There are very few Hindi films that impress me and Mashaal is one of those few. The highlights were, of course, a powerhouse performance by Dilip Kumar, a well-grounded finely etched portrayal of a youth from the slums by Anil Kapoor and a sinister yet commendable performance by Amrish Puri as SK Vardhan. But what really stood out for me, personally, in this movie were the very real and strong female characters played by Waheeda Rehman and Rati Agnihotri. I strongly feel that there was a genuine effort on the part of these two versatile actresses to break away from the quintessential Hindi film stereotypes of MAA and HEROINE. So, while you had a very pregnant Waheeda standing by her husband in his fight against injustice, you also had an educated Rati Agnihotri encouraging her beau Anil Kapoor to continue his further education while she stays back and helps Dilip Kumar in his fearless journalistic pursuits. I mean, how many contemporary Hindi movies can you remember where the women characters had such a purposeful and strong portrayal of the all-important roles of mother and fiancée. Sadly, such roles and performances are scarce in our industry. The directors of today ought to take a leaf out of Yash Chopra's directorial life and give back to Cinema some more of these powerful female characters and maybe help the medium which has been reduced to commercial glorification of such strong influences on the life of the male species.
Review of Mashaal
