Shart (1986) :::: Psycho serial killer!
Film starts with murders of call girls, prostitutes and women of doubtful characters. They are brutally murdered and almost in a similar fashion. Police gets no clue and only thing which is found with dead bodies are pieces of negatives.
One young Inspector is given the charge to solve the case and he is also puzzled about the fact that why someone would kill call girls and prostitutes? When he came across the pieces of negatives he is forced to go back to his own life.
Film goes back in a college campus.
Students are having fun and one student, say A, is running fast here and there and everywhere he stops he gets a piece of photograph, he picks it up, watches it, understands something and start running again to other place and when his race is finished he finds himself before the clock watch situated at the roof top of the college. He picks up something from there and comes down with expressions of a winner on his face.
“A” meets his closest friend “B” and demands the Rupee note as he has won the game. “B” gives him the note.
Then a female student “C” joins the college who has taken late admission because her father has recently been posted in the city. She soon befriends with “A” and “B” and spends her time in college with these two old friends. Now they are three enjoying their lives in college. Its fun spread everywhere.
Another scene: “A” is provoking “B” to walk on the rope and on stake is the same Ruppee note. “B” accepts the challenge and he is there on the rope with a bamboo stick in his hands.”C” rebukes “A” for provoking “B” for such work but A and B are adamant on their positions. Students are gathered and they are cheering him up. “B” wins the bet and gets the Rupee note in his possession. Principal of the college calls “B” and is saying him that he has got damn genius mind and if such brain goes in positive direction then can do wonderful things but if such mind goes in negative direction then it can be highly destructive. “B” is understood as very intelligent student in the college and he promises his principal that he would utilize his mind in good works.
“B” goes to canteen of the college and there he finds “A” is sitting with “C” and other students. “B” brings inside a very sad face as if something wrong has happened. “A” asks why principal had called “B”? “B” replies with low voice that Principal has expelled him from the college. Hearing this “A” becomes very angry and says he will see the idiot Principal. He runs outside to meet Principal. As soon as he goes out, “B” starts laughing heavily and everybody realises that he has made fool out of “A”. “C” comments that you two will never behave properly.
After few moments “A” comes. He is naturally, filled with anger and he approaches “B” to settle scores with him and two are involved in a dramatic fight where they behave like old warriors and everybody enjoys their fight and dialogues. There is a lot of Sher-o-Shaiyree whenever these two friends are gathered either in college campus or in gymnasium.
Soon its clear that both A and B have started liking C but C likes A and treats B as common friend. B realises this and feel sad and at the same time his life takes turn when he is called by an old woman, and she tells him that he is son of a prostitute. She is died and B is suddenly facing naked truths of life. He can’t handle these emotional pressures and when he sees A and C having love affair, he is filled with feelings of frustration, avoidance, despondencies etc, and he leaves the college and city without telling anyone.
Time passes and “A” joins police force and marries “C”. Spark of romance and spicy things are remaining in their lives and C continues to play pranks with him and life goes ahead with full of joys.
——
“A” now Inspector, somehow feels that these pieces of negatives are indicating involvement of his old friend “B” to some extent. He starts his searching in the city and finds “B” who is now a photographer and runs a photo studio. He meets him and asks where he ahs been all these years. He gets no clue about involvement of “B” in the murders but his mind is not free of doubts and he appoints his policemen outside “B” studio and apartment to keep a watch over him. Same night, another murder happens and “A” arrests “B” and interrogates but studio owner gives witness that “B” was with him whole the night. “A” is compelled to leave the “B” and his officers warn him for not doing any foolish thing. He tells them the history behind these negatives but they now know all the history of “A” “B” and “C” and think that perhaps “A” fears about “B” that he may still be loving “C” who is now wife of “A”.
“A” is very disturbed and he even does not tell “C” about “B”. He is getting more disturbed and he gathers all the negatives, police has found near the dead bodies and he tries to search any link between these pieces of negatives. He recalls his old memories and he gets success in linking them and he is now able to decode them. He is very clear that killer leaves piece of negative just as a clue about his next target and because police had no clue so they never could take action before the murder. He is feeling inside that “B” is doing all these to send challenge to him.
He plans to catch “B” red handed. But all his efforts go waste and another killing happens and police gets another piece of negative. “A” is trying to decode the message hidden in this piece of negative and when he gets success, his mouth is opened in shock. He is shocked.
Now the lady, who is on killer’s target, is his wife. And he has very little time to save her. He rushes to go there at his home so that he can save his wife.
Will he save his wife?
Was “B” that serial killer?
If “B” was that serial killer why he was doing this and why he plays this negative game with “A”. If “A” is serial killer then why he plans to kill the woman he once loved and why he would sends message to “A” through negatives that “C” would be his next target because then he is also killed by “A”. If “A” is right and “B” is that psycho killer then who gets that Rupee note which they used to put on bet? Who wins in the end?
To know all these secrets, watch this film “Shart” directed by Ketan Anand, son of famous film director late Chetan Anand.
Film had music by Bappi Lahree and two songs can be liked.
A – KanwalJit Singh
B – Nasseruddin Shah
C – Shaban Azami
Sarika, Tom Alter, Dina Pathak, Sonu Walia, Bharat Bhushan and Mac Mohan play the supporting cast.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Oz:
you are right, the sleekness and pace which was present in the Achanak (Vinod Khanna) was missing in Shart. Cant say if it was not the subject for Chetan Anand becasue he later directed another murder mystery, Aja Meri Jaan (Kishan kumar film T series wale). It was for me also first serial killer in hindi. But I did not go watch it for being serial killer kinda film. At that time I had liked college campus dhamal shown in film and the poetry used by Naseer on various occasions. Ketan had got nice actors, and they performed also but perhaps film should have been like 80-90 minutes long only so that film could have got pace. But to keep film for every kind of audience Ketan inserted so many irrelevant things in the film.
RK,Man you did it again !!!Your posts should be tagged with “golden memories”. This was one of those very few good suspense Hindi movies made those days. This post reminds me also of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s thriller Khamosh…perhaps one of best in this genre. Would love if you put a post on that too.
Bishu:
thanks.
It will be nice to cover Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s films. Though I had liked his first film Sajay Maut then Khamosh. But it was long ago. Will have to see both again.:)
What I think was missing in Shart was the tightness and the flood like flow so essential (for an ADD like me) in a psycho drama. The idea was there. I had not seen a psycho serial killer in a Hindi movie before (don’t think there are many done before Shart)… Liked the transformation of Naseer though I kept feeling he was falling in and out of his part. Kanwaljeet was ok… Shabana did a fine job… Sarika as the girl in love with Naseer was a treat in the short span she was on screen.
I felt Chetan Anand had tried to get into the psychological mind of the Naseer and bring it out for us while at the same time dwell in the family life of Kanwaljeet and Shabana – showing their middle class life and the “nok-jhok” around the house. But it just didn’t come out effectively for me.
The pace was another issue… it would drag and drag at times and I just wasn’t comfortable seeing the treatment being given to the subject. Perhaps this wasn’t Chetan Anand’s kind of movie… maybe the subject appealed to him, but he wasn’t cut out for this.
Loved the last scene where Naseer. after being shot and taking his last breaths, takes the money out and drops it on the ground as gesture of returning it back to Kanwaljeet, on having lost the bet.
: My bad I always thought this one was directed by Chetan Anand… now I know…
Darn… did I reveal everything in the comment? Sorry dude…
= Kishen Kumar in Aja meri jaan… was it that movie that had the song “Pagal dil mera… tumse keh rah, ab to tere bina raha jaye na… Aaje meri jaan zara… dil se dil mila…”… wasn’t it Kishen Kumar’s debut film about the murders that keep happening in the hotel he is sings at… oh man I remember I was so bummed after seeing that movie (was in college) that as me and I friends came out from th 6-9 show we saw many of our college mates waiting to get in for the 9-12 show and out of pure frustration I went to the guys and started telling them who the killer in the movie was…
Was chased till the “Sagar” bar two blocks away where we ended up drinking Kingfisher…
Oz:
one person had a little fight with a gang of boys going to see old Film ” Bees Saal Baad”. I think that man was belonging to canteen running inside this cinema hall, just before boys were entering inside the hall, that man shouted, Listen, do you know who kills in the film? Its father of waheeda rehman, the gardner”
Khatam:((
Oz:
yes it was debut film of Krishna kumar.
It had that song also, Novel parha, haan parha, kaisa laga achcha lag.
Casette was given free with stardust or filmfare:)
= I think we as college guys got some kind of naughty pleasure when we would come out of some whodunit movie and reveal the killer to our college mates standing outside… as a rule I never went for a 9-12 show which in college is the usual trend…. beer, chicken and movie before crashing on our iron folding beds with paper thin mattress on the top that had bedsheets that were last washed when you had left home 3 years ago… a 9-12 show was a sure shot invitation to being forced to hear who the killer was even before you entered the theater
I remember when 100 Days was released, the whole college was rushing to the theater… it was a sure shot invitation to know who the killer (before viewing the movie) was if we didn’t reach first… I rushed in all alone, skipped class, went and saw the matinee on Friday. and then… the whole college was after my neck… it was fun…
somehow many faint and strong connected memories are flowing in with this review of yours and the talk of Aja Meri Jaan…
Thats true. when look back in past , it all look sweet are the memorries of past. When you say 9-12, I am reminded of one film I saw 9-12, from hostel, perhaps that was last time I watched 9-12 show.
Hero was Tarik Shah (he made some truth events based Tv serial also) and heroine was Moon Moon Sen. Rupa Ganguli was also there. Film was ok but music was nice. cant recall the film.
But mostly campus based films are hit among hostelers.
Oz:
100 days case is really funny. It brings a very vivid but lively picture before eyes that how would have been the scene there. Can imagine the fun factor:)
Oh yaa, remember talking loudly about the end of 100 days and another Nseer, Rishi & Kimi Kathkar movie in front of the crowd going in to watch these movies.
:d
Muzzy: ya Khoj, Fav. Danny was also there in it.
I hope posts shd be made for these so called thrillers films, Khoj, Bhawani Junction etc
The Naseer, Kimi, Rishi movie was an exact replica of an English movie…. “Yeh meri biwi nahin hain” … “she’s not my wife!”
Oz:
NRIs wont leave any space for hindi film makers. they search somehow source of their so called Inspiration!:-?
= Shit Don’t talk about Bhawani Junction… that was the first movie I watched after skipping school and tutions. Watched it three days in a row because there was nothing else worth watching around the time it was released. It was the first time I had skipped school to watch a movie and there was no looking back… I’ll always remember Bhawani Junction cause of this… Rati’s two minute role… Mahesh Anand and Mazzar Khan… Shatrughan Sinha going to meet Shashi Kapoor the King… Zeenat Aman… the only digestible thing about the movie was the title song… Bhawaaaaaaaaaneeeeee Junction…. Bhawaaaaaaneeeeeeeee Junction…
You did not like the idea that shatrughan Sinha kept Mazhar Khan in Shashi Kapoor’s own palace:)
and what that scene was, flashing of light coming from the locket hanging in the neck of Mazhar Khan. a great thing which onyl hindi film wala can think.
But above all, whatever it was but seeing Bhawani Junction continuously 3 days is something to be noticed. It shd be mentioned in Guinese or atleast in Limca book. I also saw Kabhi Haan Kabhi naa continuoulsy three days- maitenee show. One it was too hot, summer holidays, and it was a tax free film. But Bhawani Junction. You broke all record, or you set a record which, noone, perhaps, cant set again. :d
thats amazing. Hope Shatrughan Sinha and director of film read this sometimes.
aajaaaa….. aaja meri jaaaaan… kaha tha tune sanam… juda na honga hum… dil – na – ma-ne… jani tuu hai kahan?? aaaaaaajaaaa…
kishen kumar!! man, that dude gave me nightmares… for a week at least.
there is a new psycho killer movie – ‘Red Swastik’ coming out but it seems more like a sex/porn movie than…
RK,
The movie with Tarik Shah and moon moon sen was probably called “Bahaar Aaney tak” ( am not sure though). It had a few nice songs and thats all that people remember….BTW, if you see zamaane ko dikhana hai (rishi kapoor) there is a famous qawaali and you can see tarik shah sitting behind chintu baba clapping his hands as an extra.
Still remember that I went and saw Ishq (aamir, Juhi, Ajay, kajol) 4 times.. someone in the hostel would catch me… chal chal picture dekh ke aatey hain….. cant believe i saw the same crap 4 times in a row….The movie I had seen maximum times was (for some stupid reason) Betaab (sunny paaji’s debut film… 8 times.
Kishan kumar …. was something like an alien. His eyebrows were like the amazon… his face was like the sundarban delta and his acting was like the yeti – non existant. Bhai ne paisa lagaya… and made a donkey an actor… even then some of the songs picturised on him have been big hits…. kismat hai….