Shaadi isn’t one of the better films I’ve seen in recent times. In fact, it had some definitely irritating moments, and it called for more suspension of disbelief than is generally expected in Hindi films. On the other hand, it had quite a cast: Saira Banu, Manoj Kumar, Dharmendra, Indrani Mukherjee, Balraj Sahni, Om Prakash, Manorama, and others. Even more interestingly, it was Saira Banu’s second film and one of Dharmendra’s first few films. Overall bearable, especially since I didn’t have anything better to do.
In a village called Belapur, the erudite but poor Ratan (Balraj Sahni) is labouring to provide a decent education for his younger brother Ramesh (Dharmendra), who’s studying for a law degree in Bombay. Ratan loves Ramesh so much, he even donates blood when he discovers he’ll be paid for it. Ratan’s wife Shanti (Sulochana Latkar) and younger sister Gauri (Saira Banu) are also rooting for Ramesh, so there’s much happiness all around when Ramesh tops his class as well as the region.
Ramesh’s success is also noticed by Judge Motilal (Raj Mehra), who decides he wants this young man as a groom for his only child, Kala (Indrani Mukherjee). Kala’s mother (Manorama) thinks it’s a silly idea (I agree; just because this guy did well in his exams doesn’t mean he’s good husband material), but Motilal ignores her. He goes off to Belapur to meet Ratan and Ramesh. Ramesh’s marriage to Kala is fixed, and Ratan tells the judge they want no dowry.
Ramesh and Kala get married and live with Kala’s parents. Everything is hunky-dory (hunky, at least: Dharmendra, though a bit of a spring chicken here, does look good!), and soon after, Judge Motilal goes off to London for a case. Ramesh handles his practice in his absence (this confused me a bit: how does a judge have a practice? A lawyer will, but a judge?). One day, he receives a visit from a client called Seth Daulatram (Om Prakash).
Daulatram is greed personified: he lives for money. When he finds out who Ramesh is, he reveals that he once knew Ramesh’s now-dead father. He then goes on to ask for Gauri’s hand in marriage for his son Raja (Manoj Kumar). Ramesh suggests Daulatram talk to Ratan, so Daulatram scurries off to Belapur to meet Ratan.
It now transpires that Daulatram, who knows Motilal’s stature and wealth, expected that Ratan had been given a massive dowry at Ramesh’s wedding. He faints when it turns out no dowry was given, but comes around when Ratan promises that he will give a dowry for Gauri. So the marriage is finalised (without Gauri or Raja having met) and Ratan starts making arrangements for the wedding—and incurring huge debts in the process.
Ramesh, being Gauri’s brother, decides he must contribute Rs 10,000 for the wedding. Since he doesn’t have that much, he asks his mother-in-law for a loan. Harridan that she is, she refuses; but before the problem can be resolved, an urgent telegram arrives from London. Kala’s father is ill and needs immediate surgery, so can Ramesh please leave for England as soon as possible, with the required funds?
There’s only a week left before Gauri’s wedding; Ramesh is jittery, but finally decides that the only course open to him is to ask Kala to get the money from her father’s munshi and to go to Belapur. So, just in case he can’t make it, at least Ratan will get the money.
But Ramesh hasn’t reckoned with his mother-in-law. She snatches the money from Kala and forbids her daughter from going to Belapur. Kala, weak-kneed wimp that she is, is easily cowed and acquiesces.
On the day of the wedding, Seth Daulatram is getting antsy and threatening Ratan that he’ll take away the baraat if the promised dowry of Rs 5,000 isn’t handed over immediately (shades of Beti here?). Ratan assures him that Ramesh will be arriving any moment with the money.
At this point, things suddenly start falling apart. The first thing to disintegrate is Ramesh’s plane, which crashes into the sea (he’s rescued by passing boatmen, but nobody knows that for now). Since the dowry doesn’t arrive, Seth Daulatram pulls Raja up from the mandap—even though the rituals are over and Gauri is now legally Raja’s wife—and hustles the baraat off. With the baraat gone, all the people who’d given goods on credit to Ratan start pestering him.
Ratan tries to commit suicide by lying down on the railway tracks, but is saved by Shanti and Gauri. He falls ill, and Gauri suggests they take him to Bombay. Shanti refuses—Ratan’s too weak to withstand the journey—and Gauri decides to go to Bombay on her own to fetch Ramesh.
In the meantime, Daulatram is pressurising Raja to get married to another girl. Raja insists he’s already married (to Gauri), and fed up with his father, goes off to Bombay to make a life for himself.
Meanwhile, Ramesh has been brought home to Kala. The trauma of the crash has made him amnesiac, and Kala, who’s half-hysterical, blames Gauri for it. If it hadn’t been Gauri’s wedding, this would never have happened. A little far-fetched, but anyway. What it boils down to is that when Gauri arrives, Kala gives her a earful and says that Ramesh now doesn’t want to have anything to do with either Gauri or Ratan. As proof, she takes Gauri to Ramesh, who because of his amnesia doesn’t recognise her.
Heartbroken, Gauri sets off for home and is assaulted by a passing goon. She is rescued by two young men, one of whom is Raja. Raja recognises Gauri, but she doesn’t know who he is; she does, however, tell him her entire tale of woe. Raja’s friend (Mohan Choti) takes Gauri and Raja to stay with his mausi (Leela Misra). There, Gauri overhears Raja telling his pal that Gauri’s his wife, but that he won’t tell her until he’s capable of providing for her. Gauri is, understandably, quite excited by all of this, and decides to play along, pretending she doesn’t know who Raja is. The mausi, who’s overheard it all (doesn’t anyone in Hindi films pass up a chance to eavesdrop?), agrees to keep Gauri’s secret.
In Belapur, Ratan, still weak and ill, is being hounded by his creditors. Matters reach such a pass that he and Shanti are finally forced to sell their house and their beloved cow (!) and come to Bombay to meet Ramesh. Kala and her mother do a re-run of their tirade and turn Ratan and Shanti away, leaving them to take refuge at a dharamshala.
Much more happens in the next few minutes: Ramesh is cured of his amnesia, by means of a whirring fan and a tape recorder playing sounds of a plane’s engines followed by a big bang. (I love the way Hindi films dumb down medical procedures: hilarious!) He discovers Kala’s perfidy and leaves home to stay in a hotel.
Raja becomes a film star. He shifts to a flashy bungalow, and Gauri shifts too, ostensibly to look after him—but Raja, who doesn’t know she knows who he is, thinks his wife’s getting enamoured of `another man’, even though he is the other man. Complicated, this.
And if you think that’s enough complexity for one film, you obviously aren’t as ambitious as whoever wrote this story. There’s plenty to come, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth, lots of pleading for forgiveness, misunderstandings galore, coincidences by the bushel, and much melodrama.
What I liked about this film:
The cast: some of them went on to become big stars, but are still endearingly raw in Shaadi. Dharmendra is gauche but likeable, Indrani Mukherjee is lovely, and even Sulochana Latkar (though already an established actress) is for once a bhabhi and not a mother. Balraj Sahni is his usual dignified self. Best of all, Saira Banu is very pretty (thankfully not shrill) and makes a nice pair with Manoj Kumar—much better, in fact, than their later hit, Purab aur Pacchhim (a film I don’t care for at all: mostly because I don’t like Manoj Kumar in his patriot avatar).
And at memsaab‘s request (justified, I think), a screen cap of Indrani Mukherjee:
I think she looks a bit Meena Kumariesque. Perhaps it’s the tears. Whatever, she is beautiful.
The songs. Some of them—the qawwali Log toh baat ka afsana bana dete hain and the song Aaj ki raat naya chaand leke aayi hai—are tuneful (the music’s by Chitragupta), and the delightful Tere pujan ko bhagwaan banaaoon bank main aalishaan has funny lyrics, by Rajinder Krishan.
What I didn’t like:
The majority of the characters are too flat and one-dimensional: either they’re very good, long-suffering and weepy (Ratan and Shanti are prime examples, though Shanti shows a bit of spirit when she yells at Kala) or they’re greedily evil (Daulatram, Kala’s mother), or just plain weak-willed (Kala). Gauri and Raja are slightly more likeable, mainly because they’re generally more optimistic and don’t spend all their time crying.
There’s a fair bit of the `my husband is my god’ business: most irritating.
This film didn’t do its homework about any of the professions it encompasses. If you go by Shaadi’s standards, a doctor can cure a patient of amnesia with about two minutes of a whirring fan and a scratchy tape recorder. An unknown small-town singer can sing one qawwali and become a film star, with producers clamouring to sign him on. A producer can want to sign on an actor whom he’s never seen (or for that matter, whose photo he hasn’t seen). A lawyer can desert his practice to go gallivanting about the countryside and no-one will be any the wiser.
Too many unanswered questions: for example, how on earth did Daulatram go blind? And why didn’t Raja—an able-bodied adult—not refuse to get up from the mandap?
Dustedoff 
Sounds like a good film after all!
This must also have been the ffirst film, where Dharmendra and Saira Banu starred together. They made quite a pair in the 70’s. my uncle told me once that they had an affair then.
I always like Sulochana a lot. She was a very good actress, though damned always to play the mother. In the 70’s she was reducedd to play roles, which only needed her to put her hand in fornt of her mouth and look afraid and/or sad in a white sari.
Young Manoj Kumar was a treat to look at, before he started with his mannerisms aka Dilip Kumar. Same for Saira.
Dharmendra looks great. And he had such a nice voice.
And Balraj Sahni is Balraj Sahni!!!
Did Manorama play a non-villainous role ever?
Thanks for the review!
As usual commented very well (I agree; just because this guy did well in his exams doesn’t mean he’s good husband material)
loved reading it!
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I would love to see a screen cap of the young Indrani—I think she’s just lovely, and usually too pretty to be the Ma that I’ve seen her portray.
And I’m always happy to see Dharmendra, if not Saira Banu! This looks good as you say just for the cast alone, as long as you can roll your eyes and tolerate the melodrama.
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harvey: Thank you for the appreciation! I didn’t know about a Dharmendra-Saira Banu affair, but I have seen them in quite a few films together: Aadmi Aur Insaan, Aayi Milan ki Bela (though she was opposite Rajendra Kumar there – God knows why! Dharmendra was so much more gorgeous) and the execrable International Crook. I read somewhere that Saira Banu once said Dharmendra looked very Italian to her (which made some wiseacre say their film should’ve been named `Aaya Milan ka Chhaila’!
I’m sure I’ve seen Manorama in some non-villanous roles, but they’re comic; don’t remember her in a serious role ever.
memsaab: Thank you for the suggestion! Somehow, I’ve never seen Indrani Mukherjee in ma roles – always as the beleagured and downtrodden wife of the hero’s friend (that’s how I recall her in Aan Milo Sajna).
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wasn’t indrani mukherjee ma to shashi kappor and shatrughan sinha in amar shakti and also to dharmendra in dharam veer. not sure about the latter though.
`Aaya Milan ka Chhaila’ is good! Dharmendra doesn’t look Italian. I know enough italian guys and they don’t look gorgeous like apna Dharmenderrr!
Weren’t Dharmendra and Saira Banu togehter in Saazish as well, where Dahramendra wears “Chadddi” (copyright memsaab) in the last half hour of the film. And there are surely more. Even if they had an affair, it was surely with approval from Dilip Kumar. DK alwas praises Dharmendra and vice versa.
as to indrani mukherjee: she didn’t really have a screen presence. She always reminds of another film actress Chand Usmani, who also started playing lead actress in some movies just to be relegated to play sis or bhabhi and then later on maa.
Okay let me try my luck, how abouta screen cap of Motilal. he was suave guy. he was Shobana Samarth’s boy friend for a long time after her divorce and once even follwed her to Mahableshwar on a helicopter. (source: a Nutan fan page).
another question: did om prakash play a role of a young man or even a hero? I atleast never saw him in any such role. I have seen him in some roles, where he is atleast not old, but not young. Wonder how he was in real life.
had t laugh a lot at *but Raja, who doesn’t know she knows who he is, thinks his wife’s getting enamoured of `another man’, even though he is the other man. Complicated, this.* That shows the depth of the film doesn’t it? ;-) Food for freudian thought! ;-)
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harvey, you took the words out of my mouth – even as I was taking that screen cap of Indrani Mukherjee, I was thinking how similar she was to Chand Usmani! Though, as far as I remember, she didn’t play lead in too many big films – the only lead role I recall was in Baap re Baap with Kishore Kumar.
I haven’t seen Amar Shakti, Dharamveer or Saazish, so can’t comment, but maybe I’ll add them to my list – if only I can get through my 50’s and 60’s films to begin seeing 70’s again!
BTW: No, no Motilal ;-). Not because I’m prejudiced or out of pure cussedness, but because Motilal is just the name of a character played by Raj Mehra. I did like the actor Motilal, though – he was particularly superb in Parakh (for which he won a Filmfare Award) and in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke.
According to imdb (well, not always absolutely accurate, but anyway) Om Prakash’s first film was Zameen Aasmaan in 1946, when he was 27 years old. I gotta see this! I do wonder what he looked like as a young man…
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I think I am going to like this film! It has so many unexpected twists and turns. As I was reading your review I expected it to go the Bhabhi way (younger brother corrupted by evil rich wife and refusing to help the sacrificing older brother) but they have amnesia to do that. Such innovation! I cant stand Manoj Kumar (even the pre-patriot one) but with Dharam, Saira and Balraj Sahni to sweeten the pill, its just irresistible.
Indrani Mukherjee played Rajesh Khanna’s love interest in Aakhri Khat and Shashi’s in Dharamputra before graduating to the latter’s Mom-figure in Paap Aur Punya and Amar Shakti. Why do they do this to beautiful young women?!! Though in her case, she really struck me as rather bland looking.
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As I was going thro’ this review and that of beti, I was thinking in how many movies it happens, that the father of the bridegroom or anybody of his kin breaks the marriage because of inadequate dowry.
maybe we should make a list.
Lakhon Mein Ek is such a film.
An outsider would think that such things happen everyday in India.
At least I haven’t witnessed anything like this in real life.
Well, even I haven’t watched Amar Shakti and don’t plan to. I know it only because memsaab wrote an review in her inimitable manner and also Antarra and East India Company (if I remember right). I just can’t possibly watch a Shotgun movie. The only movie of him, which I liked was Apne Paraye. Vinod Khanna looks so great.
Bollyviewer, I completely agree with your analysis. Shaadi seems to have so many twists and turns, I think it must be something like Hitchcock social! ;-)
I love the screen cap with Dharmendra carrying the framed photograph of Balraj Sahni looking like Kabuliwala.
It hardly happens in hindi movies, that actors and actresses paired as brother and sister ar epaired as lovers. I knew till now only SRK and Aishwarya Rai. Here we have the second one. Does anybody know more?
So, i think that is enough of mail for now!
Keep up the good work, dusted off!
BTW I like your nick it sounds so russian!
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I remember an old movie where Om Prakash looked pretty young (something from the 50s) but he was already bald and looked pretty character-actor-ish. I’ve always wondered what he looked like with his own hair (Pran looked evil with his own hair!).
Harvey, lol at Hitchcock social – what an interesting concept! Did Hitchcock ever make a family drama, I wonder…
And there were tons of actor pairs who played siblings and then romantic pairs: Dev Anand and Nanda were siblings in Kaala Bazaar who went on to be romantic leads in Hum Dono and Teen Deviyaan; Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman were siblings in Hare Rama Hare Krishna and went on to be a romantic pair in several movies in the 70s; Poonam Dhillon played Shashi Kapoor’s sis in Trishul and his wife in Bepanaah; Vinod Khanna and Parveen Babi were brother-sister in Chor Sipahee and also played lovers in The Burning Train (I think…). These are the only ones I can recall off hand. There must be more.
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Wow! I wake up and find lots of activity happening on my blog. Thank you, bollyviewer and harvey :-)
harvey, I can recall another film where a bride is left at the mandap because of a dowry demand – Ghunghat, starring Bina Rai and Bharat Bhushan. And as for the Hitchcock social, I wonder if Mr and Mrs Smith would qualify? Though I must admit I prefer Hitchcock’s more conventional suspense thrillers – this one has a few twists and turns, but there’s a certain something that’s missing.
bollyviewer: Yes, there are a lot of actors/actresses who’ve been paired either as siblings and as lovers. Here’s another to add to the list: Dharmendra was Meena Kumari’s brother in Kaajal but her love interest in Chandan ka Palna and Phool aur Patthar.
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Mr and Mrs Smith was Hitchcock?!!! *falling off my chair in amazement* I loooooove that movie but it never occurred to me to suspect Hitchcock of making screwball comedies. :-) I should pay more attention to cast and credits instead of getting up to make coffee when they come on (or at least pay attention to Robert Osborne’s commentary on TCM).
Wasnt Ghunghat based on Tagore’s Nauka Doobi? I thought the brides get exchanged during a boat mishap. Didnt realise there was a dowry angle in there, too! I saw it on TV long ago and Rehman’s preaching (I think he was playing Bina Rai’s brother) about how honor should be a woman’s guiding principle (and she should die for it) totally put me off.
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Yes :-) Mr and Mrs Smith was Hitchcock, strange as it may seem! I can’t recall a single other film he made of a genre other than suspense/horror.
No idea about whether Ghunghat was based on Nauka Doobi, but you’re probably right: this one had brides getting switched in a train accident. Yes, Rehman was really preachy in this one. He went blind too, and then there was all that angst surrounding his blindness… ugh.
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Wow, so much info from one film! That is great!
For that, that we started to make alist for broken-in-mandap marriages, we have quite a list of first bro-sis now lovers pairs.
I think Nanda is the only actress who started her career as an established sis (Chotti Bahen, Kala Bazaar, Diya aur Toofan), who could establish herself as lead actresses. (now, i’m sure bollyviewer will come and give me 1000 examples to the contrary!)
Ghunghat: Rehman preaching honour should be a woman’s guiding principle? O GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!
Honour does people no good, I say!
It turns them to ….. I don’t know, what! ;-)
How about “first lovers and now mother-son” List?
Rakhee-Amitabh Bachchan
Sharmila Tagore-Amitabh Bachchan (in their case it is mother-son first and then lovers)
Waheeda Rehman-Amitabh Bachchan
Are there more?
Honour, why don’t people prefer love instead!
O, I sound like Prof. Higgins!
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I don’t know, why the last two sentences of my last post slipped from their original postion at “I don’t know, what!”
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harvey, if it weren’t for the all-important concept of honour, most of the Hindi films of the 50’s and 60’s would never have got made, I think!! ;-)
hmmm, your “first lovers and now mother-son” list sounds interesting, though offhand I can’t think of anything from the 50’s or 60’s that qualifies… but there are examples of “first lovers and now father-daughter”; here’s one: Mala Sinha and Ashok Kumar (her husband in Gumraah, her father in Pooja ke Phool).
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After this nice review, I can safely skip yet another film :) !
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LOL! It’s not that bad, actually. If you can live with substantial doses of melodrama, the cast and the songs are compensation enough. ;-)
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Thanks for the screen cap :) I really think Indrani is gorgeous, and she was put on the Maaa shelf way too early.
She is the Ma in Dharamveer (and Amar Shakti), and Pran’s love interest as well :)
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“first lovers and now father-daughter” sounds good as well!
sanjeev kumar and jaya bhadhuri are another example.
Well, the way actresses are treated in the hindi movies, it will be hard to find more examples. at least i can’t think of any!
additions to “first lovers and now mother-son” list:
jeetendra and hema malini were lovers in many films and in justice choudhary she plays his mother.
waheeda rehman plays jeetendra’s mother in many films and his love interest and mother in Jyoti bane jwala.
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memsaab: Yes, I do think she’s too pretty to have been relegated to Ma roles that early! On the other hand, Nirupa Roy (even at 24, when she acted as Dev Anand’s foster mother in Munimji) can never quite attain heroine status for me: all through Razia Sultana, I expected her to say “Beta!” in a quivery voice…
harvey: Which reminds me: Sharmila Tagore plays Rajesh Khanna’s lover and mother in Aradhana. How could we forget!
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That is true!!
how could we forget!!!
you are right.
But you know what, I always try to suppress my memories and the story of Aradhana. It is just not my kind of story. Im my kind of story the mother would never have given up her child. She could have just gone to another city and raised up her son, like so many hindi film heroines have done before. And if it was really my kind off story, she would have found a new love in the new city and lived happily ever after.
And if it was really, totally my kind of story, she would remain in the same town, get herself a new love, open up a business, be succesful and open projects for women! but then it would never be a hit film in india, for that I would have to move to france!
But no, she would rather abandon the child jsut to adopt it again and then miss it and then go and work as his aaya. And then she has to push him to go to the air force as well.
I understand, what you mean by nirupa roy, but she was a born mother!
I remember a song I saw in chitrahaar years back, where a middle aged Ashok Kumar and ?-aged Nirupa Roy holding and swinging hands and singing a song. It hurt my then sensitivities a lot. Nowadays, I just wouldn’t admit! ;-)
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Just this…this hilarious post…makes me want to meet you and have a long long conversation!!!
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:-D Thank you!
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You are right about the honour thing! no honour, no meena kumari & co! that means no hindi films
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harvey: See? :-)) No honour, no Hindi film industry! And yes, though Aradhana did have me feeling a little weepy in parts, I just don’t agree with the heroine’s way of living her life. In that way, I think Humraaz (with that awfully wooden Vimmy) is a little better, in that she does go on to fall in love and get married again, and her separation from her child is because of her straitlaced father; she has been told her baby was stillborn. But hey, Sharmila Tagore and Vimmy are worlds apart when it comes to acting…
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Well does Vimmi marry that another guy like Sadhana marries Balraj sahni in your ‘fav’ film? that would be typical hindi filmish!
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Arre nahin, thank God not! The second guy in Vimmy’s life appears after her first husband (Raj Kumar, whom she’d married secretly) goes missing in battle and is presumed dead. She actually falls for this other guy (Sunil Dutt) and marries him… and then there are some interesting crime twists in the tale. See the film if you haven’t yet; other than Vimmy’s acting, it’s quite good. And the songs are fabulous: Na moonh chhupake jeeo aur na sar jhuka ke jeeo, Tum agar saath dene ka waada karo, and Neele gagan ke tale dharti ka pyaar pale.
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lol Have you heard the parody of Neele Gagan? Here’s how it goes:
Neele gagan ke tale
subah ke paanch baje
Haathon mein lota
lote mein paani
dariyaa ki or chale…
totally ruined that song for me, forever!
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Love this parody. Only change in how we used to sing it is the last line…”Jungle ki ore chale”..:-)
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LOL!
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a pity you won’t be presenting us with a review of Parivar! A pity! ;-)
bollyviewer: I had totally suppressed this parody, which I had heard in my childhood. But it over take me here.
Humraaz sounds quite sensible!
must givbe it a try, if i can.
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bollyviewer: You’re a gem!!! This is awesome – I must admit I’ve never heard this one before, but it beats Sau saal pehle Dev Anand ganwaar thha, gadhe pe savaar thha or even Kahin door jab karela tal jaaye. Fantastic! :-))
harvey: Yup, do look out for Humraaz – it’s really worth a watch!
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i knew sau saal pehle … but never heard kahin door jab karela tal jaaye!
fell down from chair laughing!
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And what about Chaudhary ka chaand ho… ;-)
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And also Mere saamne waali khoonti pe ek phata pajama latka hai! How bout compiling a list of parodies? *hint*
Do you know where Chaudhary ka chand ho goes after that line?
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Yes, the Mere saamne waali… is an old favourite :-)). I’d love to do a popular parodies post, but really need more inputs!! I think I’ve more or less exhausted my stock, and except for the Neele gagan ke tale and Sau saal pehle I don’t know more than the first line of the song…. :-(. Not even for Chaudhury ka chaand ho.
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Doesn’t Dharmendra get to sing songs in this movie? I checked in You tube and all I could see is 3 songs on the two heroines, one picturised on Om Prakash and one on Manoj Kumar.
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Here’s the list of songs from Shaadi, along with whom each is picturised on:
Chhod de bedardi chhod de o kaante mera aanchal chhod de; – Saira Banu
Teri sharan pada hoon daata…tere poojan ko bhagwaan banaoon bank main aalishaan; – Om Prakash
Yahaan bhi toh nahin hai, wahaan bhi toh nahin hai jaane kahaan mera bachpan kho gaya; – Saira Banu
Jaa, aur kahin ro shehnai, ab main hoon aur meri tanhaai; – Saira Banu
Jisko jalne ki na parvaah ho, woh parwaana hai…log toh baat ka afsaana bana dete hain; – Manoj Kumar, Mohan Choti et al (qawwali)
Mukhda tera saaf nahin toh darpan… jaisa kiya hai tune, vaisa hi tu bharega; – Indrani Mukherjee
Aaj ki raat naya chaand leke aayi hai…chandni chhaayi hai – Saira Banu and Manoj Kumar
Yes, I hadn’t realised it until I started examining the songs… no Dharmendra. He has actually much less of a part than say Manoj Kumar.
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All over Movie “Shaadi” is not so bad. But yeah it have some lack of punches that should have to take care by the director. Overall rating for this movie is near about 5 and the Young Indrani is too good :P
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I so so want to see this film right now, no matter how weird it is!!! I just cannot have enough of Manoj Kumar in his pre-patriotic days!!! Love his charming smile!!! Lord what just happened to him later :(
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Yes, he’s gorgeous in this! And compare this to Purab aur Pachhim and that supercilious look (my mother calls it the ‘constipated look’!!!) — yes, what happened to him? He started off so good. Patriotism is all very well, but it shouldn’t do this to you. :-(
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i can watch purab aur paschim for its outdoor scenes. scene at Eiffel tower is entertaining. also i want to praise it for one thing as compared to other NRI movies it has less melo drama when it comes to India like pardes and DDLG. i wonder what western people would think when they will watch first NRI movie of Indian cinema. also the white lady who sacrifices her love , refuses the translation and says she has understood by face, eyes and tears. i like it. hippies have been shown in sympathetic light. its movie about spiritualism vs materialism as in last parts kya diya paschim ney then prem chopra comes with a gun and says yeh hai paschim ki den. i don’t like degrading west at all. no body likes it. i think ISCKON has featured in any movie for the first time. you know its the movie which has hugely inspired gurinder chadha . she says he could show propaganda like west is bad and east is good. but all characters are human . she even met manoi kumar when she came to India. I can watch shaheed, upkaar and purab aur paschim. but i really wonder about kranti how it was a big hit ?? a sane person cannot watch it all. its fictional, and has over the top scenes. i really appreciate international star shashi ji doing this movie. he said he did this movie to share screen space with dilip saheb. manoj kumar always says that independence movement was started by people. logo ka tha aur logo ney shuru kiya tha. but kranti neither entertains nor leave its mark. its over the top apart from being fictional. he is getting the highest honor and i am confused . i liked him in pathar k sanam, do badan , woh kaun thi , Anita , Mera naam joker. i think pathar k sanam was his best as an actor. he was more of writer director.
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i watched a movie yesterday named aakhri dao. it consisted of jeetandra , saira banu, dany , padma khanna and ranjeet. apart from Ramesh deo and iftekhar playing police. i want to say about saira ji pairings. i liked her pairings with dharmendar, sunil dutt, joy mukherjee, shammi kapoor and manoj kumar. see their movies aadmi aur insaan, padosan , shargid, junglee. it looks they have a chemistry. but with jeetandra. i didn’t feel this at all. it looked two individuals than a pair.
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I haven’t seen Aakhri Dao, or for that matter, any other film with Saira Banu and Jeetendra. Thanks for warning me off.
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spiritualism and materialism go hand in hand. there is a line of tulsi das ji bhukey pait bhajan na hoye gopala. we have to live in sansar and not in jungle.
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dharmendar filmography got better and better before he took route of main jatt yamla pagla deewana. he has featured in classics of Indian cinema like bandani, haqeeqat, satykaam , anupama, khamoshi, mera gao mera desh, chupkey chupkey, sholay, chaitali. and manoj kumar filmography got worst read pehchan, beimaan, sanyasi , kranti. i can watch shor though. on saira shrill. she and shammi have same ability. i was scared by shammi screaming in kashmir ki kali and of saira in padosan. aaah. and on western clothes. whenever me and my mother discuss western clothes in Bollywood. we first take name of zeenat and praveen babi. with yaadon ki braat in mind along with hare rama harey krishna. but as i recently watched PAP. i think saira banu clothes in it are very fine. stylish coats, full pants, short skirts, half pants, gloves. her clothes are really superior. she looks so chic that full photo session could have been done in those dresses. i liked PAP’s background music mix of western and sitar. but still can’t love the movie. i wish some body makes another movie in which east is compared to west from western point of view.
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i always like omprakash ji. but didn’t like him in Mera naam joker. i watched a movie black in white in which he was fairly young. i think he looked extreme cute in less hairs. he was so cute and lovable. never saw him in negative role .
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