Sholay (1975) - One of the greatest Indian movie hits of all time

When you think of great Hindi movies, one of the names that always comes to the front is the movie called Sholay, released in 1975. The movie seems like it was set in another age, it being now 35 years since it was released and became a huge hit; and is now a cult movie. If it comes on TV even now, you can be sure that there will be some people who will want to watch. And the movie created a set of characters who became incredibly famous, specifically the few characters of Gabbar (Amjad Khan), Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar), Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), Veeru (Dharmendra), and Basanti (Hema Malini), and the under-played role of Radha (played by Jaya Bachchan).
The movie took a chance, starring a newcomer in the pivotal role of the dacoit leader (Danny was the original choice, but he was unavailable, and hence a newcomer such as Amjad Khan was selected). The movie was based on a small idea by the prolific writer duo of Salim-Javed. And the outcome was a movie that broke all records, and became a cult movie known till today.



The movie was produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. Music for the film was given by RD Burman, with the lyrics provided by Anand Bakshi. During direction, the movie went over-budget, since the director wanted to be perfect in the shooting, and many of the shots took many takes and many days. The movie also had real-life relations between the stars, with Amitabh and Jaya getting married 4 months before shooting of the movie started, and Dharmendra romancing Hema Malini at that time. The movie took a period of 2.5 years to make. The movie also had an effect on tourism, with the location of Ramanagaram (a rocky terrain), a village near Bangalore, Karnataka being the shooting site, and being known later as the location where Sholay was shot.
The movie was based on the concept of revenge, where a local dacoit terrorises the village, and also takes revenge on the family of the local thakur. The Thakur in turn hires 2 small-time but brave crooks to come in to fight the dacoit and his gang, and this is what they do, but with some sadness, as one of the 2 loses his life in the end.
The movie takes these 2 small time crooks (Jai and Veeru) in a jail. They are remembered by an ex-policeman, the Thakur, when he is looking for somebody who can help him fight the dacoits (led by Gabbar). He had apprehended them, and then see how brave they were when they fought off dacoits who were trying to rob a train. He meets them, and offers them a large amount of money if they can get rid of Gabbar and his gang. Gabbar is a violent and brutal dacoit leader who is terrorising the villages.
In the first confrontation, three men from Gabbar's gang come to get supplies from the villagers, something that they do without any issue in the past. Now, however, they face a fight from Jai and Veeru and have to go back without any supplies; at which Gabbar cannot stand the sight of his men being humiliated in front of the village and shoots them after some drama (in a scene that was much appreciated). The next major attack is on Holi, during which Jai and Veeru are pinned down and are looking for Thakur to throw a gun towards them, but he does not cooperate. Later his story is revealed, where he had arrested Gabbar some time back, and then Gabbar killed all his family except for one daughter-in-law Radha (Jaya Bhaduri). And in another confrontation, Gabbar cut off both his hands leaving him without any hands.
So, the situation continues, with Jai and Veeru staying in the village, and getting fond of Radha and Basanti respectively. Gabbar has cut off the village from the outside, but they fight back by killing some of his men. And then the final confrontation, where the fight with Gabbar and his men take place, in which Jai finally dies.

Some interesting scenes from the movie:

Where Jai talks to Basanti's mausi and turns her against Veeru, and Veeru on the water tank:



Scene from the jail early in the movie with Asrani:

Guddi (1971) - the movie that made Jaya Bachchan famous and known as an accomplished actor

Guddi was a movie released in 1971, produced and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee (who made a number of famous movies during the 70's) and was written by Gulzar. However, the movie is best famous for giving Jaya Bachchan, then a young and upcoming actress, a canvas for her to show her acting skills and fortunately for her, the movie did well and was praised (thus leading to a lot of praise for Jaya Bachchan). The movie also starred Dharmendra, Utpal Dutt, and had a number of other starts such as Amitabh Bachchan, Om Prakash and Pran making guest appearances in the movie; this was also because the movie was also about a big star and his work in Bollywood, so a lot of details about Bollywood were shown in the movie. In fact, some other stars such as Biswajeet, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Naveen Nischol, Om Prakash, Pran, Shashikala and Mala Sinha played cameo roles in the movie.
The movie also had some good music with songs such as "Bole Re Papihara" and "Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena" (sung by Vani Jairam) becoming very famous for their classical background. The music for the film was given by Vasant Desai.



The movie is about the concept of being attracted by the on-screen personality of a star, based on what the star plays as characters, instead of knowing the real life of the star (and where the character of the star could be very different from the characters played). In this case, Kusum (Jaya Bachchan) is a schoolgirl who develops an incredible crush for the movie star Dharmendra; she lives with her family; but when she visits Mumbai, that is when the crush that she has for Dharmendra really reveals itself.
At that time, her sister-in-law's brother, Navin (Bengali film actor Samit Bhanja) falls in love with her, but when she is so much after Dharmendra, it is impossible that she could even listen to anybody else. Navin takes help from his own uncle, Utpal Dutt, who also knows Dharmendra, and they resolve to show Kusum the difference between the reel life and real life (taking help from Dharmendra for this).

Mili (1975) - Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Mili released in the year 1975 and saw the return of the successful trio of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. This film is also the last film for which S.D. Burman scored music; after he finished composing for this film he went into a year long coma and finally passed away. For Hrishikesh Mukherjee it was his second movie, after Anand, which talked of terminal illness. However the film is not a tragedy, it is a very melancholic, yet very bright, pleasant and thoroughly optimistic piece.

Mili (Jaya Bachchan) is this effervescent young girl who infuses verve and energy with her bright and happy disposition. She is forever bubbly, vivacious, outgoing and a big prankster. Shekhar (Amitabh Bachchan) moves into the penthouse above the apartment that Mili’s family occupies and initially they end up disliking each other. Shekhar is haunted by ghosts of his past. Shekhar’s father had accused his mother of infidelity and the tension of this act had resulted in the death of both. Shekhar moves into Mili’s universe like a dark cloud-one that is full of anger, negativity and melancholy.

Soon Shekhar and Mili become friends and the latter helps Shekhar to shed the baggage of his past and move on to a happier state of being. She helps him to realise that life is a mixed bag of good and bad. The two fall in love but he does not know that Mili is suffering from leukaemia. This news takes the wind out of Shekha’r sail and he decides to move out of the housing society as he is unable to deal with the thought of a dying Mili. It is Aruna Irani, Mili’s friend and a woman of debatable moral virtues, who helps Shekhar realise the fact that it is now his turn to be there for Mili just as she has been there for him.

Shekhar decides to marry Mili, brushing aside all her protestation and at the end the duo fly out of the country to seek better medical remedies for Mili. Mili’s death is left like an open-ended question by the director and this helps to infuse a lot of hope into the film. A poignant and brilliantly told story, Mili can be easily ranked among the greatest emotional dramas of its times. Mukherjee’s direction is splendid and very real. Amitabh Bachchan is brilliant as Shekhar and puts in a restrained performance with his brooding good looks. Ashok Kumar is effortless and Aruna Irani makes an impact in a small role. However the film belongs to Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan). She is funny, charming and yet you do note the underlying fear. Her characterisation makes Mili one of the most lovable and unforgettable characters of Hindi cinema.

CAST AND CREW

Directed by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Produced by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee, N.C. Sippy
Written by: Bimal Dutta, Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza, Mohini N. Sippy
Starring: Ashok Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Parikshat Sahni
Music by: Sachin Dev Burman
Cinematography: Jaywant Pathare
Editing by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Chupke Chupke (1975) - comedy super-movie starring Amitabh and Dharmendra

Chupke Chupke released in the year 1975 and was a remake of the hit Bengali movie Chhadmabeshi (Disguiser). It starred the leading stars of that era like Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Om Prakash, David, Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee. The movie was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and had S.D.Burman composing music for the film. Chupke Chupke till date remains one of the best comedy films made in Hindi cinema.

Professor Parimal Tripathi (Dharmendra) is a botany professor who by chance meets and falls in love with Sulekha Chaturvedi (Sharmila Tagore) during a women's college botany excursion. Parimal takes on the disguise of the caretaker of a bungalow in which Sulekha comes to stay along with her college friends and teacher. It is she who is able to find out about Parimal’s true identity and two get married after a whirlwind romance. Parimal is fond of practical jokes and is unable to resist the temptation of playing out one on Sulekha’s brother-in-law (Jijaji, Raghavenra eanacted by Om Prakash) whom she worships as her ideal.

Jijaji is in need of a trusted driver/chauffeur and writes to his brother-in-law and Sulekha’s brother Haripat (David) to send him a reliable person from his place. Parimal comes up with the idea of going to Jijaji’s place dressed as a driver. Sulekha is confident that her beloved Jijaji will see through Parimal’s disguise and challenges him to fool her Jijaji. Parimal takes up the challenge sportingly and sets out for Allahabad in the guise of a driver. He becomes Pyaremohan Alahabadi a man who speaks ‘shudh’ (pure, undiluted) Hindi. Sulekha too joins in the fun after a couple of days. Meanwhile Pyaremohan has Jijaji in a tizzy with his incessant questions on English grammar and has the well known lawyer running for cover.

Soon they convince Jijaji that Sulekha is unhappy in her marriage and has feelings for Pyaremohan. To add more drama they bring in Sukumar Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan), a Professor of English, to pose as Parimal, just as the duo (Sulekha and Parimal) go into hiding. Parimal's long-time friend P K Srivastava (Asrani) is also party to the prank. His sister-in-law Vasudha (Jaya Bachchan) suspects fake 'Parimal' - Sukumar Sinha - of infidelity to his wife when he tries to get close to her. Sukumar falls in love with Vasudha who at first believed he was Parimal, but Sukumar reveals to her the real drama behind all this mix-up of situations. The climax sees Sukumar and Vasudha marrying in a temple while Jijaji is finally able to see through Pyaremohan disguise and recognise him as the real Parimal.

The film is a laugh riot and is a situational comedy. Dharmendra as Parimal, Om Prakash as Jijai and Amitabh Bachchan as Sukumar put in terrific performances. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s direction is light and right and S.D. Burman composes some wonderful numbers especially Ab Ke Sajan.


CAST AND CREW

Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Produced by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, N.C. Sippy
Written by Shakeel Chandra, Upendranath Ganguly, Gulzar, D.N. Mukherjee, Biren Tripathy
Starring Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Om Prakash, Asrani
Music by Sachin Dev Burman
Lyrics Anand Bakshi
Cinematography Jaywant Pathare
Editing by Subhash Gupta, Pandit Shridhar Mishra

Zanjeer - The start of the superstar, the angry young man (Amitabh Bachchan) (1973)

The year was 1973 and the film was Zanjeer. It was a relatively small film given the fact that the leading man of the film had yet to deliver a hit and also the fact that the lead role had been turned down by all the leading heroes of Hindi film industry. However the same film and the same unsung hero made history by delivering a phenomenal hit and by changing the face of Hindi commercial cinema from romance to action. It also gave Hindi cinema its first angry young man and first super star-Amitabh Bachchan. This was the cult film that gave Bachchan his iconic status.

The film begins on the night of Diwali with the death of a couple, the parents of the young Vijay Khanna. The young Vijay is unable to identify his parents’ murderers except for a charm bracelet with a white horse. This traumatic event gives him nightmares of a white stallion. Twenty years down the lane Vijay is an honest police officer. In his line of duty he meets two individuals who change his life forever. The first one is Sher Khan, a man who runs gambling dens. He summons Khan to the police station where the latter’s insouciance irks him. Khan tells Vijay that he gets respect only because of his uniform. Vijay takes him up on his challenge, and meets him in street clothes to fight him. At the fight's end, Sher Khan not only closes his gambling dens, but has gained respect for Vijay. He becomes an auto mechanic, and reforms his ways.

DVD Movie:

The second individual is Mala (Jaya Bhaduri) an eye witness to a horrific traffic accident that leave several children dead. Initially she refuses to testify but later on has a change of heart upon viewing the mangled bodies of the dead children. She comes clean and identifies the perpetrator. Underworld Don Teja (Ajit) whose men have been behind the incident come after her and she finds refuge in Vijay’s house and the two orphans slowly fall in love. Eventually, Vijay is framed for bribery, stripped of his title and position as inspector, and jailed for 6 months on false charges, trapped by Teja. When he is released from jail, he plans to take revenge.

Mala on the other hand wants him to forget the ordeal and begin life afresh and not resort to violence. Vijay acquiesces to her pleas but becomes withdrawn and depressed. Soon Mala realises the battle raging within Vijay and asks him to go out and punish the culprits. He goes after Teja and soon realises that it was Teja who murdered his parents on that fateful Diwali night (the charm bracelet gives Teja away). Finally with Sher Khan’s help Vijay is able to avenge his dead parents.

Awards won

Filmfare Best Story Award - Salim-Javed
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award - Salim-Javed
Filmfare Best Lyricist Award - Gulshan Bawra for the song "Yari Hai Imaan Mera"
Filmfare Best Editing Award - R. Mahadik

Cast and Crew:

Directed by Prakash Mehra
Produced by Prakash Mehra
Written by Javed Akhtar, Salim Khan
Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Pran, Om Prakash, Ajit, Bindu
Music by Kalyanji-Anandji
Cinematography N. Satyen
Editing by R. Mahadik

Movie songs and lyrics:

1. Dil Jalon Ka Dil Jala (link)

2. Yari Hai Imaan Mera (link)

3. Banake Kyun Bigade (link)

Abhimaan (1973) - A remarkable movie from Amitabh's early career

Abhimaan was released in the year 1973, the year that saw Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri officially tie the knot and become husband and wife. In fact they got married just seven days prior to the filming of the song ‘Teri Bindiya Re”. For many industry watchers the plot of the film could have become a real life incident, had Jaya Bhaduri not put on the breaks on her career after her marriage. People still speculate as to whether real life would have imitated reel life had not the superstar’s wife sacrificed her career. However all that is conjecture and takes away from the breath taking sensitivity of this wonderful film.

Subir Kumar (Amitabh Bachchan) is a popular singer who rules over millions of hearts courtesy his songs. His dashing good looks and silken voice are especially irresistible to his legions of female supporters. Subir himself is a carefree young man who enjoys his stardom and his bachelorhood. Chandu (Asrani) is his manager cum best friend and someone keeps him rooted to reality. Subir goes to meet his aunt (Manju Mausi, Durga Khote) and there he meets Uma, whose golden voice enthrals him and whose earthy unaffected charm attracts him. He ends up falling in love with Uma and the two ties the knot.

Back in Bombay, Subir and Uma settle into domestic bliss and soon the husband decides to launch his wife as a professional singer. And that is the starting point of all problems. As Uma’s career takes off, Subir’s career begins to falter. Even as her career touches new highs, her marriage hits rock bottom as Subir is consumed by jealousy and guilt. He hits the bottle and soon things become so bitter that Uma moves back to her father’s place. There she discovers she is pregnant and waits for Subir to come and fetch her. He does not and she suffers a miscarriage that pushes her into depression.

Subir realises his mistake and comes to take her back home but she receives him without any happiness-like almost a piece of wood. Whether Subir is able to bring back Uma from her abyss; whether Uma sings again; and whether the couple reunite forms the climax of the film.

Abhimaan is considered by many to be one of the finest Hindi films. It scores on many fronts. Firstly Hrishikeh Mukherjee’s sensitive direction lends the film the right emotional note. S.D.Burman’s haunting melodies almost act like a character for the film, bringing out all the emotions experienced by the actors. Superb acting by the cast-be it Amitabh Bachchan, Asrani, Durga Khote-makes this film such a treat to watch. However the film is outstanding because of the way Jaya Bhaduri captures Uma through her silence and unspoken hurt.

Songs / lyrics from the movie:

1. Nadiya Kinare (link)

2. Teri Bindiya Re (link)

3. Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka (link)

4. Ab Toh Hai Tumse (link)

5. Tere Mere Milan (link)

6. Lootey Koi Man Ka Nagar (link)

7. Piya Bina (link)