JAWAAN (2023) : review

-
Image
And finally the much hyped, much awaited Jawaan saw light of the day ! Big stars, big budget( humongous budget actually), big music composer, everything super large. But does it meet the expectations of the average viewer? No it goes not. Read on.  A decorated jawan locks horns with a criminal called Kaali, this is in 1986 ( the year movies like Aakhri Raasta released, just for reference). Kaali gets him eliminated and send the pregnant wife to jail. The baby born in jail grows up to become the hero (look alike of the father) and decides to avenge the misdeeds done to his innocent patriotic parents. Well, isn’t it a masaaledaar full on Bollywood- Tollywood drama subject ?  And then the director Atlee also borrows ideas and references from various retro movies, some idea from Sholay (1975) as the hero assembled a gang of jailed Qaidis in order to form a team to nab the villain, then there’s an entire episode borrowed from Dhartiputra (1993), and the basic theme is copy pasted from Kaml
Post a Comment

Revisiting Jai Santoshi Maa(1975)

-



Jai Santoshi Maa(1975) revisited 

Little known facts related to the sleeper hit Jai Santoshi Maa(1975) being revisited during the auspicious occasion of Navratri. 
  • Made on a shoestring budget with almost unknown actors the movie made a net adjusted profit of ₹5 crore at that time 1975-76. Calculate the equivalent as on today. 
  • This small budget mythological family drama was released on 15- August 1975 the same day as Sholay. 
  • That year the movie ranked second as the highest grossing blockbuster after Sholay. 
  • It leaped ahead in terms of profit and overall business accumulated as compared to big budget movies like Dharmatma, Deewar, Sanyasi, Do Jhoot and Pratigya that year. 
  • Produced by moneybags Sathram Rohara, he laughed all the way to the cash counters making bumper profit. 
  • The music was a chartbuster that year and is still played at NavRatri Utsav and DUSSEHRA. Composed by C Arjun the songs were sung by Lata Mangeshkar’s under-utilised little sister Usha Mangeshkar. Main To Arati Utaaron, Karti Hoon TUMHARA Vrat main are still popular. 
  • With counter booking being the only option available those days, there was unprecedented uncontrollable queue outside cinema halls. 
  • Majority viewers turned out to be women, the movie did exceptionally well in north India with family audience being the prime target. 
  • Kannan Kaushal who played the lead role of the harassed daughter-in-law was a popular marathi cinema actress in mid 60’s. She later played character roles that of a mother in movies like Jaag Utha Insaan(1985). 
  • While English glossies and some convent critics labelled the movie superstitious and regressive, it didn’t affect the popularity and roaring business of the movie. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FLASHBACK# An Affair To Remember ?

-
Image
Asha Bhosle and Dada Kondke? Seriously ? I’ll be dubbed insane to link these two veterans. But it’s one little known, never discussed, lost in clandestine Bollywood history romance (?) which was described in detail by the late actor in his controversial autobiography “Ekata Jeev” which was posthumously published.  In the biography there is a special chapter titled “Asha Nirasha” wherein Kondke has gone at length discussing about his tumultuous affair with the greatest songstress of all times. Kondke still a rising upcoming film actor at that time (1972) with only one hit to his credit was taken under her wings by the number two playback singer of Bollywood Asha Bhosle. Bhosle was at that time nursing a broken heart freshly wounded after a fourteen year long relationship with music maestro OP Nayyar had bitterly ended.  It is alleged Bhosle was depressed and found the right anchor in Kondke who in her eyes was the perfect jester to bring joy and happiness in her phase of rebound. Kondk
Read more

An uncut diamond called SARIKA

-
Image
There must surely be a really long list of artists in Bollywood who are termed underrated and under-utilised. One such actor is yesteryear’s sex symbol and more commonly known as Kamal Hasan’s ex Sarika ! It’s so unfortunate she’s labelled either of those two undeserving tags. Not that being referred to as a sex symbol is bad, but then she was much more than that.  Sarika was born in 1960 in a maharashtrian ‘Thakur’ family. Apparently the ‘father’ was conspicuous by his absence hence she was pushed into earning bread and butter at the age of six. When girls her age played with dolls, Sarika did the studio rounds as ‘Moppet Suraj’ mostly playing a little boy. From 1967-1975 through her transition from a child to a teenager she acted in notable films like Humraaz (1967), Aashirwad(1969), Khushboo(1975) and became a leading lady at 16 with Geet Gata Chal(1976) a surprise hit. Unfortunately her succeeding lead roles didn’t set the box office on fire, she was cast in a dozen disasters in l
Read more

FLASHBACK 1993: Censor, Choli & Chaos!!

-
Image
Circa 1993- the entire film industry was flabbergasted by the highly provocative song Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai from Subhash Ghai’s magnum opus Khalnayak(1993). The suggestive lyrics were labelled crass, vulgar and demeaning. The dance steps were adjudged below the belt and a universal ban was suggested strongly by some industry insiders, Mahila morchas and certain “progressive” parties of the time.  Subhash Ghai known as the showman of the film industry was already a veteran by 1993 and defended the song with points like; 1. The situation demanded a song like that where the heroine is seducing the villain.  2. The song begins with Choli Ke peeche kya hai but is answered with choli Mein dil hai Mera. So no vulgarity.  3. Lyricist like Anand Bakshi and music composers Laxmikant Pyarelal being veterans wouldn’t stoop low Ghai’s defence wasn’t accepted by the protestors who demanded the song being scrapped at any cost. While Ghai was adamant that the song was an integral part of his movie.
Read more