Saaheb (1985)

Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee enthralled many in the 1970s with their uncomplicated approach to film-making. Their simple tales set in the middle class India acted like a breath of fresh air during the times when Masala potboilers were ruling the roost. In the 1980s however, both these maestros started losing their steam. During that time there were many directors who tried to follow their template and come up with their own takes on the urban middle class people and their day to day living. But most films ended up being a pale shadow of the kind of cinema that was seen in the 1970s. A few notable exceptions were few and far between- for instance Sai Paranjpe most certainly offered something to cheer about with her troika of Katha, Sparsh, and Chashme Buddoor. But still the standard of film-making in the 1980s wasn’t as high as the preceding decades.

Anil Ganguly’s 1985 family drama Saheb starring Anil Kapoor as the central protagonist is one of those rare good movies in the 80s that managed to enliven the spirit of the kind of films made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee in the 1970s. It is an ensemble cast film, but the focus is mostly on Anil Kapoor’s character Saaheb who is the fourth and the youngest son of a retired patriarch Badri Prasad Sharma (Utpal Dutt in a remarkably restrained role). His family is a typical middle class joint family headed by a sexagenarian and ably run by the eldest mother-like ‘Bhabhi’ (Rakhee Gulzar in a quintessential middle aged woman role). Saaheb’s elder brothers and their wives (except Bhabhi) are too much into their own little world and hardly care about the issues and worries of the household. Saaheb’s younger sister ‘Bulti’ has reached the marriageable age post completing her graduation, which, incidentally Saaheb has not been able to complete despite three attempts. The reason for Saaheb’s lack of interest in studies is his love and passion for football. He is the star of his university football team in which he plays as the goalkeeper.

The movie has got not story till about the last half an hour. It is just a pleasant depiction of the world in which Saaheb breathes and aspires. His interactions with his family folk are really interesting. His three brothers and two younger Bhabhis consider him to be a good for nothing fellow, and are always ready with scathing remarks at his idleness despite him doing all their menial jobs with a smile on his face. Saaheb’s father appreciates his zeal for the sport but at the same time is skeptical at his future prospects, especially because he is unable to land even a decent job owing to his lack of qualification. He shares a lovely relationship with his younger sister who respects him despite not knowing anything about the sport he loves. As for his eldest Bhabhi, she is more of a mother to him than a sister-in-law. There is romance too in his life, with Natasha (Amrita Singh in a boisterous role she would repeat in Chameli ki Shaadi), a girl next door having a huge crush on him and making it loud and clear at more instance than once. This romance leads to a few unnecessary songs, including ‘Yaar Bina Chen Kahan Re’ (a really popular and rhythmic song- vintage Bappi Lahri). These songs obstruct the narrative but one can’t really mind them in a film of this nature.

The last half an hour is what elevates this movie from being ‘just average’ to ‘good’. When his father and their home faces a huge financial challenge, Saaheb makes a great personal sacrifice to bail everyone out of the trouble.

Utpal Dutt having a heart to heart with his family

This is a movie that needed strong performances, and the stalwart Utpal Dutt leads the way with a completely natural portrayal of a helpless man just wanting to see his children happy. Recognized for his comic roles and highly energetic characters, here he does a complete U-turn and takes up a laidback character that lacks much drama. Watch him in the scene when he explains his financial position to all his children and asks his sons to take the responsibility of getting their young sister married off. Rakhee Gulzar comes up with an amazing performance by bringing to her character the right amount of affection and selflessness. But the star of the show is a young Anil Kapoor. He is in the title role and the entire drama centers around him, and for such a young actor lacking experience, he does a remarkable job. Post watching Saaheb, I have a completely different impression of Anil Kapoor the actor.

Parting Note: Saaheb is pleasant watch that excels because of its performances and its lack of pretensions. Although it is not the perfect film (with a shoddy comic side-track involving Deven Verma, and 2-3 unnecessary songs), it still has a likeability attached to it that is a result of its honest intentions.

Blackmail (1973)

I dedicate this post to Mr. Kishore Kumar on his birthday (which I have just learnt about). He made an indelible contribution to this movie through one of his post popular songs (which I will talk about later in the post).

Masala actioners have been the bread and butter for superstar Dharmendra in much the say way as they have been the bread and butter for Hindi movies.  Rarely did one get to see him in a simple understated role- but every time it happened, the effect was sheer delight. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Chupke Chupke’ and ‘Satyakaam’ immediately come to mind as such instances, the other ones being his early black and white romantic movies- most prominent amongst them ‘Bandini’ and ‘Anupama’ (another Hrishikesh Mukherjee venture). Vijay Anand’s BLACKMAIL is another such movie where he plays a hardcore incurable romantic with much aplomb. The movie, apart from him, also starred Shatrughan Sinha, Raakhee, and Madan Puri in prominent roles.

On the surface this one looks like a regular romantic love triangle, but is actually slightly more complex than that. However it still has an uncomplicated story-line with no sub-plots whatsoever. Kailash (Dharmendra) owns a production unit where his uncle Prof. Khurana (Madan Puri) is working hard at idea that can change the way the world looks at electricity generation. After months of toil and effort, he is successful at generating electricity from solar heat (the idea may seem pretty non-impressive now that we actually have solar power). This invention by him promises to change the entire outlook of the industry towards electrical appliances. Meanwhile Jeevan (Shatrughan Sinha), a friend of Kailash, gets to know of this success seen at his production unit. Soon, he also discovers one more fact about his friend- that he is madly in love with Asha (Raakhee), but is unable to express his feelings to her. Incidentally Asha is not only Jeevan’s fiancé, but also the daughter of a man who owns a production unit rival to Kailash’s firm. Jeevan, thereafter, plots a cunning plan to obtain the secret blueprint of the invention by Prof. Khurana- a plan that can threaten to destroy the lives of both Asha and Kailash.

The story, though simple, is told wonderfully well and is engaging for most parts, except the climax that is quite stretched. What adds to the movie are the performances by the two male leads and the excellent music. For me, this is one of Dharmendra’s top 5 performances. His is the most difficult role for is the one saddled with the toughest scenes. He lends credence to whatever be the situation- be it the initial portions when he is the shy and hopeless romantic, or later when he discovers that his wife had a past, or when he led to believe that his wife was cheating on him after marriage, and still later in the pre-climax when gets to play the ultimate action hero he was when he rescues his wife from the clutches of the goons including Jeevan. Raakhee too does well as a woman caught between her past and her present. Shatrughan Sinha plays an outright villain till the very end really effectively.

The superb production values are eye-catching and the outdoor scenes are mounted beautifully. But all these facts aside, this movie is remembered and cherished by lovers of Hindi cinema predominantly because of the song- ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ One of the most memorable romantic number from that era, the song is used more than once in the movie to a breathtaking effect. This song is also one of the finest by Kishore Kumar, arguable the most emotive voice heard on the Indian silver screen. The climax song too is memorable for it is truly one of its kind in Hindi cinema- wherein the hero and the heroine get intimate for the first time while hiding from the goons who are after their lives, in the middle of a forest (and a forest fire subsequently). In the hands of less able hands this would have proved to be too cheesy for screen, but Vijay Anand pulls it off quite aesthetically.

Parting Note- The movie is nice fell good entertainer embellished with great performances and a superb song- which I am signing off with…

Jurmana (1979)

Amitabh Bachchan is the most iconic personality of Hindi cinema. This is the inference I draw after looking at his enviable filmography- which comprises of few of the most popular movies ever and at the same time still includes a range of movies on diverse subjects- covering diverse genres. It is a true testament to his phenomenal range as an actor that in a period in which he was dishing out ‘angry young man’ blockbusters and huge money spinners by the number, he still tried out stuff that gave him the opportunity to indulge different facets of his acting prowess. ‘Jurmana’ by Hrishikesh Mukherjee is his one such endeavor.

Starring him alongside Vinod Mehra and Rakhee Gulzar in lead roles, Jurmana is a romantic drama, kind of stuff that one would associate more with someone like Rajesh Khanna or one of the Kapoor clan. Bachchan plays Inder- a super-rich spoilt brat, a womanizer, and someone who believes in the philosophy that money can buy anything. On a visit to a quiet small town for a construction project, he meets his old college friend Prakash (essayed by Vinod Mehra), who is living a lifestyle that is poles apart from Inder’s own. A few days into his stay he spots Rama (Rakhee in a typical seedhi-saadhi avatar) and gets attracted to her charm, oblivious to the fact that his Prakash has true feelings for her. Just as Inder decides to woo Rama, Prakash gets its inkling- and there ensues a bet. Prakash believes that the simple Rama would in no way get attracted by the charms of the suave and debonair Inder, and would instead teach him a lesson. What Prakash doesn’t realize at that point of time is that it is this presumably harmless bet that would turn their lives upside down.

The sequence of events unfolds in a predictable manner for most parts but that does not take anything away from the intensity of the drama. The scenes where Amitabh turns on the charm of Rakhee are interesting and show him in a different light altogether. Towards the later part of the movie when the story shifts to Mumbai, it loses a bit of steam- but the culmination of the story is good- and there could not have been a better way to end the movie.

The music is good, which is not at all a surprise. The song ‘Saawan ke Jhoole’ is the pick of the lot and graces the narrative more than once. The performances by the actors are top notch- though the character played by Mr. Shreeram Lagoo (of Rama's dad) is a bit hard to digest. Amitabh Bachchan stand head and shoulders above the rest (both literally and figuratively). Rakhee pitches in an earnest performance. I have seen a lot of her work lately and she certainly was amongst the better actresses of her time.

Parting note- The movie is a good watch for a lazy Sunday afternoon, and it is certainly one of the underrated works of the masterful Hrishikesh Mukherjee.