Sholay

Directed by: Ramesh Sippy

Starring: Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Amjad Khan

Released: 1975

Verdict: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

It is not easy to write reviews of some films, and interestingly enough I have more troubles writing about good movies than bad. Perhaps our ability to pinpoint what we don´t like is better developed than our ability to praise? In any case to review Sholay wouldn´t be easy even if I found it really bad, because of its indisputable iconic status. The film has been labeled as the „best ever from Bollywood“ more than just a few times. Well, let me admit right away I respectfully disagree. Sholay is nowhere near the perfection I find Guru Dutt´s movies to be, it doesn´t topple neither K. Asif´s Mughal-E-Azam, nor Mother India, or some films that came after it. At the same time Sholay is still a damn good film and one that broke records and set trend for the next 15 or so years. In fact most of the 80s were spent by trying to recreate the magic of action scenes and selfless heroes more than anything – and most of them fell flat. So what it is that Sholay has which clicked so perfectly with the audience (because this is one of those blockbusters thriving on word-of-mouth and nothing else)?

The story is heavily inspired by Hollywood and its fondness of stories from the lawless „Wild West“, the similarity of the plot with „The Magnificent 7“ uncanny. A retired police officer Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar in one of the „aged“ roles he essayed, though ironically her didn´t even live to turn 50 himself) hires two men to capture a dangerous dacoit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), who is terrorizing a small village of Ramgarth. Why doesn´t he turn to the police? Because he has a personal issue with Gabbar, who murdered his whole family – and left him without arms! To take his revenge, Thakur chooses to offer the quest to two thieves Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan). They not only accept, but after a while make the fight against Gabbar and his gang for their own as well. And in the moment in between the fights, Veeru manages to romance a chatterbox Basanti and Jai takes liking to a young widow Radha from Thakur´s house....

First of all – the cast is extremely attractive. Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra both were a real rage back in the day. With distinct looks and approach to acting, they were quite different from each other, yet one complimented the other perfectly. They definitely belong among my favourite „bromances“. While Dharmendra is a mischievous devil making girls swoon with his eternal boyish charm, and - in spite of Sholay being a serious film – his use of humour, Amitabh represents the silent strength in the background. Jai is the solid ground from which Veeru can operate, if you will. At no point you feel a need to ask if two against God knows how many are not too little, because the duo is so dynamic you just have faith in their abilities. Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan too are excellent in their roles. 

However while both Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan were the most popular girls at the time, I never managed to warm up to either of them. Jaya has always been a „grey mouse“ with nothing that would really capture my interest, Hema on the other hand I tend to find rather annoying. Her dialogue delivery especially has always been week. Thinking about that – Radha was a quiet „gray mouse“ and Basanti was a smack-worthy annoyance, so the casting was probably appropriate. I must say I felt sorry for Radha in the end, as even the hopes for a new life were snatched away from her. 

The music of the film has been celebrated as well. „Yeh Dosti“ song is easily the best one as far as melody goes, followed by Hema´s famous „Jab Tak Hai Jaan“ dance of pain. The revered Holi song left me cold though, I enjoyed more „Mehbooba“ song where Helen put her beautiful legs to action.

I think the only major flaw I found in Sholay was the whole „Veeru and Jai in jail“ business at the beginning. The characters were introduces through it, but on the whole it was not necessary at all. The Hitler-like grotesque figure of the jailor, marching ironically (or was somebody being ignorant?) to the tune of English „For he´s a jolly good fellow“, seemed like from another time and space altogether, and wasn´t really funny either. Also to be brutally honest I burst out laughing when the armless Thakur gained magic powers and was flying in the air, fighting Gabbar with his feet. The scenes that stood out for me were for example when Thakur returns home to find his children murdered. As the crude wind blows away the white sheets, uncovering the bodies, you almost want to cry out. Another classic one, though of completely different nature, would be Veeru´s marriage proposal/suicide threat, so often referred to in many films afterwards. And of course – when the unbreakable dosti finally breaks in the end....

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Chupke Chupke

Directed by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Starring: Dharmendra, Om Prakash, Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bachchan

Released: 1975

Verdict: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

There used to be a time when while watching a comedy movie you could do so with the whole family from half-deaf grandma to the smallest kids without worrying that a vulgar joke will be said, without fear that in the next moment twenty naked oily girls are going to weave themselves into the limbs of the hero. That was a time of films like Chupke Chupke, which is among the very best of genuine, entertaining and harmless comedies.

Starring the ever so charming Dharmendra as the main lead, the film starts with him (under the name of Parimal Tripathi, a famous botany professor) trying to help out a keeper of a mountain bungalow by pretending to be him. To his horror as soon as he disguises himself and the real keeper wanders off to visit his son in a hospital, a bus loaded with female botany students arrives and he has to fulfill all the keeper´s duties. Among the girls we can find Sulekha (young and fresh Sharmila Tagore), who ultimately finds out the truth about Parimal and the two fall in love.

Love? I´m here to keep the bungalow. I charge more for falling in love.

Nobody objects and so they soon get married, but Parimal´s marital bliss is constantly bugged by a relative he has not even met yet – Sulekha´s brother-in-law (Om Prakash). Apparently whatever he does and says is treated as the Holy word in the whole family, because he is well educated and witty. Finally Parimal is way too annoyed with all the praise on the adress of „jijaji“ and makes a bet with Sulekha: He is going to show her her brother-in-law is just as human and can make mistakes like every other mortal by tricking him. Soon after jijaji employs a new driver for his family, not aware he is no other than Parimal, the new relative he has not yet met.

Jijaji 24-hours nonstop telephone help line. May I share my words of wisdom with you?

Truth is that until some point the whole thing is interesting to watch and after that becomes somehow pointless. The trickery evolves into an intricate scheme organized by Parimal, but using help of not only Sulekha, but also some of his friends, but somehow you never get to know why. After some time it leaves the intention to mislead the poor jijaji and becomes more of a fun game enjoyed by the ones who actually do know what is going on, but causing much genuine distress to those not involved in the plot. And when it comes to that, I always feel rather uncomfortable. Anyway the films manages to overcome its own pointlessness with pure entertainment guaranteed mostly by the one and only Dharam, whose comic timing is perfect and his natural charm just keeps you with a smile plastered on your face throughout.

Can I please have one more uniform? With pinky butterflies, please?

Let´s do some romancing among flower petals first!

The last 20 minutes are weaker than the rest of the movie, mostly because the focus shifts to Parimal´s friend Sukumar Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) and his love troubles caused by him previously agreeing to pose as Parimal for the sake of the trickery to go on for a while longer. However how to explain to young Vasudha (Jaya Bhaduri) now that he is actually not the married botany professor, but a very much available bachelor? Not that he would act badly, but after Dharmendra compeltely stealing the show and shining in the film, Amitabh doesn´t manage to reach the level expected by the viewer. Jaya Bhaduri stays for what I usually take her – a small gray mouse without much of a screen-presence, and is somehow lost among the powerful Dharam, less powerful but still good Amitabh, and also ravishing Sharmila who is the one to keep the eyes of all glued on her. Sadly, both ladies are underused.

In spite of the silliness of the plot Chupke Chupke is a very enjoyable film and one of the most effortlessly funny comedies that have ever came out of Bollywood. Safe to watch with family, safe to watch with friends, and brightening up your day even if you are alone.

Nerdy Amitabh rates the film with 4 out of 5 Whirpool washing machines.

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Julie (1975)

Directed by: K.S. Sethumadhavan

Starring: Laxmi, Vikram, Om Prakash, Nadira, Utpal Dutt, Rita Bhaduri, Sridevi

Released: 1975

Verdict: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

I came across this film while looking for something with Sridevi, and had it not been for her name, I probably wouldn´t bother to watch this, definitely not any time soon. But I was in „Sridevi-mood“ and finally hit the play button of my „Julie“ file. I didn´t get much of a Sridevi, whom I could not find for about thirty minutes (only then I realized she was just 13 and looking VERY different then how we are used to see her in the movies like Chandni or Mr. India), but I did get a touching, though not brilliant story about an ordinary girl with completely ordinary life.

There is truly nothing outstanding about Julie, a girl from slightly dysfunctional family, where mother is partly English and father completely Indian. She is quiet, reserved, with no big dreams or prospects. All she wants is to live peacefully, but that is not always easy, because her parents, even though they share a mutual affection, are two very different people, both with major flaws. Father is a good-natured guy who doesn´t like conflicts and drinks a lot, despite everyone begging him to stop. Mother, the more dominant in the family, takes great pride in her English roots and is always ready to claim the cheese bought in a local shop is actually imported from Europe, just to impress her similarly wanna-be-ish guests. The family is complete with Julie´s two younger siblings, brohter and sister. Julie´s ordinary life consists mostly of briging her father lunch in a bucket pail, riding on a top tube of her friend´s bike and slapping a local merchant who just won´t understand she is not interested in paying the bill with her beauty. For beautiful she is.

Meet Julie

Her drunk father

Her wanna-be mother

Her completely forgettable brother

And..... Sridevi!

The main twist creeps into the film together with a sudden return of Shashi, Julie´s best friend brother. The two fall in love (surprise surprise) but don´t tell anyone, especially not their mothers. Because just as Julie´s mother is Anglo-obssessed Christian who sees Indians as dirt, Shashi´s mother is a nearly fanatical Hindu who can barely stand the sight of Christian Julie. After some romancing (and some drinking) the two succumb to the physical passion in the middle of a song, after which Julie gets introduced to a popular Bollywood rule that first sex = pregnancy. And very conveniently Shashi leaves without even saying goodbye just before she can tell him. And so Julie has to share the secret with her mother, who doesn´t hesitate and immediatelly sends her daughter to a distant relative, where she can give birth to the child and the family prestige will not be harmed in the eyes of a local community........

The awkward moment when you realize your daughter is a total disgrace.

Just as I said – there is nothing outstanding about Julie the character or her family. I think the story, that definitely has moving moments, is so appealing because ti is so ordinary, that it could happen anywhere and at any time – in fact, I´m sure thousands and thousands of families (and not just in India) had to face such situation. Julie the film doe not bring a new thrilling concept, but it sensitively portrais the difficulties that go hand in hand with unwanted pregnancies of unwed girls. At the same time Julie´s pregnancy and motherhood are not the only issue in the film. The relationship of her parents plays a great part too and is brilliantly illustrated with short episodes like for example the buying of a car or the father getting drunk and embarrasing his wife during a Christmas party. The two mothers, who are so concerned about their families´ well-being and honour, are ironically the two who cause the most of the problems and both come off as over-posessive and selfish. And both excell in emotional blackmailing. The film ends on a happy note (of course and thank God!).

A valuable lesson in emotional blackmailing.

Laxmi as Julie is wonderful. I read she acted in pracitcally all language-versions of the film, but I have not seen those and I cannot compare, so even if she was better in Telugu, it doesn´t really concern me, because she was really good in Hindi. She is wonderfully desi beautiful with large almond eyes and she emotes well through them. Nadira as her mother is like a thunderous storm. She sweeps away everything that comes into her way and in a way is more interesting and charismatic then Julie herself, evne though her character is rather un-likeable most of the time. „Julie“ is a female oriented film through and through, and except for the drunk father and fleetingly appearing Shashi there are no male characters worth mentioning. As I have said at the very beginning, I initially wanted to watch this film for Sridevi, but she (and her „brother“) has no real role and pretty much is simply there to create an illusion of a family. She has about five lines, all meaningless and dubbed by somebody else´s voice. So do not make the same mistake I did and do not expect Sridevi. Expect Laxmi, lots of tears and a bucket pail.

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