SushilKBirla Reviews

Andaz (1949)

Musical Par Excellence: Andaz (1949) A tragic misinterpretation

[9/10 · 4 June 2023]

I enjoyed it as a musical - not only the songs, but also the background score. As the movie transitions from one scene to the next, the music takes you there smoothly.

It has many romantic songs.

Although the plot is a love triangle (almost a quadrangle) without bidirectionality, the romance that makes the movie is between Neena (Nargis) and Dileep (Dilip Kumar).

When he saves her from a deathly plunge in a horse-ride gone wild, she is very grateful and values his friendship very much, but he misinterprets her responses and thinks she is as much in love with him as he is with her. When Rajan (Raj Kapoor) returns from abroad, Dileep is bewildered, and feels misled.

Neena's friend, Sheela (Cuckoo) performs an excellent supporting role. Her dancing is superb.

As in many love triangle themes in Bollywood, one party ends dying. I think that part of the plot stretched my imagination (too contrived), leaving Sheela out of the picture (rather than using her as a consolation prize). The plot moves on to a court trial - also contrived to give the pulpit (this time to Raj Kapoor), as is in many Bollywood movies.

Overall for a 1949 technology production, it beats most modern Bollywood movies (in spite of all the technological gimmicks) in its appeal to me.

Aandhiyan (1952)

The storms of social exploitation

[10/10 · 28 May 2023]

This 1952 movie has a nicely portrayed social message - very appropriate for those times.

In music and dance, it is in a class by itself - no ill-fitting scene as seen in Bollywood movies of more recent years. Gopi Krishna's dances were fabulous.

The background music (embellished with Sitar and Sarod) is exquisite - befitting the theme and mood of each scene.

Nimmi's character portrayal (as Rani) is classy - she sacrifices her own aspirations for the person she loves: facilitating the engagement with Janaki (played by Kalpana Kartik); rallying the community to prevent the blackmail wedding of Seth Kuberdas (played by K. N. Singh whose favorite line is "I am a businessman) with Janaki; ending the exploitation of Kuberdas forever.

What an episode when Janaki decides to sacrifice her future to protect her parents and their home and goes to Kuberdas and says, "You are a businessman; I have come to do business with you"!

The senior actresses who played the roles of the mothers and Kuberdas' expelled wife performed very well too.

K. N. Singh (a veteran in playing the villain role) performed very well as the exploitative moneylender, abusing the ill-gained wealth for his own sensuous pleasure.

The cast in the supporting roles also performed well (Johnny Walker; the Pahalvan; Kuberdas' muneem).

The court scene at the end was as unrealistic as in most Bollywood movies I have seen. It was contrived to introduce a tirade of social messages by the defendant's attorney, Ram (De Anand). Still, bringing the testimony of Kuberdas' expelled wife and the testimony of Kuberdas' muneem were surprising twists in the plot.

Society has under-rated this movie. I feel like listening to some of the songs again.

Ishaara (1964)

Excellent social theme

[9/10 · 7 May 2023]

The movie has an excellent theme about societal equity and justice. Vyjayanthimala (playing role of Mala), the protagonist, portrays this theme very well. Her stepfather (Khemchand) is a self-made businessman, but his successes were not totally ethical.

The movie portrays unjust wealth-based class distinction in the behavior and conversations of Khemchand and his peers.

The movie also portrays another kind of inequity in the treatment of Mala by her step-siblings.

Mala had been away from the family for a decade, studying the fine arts. When she returns, she finds herself treated as an outsider in her family. Her sense of social justice and compassion first shows up when she asks about the old family servant, Ramu. Learning that he is sick, she immediately leaves the dinner table to see Ramu.

Later, Ramu is instrumental in getting Mala to perform a charity fundraiser show for the welfare of the poor. While she feels immensely satisfied in this service to the poor, her family and family's social circle find it despicable.

When her father loses his business and is arrested, she urges the family to walk away from his ill-gotten wealth (because it belongs to the government and the people it represents), and move into the same poor neighborhood that they had despised. She shows leadership in coping with the situation.

As for the entertainment side of the movie, one dance performance and its music build on Vyjayanthimala's success in the Nagin movie. Her dances in the movie are superb.

Pran plays his customary villain role very well. Whereas in the the typical Bollywood movie, the villain is made to lose or die in the end, Mala redeems him by asking her father to forgive him. The repentant Pran touches her feet in gratitude.

As in a typical Bollywood movie, the villain and his cohorts engage in a fight scene with the good guys, but the whole episode is contrived and nonsensical - that is the reason I detracted one point from the otherwise excellent impression this move left on me.

I don't understand the ratings of the professional reviewers - the box office returns tell a different story: the public liked it very much - just as I did.

Anurodh (1977)

The story of a singer and his poet friend

[7/10 · 24 October 2022]

Watching this movie 45 years after its release, I enjoyed the portrayals of the lead character (Arun; Sanjay; Ghayal) as a singer and his impoverished sick poet friend, Srikant. Nirupa Roy performed well in her supporting as Srikant's mother.

The role of Srikant's father as the artist-unfriendly business-preoccupied was stereotypical and did not seem authentic.

In contrast, I enjoyed the performance of Ashok Kumar in the grandfather role.

As Arun's mechanic friend, Asrani performed a more significant and useful role in this movie than his usual comedian role. The role of his (mechanic) assistant was cheap humor - almost to the point of being irritating. On the other hand, Preeti Ganguly did well in the role of Asrani's wife. Both did well as hosts of their needy friend, Arun.

The role of Arun singing at a radio station in the disguise of Sanjay to conceal his real-life identity was an interesting part of the storyline - not only maintaining the secrecy from his father, but also from his romantic pursuit, Simple Kapadia. Getting employed (by her maternal grandfather, Ashok Kumar) as her driver was also an interesting ploy in the storyline.

I thought Simple Kapadia performed reasonably well, even though some reviews blame her for limiting the success of the movie. On the contrary, I think Rajesh Khanna was the limitation - the same old performance style.

Lore on the internet blames him for changes in the storyline to give him more prominence and to diminish the role of Srikant - changes that diminished the appeal of the movie. Vinod Mehra performed the Srikant role well - for me, the highlight was when he reached the children singing an inspirational song he had composed. Ashok Kumar sees him, appreciates his poetic composition, but does not probe further about his life, keeping the suspense.

Later, when Srikant is in the hospital in a critical condition, with all his well wishers waiting anxiously, Ashok Kumar arrives on the scene and recognizes Nirupa Roy as his estranged daughter-in-law - it was a touching moment in the story.

For me, the most enjoyable song was "Aapke anurodh pur", rather than the song at the climax, when Arun appears in person on the stage, disclosing his true identity.

Maya (1961)

Maya = Illusion in the world of the rich

[9/10 · 23 October 2022]

Dev Anand, Mala Sinha, and Lalita Pawar performed their respective roles very well. Although I had seen Dev Anand in more popular movies, his performance in Maya was much better. Although I had seen Lalita Pawar in many other movies, those roles were stereotypical - her role in Maya was more significant and brought out more of her skills. I had not seen a Mala Sinha movie in decades. Her performance in Maya (and the sense of responsibility as the only surviving elder in the family) seemed very natural.

Maya had a good social theme. The behavior of the gang-leader and the behavior of the landlord were well portrayed, reflecting real life well. So was the posture of Dev Anand's super-rich father.

Trivial complaints: Even after he started living among the poor, Dev Anand was smoking. On the one hand, he is portrayed to have the courage and will to experience life in poverty. On the other hand, he is smoking away money that he could have used for the poor.

The intended comic reliefs were not effective - typical of Bollywood movies of that era.

Although the romantic songs were good, their fit in the story seemed forced.

Good episodes: The household staff partying in the absence of the owners was hilarious.

The fake behaviors of the rich at Dev Anand's birthday party reflected real life well. His disillusionment with that lifestyle also felt genuine and credible - leading him to taste life in poverty.

The vignettes of the various families in the Chaal and the behavior of the landlord mirrored real-life well.

Shararat (1959)

Entertainment with Mischief

[7/10 · 18 October 2022]

Mischievous KishoreKumar is very entertaining.

So are the retaliations by MeenaKumari.

Some slapstick stuff was not.

But Kishore's deft footwork - prancing or dancing - made up for the poor intended-to-be-comical scenes.

In those days, his fast footwork was unique in male Bollywood actors.

His sleight of hand with cards against the street goon was also fun to watch.

Kishore's female impersonation joining the widows in fundraising and MeenaKumari's retaliation disguised as her brother were hilarious scenes.

The music was good too. Hum matwaalay naujavan was a big hit. My favorite was Dekh baboo chhed ka maza sung by Lata and enacted by KumKum in a beautiful dance, after she muds up his car in retaliation to being splashed by it. Tera teer O bay peer by Lata was also popular in its time. The two romantic KishoreKunar-GeetaDutt duets were enjoyable too. Near the end of the movie, Ajab hai dastaan teree ai zindagee in two parts might be considered the signature song of the movie, after the movie changes from a comedy to a melodrama. According to folklore on the internet, Kishore (even though he is a good singer himself and sang the other male songs in the movie) requested that this song be sung by Rafi.

Kishore's double role seemed contrived - playing MeenaKumari's boyfriend in the first part of the movie and brother-in-law in the second part of the movie. It seemed two different storylines were joined in one movie. While I enjoyed MeenaKumari's fun episodes in the first part of the movie, her melodramatic role in the last part of the movie seemed exploitative (Bollywood had popularized her has the tragedy queen).

Dulari (1949)

An enjoyable musical romantic movie

[9/10 · 27 June 2022]

Watching this 73 years after its release, and having seen many technologically advanced movie productions, I was surprised at how much we enjoyed this movie. The music made it for us. The songs did not feel force-fitted. The background score felt appropriate. "Suhani raat dhal chuki" continues to be an all-time-favorite for me. "Ae dil tujhe kasam hai" inspires me to this day. "Kaun sune fariyad hamaree" is another evergreen song that I continue to enjoy.

We were fortunate to find a digitally restored copy on You Tube.

The performances of both, Madhubala and Geeta Bali, were superb and endearing. This was the career's best performance for Suresh, the hero.

The plot was better than most Bollywood movies I have seen in the last 60 years.

I did not care much for the prolonged duels, but I suppose the investors have to cater to the "action"-seeking segment of the market too.

I was also disappointed at such a negative characterization of the gypsies.

Sardari Begum (1996)

In a class of its own

[10/10 · 27 March 2022]

I rated it high because it is not the typical Bollywood film: * There are no force-fitted song-and-dance scenes.

* The story is unfolded in an atypical style - through the journalist's interviews.

* The vignettes resemble real life in India of those times.

The movie is a musical, woven around the life of a music-lover in conflict with the traditions of mainstream society, especially her own family.

Her love of self-expressive music takes her down the path of a courtesan's life in India (esp. Uttar Pradesh) of those Nawabi times. Sardari Begum begins taking her daughter down the same path. The story of her journey brings out the social issues of those times. Thus, the movie has an important social theme and message - another reason for my high rating.

While many of the songs have religious motifs, they are expressions of romantic moods with mild eroticism. The body language of the singer enhances the sensuality. For example, the song "Moray Kanha jo aaye palat ke" connotes mischievous eroticism. The last song (also the closing song), "Chali pee ke nagar" is touching. It is symbolic of Sardari Begum's last journey - leaving this life, going to the land of the Beloved (the Supreme Being).

If you enjoy light classical music of this style, you will enjoy this movie very much. It is one more reason in support of my rating.

Tarana (1951)

A musical love story

[7/10 · 21 February 2022]

A touching musical love story.

Very well enacted by Dilip Kumar and Madhubala.

This movie produced two immortal songs: Seene mein sulagte hein armaan; Ek mein hoon ek meree. "Bol papihe bol" a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Sandhya Mukherji came to light when these two friends passed away recently.

An emergency landing brings the doctor (Dilip) and the patient (mother figure lady) to an idyllic village in the foothills of the Himalayas. Such things don't happen in real life, but the fantasy sets the stage for an enjoyable movie-watching experience. Such a "coincidence" was also used in Motilal's "Chhoti Chhoti Baatein" to set the story in an idylllic village.

To further add to the "coincidence" the doctor and patient are brought to the home of Tarana (Madhubala) and her blind father.

Similar to the plot in "Deedar", the doctor is able to restore the eyesight of Tarana's father.

The movie could have a 10/10 rating from me, but for the following issues: (a) The end was rushed and the chance reuniting was too phony. When Tarana took the goat from his home, he could have realized that it was missing and started a search.

(b) The scenes of the comedian "Gop" with the priest at the temple were overdone. Including the amount of beating in the last scene between them.

(c) Some excitement could have been added by showing Tarana's escape from the fire and journey to Mumbai.

(d) Some songs could have been dropped. They were jammed in and did not fit well in the storyline.

Ek Thi Larki (1949)

Well done RomCom

[8/10 · 21 February 2022]

Watching in 2022, I enjoyed this romantic comedy more than the modern ones.

I. S. Johar wrote a very good storyline, esp. The parts played by the thug-duo. The ending was very clever and funny.

This movie had immortalized the song "Lara Lappa". Composer Vinod had some other good songs in the movie too. Alas, he passed away too early in his life.

Motilal and Meena Khouri played the lead roles well.

Patita (1953)

Old gold

[8/10 · 11 January 2022]

The music of the movie rates 10/10 for me.

The fit of the songs in the story line is "forced" in many places like most Bollywood movies; therefore, I did not detract from the rating on this factor.

The social message of the movie also deserves the top rating; it was very appropriate for those times. Almost 70 years later today, a child out of wedlock does not seem to be such a big deal in the urban lifestyle.

The lead performers acted their parts very well, esp., Dev Anand; Agha's role went beyond the usual comedian sidekick in Bollywood movies; that factored highly in my rating.

The court scene near the end: The judgment was based on the self-defense argument; then, what was the point of the long speech by Lalita Pawar? Again, no worse than the theatrics in any other court scene in Bollywood movies; therefore, I did not derate the movie on this factor.

Many loose ends: How could people find Agha's (Mast Ram's) abode so quickly: Dev Anand chasing Usha Kiran; the police hunting for her. After his car crash, how did Dev Anand survive and come back into the main story? Was his song with Usha Kiran a spectre? Was his admonishment to Lalita Pawar (mother) a ghost voice? Given that the movie was based on a successful novel, I did not understand why the storyline had so many loose ends.

I suppose, in the interest of time, the moviemaker left these details to the viewers' imagination.

On the whole, even after being used to the modern technology of modern movies, I enjoyed this 70-year old movie very much.

Teesri Manzil (1966)

Horror and violence

[1/10 · 28 November 2021]

This movie has five killings - five too many. Movie director, Vijay Anand, does not seem to know how to create mystery, suspense, and thrill without killing people. First, the villain kills his wife, because she catches him with his mistress. Then, he kills someone who sees him burying his wife - by pushing her off the third floor of the hotel. Then, he shoots a performer at the hotel, when he intended to kill her fellow performer. Then, he kills his mistress while she is on the phone giving her testimony to the police. At last, the villain plunges to his own death. IMDb rating should have mentioned "Violence" - the movie did not deserve 7.7.

I did not care much for the songs and dances. Some were in performances on the hotel stage - blaring in your face. Some were outdoors - out of place in the story.

Summer of '42 (1971)

Captivating - beyond my expectations

[10/10 · 5 July 2004]

This movie captivated me beyond my expectations. Not being a movie-goer or a TV-watcher, I had not yet seen (or read about) the movie, its excerpts, the original book, or the cast, although I had heard references to the summer of '42. After an intense work week, I had tuned into the PBS channel on TV to watch 30 minutes of a business news program, at the end of which, PBS showed that "The Summer of '42" was next. I thought of watching it only for a few minutes - not really being interested in seeing a story from 62 years ago in a movie made 33 years ago. PBS played the movie without a break, and I sat through all of it - totally captivated. I don't think I can explain the reasons with a typical technical analysis. I think it held me in a trance, because it reflected my own coming of age. Even though I grew up in a different era, country, culture and society, there were many parallels to the drugstore episode, the furtive readings of the book, the carrying of the grocery bags, the storing away of the boxes, and the attempted "fooling around" inside the movie theater.

I like a production (movie; theater; music) that reflects the reality one experiences in life. This movie was one of those rare productions. I felt it was quite artistic in its balance - the way it assimilated simple elements from everyday living, with a simple, but enchanting, musical score. The movie did not need any dazzling stage effects - Jennifer O'Neill was enough; and, even in her, the art and beauty was in her being so natural.

In the end, I felt good about spending the time to see the movie.