Kanoon (1960)

Capital Punishment has a marked prominence in the annals of all recorded history. There has been no civilization where this form of punishment has not been practiced. Be it the Greeks, or the Romans, or the Chinese- all had strict stipulations on human execution as a part of their code of law. Even major religions like Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism have permitted capital punishment for certain offenses. But despite all this, there has always been a serious debate on whether human execution is justified. It has always been argued whether justice is always just; most certainly there have been many recorded instances where apparently innocent have been executed. BR Chopra’s 1960 movie Kanoon essentially debates and discusses this very pertinent issue of whether a human has got the right to take the life of another human, even if it is a means of enforcing punishment. Starring Ashok Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, and Nanda in principal roles along with some splendid lesser known actors essaying crucial roles, Kanoon is a resounding statement on the fallacies of human court of justice and on the inadequacies of the written law.

The movie starts off with a cold blooded murder like many of the other thrillers of the time. However this regularity is just a smokescreen for this apparently routine murder hides an uncomfortable truth behind it and exposes the ineffectual nature of our law. The case is adjudged by Justice Badri Prasad (Ashok Kumar) who is set thinking by the completely unexpected things that it throws up. This sets the ball rolling for a gripping tale that interweaves a poignant family drama into a courtroom battle. Another cold blooded murder takes place; that of a wealthy and manipulative city moneylender. The setting of the murder witnesses an unusual turn of events. Advocate Kailash Khanna (Rajendra Kumar) visits the moneylender to obtain some crucial papers that could put his girlfriend Meena’s (Nanda) family into great financial trouble. His girlfriend is the daughter of none other than Justice Badri Prasad, making the renowned judge his to be father-in-law. While at the moneylender’s place, Kailash spots Badri Prasad from a window, making his way towards the house. To avoid meeting his father-in-law and spilling the beans on his brother-in-law’s carelessness, he goes and hides in the other room. What happens next truly shakes the daylights out of him. Badri Prasad takes out a knife, rams it into the moneylender’s chest, and leaves the place smoothly. Completely shaken and not knowing what to do next, Kailash too runs away from the scene of the murder. Once the place is deserted save for the corpse of the moneylender lying on the floor, an aged thief enters the house with the intention of pilferage. However in the dark of the night he steps onto the corpse, leaves his fingerprints on the knife, and while escaping from the window gets caught by two policemen patrolling the area. Expectedly the poor thief gets embroiled in the case and gets implicated for the murder, with all the evidences pointing towards him. Not wanting to give his father-in-law away, Kailash decides to fight the case for the falsely accused thief and embarks on a battle to save him, while making all the efforts to spur the conscience of his father-in-law. What follows next is a riveting courtroom drama and a completely unexpected climax that throws up a host of questions, while answering a few too along the way.

Kanoon is completely a director’s film. It is an explosive subject and each and every scene shows the kind of efforts that would have gone in writing it. The dialogues are emphatic, the silences even more so. Most of the movies have one or two memorable scenes, but this one boasts of a series of such spectacular scenes that create a tremendous impact- right from the first scene, to the culmination of the drama. If one has to choose the most dramatic scenes, surprisingly a lot of them also come outside the court of law- behind the scenes of all the true drama. My vote would go to the interactions between the father and son in law post the murder, when Badri Prasad finds Kailash peeping into his private diary. Also the dialogue between the accused thief and his defendant Kailash is remarkably handled. There is also a superbly done slight side track when Meena starts suspecting Kailash of the murder, having absolutely just reasons for doing so. This delicate interplay of emotions between the protagonists is a delight to watch. The highpoint, though, as expected is the jaw-dropping climax, complete with the tense buildup and replete with an efficient disrobing of facts post the suspense is revealed.

The actors do more than a fine job, and show great dexterity despite the help they receive from the remarkable written material. I haven’t seen much of Rajendra Kumar, but still can safely assume that this would be one of his best performances (most of the others I believe are in the sappy romantic space where he excelled and thus got knighted as the Jubilee Kumar). Ashok Kumar is truly amazing in his highly sinuous role. His effortless ease is hard to miss. Meena is slightly more than a typical Hindi movie heroine and gets good scope to leave a mark. There are no songs in the narrative, though it does boast of a finely choreographed ballet dance performance that blends seamlessly with the story.

Parting Note: Kanoon is simply a MUST WATCH for the people who love their court-room dramas, and also for those who like watching thrillers (though this is not a thriller in the conventional sense). What elevates it from being just an excellent film is its thought, and its purpose which it conveys in the most effective manner possible- through the route of a highly entertaining story. 

Kudrat (1981)

There are many different views regarding the number of basic plots possible in storytelling. Some say that there seven; a few argue that there could be twenty. An argument also claims that all kind of plots center on conflict (either internal or external), and in that sense there is only one basic plot in all stories. Whatever be the case, it leaves very little room for storytellers and film-makers to experiment. Or does it? The finest film-makers have, at times, taken the most mundane of stories and have presented them in such a novel manner that they have left the audiences spellbound. They have proven that though the plots may be limited, the possibilities are endless. And this is what essentially Chetan Anand did in his 1981 feature Kudrat starring Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, Raajkumar, and Priya Rajvansh in principal roles.

Kudrat is Chetan Anand’s intricate version of Madhumati set entirely in the serene locales of Shimla. It begins with Chandramukhi (Hema Malini) and her family returning to the place of her birth, Shimla, after twenty years. Even though the twenty years haven’t seen the twenty something Chandramukhi return to Shimla, she starts finding a lot of things about the city very familiar. Just two days into their stay, she meets Dr. Naresh Gupta (Vinod Khanna), a family friend, and they start dating all over the city. Just when things look like they couldn’t go any better, Chandramukhi runs into Mohan Kapoor, a city advocate who has the city’s richest man Choudhary Janak Singh (Rajkumar) for his guardian. Although Mohan Kapoor is a stranger to her, she feels a quaint pull towards him, as if they had been romantically involved at some point in their lives. For his part, even Mohan seems a bit perturbed when Chandramukhi is around him, despite having Choudhary Janak Singh’s daughter and his fiancée Karuna (Priya Rajvansh) with him. 

Over the next few days, Chandramukhi starts getting flashes of her past life triggered by her visiting the places she used to visit with Madho (Rajesh Khanna) in her previous birth. Not only this, she starts getting nightmares that leave her feeling utterly depressed and scared. To help her, Naresh, also a psychiatrist, decides to do a past life regression on her and through it he discovers that what Chandramukhi was claiming was absolutely the truth. She and Mohan Kapoor had been lovers in their past lives and had lived in the very city in which they were present at that point of time. He relays all this to Mohan Kapoor who refuses to believe the story. But soon, even he starts getting convinced about Chandramukhi’s claim. In fact, she makes him recall something more sinister. He and Paro (Chandramukhi in her previous birth) had been separated in their past lives because of a terrible crime. Paro had been raped and killed by an otherwise honorable man who turns out to be none other than Choudhary Janak Singh. What follows next is a riveting courtroom drama in which Mohan Kapoor accuses the most reputable man in Shimla (and also his beloved guardian) of a crime that he had committed twenty years ago. What adds more drama to the proceedings is that the man is defended by none other than his own daughter Karuna, who refuses to believe that her father could commit such a ghastly act.

Chetan Anand laces the screenplay with some brilliant sequences that are truly one of their kinds in Hindi cinema. The past life of the two actors is set in the pre-independence era when Shimla was the summer capital for the Britishers. The past-life regression is done very authentically and the way it has been shot is way ahead of its times. The entire court-room battle and the superb culmination are captivating, and in fact haunt you till much later after finishing the movie. Also, the scene of the crime and the subsequent few minutes, are shot in a style that is not usual for the Hindi cinema. The inherent drama in the script is accentuated by superbly designed situations and some wonderful dialogues. The performances by all the actors complement the brilliantly written screenplay. Hema Malini has the most complex role of all and she does well while looking absolutely gorgeous throughout the movie. Vinod Khanna and Rajesh Khanna are able, while Rajkumar is his usual flair and glory. Priya Rajvansh looks a misfit in the cast as despite the tons of make-up she looks far from the young lady she plays (But then she and Chetan Anand were romantically linked and he used to cast her in all his movies). Even Aruna Irani has a critical role which she performs well.

The entire feel of the movie is of melancholy and suspense. The setting is akin to an old English mystery drama- and rightly so for Shimla is indeed a Victorian town in many ways. What adds to the whole atmospherics is a wonderful tune by RD Burman, who is at his best in the movie. The tune which forms the song ‘Humein Tumse Pyaar Kitna’ comes more than once in the film and complements the soul of the story wonderfully well. The other memorable song in the enterprise is ‘Tune O Rangeele’ which is like a beautiful show-reel of both Shimla’s beauty and Paro and Madho’s romance. The other songs too are good, though not as fondly recalled.

Parting Note: Kudrat is an excellent suspense-mystery-reincarnation-drama movie that boasts of some remarkable sequences and some memorable songs. Although its story seems to be a homage to Madhumati, it has its own uniqueness and own charm which is a result of the brilliant screenplay and direction by Chetan Anand.

Madhumati (1958)

So when one of the biggest superstars of our country is reliving a cult character from the much loved Amitabh Bachchan classic Don in cinemas this week, me recalling one of the most popular Dilip Kumar classic from the 1950s- instead of the usual lesser known stuff.

• A rainy night with the hero finding it tough to navigate his car through the sloppy slippery roads. CHECK
• The car breaking down and no help in sight. CHECK 
• A ‘purani’ desolate ‘haveli’ where the hero decides to take shelter for the night. CHECK 
• An old and rickety caretaker with a ‘lalten’ in his hand. CHECK 
• A huge photograph of the haveli’s one time owner. CHECK 
• The hero finding many things familiar about the haveli and the setting which evidently he is visiting for the first time. CHECK 
• The hero remembering his past life. CHECK 
• The hero falling in love with a village belle. CHECK 
• The hero singing songs with the village belle. CHECK 
• The hero not getting along well with his boss and the owner of the estate he manages. CHECK 
• The owner being a lecherous fellow starts lusting for the hero’s love interest. CHECK 
• The disapproving father of the girl. CHECK 
• The disapproving father of the girl giving his approval after the hero’s show of honesty and integrity. CHECK 
• The village celebration song with the hero’s girl joining in. CHECK 
• The hero’s lecherous boss setting a trap for the hero to go away from the scene. CHECK 
• The hero’s imbecile girl falling in the villain’s trap. CHECK 
• The villain going after the girl like a mad animal. The girl escaping his claws and jumping of the terrace. CHECK 
• The hero unable to forget his love. CHECK 
• The hero laying a trap for the villain to confess to his crime (being helped by his girl’s look alike). The look-alike girl entering and scaring the daylights out of the villain. The villain shouting for penitence. The police coming forward and grabbing him by his neck. The look-alike standing there smiling after getting ‘her’ revenge.  The hero suddenly realizing that there is something weird going on. The actual look-alike bursting late on the scene. The spirit of the hero’s dead love luring him to salvation. OM SHANTI OM

All of the above points may sound familiar. In fact take any Hindi mystery/reincarnation movie; chances are that one or more of the above points will be a part of that enterprise too. Bimal Roy’s 1958 Dilip Kumar starrer MADHUMATI is a movie that had all of these points together for the first time in a Hindi movie.

Despite the familiarity born out of watching many rehashes of this movie over the years (some good some tacky), Madhumati is an extremely fresh watch owing to it’s well crafted scenes and some sparkling performances by Dilip Kumar, Pran, and Vyjayanthimala (the last especially for her ebullience in the songs and dance sequences). Moreover each and every song by Salil Chaudhary is a classic, and it was a pleasant surprise to see so many memorable songs back to back in a movie. Though it must be said that having eight songs in a two hour movie is like an overdose, and considerably hampers the otherwise fast paced narrative. Without the songs the story could have been said in an hour flat. But then, it wouldn’t have been this charming.

Parting Note: Madhumati is a highly enjoyable affair and people who love old Bollywood musicals should certainly watch this one. For them it would be an absolute treat.

Humraaz (1967)

A BR Chopra movie from the late 1960s, ‘Humraaz’ starred Sunil Dutt, Rajkumar, and Vimi (an actress I did not know at all before watching this film) in principal roles. Before I go on with my mumblings about the movie, I would like to mention two things about it that I found to be quite strange.

First. I have never seen a more disjointed movie. Essentially a murder mystery, the real action starts very late into its runtime. The first half of this lengthy enterprise is a slow romantic drama that takes place in the serene locations of Darjeeling.

Second. The first half an hour of the movie has three songs almost back to back. Now, there have been many movies that have used songs quite generously in their narratives, but I for one don’t recall seeing any other movie that has three songs with almost no spacing between them. And this one was supposed to be a murder mystery. However, it must be said that all the three songs are memorable ones.

“Neele Gagan ke Tale…dharti ka pyaar pale…”

“Naa Muh Chupa ke jiyo… aur naa sar jhuka ke jiyo…”

“Tum agar saath dene ka waada karo… “

But despite these two obvious shortcomings, Humraaz is a pretty good watch overall… Captain Rajesh (Rajkumar) and Meena (Vini) are in love and marry each other in a secret ceremony, without taking the approval of Meena’s father. The very night of their marriage brings bad news and Captain Rajesh has to leave for the front to fight the war. Subsequently, Meena receives News that her husband had lost his life while fighting in the war. Completely devastated, Meena, who by that time had discovered that she was pregnant, is forced to confide in her father. In a real predicament and fearing a loss of face in the society, Meera’s father decides to hide the whole affair. A few months later, he also tells her daughter that she had given birth to a stillborn child.

Some time soon, Kumar (Sunil Dutt) and his troupe- famous theatre performers from Mumbai, visit Darjeeling. Predictably, Kumar falls in love with Meena, starts to woo her, and finally manages to convince her of his love. They get married, much to the glee of Meena’s father, and then the story shifts to Mumbai. There, Meena starts accompanying Kumar to all his theatre performances, and ends up becoming a guiding strength in his life. Three years of marital bliss pass, and Meena receives the News that her father is terminally ill. She visits him and he makes a shocking admission that, three years back, she had not given birth to a stillborn child, and that he had lied to her. The child, her daughter, was with an orphanage in Mumbai. Wasting no time, Meena visits the orphanage and meets her daughter Sarika.

She starts frequenting the orphanage, and even takes Sarika home to make her meet Kumar. Kumar really takes to Sarika’s innocence and vivaciousness, but refuses to adopt her citing the problems that may arise in the future when they have their own kids.

A twist in the tale is executed when Meena runs into Captain Mahindra, and old confidante of Captain Rajesh, her first husband. Subsequent to her meeting with him, Meena stops accompanying Kumar to his performances and starts to make some clandestine visits in the city. Here things pick up pace and a series of quick happenings culminate in Meena being found murdered at her home, in circumstances which throw the needle of suspicion towards none other than Kumar. What happens next is the crux of the movie and is what makes it worth a watch.

The story, it can be said, is formulaic till the murder happens, after which things become really interesting and engaging. The last one hour or so has a frantic pace and keeps the viewer glued to the proceedings. The climax and the revelation of the culprit is not something on which most viewers would be able to make an accurate conjecture. All loose ends are tied-up pretty nicely and no questions are left unanswered.

BR Chopra was known for making musical suspense thrillers, and Humraaz is considered to be one of his better works. What makes this movie work apart from its last one hour is its music, and the performances by the cast, especially by Sunil Dutt who is fantastic in his portrayal of a suspect trying to prove his innocence. Flashes of his genius can be seen in the scenes of his on stage performances, especially towards the part when he starts to suspect his wife of some misdoing. His subsequent on-stage performance of Othello is stellar.

Rajkumar is a true scene-stealer and makes his presence felt. The actress Vini plays the damsel in distress pretty well, though in certain sequences, she appears a bit wooden. Balraj Sahni is featured in an extended cameo, as the investigating officer, and needless to say, he is just superb. Rest of the cast, including Mumtaz, provides able support.

Parting Note: ‘Humraaz’ is a pretty good suspense thriller with good music, suitable for a lazy Sunday afternoon viewing. 

Anamika (1973)

After watching this Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri starrer from the early 70s, I was really surprised why this movie is not talked about more often. It is a light-hearted suspense drama, with some crackling romantic moments between the lead pair and some wonderful songs. Now this may sound like one of those movies that attempt a mishmash of all genres in the garb of producing an entertaining product, but this one has a core strong story too that holds everything together.  And if I may add, it is one of the most entertaining movies I have seen from the 1970s.

Devendra (Sanjeev Kumar in a role far off from what he was more renowned for) plays a famous writer, who incidentally is a misogynist, and an unabashed one at that. He lives with his uncle (AK Hangal), his niece, and a secretary Hanuman (Asrani in a typical comic role). One night, while they all are returning from a press conference, they spot a woman (Jaya Bhaduri) being thrown off from a car on a deserted road near their home. They rush forward to help, and discover that the woman had gone unconscious. On the insistence of his Uncle, Devendra takes her to their place. The next morning, when the woman gains consciousness, she starts behaving oddly and to everyone’s utter surprise, claims to be Devendra’s wife. The family doctor is called for and he tells them that the woman has sustained some internal injuries and needs to be taken care of for fast recovery. Against his will, and again on his Uncle’s insistence, Devendra agrees to let her stay at their home, on the condition that he would not play-act to be her husband. But things begin to change when he starts falling in love with the simplicity, charm, and devotedness of this woman (who they start referring to as Anamika). What happens next and how Devendra gets embroiled in a potentially dangerous turn of events that threaten to play with life and his composure, is what the movie is all about.

The movie has many elements that are associated with most commercial movies of that time. It has a clichéd comic track featuring Asrani, but the guy makes it work by his sheer capacity to embrace buffoonery. It has a seduction number (which is far from seduction and is actually a very cute romantic song), a Helen dance number (a signatory RD Burman offering), an evil villain lusting after the lead heroine, and a quintessential AK Hangal performance. The movie even gives Sanjeev Kumar the opportunity to do some action and beat up some goons (the only time the man looks awkward on screen). But despite all this, it is a highly entertaining enterprise that is lent solidarity by the sincerity and calm presence of its lead actors. They are aided in their endeavor by some fine dialogues and some crisp writing, not to mention the tight pace maintained by the director (Raghunath Jalani) over the sequence of events. The one thing he could have changed (or rather done away completely with), are the last five minutes of the film. But despite that ‘Anamika’ has a runtime of just over 120 minutes.

This movie is an example of how two fine actors can take a good story to a different level altogether. The brilliance of Sanjeev Kumar gets reflected in many scenes, which he handles with the dexterity and command that very few actors of time could have managed without appearing theatrical. The sequences when he falls in love with Anamika are a sheer delight to watch. Jaya Bhaduri gets a meaty role and does full justice to it. Again very few actresses from that time could have done what she has done in this movie convincingly (in fact no one in my opinion). The movie is embellished with some beautiful music by RD Burman, which is given full justice by making the songs a seamless part of the narrative and not mere add-ons (except the Helen number, and understandably so). The songs “Bahon mein Chale aao’ and ‘Meri Bheegi Bheegi si’ deserve special mention.

Parting Note: The movie is a highly enjoyable watch, and I guess can be categorized as ‘intelligent-popcorn cinema’ (if people don’t find it an ‘Oxymoron’ish phrasing).  

Ittefaq (1969)

To a fan of suspense and mystery movies, there is nothing more satisfying than viewing a taut and fast-paced thriller. ‘Ittefaq’, one of the early movies directed by the much celebrated Yash Chopra (and rightly so), is one such movie that is gripping enough to keep to you thouroughly engaged with its suspenseful plot and unconventional sequence of events. Produced under the BR Chopra banner, which was famous for its mystery movies, Ittefaq can be rated as one of the best thrillers to have been made in Indian cinema. It is an unusual Hindi movie with no songs and a run-time of just over 100 minutes.

The movie starts off in dramatic fashion, and takes no time in coming straight to the point. Painter Dilip Roy’s (Rajesh Khanna in a complex role) wife is found dead in their apartment and he is accused of the crime. His wife’s sister Renu (Bindu) gives testimony against him and despite his many protests and claims of being innocent, Dilip Roy is convicted of murdering his wife. During the course of the judicial proceedings, his wild and unpredictable behavior leads the court to label him as mentally unstable and thereafter he is sent to a mental asylum. One rainy night, Dilip spots an opportunity to escape from the asylum and chances it. With Police on his trail, he enters the first house he spots feasible to break into. He finds the lady of the house, Rekha (Nanda), all alone and forcefully takes refuge there. What transpires in next few hours is what Ittefaq is all about.

With limited characters and the entire drama unfolding almost in one house, the movie has its focus pretty clear and it is one rare movie from its times which has no subplots, no distractions whatsoever. The drama between Dilip and Rekha is the highpoint of the enterprise, with the last thirty minutes being edge of the seat stuff. The only time the movie slacks a bit is around the half-way mark, when it looks like a slight romantic angle in developing between the main leads, but such fears are unfounded as is revealed in the latter half of the film. The twist and the subsequent culmination to the film are fantastically shot and wonderfully performed.

Another element that adds tremendous value to this movie is its background score and its sound design. Each and every sound, disturbing the silence of the night, has some meaning attached to it and plays some or the other role in building up the mystery. The lighting and production values are top notch, and the editing is razor sharp. The characters of the supporting cast are well defined and are performed ably by well known actors from that generation. But as far as the performances go, Rajesh Khanna takes the cake. He is saddled with a very difficult role and is present in almost each and every scene of the movie. In one of the early roles of his career, he performs remarkable, especially during the latter portions of the movie. Nanda, in a very unconventional role does very well and delivers one of her best performance. Iftekhar (the man who can be seen as a Police inspector in almost every movie from that time), plays a CID inspector here and gives an impressive act.

Parting Note: Ittefaq is one of the better suspense movies made in Indian cinema. Fans of this genre will find it highly satisfying, and so will the fans of Rajesh Khanna, for they will get to see one of the best performances of his career. 

Khamosh (1985)

Though the title hints at it, Shatrughan Sinha is not a part of this supremely well-crafted suspense thriller by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Instead this movie stars a host of other well-known actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabhana Azmi, Amol Palekar, Pankaj Kapoor among others. The story takes place in the pristine locales of Pahalgaam and is about a murder that takes place while a film crew is shooting their new venture in an outdoor schedule. The premise of a film shoot within the film is certainly novel for that time. Revealing the exact plot would spoil the fun and therefore I resist the temptation to do so.

For a suspense genre fan like I am, this movie is a must watch. The script is full of twists and turns and it is hard to guess what will happen in the next frame. The mood, setting, and treatment are ideal for a murder mystery. Also, this is one rare Hindi movie that has no songs. The narrative, however, is peppered with instances of satirical humor. The performances are natural and Shabhana Azmi leads the way in that department. Naseeruddin Shah is top-notch. Now that I am watching more of his work, I am fully able to appreciate why he is known as one of the finest actors in the history of Indian cinema.

Parting note- if you like Agatha Christie and don’t mind a bit of violence Khamosh is a must watch.

PS: There are no loose ends in the plot and everything fits together perfectly. However there is a small thing that is left unexplained, although it doesn’t matter as it is not a part of the jigsaw. I won’t mention it right now. If you spot it then please do comment.