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Reviews
Sham Ghansham (1998)
About the bond between mothers & sons and good vs. evil. Good script & performances by Rakhee Gulzar & Amrish Puri
Sham Ghansham features a similar theme to Rajesh Roshan's 1995 blockbuster 'Karan Arjun', Abbas & Mustan's 'Soldier' (released in the same year 1998), and Subhash Ghai's 1989 blockbuster 'Ram Lakhan'. Less violent, but with a hugh twist!
Good script incorporating concepts from Ramayana & Bhagavad Gita in the plot with teachings of human values, morality and good vs. evil.
Rakhee's motherly performance was well played and not overdone as some of the other mentioned films with a similar role.
The film is themed on the bond between mothers and sons and is also played well by the less popular cast of Arbaaz Khan, Chandrachur Singh, Pooja Batra & Priya Gill.
Amish Puri's villain role is different from other similar films and is important to the film's astounding climax which keeps one glued to their seat!
The film keeps it's focus throughout and plot, with less time being spent on too many timepass comedy scenes or item numbers.
Music by Vishal Bharadwaj is average. The strongest & most popular compositions being 'Mitwa Re' with vocals by Kumar Sanu & Alka Yagnik, the title song 'Maa Ki Mamta' & 'Tum Dono Ho Ek Se' by Lata Mangeskar, Hariharan & Sudesh Wadkar and 'Aandhi Hai Jandhi Hai' by Sukhwinder Singh & Hema Sardesai.
Worth the watch and guaranteed to keep you entertained till the end!
Love You Hamesha (2001)
Will this film ever be released? Brilliant soundtrack by A.R. Rahman
It's been almost two decades to date since A.R. Rahman's soundtrack to this film was released. Still in my golden collection of cassettes & CDs. Kavita Krishnamurty's vocals on the track' Ek Ladki Thi' is simply outstanding and remains the most memorable of the soundtrack along with Hariharan & Sadhna Sargam on 'Gup Chup Baatein'.
Does anyone know if the film will ever be released? Seems like only one song was shot and released which is 'Ek Ladki Thi' in which Sonali Bendre was captured beautifully.
As a huge longtime Sonali Bendre fan, I would really love to know of any news of the film still being released either digitally or on dvd.
Mom (2017)
Anti Male, Overly Dramatic, Twisted & Slyly Crafted Feminist Propaganda!
The feminazi takeover of Bollywood continues with it's anti male, feminist propaganda, this time churned out by Boney Kapoor & Zee Studios.
Following the likes of 'Pink' & Hollywood's 'I Spit On Your Grave', another slyly crafted feminist film, with overly dramatic performances by Sridevi & Sajal Ali.
The script is terribly twisted, advocating male castration, murder & violence among other crimes.
Double standard exists within the plot, as a group of young men have committed a gang rape, however the film comes to an abrupt end failing to address the outcome of other heinous revenge crimes being committed throughout the second half by lead character Sridevi under the pretense of a 'mother's love' all while seeking validation of her spouse's daughter who is not her own biological offspring.
A scene is also shot where Akshaye Khanna's character (main cop) gets put off the case by his senior because the second suspect in the case (Sridevi) happened to be a female.
Yet another film where men are prosecuted for committing crimes, but if you are a woman, you get to commit crimes and walk away scott free!
Nothing special about Sridevi's performance here other than her resurgence making great marketing for the film subtlety pushing it's feminazi propaganda. Something not new to many of her casted roles since the 80s.
Akshaye Khanna's comeback performance is refreshing. He is casted well along Nawazuddin Siddiqui whose character, given his acting talents, could have been given better depth, however ends up being mediorce, as comedy did not seem to not be working within the overall theme of the film.
Pathetic music by India's once musical genius of the 90's A.R. Rahman. To compare to Hans Zimmer here is ludicrous!
Writer Girish Kohli seems to be an atheist or spiritually ignorant, since tagline for the film reads: 'God could not be everywhere, so he created MOM'. How blasphemous a statement! The script also contains skewed feminist views surrounding character 'Draupadi' of Hindu mythological text Mahabharat. Not forgetting the transgender character casted to appease feminists, LBGT & Gays.
The notable strong aspects of the film however remain in its technical aspects being its cinematography, editing & direction which are all well done.
Kismat (1995)
What were the writers thinking? Good music & average acting but unrealistic script!
The story of 'Geeta' (played by Rakhee Gulzar) who gets impregnated in her youth by a rich 'bad boy' 'Rajan' (played by 'Kabir Bedi') resulting in an illegitimate child 'Ajay' (played by Govinda).
Honest cop 'ACP Anand' (played by Suresh Oberoi) loses his wife (sister of 'Geeta' played by 'Aparajita') & biological son in a car accident. As a pre death wish Anand's wife requests that her sister marry & take care of her husband after her death unknowing of her sister's illegitimate child & past relations.
Upon ACP Anand's re-marriage to Geeta, grandfather of the sisters decide to lie to 'ACP Anand' about the death of his real son and deceives him into caretaking & raising Geeta & Rajan's illegitimate child Ajay.
The plot revolves around Geeta and Ajay hiding this deception from ACP Anand throughout the entire film which is never revealed to the poor man who has raised someone else's child thinking to be his own all because of a deceptive wife who never takes responsibility for her actions.
Acting is average from Suresh Obero, Govinda, Mamta Kulkarni, Kabir Bedi & Asrani's comedy. Rakhee Gulzar as in most of her films playing the role of a mother (e.g. another 1995 release 'Karan Arjun') overacts which tends to get very annoying.
The saving grace of the film is music by Anand-Milind with good dances & choreography. The melodious 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'Hum Hain Deewane' are great along with a remake of 'Kanchan & Babla's' 'Kaise Bani' in the form of 'Kaise Hua Ho Rama Kaise Hua Yeh Hungama'.
Many long action scenes could have been omitted or shortened from the already unrealistic script.
Maybe this film's script can work in an immoral world where everyone lies & covers up for each other's bad deeds. Where men are conditioned to protect women despite them not taking accountability for their actions! Can it be the very same world we live in today?
Rakshak (1996)
A Must See For Sunil Shetty Action Fans!!
After finally seeing this film almost 20 years later it's release date, I must say it most definitely did not disappoint! The negative reviews written here do not do the film justice.
As a serious Sunil Shetty fan, Rakshak is on par with some of his previous hard hitting action films, the likes of Krishna, Mohra, Takkar & Vinashak.
A great cast with a decent plot & excellent action sequences especially at it's climax.
Although Raveena Tandon only appears in the smash hit song 'Shahar Ki Ladki' & is not cast in the film, enjoyed seeing 3 Bollywood beauties in one film especially Sonali Bendre who plays a doctor (something other than her usual roles of a romantic interest). Karishma Kapoor , Aruna Irani, Alok Nath & Mushtaq Khan are familiar faces which alongside Sunil Shetty's gives the film a good variety in terms of casting.
My first film seeing actor 'Raghuvaran'. Quite refreshing seeing an honest man turned villain being played by an actor other than Gulshan Grover & Amrish Puri.
There are many gruesome criminal acts shown in the film which were difficult to watch. A mature audience is recommended.
Superb soundtrack by Anand-Milind. All hit songs 'Shahar Ki Ladki', 'Kuchi Kuchi' & 'Sundara Sundara' were well shot & choreographed in the film which continues to remain iconically memorable till today.
My first film under the 'Ashok Honda' banner other than the editing done in one of my favorite films of 1994 'Amaanat'. Decent direction that could have been better in some parts, but not too bad as I have seen worst.
My only complaint is the poor quality of the DVD releases of this film which needs to be re-mastered with better video quality & proper English Subtitles.
Milan (1995)
Love Story of a 'Bad Boy' Smuggler & a Decent 'Church Girl'
'Milan' encapsulates the love story of the 'bad boy' type character 'Raja' (played by Jackie Shroff) & God fearing, honest & loyal 'Priya' (played by Manisha Koirala).
Through his life of crime, Raja eventually gets framed & spends most of his life being jailed for the murder of a female acquaintance 'Jaya' (played by Sudha Chandran) who he tries to assist in finding work by referring her to his wealthy brother (played by Akash Khurana) who unknowing to him uses drugs in carrying out sexually deviant & psychopathic acts on women.
Admist Raja being persuaded by his lover Priya, in wanting to leave a life of crime with friend 'Kevin Khekra' (played by Gulshan Grover) & earn a honest living with aspirations of building a house for them to settle into after they are married, the tragic love story unfolds along the plot of 'Milan' as Priya painstakingly awaits the return of her beloved's return from jail.
The villains in the film are Inspector Kotak (a corrupted, psychopathic cop played by Paresh Rawal) and Raja's partner in crime Kevin Khekra (played by Gulshan Grover) both of which are well played.
Both plot and direction by Mukesh & Robin Bhatt are decent and the shoot location (a village near the beach with gorgeous sunsets and boats) adds to the uniqueness and overall ambiance of the film.
Lyrics by Sameer are perfectly suited on each recording of the soundtrack.
The opening sequence of the film is quite nostalgic as it features the hit song 'Kahin To Milegi Mohabbat Ki Manzil' sung by Abhijeet Bhattacharya which continues to remain one of my most memorable & golden 90's Bollywood songs which was released in 1995.
Music & Soundtrack by Anand-Milind is superb featuring more melody packed golden 90's hits namely the beautiful romantic number 'Ek Baat Bataoon' sung by Kumar Sanu & Sadhna Sargam, the emotionally charged ghazal type composition 'Aansoo Joodai Ka' sung by 'Pankaj Udhas & Sadhna Sargam' as well as the film's second romantic hit 'Aa Jaana' sung by Abhijeet & Kavita Krishnamurthy.
Some of the male vocalists used in the soundtrack were not best suited on screen to Jackie Shroff's outlook, however this is easily overlooked with the solid musical compositions & soundtrack.
A 90's musical love story/thriller with a good cast that you won't be disappointed in checking out if you love 90's Bollywood films.
Imtihaan (1994)
One of Anu Malik's most memorable soundtracks of the 90's!
I've waited almost 20 years to see this film, the soundtrack to which remains one of the most memorable throughout my entire teen & adult life.
After finally having had the chance to see it on DVD recently, re-living Anu Malik's golden soundtrack along with the film was quite the experience.
Generally, the film is fair with a decent plot. Raveena Tandon's character is a bit sketchy, as she plays a woman who enters into a second marriage to that of Saif Ali Khan's character (a wealthy singer) under pressure from her materialistic father (played by Dalip Tahil) while being dishonest in not telling her new husband about her past marriage to Sunny Deol's character (a simple, honest worker) who was thought of as deceased due to dealings with rouge elements (played by Gulshan Grover & Mohan Joshi) also having had a daughter with him (played by Baby Ghazala).
Shakti Kapoor's performances are fair, however comedy scenes with Asrani are weak. Johnny Lever would have probably been a better cast for comedic roles in the film.
There are some decent action scenes with Sunny Deol including the climax of the film which was nothing special in terms of action sequences.
The film's melody packed soundtrack by Anu Malik together with Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik & Bela Sulakhe's timeless vocals on 'Is Tarah Aashiqi Ka', 'Chura Ke Daman'& 'Chaaha To Bahut' are still to be relished and remain golden 90's super hit masterpieces to this day.
A film worth checking out if you are a die-hard 90's Bollywood music lover.
Judge Mujrim (1997)
A Surprisingly Good Action/Thriller starring Sunil Shetty & Jeetendra!
Being a huge Sunil Shetty fan, I came across 'Judge Mujrim' recently & decided to give it a try. Having no prior knowledge about this film, I was pleasantly surprised by it's plot & was instantly hooked within the first few minutes.
A solid plot being it's strongest feature, the casting of Jeetendra as 'Judge Pratap Sinha' & Sunil Shetty in a double role as both honest, hardworking commoner 'Sunil' & his look-alike criminal 'Daga' is well played.
Johnny Lever gives some great comedy scenes and also plays a few other roles besides his Policewala character of 'Havaldar Amar Lokhande'.
Mukesh Khanna (Star of B.R. Chopra's 'Mahabharat' series as Bhishma Pitama) is also cast as 'Mangal Singh'. A character who carries a lot of weight in the film, which is exceptionally well played by Khanna alongside Jeetendra & Sunil Shetty.
There are some decent action & fight scenes throughout.
The villain role of 'D.V.M.' is played well by Kiran Kumar & Ashwini Bhave lends her beautiful looks to the character of 'Inspector Ashwini Sinha.'
The only downfall of this film is it's weak soundtrack by Bappi Lahiri to which there are no popular songs, despite the line-up of great singers the likes of Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy & others.
There are also some 'Masala type' songs that were unnecessarily placed within the plot carrying 'eye candy' type dances & nonsensical 'timepass'.
Overall, a well rounded film with a solid plot & a good cast. Not to be missed if you are a die hard Sunil Shetty fan!
Gambler (1995)
One Of Govinda's Best Films!
A great action comedy from one of my favorite production teams of the 90s; that of Dhirajlal, Pravin, Hasmukh Shah & Time Magnetics who gave blockbusters such as the Sunil Shetty starrer 'Krishna' & Ajay Devgan starrer 'Vijaypath'.
As the latter two, this film also has music by Anu Malik with a soundtrack of two hit numbers: The romantic 'Hum Unse Mohabbat Karke' with vocals by Kumar Sanu & Sadhana Sargam and the enjoyably comedic hit 'Stop That' which is a remake of Apache Indian's smash hit 'Chok There' re-sung by Devang Patel.
Cinematography, Editing & Choreography of many of soundtrack's numbers in the film are stunning & can be appreciated by a film lover who enjoys good picturisation of songs.
Comedy between Govinda & Johnny Lever in the first half of the film is excellent! Lots of laughs guaranteed!
Aditya Pancholi's role as a Police Officer alongside Govinda is also notable, although the plot of the film carries some unnecessary twists regarding his character.
Shilpa Shetty, Raj Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Mohan Joshi & Tinu Annand's performances are fair and integrated into the second half of the film which is action packed!
Some scenes from the plot could have been avoided to better compact the storyline into a shorter runtime, however generally an enjoyable Action/Comedy film not to be missed by any Govinda fan.