Tag Archives: movie-review

Return Of Jewel Thief (1996)

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A mention of Jewel Thief immediately brings into mind the Vijay Anand directed 1967 movie. Starring Dev Anand, Vyjanthimala, Ashok Kumar and others, it was a suspense movie with good direction, performances and music. Inspired from this movie, someone decided to make a sequel after almost 30 years. The result is a disaster called Return of Jewel Thief, directed by Ashok Tyagi.

The Plot

You are warned at the start that you are entering a world of fantasy, whatever it means. The film opens with the release of the villain of the prequel i.e. jewel thief Prince Arjun (Ashok Kumar). He is an angry old man seeking revenge from Vinay Kumar (Dev Anand). Prince had tried to blame Vinay for all the robberies he had committed. Vinay had turned the tables and Prince and his associates had landed in jail. What happened to the associates is not revealed. Prince returns home where he has some gang members including Vishakha/ Sheetal (Anu Aggarwal).

Vinay has followed his passion and set up a jewellery collection. His only remaining wish is to bring the Kohinoor diamond to India. He is in talks with the chief minister Neelkanth (Prem Chopra) and the British authorities to make this happen.

Then you have 2 more jewel thieves. Jucaso (Sadashiv Amrapurkar) and Johnny (Jackie Shroff). Jackie’s character reminds you of Johnny from Johnny Mera Naam (1970), another Dev Anand film. He has a girlfriend Soni (Shilpa Shirodkar).

Another important character is Commissioner Surya Dev Singh (Dharmendra). He behaves as if he is the commissioner of the whole country. His mission is to capture all jewel thieves. It is later revealed he is Prince Arjun’s son which adds a twist to the already twisted tale.

Vinay and Neelkanth reach an agreement with the British authorities to bring the Kohinoor to India as an exhibit for a few weeks. The diamond will be displayed in Vinay’s musuem. For this, Vinay has to keep his whole jewellery collection of Rs 50,000 crore as guarantee. If something happens to the Kohinoor, the British will confiscate his collection. Surya Dev will be looking after the security arrangements.

So the Kohinoor arrives in India. There is a celebration song by Vinay and Surya Dev. The villains Prince, Jucaso and Johnny also visit the museum to look at the diamond and the security arrangements. All are aiming to steal to diamond. But the security is tight. There are laser lights and alarms. The security is changed every 15 minutes. Prince sends Vishakha to seduce Vinay and get the security plans and blueprints. She succeeds and Prince kills her abruptly because she was double crossing him!

Ramdom things continue to happen. Prince tries to make a deal with Jucaso for stealing the diamond but fails. Then Prince kidnap’s Johnny’s girlfriend Soni and forces him to work with him to make the robbery successful. Meanwhile Neelkanth is also making plans to steal the diamond and become the Prime Minister. He will put the blame on Surya Dev who is the security incharge. There is also a diamond expert character played by Madhoo whose only mission is to sign romantic songs with Johnny.

Ultimately Johnny succeeds in the mission. But there are multiple fake diamonds passing around and there is confusion as to who has the real diamond and who is the real jewel thief. The suspects include Prince, Jucaso, Johnny and even Surya Dev & Vinay and the mystery is revealed in a ridiculous climax.

The Music

Jatin Lalit give some peppy music. The songs are not bad but too many and placed inappropriately. They dont add much to the movie and you are reminded of the original movie songs which are still memorable.

My Thoughts

Ashok Kumar was 80+ when he did the movie and doesn’t add much value to his character. A 70+ Dev Anand’s dialogue delivery and mannerisms are unintentionally funny. Dharmendra, Jackie and others act on similar lines. The three ladies have absolutely nothing to do except look beautiful and participate in songs.

Sequels are tricky especially when the original is a 1960s classic movie. And this sequel is an avoidable movie. The editing is patchy. The unwanted songs appear randomly. There is no cohesive story which heightens the suspense leading to the robbery and the final reveal. The climax is badly done. Overall, this fantasy world doesn’t work and the result is a flop and forgettable movie.

Qatl (1986)

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Cheating or adultery in marriage has been an old theme in Hindi movies. Qatl is another movie in the same genre, directed by R.K. Nayyar. The movie is a tribute to Sanjeev Kumar who passed away before the movie’s release. He plays the blind protagonist effectively and raises the plot’s believability by a few notches. Presenting the review and remembering this great actor whose birthday falls on 9 July.

The Plot

Rakesh (Sanjeev Kumar), Rohini (Sarika) and Ranjit (Marc Zuber) are the principal characters, forming the pati, patni aur woh trio. Rohini is a poor girl who happens to meet Ranjit in a departmental store. She is about to be caught for shoplifting but Ranjit saves her (impressed by her beauty). He offers her a chance to become a drama heroine but she lacks the necessary acting skills. By chance, superstar Rakesh sees her and decides to train her to succeed as an actress.

The training starts and Rohini becomes a successful actress. Along the way, Rakesh and Rohini fall in love and get married. But their joy is short lived as Rakesh loses his eyesight while trying to save Rohini from a falling chandelier. Rohini as the dedicated better half quits the theater to take care of Rakesh.

Rakesh realises he is doing an injustice to Rohini’s talent and asks her to resume acting. She reluctantly agrees. She appoints a nurse Sita (Ranjeeta) to take care of Rakesh when she is away. Sita is the same nurse who was treating Rakesh in the hospital and he is happy to have a familiar companion for support.

They get on well and Rakesh becomes fairly independent to manage things without relying on others for support. And his “sixth” sense improves. But things are not as they seem. Through a coincidence, Rakesh becomes aware of Rohini’s affair with Ranjit and he is shattered.

The sad reality is revealed to him on Rohini’s birthday and he starts planning his revenge to teach both of them a lesson.

Rakesh’s anger is uncontrollable and he plans to murder Rohini and make Ranjit the prime suspect. No one will believe Rakesh is the murderer as he is blind. Is it possible for a blind man to plot a murder, travel alone and kill someone? Nah!

Well, Rakesh commits the murder (dressed as a Pathan) in Ranjit’s flat with Ranjit’s revolver. Ranjit is arrested. Enter Inspector Shatru (Shatrughan Sinha) who plays a bumbling police officer but with a knack of solving difficult cases. Shatru realises it has to be Rakesh who killed Rohini. And Sita seems to be involved somehow. What happens next is interesting to watch. The plot takes more twists and turns when Sita confesses the murder leading to the all important court scene. Saeed Jaffrey plays the judge.

Does Sita get convicted? Will Rakesh own up the murder? And does Ranjit walk away as a free man? The answers are revealed in a nail biting climax with a final twist!

The Music

Laxmikant Pyarelal have composed the music. The songs are not bad but don’t add to the story. The exception is the philosophical Kisi Ka Dil Jo Todega, sung by Anup Jalota and picturised on a roadside fakir (Ashok Kumar credited as Dada Muni in the titles!) The song appears in parts throughout the movie.

My Thoughts

Qatl is a well presented and directed movie and different from the regular fare. There are loopholes and too many coincidences to digest. But Sanjeev Kumar saves the day. While the blind man committing a murder may not sound very convincing, he manages to make it believable. Of special mention is the murder scene and climax. We get to see scenes from Naya Din Naya Raat, in flashback where a blind Rakesh is remembering the roles immortalised by him. Sarika, Marc Zuber and Ranjeeta are effective in their roles. Ameen Sayani appears in a short cameo.

Shatrughan Sinha manages to be funny without being too irritating. But I wonder if a serious inspector character would have made the investigation more impactful as he gets closer to the murderer.

While not a classic, Qatl manages to keep the viewer engaged till the end and Sanjeev Kumar leaves a lasting impression.

Buddha Mil Gaya (1971)

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

The Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Music

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

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

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

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

My Thoughts

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

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

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

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