[ This post ] in ddlj's [ non-LJ blog ] came at a time when I already had in my possession the top three of the nominated [ five best comedies ] in Hindi Language Cinema.

A previously unscheduled State Holiday, a couple of weeks ago, gave me ample opportunity to re-watch these three movies and an acquired fourth in one long laugh-a-minute marathon.


MOVIE REVIEW: JAANE BHI DO YAARON
Kundan Shah's take on the lives of two ordinary men in an extremely corrupt Mumbai, this movie is a timeless reminder of the power of the corrupt and the effect they have on life. It is one of the few comedy movies I have seen that has a message. And one of the few Hindi movies I have seen which does not have a message of unrealistic idealistic hope.

Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani head a cast of actors-who-went-on-to-have-respectable-careers. The list is endless -- Pankaj Kapur, Om Puri, Satish Shah, Neena Gupta, Satish Kaushik... The effect, memorable. Each role is played to effect the maximum leverage on comedy.

There was no great story and not much in terms of a plot. The direction, I would say, was well ahead of its time. What with the double entendres and off-colour references. Yes, the few serious scenes the movie has does spoil the viewing pleasure slightly.

All in all, this is one classic movie of Indian cinema no comedy-lover should miss. One just has to hold on through the tedious scenes.

STANDOUT SEQUENCES
The whole Mahabharata sequence
Om Puri giving Satish Shah a lift
Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani sneaking into Satish Shah's house
Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani sneaking into Pankaj Kapur's house

AVOIDABLE SCENES
A lot of them -- scattered around the movie. The good thing is that none of them are long enough to divert attention from the movie.

MY SCORES ON 10:
Story : 5
Performances : 9
Direction : 8
Watchability : 8

OVERALL : 8.5/10

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MOVIE REVIEW: ANDAZ APNA APNA
This is my all-time favourite Hindi movie. There - I said it.

It is hard to imagine a Hindi movie without one single serious scene, given the slant a lot of filmmakers have towards melodrama and sentimental slop. It is hard to imagine a Hindi movie where each scene is but a build-up to the next scene, given the closed-eyed cut-copy-paste view most filmmakers have. It was, before 1993, impossible to think of a Hindi movie which had scenes spoofing those from other Hindi movies (that is, spoofing with an intent to spoof, instead of an intent to copy).

Andaz Apna Apna broke a lot of conventions when it came out - at a price. The average Indian audience failed to identify with the movie and it gave a lukewarm performance at the box office. However, simply for the brave attempt at a bold new style, I salute Raj Kumar Santoshi.

The cast did not have too many demands of them, as the plot called for dollops of over-acting. Paresh Rawal and Aamir Khan, in particular, stole the show. Shakti Kapoor and Viju Khote too gave strong performances. Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon and Loin-King Ajit's son (forgot the dude's name) played their tiny little parts perfectly around the strong four. There were also guest appearances from other experienced comedians such as the late Mehmood, Jagdeep, Deven Verma and Tiku Talsania.

STANDOUT SEQUENCES
Can't single out any. The entire movie, I felt, was riddled with standout sequences

AVOIDABLE SCENES
Again, nothing comes to mind. Maybe just the Ilo-Ilo song.

MY SCORES ON 10:
Story : 6
Performances : 10
Direction : 10
Watchability : 10

OVERALL : 9/10

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MOVIE REVIEW: CHUPKE CHUPKE
A family comedy from the Hrishikesh Mukherjee stable, Chupke Chupke is one of those immensely enjoyable movies from the throwback era of the mid-70s.

The story is staple Mukherjee, raft with situations of mistaken identity and utter confusion. The plot, though, is woven in an extremely skilful manner, so as to ensure that the audience knows exactly what is happening - even if the actors don't. However, a fault most Mukherjee movies are prone to does arise; the movie flags towards the last quarter. The story builds up immensely well to a point and then, -splat-. Disappointing.

The script did not call for strong performances from the cast; a lot of actors had to play well within themselves. This aspect just enhances the viewability of the movie. Om Prakash and Asrani, in particular, stood out. The lead roles, played by Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore, were portrayed extremely well keeping the script in mind. There was strong support from Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, David and Keshto Mukherjee.

STANDOUT SEQUENCES
All of Dharmendra's and Om Prakash's language skirmishes
Amitabh Bachchan's frustrated outburst towards the end
The initial interactions between Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan

AVOIDABLE SCENES
The temple scene near the end
A couple of really irritating songs
The last twenty minutes or so of Dharmendra's ploy

MY SCORES ON 10
Story : 7
Performances : 8
Direction : 8
Watchability : 9

OVERALL : 8/10

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MOVIE REVIEW: GOLMAAL
Yet another hilarious production from Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Golmaal gives the perfect example of how pandemonium should be created and maintained within a three hour timeframe.

The story begins with a small set of what seem to be harmless untruths. To maintain the fictionalised account, the protagonist is forced to go out of his way and lie at a larger level. Each lie brings about another set of complex characters. Twins, mothers, mother's twin, father's tales, sister's marriage, boss' daughter, humble doctor, wanted smugglers, GAH!

Yes, though, this movie too, at the end: -splat-

However, that does not detract from the first 7/8ths of the movie. Performances, again low-key for the most part, are lead primarily by Utpal Dutt (whose character is anything but low-key). Amol Palekar and Dina Pathak support splendidly. David, Deven Verma and Shubha Khote round off a decent cast list. Bindiya Goswami -- nah, anachronistic with the rest of the cast. On the whole, as with the above movies, most characters are confined by the script.

STANDOUT SEQUENCES
Amitabh Bachchan with Mr. Potato Chips
Any scene where Amol Palekar realises he's dug himself into a hole
All scenes where Utpal Dutt is indignant

AVOIDABLE SCENES
Most of the end. This could have been shot better.
Bindiya Goswami

MY SCORES ON 10
Story : 9
Performances : 7
Direction : 8
Watchability : 9

OVERALL : 8.25/10

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The fifth movie in Rediff's list, Hera Pheri(new), was never one of my favourites. Paresh Rawal was good - the rest of the cast weren't.

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If one looks at Rediff's above top five comedies closely, it is noticable that for each of these movies, the script takes precedence over the cast. The characters are all constructed primarily to serve the story - and not to flaunt their star-power. Basically, a story is told, and told well.

This is a trend I like. Would love to see a lot more movies where it's practised.