He is shaken when he sees Julie being killed in front of him. He phones the police and informs them about a consignment of fake medicines and drugs that has arrived in the country. The police raid the location (Miramar Beach).

Tiger’s deputy(?) is Shakti (Prem Chopra). He is furious at the police raid. This has never happened in the organization. He is sharing this information with other gang members like Moses, Dr Ranjit (Satyen Kappu), his wife Lily (Helen), Mac (Mac Mohan), and Vikas (Vikas Anand). Suddenly the overhead lights start blinking and they hear Tiger’s voice. Tiger announces that Tony is the traitor and needs to be eliminated immediately. The task is assigned to Ranjit, who drives a truck and crushes Tony.

Shakti welcomes the delegation of Cosmos led by Tom (Tom Alter). Shakti mentions that Cosmos will help them in ensuring that India remains an under developed nation, and is sponsoring their effort in achieving this. Dr Ranjit gives a demo of the proposed plan. On 13th February in Anjanapur, the Government of India is planning a huge exhibition showcasing its military strength. Dignitaries and scientists etc will be arriving there. Tiger’s gang has developed a bomb, stored at a launching site 500 km from Anjanapur. Once launched, it will destroy the city and seriously dent the country’s security and morale. Cosmos is happy with the demo and ready to work with Tiger’s organization.

Shakti informs the other members to get into action. They will introduce the fake medicines in the market, and destroy the infrastructure by bombing bridges, sabotaging the railway network and so on. This will ensure the police and defense forces’ attention is diverted and their focus will stay away from Anjanapur. The actions are executed causing destruction across the country.

The police commissioner (played by Iftekhar) is keeping a close watch. He has summoned Ajay (Jeetendra) also known as agent Bond 303 to meet him. Bond is currently on vacation and flirting and singing with a bevy of girls.

Meanwhile, the editor of Daily Samachar K. K. Verma (Shreeram Lagoo) is tracking the deaths caused by fake medicines and covering the matter in his newspaper. He meets the IG (Chandrashekhar) and warns him that he will continue to highlight the situation in his paper and blame the authorities. It is shameful that the authorities are unable to handle the situation and find the perpetrators.

Bond is forced to curtail his vacation and meet his boss. He enters in style and first flirts with Mary, the commissioner’s secretary. He has brought a gift for her. The secretary admonishes him for not bringing her a nail polish for her toes. (This is actually a coded message for him which will be useful later.) She asks him to enter the commissioner’s office.

Apparently, he has to pass through a huge room/ vacant space before entering the office. As Bond is passing, he is attacked by a group of men. He tackles them all and enters the boss’s office. The men were sent by his boss to test his fitness. Bond assures him that he is fully fit and ready for the job. The boss explains him about the recent spate of criminal activities and thinks the source is in Mumbai. He has received some inputs from another agent Aslam (Deven Verma) in Mumbai. Bond is to go to Mumbai for investigation. Mary will join him too.

Bond thanks him. As he is about to leave, he sees a science magazine with a photo of outstanding student of the year and is impressed by the beautiful girl (Parveen Babi) in the photo. The scene shifts to a college laboratory in Mumbai.

We meet Kavita (Parveen Babi) and her friend Salma. Seems she is a science student studying in Mumbai. Kavita tells Salma she has invented an injection for reducing tension(!). She tests it on 2 professors (a male and a female). After getting injected, they generate romantic feelings for each other much to Kavita’s delight. She decides to try it on a random person and test its effectiveness. (We can very well guess who that is going to be!)

Bond arrives in Mumbai and is welcomed by Aslam. He is driving a vintage car which stops in the middle of a forested area. Kavita and Salma are conveniently hiding nearby. They manage to inject both Bond and Aslam. The men seem to forget their tension and follow the girls and sing a romantic song. Later, Bond and Aslam go to their hotel to meet Mary. But they are greeted by her corpse. As Bond is searching her body, he remembers the coded message and checks her toe nails. He find a film clip stored there. It has the photo of a graveyard. Aslam identifies the place. This is where Moses (one of the criminals) was buried 5 years ago. Bond suspects Moses’s grave may give them some clue and probably Mary had found out something.

In the graveyard, they are attacked by dogs but Bond manages to kill them. They stumble upon a secret chamber next to Moses’s grave. This leads them to a godown/warehouse where fake medicines are being stored. There are statues all around. This is a well shot scene. The statues are actually Tiger’s gang members, ready for attack. Later, Moses arrives. Seems he had faked his death. He tries to kill Bond and Aslam but gets killed himself.

Shakti is furious when hears about Moses’s death and Bond being responsible. Mac informs him that Bond is looking for Tony’s sister Julie (who was killed by Moses earlier). Shakti tells Lily to go and meet Bond posing as Julie. She does so. Later, she and other members try to kill Bond, but he gets away skillfully.

Circumstances lead him to meet Kavita again, this time in a health club. They fall in love. Through the police records, Bond comes to know about Lily’s true identity. She is Dr Ranjit’s wife and he suspects Ranjit is part of the same gang that is trying to kill him. He takes Kavita’s help to visit Ranjit’s laboratory and do some investigation. Bond follows Ranjit and gets the required proof. Ranjit tries to kill Bond but gets killed in the action.

Tiger orders Shakti that they have to get rid of Bond immediately or it will jeopardize their big plan. It is revealed that Kavita’s uncle is the editor K. K. Verma. Verma invites Bond to his house for his son’s birthday party. The son is none other than Shakti Verma (Prem Chopra) who is after Bond’s life. Once again, there is an attempt to kill Bond by placing him in a coffin and throwing it in the water. But Aslam saves him in the nick of time.

Shakti brings in 4 scientists from abroad who will carry on Dr Ranjit’s work to execute the 13th February plan. There is a party arranged for the scientists. Bond, Aslam and Salma pose as dancers and perform at the party.  At the end of the song, Bond reveals himself and shoots at Shakti, who gets injured. Bond manages to abduct the scientists.

At this time, Tiger’s identity is revealed. He is none other than K. K. Verma, Shakti’s father and Kavita’s uncle.

Tiger has his plans ready. There is a further twist by introducing Kavita’s twin sister Suzianna who stays in Italy with their mother (played by Shammi). All this leads us to 13th February and Anjanapur, where the disaster is set to happen.

Will Tiger be successful by bombing the area? OR will Bond 303 be successful in saving the country? Watch with bated breath as the action unfolds.

The Music

Music is the weakest link here. In general, a spy / secret agent movie may not have much scope for romantic or other songs. But this needs to be thought of properly as in the case of say Farz or Ankhen which had great music but did not seem put of place. Unfortunately, the songs are a dampener in this movie in spite of Gulshan Bawra and R. D. Burman’s efforts. Probably worth mentioning is the Helen song Main hoon Lily (by Asha Bhosle) where she tries to pass on a message to Bond secretly.

My Thoughts

The film has a fast pace throughout and things keep happening continuously. In that sense, it keeps the viewer engaged. The film tries hard to incorporate the original Bond movie elements. We have a so called larger than life villain with grand plans of destruction. The identity revealing of the villain is a bit disappointing. The set of the rocket launch site is nicely done including shots of the rocket loading and unloading. We see those typical control room panels with switches, blinking lights and telephones which are a staple of spy movies! Then we have those fancy gadgets like a watch which is also a communication device.

Acting wise, Jeetendra tries hard to play the sauve and debonair Bond but has limitations. Parveen Babi’s Kavita character is confusing. She hardly looks or behaves like a serious student engaged in chemistry experiments or do something outstanding. Her “invention” sounds silly. She is more convincing as the stylish and ruthless twin sister Suzianna. Unfortunately, the voice of both characters is dubbed as the actress was not available for dubbing. Deven Verma’s character is too frivolous to be believable as a secret agent. The villain gang contribute as expected. The songs and romantic track do not add much value.

Hum (1991)

My Reviews,

The early 1990s brought in a new bunch of actors including the 3 Khans who would cast their distinctive spells and rule the industry for the next few decades. But there were others who continued to stay relevant with their immense star power and acting talent.

Today, we visit the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Hum. Produced by Romesh Sharma and directed by Mukul Anand, Hum is a showcase of the aging Amitabh Bachchan’s “angry young man” image, probably for the last time as a leading hero. It is a kind of revenge drama full of action, masala and entertainment with many characters and subplots. Though an out and out commercial film, it confirms why Amitabh Bachchan is regarded as one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. He won the FilmFare award for best actor for his memorable performance. The film is also remembered for its iconic song Jumma chumma de de.

The Plot

The very first scene begins with Amitabh Bachchan’s voiceover. He describes Mumbai (or Bombay) docks area, the destination of ships where goods are loaded and unloaded. Some years back, a businessman called Bhaktavar (Danny Denzongpa) arrived here. He took advantage of the poor conditions and compulsions of the dock workers and made them his slaves. The workers would slog round the clock in return of almost nothing. The exploitation continued over the years. Bhaktavar’s power and cruelty multiplied. He ruled the docks with his band of trusted men. Hardly anyone could dream of raising their voice against Bhakhtavar. Those who did, met with fatal consequences serving as a lesson for others.

One of Bhaktavar’s right hand man was Pratap (Deepak Shirke). He had 3 sons. The eldest being Tiger (Amitabh Bachchan). Pratap remarried and had 2 sons from his second wife (played by Asha Sharma). Tiger was introduced to the world of crime by his father and he also works for Bhaktavar. But he has a rebel streak and a sense to distinguish what’s good, bad and evil.

The docks see the entry of a new police inspector Giridhar (Anupam Kher). He is accompanied by Havaldar Arjun Singh (Annu Kapoor). Giridhar is corrupt and an opportunist to the core. He has his plans laid out. He would like to side with the workers and stoke the flames of a rebellion against Bhaktavar. On the other hand, he would act as a servant of Bhaktavar, and instigate him against the workers.

Gonsalves (Romesh Sharma) is one of the workers who is trying to gather support and rebel against Bhaktavar. One day, he and a group of workers march to Bhaktavar’s house shouting Bhaktavar murdabad. Bhaktavar handles the situation shrewdly and crushes the rebellion, leaving Gonsalves frustrated.

Bhaktavar sends his men to capture Gonsalves and kill him (by throwing him in an acid tank, he owns a chemical unit too!). Enter Tiger, the angry young man who is Gonsalves’s close friend. He is all ready for action to save his friend. After the expected fight, he manages to rescue Gonsalves. Giridhar is on spot to tell Tiger that Bhaktavar is behind this. Tiger rushes to Bhaktavar’s house. He threatens him openly and warns to stay away from his friend. Pratap lectures him and throws him out. He apologizes to Bhaktavar on Tiger’s behalf. Bhaktavar warns him that this should not be repeated else his other 2 sons will have to bear the consequences.

Gonsalves has a sister Jumalina/ Jumma (Kimi Katkar) who shares a love hate relationship with Tiger. This is reason enough to present the chartbuster song Jumma chumma de de.

Giridhar informs Bhaktavar that Gonsalves has collected the signatures of 500 workers and will be filing a complaint against Bhaktavar tomorrow. Bhaktavar orders Pratap to tell Tiger to instill some sense into Gonsalves else the outcome will be worse. Tiger goes to meet Gonsalves in a drunken state. After a long scene, Gonsalves understands the message that his friend is desperately trying to convey. Amitabh is really good in this scene and a treat to watch!

The next day, Gonsalves is on his way to the police station. He is alone. Seems no one is ready to risk being seen with him. Tiger runs behind him but Bhaktavar reaches Gonsalves first and kills him. Tiger is a witness to the murder. So are Giridhar and Arjun Singh who have been watching the proceedings hidden from the view. Everyone knows what has happened but Bhaktavar’s men terrorize the area to ensure no one speaks up against him. Jumma appeals to the women to come forward. They do so. In the events that follow, Pratap gets killed (when he tries to save Tiger) and his wife (Tiger’s stepmother) also dies. Bhaktavar rushes home hoping to flee with his family and money before the police forces arrive.

Tiger has lost his friend, and his parents in quick succession. He goes to Bhaktavar’s house to kill him. He knocks him out. But Giridhar, the opportunist has already planned the next course of events. He informs Tiger that the police commissioner is on his way and requests him to to leave the city along with his step brothers. He will not achieve anything by killing Bhaktavar, after all he has to think about the future of his brothers. Tiger is fully agreeable and leaves.

After that, Giridhar sets fire to Bhaktavar’s house, loots his safe and runs away. Bhaktavar gains consciousness and sees his wife and children being charred to death. He assumes Tiger is behind all this. He jumps out of the window and saves himself. But the police arrive and arrest him. (He is sent to jail.)

Tiger boards a goods train along with his brothers. He asks Jumma to jump in but she refuses. She says his love will be divided if she comes with them. So the lovers separate. Giridhar manages to shoot the train which is conveniently carrying explosives. There is a huge explosion and he assumes Tiger is dead.

We are not even halfway into the story. Some 15 years have passed. Tiger is alive and a changed man for the sake of his brothers. He is now called Shekhar and lives in Ooty. He has established a timber business. His brothers are Kumar (Rajinikant), a police officer and Vijay (Govinda), a college student. Kumar’s wife is Aarti (Deepa Sahi) and they have a daughter Jyoti (Baby Sanjana). Shekhar is away from the world of crime. His brothers don’t know anything of his past. Strangely, they don’t remember anything of what happened to their parents etc.

More characters are introduced. Vijay’s girlfriend is Anita (Shilpa Shirodkar). They sing a sultry song shot in Mauritius airport (?). Anita’s father is General Sinha (Kadar Khan).

But Tiger/ Shekhar’s contented life is about to change as some old foes return.

Bhaktavar is released from jail. His mission is to track Tiger and seek revenge for killing his family. He is told that Tiger is dead but he refuses to believe that. It is interesting to note that Bhaktavra’s motivation is concerning the loss of his family. The importance of a family is actually the central theme of the movie.

Giridhar is now a successful businessman. But obviously not someone who is principled. His current target is the Indian army. He is planning to sell substandard tanks to the army. But his plans are thwarted by General Sinha. Then he plans to replace the General with a duplicate (an actor), who will masquerade as the General and approve the tanks’ purchase.

His path will cross with Bhaktavar, who is out of jail, as well as with Tiger, whom he had assumed dead. He knows he will be caught if Tiger and Bhaktavar meet each other and realize the truth. Giridhar’s wrong doings will be revealed.

And Tiger’s love interest Jumma, who is now a successful heroine will return in Tigers life.

All this makes for an exciting climax where a family unites to take on their adversaries.

The Music

Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal deliver a clear winner. Jumma Chumma has acquired cult status. It has a female solo version Le le chumma le le. The title song Ek dusre se karte hai pyar hum was popular too. It appears multiple times in the movie. The duets Sanam teri kasam and Kaagaz kalam dawaat la are good. Other situational song is General Sahab karo tayari.

My Thoughts

Hum was one of the final successes of Amitabh Bachchan’s career as the leading hero. Shortly after this movie, he took a break to launch his company ABCL. Mukul Anand makes full use of the actor’s talents be it action, comedy, romance or emotional scenes. His towering personality is impressive. But he looks old in the initial portion where he depicts the angry young man persona. Danny Denzongpa is convincing. Anupam Kher is irritating as he plays the villain with a comedy streak in his usual style.

Other actors like Rajinikant and Govinda don’t have much to do except in the final portion of the movie. Kimi Katkar makes a surprisingly good pair with Amitabh Bachchan though their age difference is evident on screen. Shilpa Shirodkar, Deepa Sahi and Kadar Khan (in a double role) provide good support.

While Hum may not be a great movie, it has all the key elements to hook the viewer. And it succeeds!

Ek Paheli (1971)

My Reviews,

Earlier this year I had reviewed the classic movie Mahal. It was a trendsetter in the horror suspense genre. As expected, after Mahal, there came many imitations. Ek Paheli is one such movie. While it does not involve an old mansion, it has a beautiful and mysterious woman who visits the hero and sings sad songs. The hero is mesmerised by her presence and longs to be with her. The attempt was good but the film falters in delivering to the expectations. Naresh Kumar is the director with Feroz Khan and Tanuja in the lead roles.

The Plot

Ek Paheli is set in Goa and begins with a mysterious scene. We see an auctioneer shop D’Silva and Sons in Panjim. The owner D’Silva (B M Vyas) is sitting outside the shop when a girl (Tanuja) arrives. She has heard there is a piano being sold and requests to have a look. He agrees. She goes in, sits and starts playing the piano. Later, the owner goes inside to find the shop empty. He looks everywhere but the girl has vanished. He is totally puzzled. The titles roll in.

Its time for the hero’s entry. Foreign educated Dr. Sudhir has returned to Goa. He is a millionaire, and a mine owner. The welcome party at the airport includes his employees Rajendranath (Rocky) and Lily (Tuntun). The presence of the two means there will be a comedy side plot. Sudhir is happy with the welcome. Outside the airport we see a sinister looking man Shankarlal (Madan Puri) smoking a pipe. He observes as Sudhir drives away in his flashy sports car. (It is later disclosed that Shankarlal was Sudhir’s father’s business associate but the father had terminated their association.)

Sudhir arrives home (its a brand new bungalow), and is welcomed by a very old looking servant John (Bipin Gupta), who has served the family for 40 years. Sudhir’s father has passed away and apparently he doesn’t have any close relations. It is mentioned that Shankarlal is staying in their old bungalow (the reason is not elaborated). Rocky tells Sudhir he is arranging a big party and planning is in full swing. Sudhir looks around the house. He finds out there is a church and graveyard right next to it and is a bit uncomfortable. But Rocky and John assure him in their own ways. Sudhir notices a vacant space. He decides it’s perfect to place a piano there. Apparently, he is fond of music.

So he participates in a piano auction in the same shop of Mr D’Silva that was shown at the beginning of the movie. Seems it’s the same piano that the mysterious girl was interested in. Another potential customer called Julie gives him tough competition but he outbids her and purchases the piano for 700 rupees.

As he is leaving, the mysterious girl meets him. She tells him he is a good man and she is happy he has purchased the piano. Apparently, she is interested in the piano and knows much about it. She mentions it has a faulty reel and requests him to get it repaired from a good technician. He invites her to come over and fix it herself. She is happy at the suggestion. She goes to his house, repairs it, and requests him not to allow any one else to play it except himself. He agrees and welcomes her to come and play the piano anytime she wishes to do so. She is ecstatic and thanks him.

He asks her name and she replies cryptically, singing Aansoo ki ek boond hoon main (I am a tear drop). Why does she sing the sad song? We don’t know as Rocky enters with a list of party guests and invitation cards. Sudhir takes a card for inviting the girl but when he turns, the girl has vanished. He is left puzzled.

Its party time. The guests arrive including Shankarlal and Julie (the girl at the auction). Julie mentions that a girl had requested her not to purchase the piano and is happy that Sudhir outbid her. (But who was that girl? why did Julie agree? is not revealed). Sudhir is in a jolly mood. He requests Julie to play the piano. She is about to play when the church bells start ringing indicating a funeral is underway. She excuses herself but Sudhir and Shankarlal coax her to play. She does so but the atmosphere suddenly changes. There is thunder, lightning, and a fierce wind accompanying the melody of the piano. The lights go off. Julie drops dead, shocking everyone in the party. The mysterious girl had requested only Sudhir to play the piano. Is there any connection with this event?

Shankarlal points out the inauspicious occurrence to Sudhir. Sudhir is shaken. He goes to the police station. The inspector is Sanjeev Kumar in a guest appearance. Sudhir is informed that Julie died due to a heart failure. Sudhir goes to her funeral and meets her family. As he is leaving, he sees the mysterious girl appearing in mourning attire. She again makes some cryptic comments regarding life and death and goes to pay her respects. When she is back, she is a changed girl. Suddenly all chirpy and full of life. She requests Sudhir to drop her at her school. So, she is a school student (aged 19 or 20!). (Why a student will arrive at a stranger’s funeral is another puzzle!).

Later, that night, the girl is back in Sudhir’s house. Its past midnight. She starts playing the piano and singing the same song about being a tear drop. Sudhir wakes up and rushes to find her engrossed in the song. After more puzzling conversation, he asks her name and intention. She reveals her name as Maria and she likes to be secretive to avoid people seeing them together as this will impact his reputation. (Noble thought!). Sudhir seems to believe everything. He is impressed and asks her to have some coffee and sends for John. But the girl vanishes as Sudhir switches on the light and hears John approaching.

Sudhir is puzzled as John has not seen the girl or heard her singing. John admonishes Sudhir for acting strangely. Sudhir gets irritated and shouts at him. Apparently, John was awarded some shares by Sudhir’s father. Sudhir insults him and reminds him that he is a servant and he shouldn’t forget that.

Rocky takes Sudhir on a tour of his property. Sudhir sees Maria suddenly and follows her. She is singing another song Main ek paheli hoon, barson se akeli hoon. As the song ends she enters a graveyard and he meets her. She tells him that she comes here often after school. She loves the peace and silence. He expresses his desire to spend his life with her but she cautions him. Their religions are different and they need to maintain their dignity. He doesn’t agree but she gives an example of his servant John, who would not accept her relation with his master. He admits his love but she leaves hurriedly.

When Sudhir returns home, he finds John has been murdered. Shankarlal arrives, playing the role of Sudhir’s well wisher. He reminds Sudhir that this is the second death in his house. He offers all help and guidance to Sudhir. He feels that some business rivals may be involved in this matter. He even suggests Sudhir to wrap up his business and leave for good but Sudhir does not agree. He needs to sort the matter at hand.

They go to the police. They are informed that John was killed by injecting a syringe filled with air. Its good to see that the police have done a lot of homework! They treat Sudhir as the prime suspect as he had a fight with John last night and seems John was entitled for a significant amount from Sudhir’s business profits.

Shankarlal goes with Sudhir to his office. We see him planting the (murder weapon) syringe in Sudhir’s drawer. So Shankarlal is the villain of the piece. He wants to lay hands on Sudhir’s business. But Sudhir is saved when Lily finds the syringe and informs Rocky. Thew throw the evidence in the sea. Sudhir is not amused.

The saga continues as Shankarlal tries to trap Sudhir. He also uses his secretary Rosy (Aruna Irani) for the job. Sudhir mistakens Rosy for Maria due to similarity in their figure and dressing styles. Shankarlal plots to have Rosy impersonate Maria, fool Sudhir and kill him in an accident.

Will they be successful? Sudhir is in love with Maria but she remains a puzzle. Will she reveal everything? Will they unite in love?

The Music

Asad Bhopali is the lyricist and music by Usha Khanna. The title song Main ek paheli hoon and Aansoo ki ek boond hoon are the better songs. Then there is Ab To Aaja Dhalne Laage Hai. All 3 solos are by Suman Kalyanpur.

There is a romantic duet by Mohammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur, “Mera Tumhara Saath Toh Sadiyo Ka Saath Hai.” There are 2 unnecessary songs, a long duet picturized on the comedy pair “Oh Darling I Love You” (by Mohammed Rafi and Usha Khanna) and a seductive song by Aruna Irani “Ye Raat Ye Jawani, Ye Botal Sharab Ki” (sung by Suman Kalyanpur). Overall, the music is repetitive and doesn’t have much recall value.

My Thoughts

The film engrosses you initially. Tanuja looks beautiful and plays the mysterious Christian girl convincingly. She looks the part but it is difficult to imagine her as a school girl. They could have mentioned she was in college suiting her age and attire. Her performance is controlled as most of her scenes require her to be in a sad mood, talk in puzzles and not display other emotions. Feroz Khan looks handsome and dashing but that’s about it.

The suspense build up in the first hour is good as you anticipate a certain twist but that doesn’t happen. After the villain is revealed, the film gets boring. You just hope it to end soon. There are many loopholes and red herrings just to keep the viewer’s attention. But when the final reveal happens, it all sounds silly. The comedy side plot is long and boring. Rajendranath is funny but again, it adds nothing to the story when it becomes repetitive. Other characters are predictable. Sanjeev Kumar is wasted. The film has a 60s feel and its nice to see Goa on screen with much of its natural splendor.

In summary, this one is no Mahal and that’s not a puzzle.