Safar, Manorama, Darwaza Bandh Rakho
I haven’t seen ‘Singh is Kinng’ yet. But last week I saw three new (not as in recent released) films, which is more than the number of films I saw in last six months. So I want to celebrate that. By writing a post on those three films; I liked those films otherwise I would not have even mentioned it.
Actually, I saw four films: Manorama - Six Feet Under, Safar, Black Friday and Darwaaza Bandh Rakho. I had seen Black Friday before but saw it again recently (cos I liked it first time around); where as other three films I had not seen it before, so wanted to watch it.
Safar
The film stars with an ER / ICU scene and I was pleasantly surprised to see the scene to be quite realistic - showed the flesh - blood - organs - everything. The scene was explicit; I have never seen an ER scene like that in other Indian films. So my expectations after watching that film were very high. I didn’t know anything about this film (story) when I started watching the film; I only knew that it had a philosophical Kishoreda song and also by my favorite Manna Dey. But ma told me the film is very good and since it had a couple of philosophical songs about life, so I bought the DVD. As the story evolved, I realized it is another film about love triangle story and Rajesh Khanna dying. I don’t like love triangles or any films that would have (relationship) misunderstandings. But anyway, I watched the entire film without forwarding any scene, so I liked the film. That is my film-o-meter. I cannot argue with that. However, I didn’t like the story. Its like saying, “Oh, I didn’t like the vaad-paav, but chutney was good”, that’s fair, I think.
Recently there was a discussion about that ideology of Middle-Class in “Jaane Tu Jaane Kya…..” is all wrong and inaccurate. But then, in Safar, a 1970 movie - the heroine - a doctor student is allowed to be with the hero - at his home all the time - or can bring him home. If that happened in a 1970 movie, then surely filmi Middle Class characters should be more advanced. No?
Manorama - Six Feet Under.
Now mannerism of Middle Class characters was perfect in this film. I think, all the characters were sketched out perfectly. For example, Gulal Pang, in a Maxim all the time. However, in my opinion, they all didn’t gel in together. There was no chemistry between the characters. In fact, I reckon, there were too many characters. I would have preferred SV didn’t have a family and was either a journalist, a doctor or a retired army officer. Navdeep had mentioned that he wanted a middle-age actor to play the SV role, but Abhay got the role in the end. I think, Navdeep should have got a middle-aged actor for the role. Because, Abhay Deol did not bring anything uniqueness to the role (w.r.t acting) - was it because the character was sketched that way or he wasn’t suited for it? It was mixture of that both. Also, when SV donned the detective character - he really didn’t had to search anything - everything fell into his lap - it was so simple - for him to find the answer. That’s how it seemed to me. Perhaps that was the objective. But I didn’t like it.
I have never seen a Noir film, so I don’t know what noir cinema means. So I thought all those fishes and fish-tanks/aquariums would have to do with that. In fact, I didn’t have a clue about that. Then I read Navdeep’s comment explaining the importance of gold fish, to understand the meaning of it. And it was so simple - you don’t need a brain for that - you just need to understand irony - and I don’t get that.
I liked the ending. It was a little twisted ending. That’s the best bit about the film and also the cinematography. I also would have liked more use of the regional dialect in the film, but I can understand why there was a minimum use of that.
Anyway, I am a fan of Lt. Columbo, so what do I know.
Darwaza Bandh Rakho
I get the irony now. After this film, RGV Factory was closed - no other films were produced by him for his team. ‘Go’ was released last year and there are couple of films in the stockroom. So the door is closed but not locked yet.
The film was released when I was in India and on the day when I was flying back to home, so I could not watch the film, which I so wanted to watch the film and hence bought the film. I was curious about the plot-line of the film. On paper - it sounds interesting - like on paper Indian Middle Order batsmen are world-beater - but fail 9 out of 10 times. And this film could have been interesting if Snehal Dhabi hadn’t wrote the dialogues and the script was better. The idea was good and rest was just okay, so the film ended up as just below average mark. I don’t regret buying the dvd, though. It is worth a watch - there are no item songs - and only 97 minutes long. Its not like any recent comedy films. Also Ishrat Ali is brilliant in this film!
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Movies , Darwaza Bandh Rakho, Manorama Six Feet Under, rgv, Safar Rajesh Khanna
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Honhaar-G, it’s interesting that you thought Satyaveer would be better performed by an older actor. Perhaps. I thought Abhay made an ideal schlub, like someone I could already know or perhaps am a bit of myself. On top of that, he’s got a certain watchable quality to him that makes him an attractive schlub (yeah, I know those two words don’t go together, but he pulled that off).
I lent three recent Indian movies to a friend who’s on bedrest temporarily and whose only exposure before was my copy of Yahaan. They were Manorama, Bluff Master and Pyaar Ke Side Effects. She far preferred Manorama.
Goonda-bhai… I’m glad you watched, and liked (to an extent I suppose) Safar. It’s one of my favorite films, and not just for the songs. I thought the film was handled with great maturity.. the friendship between Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore with intense, restrained sexual undercurrents (almost came to the forefront in that scene when Sharmila Tagore slices the sleeve of Rajesh Khanna’s shirt..).
I love the philosophical ambiance of the film, which provided for some interesting dialogues… “Jaanti ho Neela, log bhimaar ko dekhne kyun aatein hai? Taakein woh usse dekh ke khush ho saake ke main uski tarah bhimaar nahin hoon, majboor nahin hoon. Isi liye mujhe humdardi lene waalo aur karne waalo, dono se nafrat hai” (that was from memory but I think I got the gist of it). There’s many other such gems. The songs… “Nadiya chale chale re dhaara, Chanda chale chale re taara… tujhko chalna hoga tujhko chalna hoga…” An obvious metaphor that life will always move on…
This primarily the reason why I thought Kal Ho Na Ho was shit. Everyone thought it was a copy of “Anand”, just because SRK has a terminal illness. But it was much closer to “Safar”, what with the love triangle and all. But look at the difference in the handling, the ambiance, the mood of the two films. Safar was so much more mature, sensitive, candid, philosophical.. it had thought, it had soul behind it. It had immense class.
I especially loved the characters of Safar… Ashok Kumar as the elder, veteran surgeon and mentor to Sharmila Tagore was simply brilliant. God how I miss the kind of dignity those characters (and of course those actors) can lend a film. To this date I think its one of Feroz Khan’s best performances. He was sophisticated but highly insecure. Thus him him prone to jealously was very realistic. The way it ate him up inside was so visible, despite the fact that in most portions of the film where he has very little dialogue. In fact, the way director Asit Sen handle’s the pivotal “Shekhar” character makes all the difference. You can tell the character always felt like an “outsider”, wanting to be involved but never quite achieving it. His scenes with Rajesh Khanna (namely where Shekhar goes to Avinash to discuss him proposing marriage since he’s been told that’s her best friend) were so layered, so much complexity and handled with such dexterity.
This is why I consider Safar leagues ahead of typical love triangles. It has much more to say and says it much more eloquently, philosophically, and at times candidly than most love triangles Hindi films have ever attempted.
Sorry guys, comment likhne jaa raha tha before I knew it poora post likh daala…
manorama often seems much better on second viewing…
and now that you ahve reminded me of darwaza bandh rakho, i need to watch that film….missed it when it was release though the trailer looked really funny/interesting
That was brilliant dialogue; I was going to quote that dialogue, but my memory ne phir se daaga diya.. And also “Zindagi Ek Latifa..”; I have been annoying people with that dialogue.
It was the treatment of the film, which what I liked the most.
I only caught ‘Darwaza…’ the other month.
It wasn’t unbearable, as reviewed by many, but it is quite a forgetable film.
I do remember finding a few scenes/dialogues amusing though.
‘Manorama’?
Don’t even get me started on this one!
I’ve read no reviews. Haven’t even read ur feedback on it. And i own a dvd of it!
But, i’ve just not found the right ‘atmosphere’ to view it in.
It’s the most unlucky film for me to view!
So many obstacles!
I see 6mins a day.
I have a feeling i know what kinda film it is!
And when are u planning on watching ‘No Smoking’?
It’d be interesting to see what u think of it.
I’ve been saying that to u since last year!
I took ur advice btw…
Now that I have seen it, I can read ur’s and EVERYONES take on it!
‘Manorama’ was, for me, a little obvious albeit enjoyable.
Abhay Deol was SUPER-FAB!
I am really appreciating him as an experimental actor…
He brings so much to the characters he plays!
Glad he was chosen for this role.
But, I was quite shocked at how good Gul Panag was, and how average Raima was!
I expected it to be the other way around!!
Gotta say, Gul was excellent in this!
Great cinematography too!
The only thing that didn’t work for me was the climax, as the film had many indications that the whole events were most probably happening in the writers (Abhays) mind.
To begin with, he says ‘All is not what it seems in the desert’.
I interpreted that as a ‘in the mind of the writer’ kinda film.
And then all those fishes and water…They added to the surreal effect of ‘this isn’t real…It’s not happening’…
Well, for me it seemed like that anyway.
(Sorry for sectioning my views, mobile net does that!)
Infact, had the climax revealed that the whole film was ‘actually’ SV’s failed novel ‘Manorma’ unravelled, it’d be a fantastic (maybe self indulgent on the writers part) twist.
IMO anyway.
I haven’t seen ‘Chinatown’ but i’m assuming that the film is a faithful remake?
I’d have liked it more had they altered the climax.
Just like the recent K.K.Menon film ‘Strangers’, which began as ‘Stranger On A Train’, but shifted gears to avoid predictability.
Having said that, I will watch ‘Manorma’ again.