I never did figure out if this was an intentional parody of filmi cliches, or if it was just bad. Maybe it was a badly done parody. In any case—it was bad. The story was ridiculous with gaping plot holes, too many suspension-of-disbelief requirements, and loose ends left hanging all over the place. These things alone are not a dealbreaker; but together *shakes head*…I’m not even going to try and do a synopsis.
However, there were some good things about it. This is one reason why I love Hindi movies. You can almost always find something to appreciate!
Thing #1: Manorama, and she was a hot mess. Cleopatra eyeliner! Bright red lipstick! She played Prem Chopra’s “mummy.” He had issues, and no wonder.
Thing #2: The fashion. Prem Chopra’s black and white houndstooth-checked suit, for instance. My school uniform was bottle green and white houndstooth-checked, and hideous. But at least I didn’t have huge horn-rimmed glasses. Oh, wait…yes I did. But at least I didn’t have sideburns. I didn’t!
Sartorially speaking, there were no winners. There was a lot of Victorian tiger-claw jewelry, which I always find kind of…sad. Poor tigers need their claws.
And Neetu did rock these orange bellbottoms, to be completely fair.
Thing #3: The worst wig I have EVER seen. And of course I have seen a lot of bad ones.
I mean, there wasn’t even the tiniest effort to make it look real. But everyone was apparently fooled. This is what made me think: “Parody?”
Thing #4: A child lost at a fair, who was never mentioned again, probably because losing your kids at fairs is so commonplace (again, parody?).
Plus, Protima Devi!
Thing #5: The set decoration. Disco seventies! Mirrored walls! Mirrored ceilings!
If it wasn’t the seventies, it was Arabian Nights or Renaissance Italy.
Thing #6: Some of the dialogue/subtitling was very very silly.
Things #7 and #8: Rajesh and Neetu. The Rajesh Khanna love fest continues. Although their jodi was not *quite* as fab as his with Mumtaz and hers with…well, everybody, I will never be sad to have Neetu Singh in a film and Rajesh is my new best friend. They were fun together.
He donated blood with sunglasses and a fur hat on*:
and had a dual role as a thief and a mentally challenged thumb-sucking Prince.
Sigh. So much goodness squandered.
*An anonymous reader fills me in on this:
Rajesh Khanna donating blood with a fur cap and sun glasses on is actually a spoof on the late MGR – famous south indian actor in tamil movies and later on the Chief Minister of that state.
MGR used to sport a fur cap and dark glasses and was prone to all the usual social stunts of gathering votes from the poor like donating blood, arranging for feeding the poor etc etc
I’m beginning to think: badly done parody with good intentions.
MemsaabStory 