Bobby

Directed by: Raj Kapoor

Starring: Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Pran, Prem Nath, Farida Jalal

Released: 1973

To people who started their Bollywood journey with the kinds of films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Maine Pyar Kiya or Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, the basic story of „Bobby“ will not bring anything new. It is one of the films that needs to be seen in a context of its own time, when it was probably the first movie about teenage romance between a rich boy and a poor girl. Bobby was a trendsetter and as such it should be approached by the viewers today. Before they condemn the plot-line as „seen a million times“, they should realize that at the time of its release nobody has seen the plot yet...

Rishi in his pre-sweater era.

Debuting and sweet.

Wealthy with money but somehow deprived of family love, Mr. and Mrs. Nath send their little son Raj to be brought up in a boarding school in England, partly as a punishment for his willful childish behaviour and partly because they do not really want to bother with him (probably having no idea what to do with him either). So the kid grows up into a perfect 70s stylish Rishi Kapoor, a good and just boy who only longs for his parents´ appreciation. Upon his return home he is indeed welcomed by reasonably excited mum and dad, but just like when he was a child, he is largely left to himself. Up until a moment he spots a young girl on a party, and while the famous European classic Danube Waves melody plays in the background, he lets himself to be charmed. Soon he falls in love with Bobby (I was kinda confused when I found out that was a girl´s name, but whatever...) and she returns his feelings. 

The girl´s family is at first not excited about a rich guy getting involved with Bobby, fearing the reaction of his family, but thinking about the girl´s happiness and wishes they are willing even to bend their backs in front of her potential father-in-law. However the aristocratically snobby Pran accuses them of trying to ensnare his rich son to get money, and after some more insulting everything seems to be ruined for the young lovers. You know the routine. There is of course more to the film, including a song about a girl and a boy in a locked room, lovers getting hurt, lovers getting teary and lovers willing to sacrifice lives but not love. Rishi even gets his own towel scene, not that different from what his son would one day do in Saawariya. There is his father insulting her father some more and her father threatening his father afterwards. And there is the inevitable happy ending.

Rishi´s very own towel scene. Like father, like son....

 There is sweetness and freshness in the film, that somehow managed to overcome the years and charms as much as it did back then. It may be the Raj Kapoor´s direction or maybe Rishi Kapoor´s puppy eyes, or perhaps simplicity of debuting Dimple Kapadia, or maybe everything and more put together. A person not to be forgotten is Farida Jalal. One of the most loved „screen mothers“ appears only for several minutes, however such is an impact she makes as a mentally challenged girl, it is impossible to forget her. Pran of course, is as delightfully intense as ever, not exactly evil, but not a guy to be messed up with either.

Bobby was the main heroine, but I´m team Farida! She was heartbreaking.

Bobby is definitely, even today, a sweet romance of the best kind, succeeding in making nostalgic even those, who were born years after it first released.

Sherni

Directed by: Harmesh Malhotra

Starring: Sridevi, Shatrughan Sinha, Pran, Kader Khan

Released: 1988

If you ever wondered what would it look like when a Bollywood star actress turns into female Rambo, this is a film that will give you an answer. Sridevi, for many the ultimate Yash Chopra´s „ideal woman in white“, obviously thought a change is needed and after being promised some black leather clothes and butt-kicking, she decided to give her dates to Sherni. Well, the result was not worth it. Sridevi plays a village girl Durga (quite an appropriate name considering what is inevitable), who, like all the Bollywood village girls at the beginning of the movie, is more into playing with kids half her age then anything else. She is also known for her explosive temperament and will beat the heck out of everyone who dares to create any injustice. Needless to say it doesn´t make her exactly popular among men. She lives with her mother and two younger siblings, and they wait for their father to return from prison, into which he was sent after false accusations from the villanious Thakur Dharampal Singh. Why or what the accusations were....... is obviously not important because it´s never mentioned or explained. Just the whole plot stands on it. I guess the filmmakers could not find any good excuse, so audience – just deal with it.

"But at least it allows me to have the coolest hairstyle."

But those terrible six months in jail have really angered the old man, and so he flees and with other guys grabs some guns, forms a bandit group and goes hide into the mountains, from where he leads a war against the Thakur. Durga refuses to go with him and to support her family she starts dancing on the streets. But what would one thought – people consider her a prostitute!! How unexpected and shocking. But fortunately a knight on a white horse saves her from all the insults! Or more like a dashing secret police officer coming in a red bus. OK, so it is ridiculously (compared to Sridevi) old and fat Raj (Shatrughan Sinha), who immediately takes an opportunity and acts like a long lost son to one of village women (fortunatelly she dies before she finds out she was deceived). He came to see how police operates in the area, and he is not amused. Police is one hand with the evil Thakur.

Now who wouldn´t fall in love at first sight, right?

....and who doesn´t fantasize of romancing this, hmm?

Meanwhile Durga falls in love with Raj (I guess script demanded it) and is having romantic thoughts while dancing and imagining him like a dummy (duh.... now that is something new and in a way also disturbing). While doing that she is spotted by Thakur´s evil brother Teja, who lusts after her, and after having her thrown into jail, having her released, getting her to his house and unsuccessful try to rape her, he and all the other evil guys chase her to her home, and before she can alarm her family they come and shoot everyone except her (why do villains do such silly mistakes?). So she shoots several of them in return and runs into the mountains to her father and his gang. And here comes the moment we all have been waiting for – Durga sheds off her saree and slips into tight black leather pants. Whoo hoo!! And not her father, but she becomes the menace to the evil guys.

Before....

After...

A story, that just might have had some potential to be interesting or moving, is unforgivably killed thanks to plotholes and laughable handling of the characters. Not to mention other little things like Pran´s silly hairstyle, already mentioned old and fat Sinha, and of course Durga going berserk dressed like for a Harley ride. For a simple village girl she handles guns way too professionally and needs no training at all. Her falling in love with Sinha is good for nothing, their complete lack of chemistry and non-sensial pairing doesn´t bring any romantic touch to the film anyway. In fact the whole character of Raj is needless and those few of his important scenes could have been done differently, making Sherni a film completely without a hero. Sridevi acts well, though not her best, but all her efforts lead nowhere, because I just could not take her seriously in that outfit and all. Nobody else is really worth a mention.

Srambo

She dances well and in the first part looks good, but music fails her (like many other things in this), except for the last song, during which you can finally stop laughing for a while and admire Sridevi´s dancing (but I was still asking myself how in the world could Teja have not recognized her).

I would call this an unsucessful attempt at heroine-oriented movie, that turned out unintentionally hilarious in the end. 

So you didn´t like my movie?

Half Ticket

Directed by: Kalidas

Starring: Kishore Kumar, Madhubala, Pran

Released: 1962

Why did my copy of this had to be SO bad? Not so much in quality (though even there was much left to be desired), but somebody mindlessly edited out many scenes and the rest was quite often cut in half, leaving the viewer puzzled. Thankfully even like that I managed to understand the story and the situations the main hero gets into.

Kishore Kumar plays Vijay, a completely useless son of a rich industrialist. He is sent to school (I´ll not comment on how ridiculous he looks as a student) but instead of studying he is creating riots among other students and every other day he threatens the authorities with going on strike, until his father finally decides to také him away from the college. But what to do with such a good-for-nothing person? Heading the advice of a friend Vijay´s father decides that maybe when he is married his son shall mend his ways. And so he starts looking for a suitable bride. But Vijay sabottages all the attempts and disgraces his family in the process. And then finally the cup of patience overflows and Vijay is driven away from home.

Adorable "Munna"

Not skilled in anything but clever enough Vijay decides to go to Bombay and start a new life, but at the station he finds out he does not have enough money for a ticket. After tricking a fat child he steals his clothes and manages successfullypass himself off as a child and buy a half ticket. Unknown to him he has got a diamond in his pocket. That was inserted there by a diamond smuggler (played by Pran) for „safe-keeping“, but the smuggler soon realizes it just might be the biggest mistake of his shady career. „Munna“ as Vijay now calls himself disappears from his sight as soon as they board the train. There Vijay runs into stunningly beautiful Rajnidevi (heavenly, heavenly Madhubala), and she, considering him a mentally ill but harmless person, offers her help.... And „Munna“ is sure to need it, because the diamond is still in his pocket!

Madhubala ( *sigh* )

One can only dream of such honest, nice comedy to be shot today. The humour is simple and pure, nothing forced or vulgar. The situations „Munna“ gets into while running away from „Chacha“ are hilarious, and though they fill pretty much the whole second part of the film, they do not bore at all. The film uses truly all possible means of comedy from sarcasm, irony, people being silly to people mistaking words etc. The king here is Kishore Kumar. His timing is brilliant and his expressions and dialogue delivery priceless. I was a bit bothered about him pretending to be a child, because he did no way looked like one, but fortunatelly later it turns out he did not pretend to be a „child“, but a mentally disturbed person, so it does make sense. Madhubala adds her incomparable charm to the film, and the comic scenes she is given are just as delightful, sadly there are not many.

Music is beautiful, my favourite song has to be hilariously (and beautifully at the same time) picturized Woh Ek Nigah Kya Mili, during which a very young, vivacious Helen makes a special appearance in the film.

The finale is completely over the top, action packed and hilarious – both intentinally and unintetionally, the latter because of „special effects“ that makes one smile benevolently when watched today. This was my first Kishore Kumar film, and I definitely am going to watch more in the future. I just hope they shall be as good as this one.