Tag Archives: Rekha

Suhaag (1979)

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Whatever you do, don’t confuse this classic Manmohan Desai masala treat with this.

(General Beverage Warning: We advise persons of a nervous disposition not to watch the clip and also warn anyone holding a beverage to put it down as we do not wish to be responsible for any damage to electronic devices.)

Suhaag opens on a dark and stormy night, as Durga (Nirupa Roy) gives birth to twin boys. Denied legitimacy by their father Vikram (Amjad Khan), Durga is forced onto the streets but not before vowing her sons will take revenge. In desperation Durga follows Jaggi (Kader Khan), the first man she meets straight to a brothel where he sells her to the madam. We don’t know why anyone would want a crying, knuckle-biting nahiiin-ing prostitute but they seem to. Her first client is an undercover (really!) police officer who bungles the arrest, allowing Jaggi to escape with one of the babies. So now we have a villainous father, virtuous mother and twins separated at birth!

Years go by, depicted in a neat montage. Amit was sold by Jaggi to a begging gang run by (according to the subtitles) Pascal (Jeevan) before becoming the chappal obsessed Amitabh. Kishan grows up with the support of his mother and the helpful Inspector Khan. After many years, the brothers clash in a fight sequence with lots of banter and silly choreography.  Jennifer Kapoor had fun playing dress-ups with her husband as Shashi models an excellent superfly pleather suit as well as his police uniform.  Amitabh wears his neck scarves and white flares with customary panache.

We learn that Kishan is a ranking police officer, while Amit is a hard drinking petty crim with a good heart but weak resolve. Amit is in love with Basanti (Rekha) and spends a lot of time disrupting her workplace – the local brothel. These two really do have some chemistry. Check out the expressions in this song as he reminds her she can’t dance forever so she may as well pick him.

In a raid to track down cop killers, Kishan  invades Basanti’s brothel, and rescues Amit into the bargain.  The men quickly become friends. Kishan is cranky and intolerant, used to giving the orders, and likes having another guy around to absorb some of his mother’s fussing. Amit is drawn to the warmth of a family and home, and sees what he might have had if not for his orphan’s fate. Durga does lots of pining over her lost son as she stuffs food into Amit and Kishan. There was no significant song, birthmark or locket to help identify the lost boy, so there was ample opportunity for the Coincidence Department to run amok before the truth came out.

Kishan goes undercover to a disco run by Gopal (Ranjeet in an eyepatch!) and there meets Annu (Parveen Babi). He takes his policing very seriously, even when Boney M’s Daddy Cool kicks in.

Many masala laced incidents ensure that Annu and Kishan are headed for marriage. Amit acts as go between and Amitabh gets to show his comic flair in these scenes as he tries to please Kishan and his adopted Ma. It wouldn’t be complete masala without another set of separated siblings – and guess who Annu’s sister is? Basanti!

The heroines are minor characters, but do have some important scenes. Parveen is the lightweight – she doesn’t do much other than fall for Shashi and play a fun but unconvincing drunk scene. Rekha’s Basanti is shown as a more complex woman and one who could be the perfect life partner for Amit. When he needs to clean up his act and stop drinking, he relies on her to help him through the first night of sobriety.

She isn’t a plaything for men despite her occupation and has her own very good reasons for working in the brothel. Nirupa Roy as Durga is a frustrating character. On the one hand she is strong enough to be a single mother and raise a successful son, and imposes her will on the impulsive Amit. But she is so spineless and wishy-washy when it comes to Vikram, it just beggars belief.

The film plays with many masala conventions (read this excellent post by Beth at Beth Loves Bollywood). Amitabh and Rekha appear as Annu’s Punjabi brother-in-law and sister and no one recognises them, Amit directs dialogue at the audience, Shashi flashes a smile at the camera after meeting Annu. There are lots of teasing references to family in the dialogue – Amit calling Durga Ma, Vikram calling to threaten the zealous policeman and identifying himself to Kishan as ‘tumhara baap’, and a whole lot of bromance. Vikram has a very ornate lair replete with design features like a dragon wall decoration and a stuffed tiger – although it suffers from some serious design flaws including being above ground and having abundant natural light which isn’t really lair-like. He has a kind of ticket booth in the middle of the lair, and retires behind the smoked glass to deliver his edicts. Who thought that one up? And there’s even some extremely dubious Bollywood Medicine.

Things accelerate once Vikram decides to eliminate the pesky policeman Kishan , and hires Amit to kill him. Jaggi is back on the scene, and it turns out Gopal is his son so we  have the whole gamut of family drama. There is a pivotal incident at the Navratri celebration which results in Kishan suffering chandelier related blindness, and demanding Amit avenge him.

Kishan refuses to give up despite his injury, although we did wonder how helpful Amit’s hand signals would be to a blind man:

All the tangled threads start to draw into one gigantic ball of string as the film nears its end. Why Durga would be so complaisant about taking Vikram back into her life is beyond us, but that is truly not the strangest thing that happens. Amit and Kishan discover their relationship, and Durga cries. We learn how Gopal lost his eye, Annu and Basanti are reunited, helicopters, explosions, Vikram reveals his true colours before repenting, Durga cries, Pascal schemes, and Amit and Kishan kick some villainous butt. And don’t forget the dubious medical procedures. Did we mention Durga cries?

There is a pleasing symmetry in the love stories of Amit and Basanti, who might represent the better versions of Vikram and Durga if things had been different, and of Kishan and Annu who are every filmi Ma’s aspiration. The ending of the film resolves most of the loose ends and there is a sense that some justice has been served even if there are questions as to how and why and WTF?

The soundtrack is vintage Laxmikant Pyarelal and their lush big band sound is perfect for both the rollercoaster plot twists and the more intimate moments. The songs are excellent and serve to further the story so are an integral part of the film, and the stars all seemed to have a great time performing them.  The set design and costumes reflect a big budget and minimal restraint, which is very pleasing to see!

Temple says: The first time I watched Suhaag I was mildly annoyed by what seemed to be excessive coincidences. Once I thought about it further I have come around to thinking those coincidences help give the film a satisfying internal logic and structure as things link together. As I wrote that I pictured a helix…Good heavens! It may be Masala DNA! It does actually make sense to me that if you live and work in one area all your life then you do know everyone or at least cross paths with the same people over and over. Coincidences in this film arise from people and what they know rather than lockets and birthmarks, and I enjoyed seeing the minor characters having their own stories going on throughout the film. Most of the characters behave in ways that are consistent with their earlier actions and so they have a whiff of credibility, albeit in bizarre circumstances. Even Durga behaved consistently, although I do think she was stupid about a few things. If I have a disappointment it is that Parveen’s character was dull but there was so much going on, I don’t think there was room for more complexity. I liked the Amit/Basanti relationship as the writers gave Rekha a lot more to work with than they might have, Amitabh was in his element and they got a couple of great songs into the bargain. Rafi’s voice was perfect for Amit’s mix of sentiment and cheek. I am a fan of Shashi Kapoor and his pairing with Amitabh (aka the Shashitabh) is a delight. It’s strange to think that this frothy entertainment released in the same year as the much darker and also amazing Kaala Patthar. The heroes get some snappy dialogue (Amit and his chappals is just classic), and the humour is actually funny. That’s reason enough to praise Manmohan Desai! I have to admit that I didn’t think twice about the ‘only in Bollywood’ medicine, or villains escaping a blazing warehouse in a boat…on dry land… so perhaps my masala consumption has had a lasting effect. Nevertheless, I have watched this film so many times and I always enjoy it and never fast forward. I give Suhaag 5 stars!

Heather says: Suhaag isn’t one of my favourite Shashitabh films, nor do I think it’s one of Manmohan Desai’s best. This is despite the fact that it has every single Masala plot point possible, which really should ensure a great film. Perhaps it’s the sheer number of co-incidences which litter the story at every turn, or that occasionally it feels as if the actors have played these roles so often that I’ve seen it all before. But it just doesn’t work as well for me as many of Manmohan Desai’s other excellent films. My biggest problem with Suhaag however is the very dodgy medicine when Kishan is blinded. Now normally I can just brush this off and treat the absurdness of typical Bollywood medicine with the disregard it deserves, but I just can’t in this case. It really annoys me! My subtitles call Kishan’s problem cortical blindness, which should mean that the part of the brain that sees is not working. In which case an eye transplant, even if that were possible, would do no good whatsoever. Temple has told me that her copy calls it corneal blindness which is just as ridiculous for a whole heap of different reasons. Even with careful listening I can’t work out what the doctor says but since his other pronouncements which follow are also totally anatomically and physiologically incorrect it doesn’t really make any difference. I’m not sure why this particular Bollywood medicine irritates me so much but it really does taint the whole film for me, no matter how many times I’ve watched and tried to ignore it.

Despite the problems I have with the second half of the film, there is still plenty that I do like. The costumes are fab and I love the interactions between Amit and Basanti. For me Rekha is the standout in Suhaag with spot on characterisation. She is as dazzling as ever, and the film comes alive whenever she is on screen. Shashi and Amitabh are always watchable together and make the most of their partnership particularly in the comedy scenes. The inclusion of more than one bad guy and so many threads to the story ensures plenty of Masala mayhem and I do enjoy the first half of this film. I just skip the rest. 3 ½ stars from me.

Sawan Bhadon

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From the kaleidoscope opening credits to the beehive hairstyles and groovy costumes, Sawan Bhadon has a very sixties vibe.  It is usually described as Rekha’s  debut Hindi film and was a box office hit for her. We originally watched this on the strength of the description on the DVD cover which read “This is a fun Bollywood flick full of beehive hairdos, lots of mascara, and some great dance numbers! The music is tops too!”

Let’s get the plot out of the way now. Spoilers galore to follow!

The film opens with prodigal son and all round wet blanket Vikram (Navin Nischol) returning from five years abroad. He immediately sets about telling his stepmother and sister how to dress, accessorise and generally live their lives, demanding his inheritance and insisting on some social justice in the village. Before Vikram turned up stepmother Sulochana (the shamelessly over the top Shyama) was busily squandering the family fortune on booze and wigs.  They host extravagant entertainments, and despite their reluctance to welcome Vikram home, it provides an excellent excuse for another party, fab new outfits, hairdos and a great dance number.

So Sulochana has him killed (the old time bomb in the car trick). You can imagine her surprise when he returns from the dead to once again claim his inheritance and thwart Shyama’s goal of owning more wigs than Dolly Parton and and Rajnikanth combined.

Naturally, she has him killed (the old thermos full of poisoned milk trick).

But does he die? By this time it is no surprise at all to find out Vikram is alive and well (unlike his stepmother!). So that’s it really. All’s well that ends well. The fun, as usual, is in how we get to the clifftop denouement and what people wore along the way.

Rekha looks so young and almost unrecognisable in this film. She is Chanda, who enters the film rescuing Vikram from local thugs, a gang including her brother played by a subdued Ranjeet. Chanda is essentially a good girl who knows what society expects of her and her class, but she is no pushover. She is feisty, opinionated and brash. And of course she falls for Vikram, the wealthy landlord. Their romance is sweet, clandestine, a bit silly and never sleazy. Her mother supports Chanda in refusing a proposal from seedy drunk Dabarilal (Vikram’s uncle) and Chanda knows she will not be sold to the highest bidder. Unlike so many of her later roles, Rekha is very much the good bad girl. She has an outrageous beehive and emphatic eyeliner, but her colourful saris remain firmly in place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIPNUmPsSy0&feature=related

Jayshree plays Dolly – the bad bad girl. Or is she? She is young, beautiful, wealthy and indulged and pretty much does as her mother wants her to do. Just as Chanda is feisty yet essentially conventional, Dolly is glitzy and cheap yet still a little girl at heart. She is being romanced by creepy Madan, who claims to have a cultural dance centre and sponsors touring dance groups. This is all a front of course for his plan to corrupt and ruin as many young ladies as he can, and Dolly’s mother seems perfectly happy with her prospective son-in-law. Their affair is seedy, dishonest and potentially destructive for Dolly as she evades his attempts at seduction.

Sulochana approves of the lounge lizard Madan and his flashy lifestyle and doesn’t see the sleaze under the surface. Vikram can’t see anything good in the spoiled little sister he has neglected for years and just wants her to be a biddable child. She is surrounded by people who don’t really value her, and seems to be attracted to anyone who compliments her. Dolly is selfish but not as malicious as her mother and uncle, and seems to have a revelation towards the end of the film when she wears a much more conservative sari and matching good girl hairdo.

The girls provide much of the interest and colour in the film, and their performances are so enjoyable. Their roles remain opposites until the very end of the film. At one stage Rekha and her mum move into the ancestral home and Dolly and her mum are treated like unwanted guests. Their stories seem to be parallel versions of the same girl meets boy tale, and as one character ascends her counterpart faces adversity.

Navin Nischol looks like he modelled for Thunderbirds. He essentially has to play the straight man to all the mad masala spiced characters around him, and he does an adequate job.

He is not a flashy dancer, a dashing heart-throb, or a convincing fighter. But he is game for a drag number, and for that we give him massive cheers!

Iftekhar is wasted in the support cast. He has nothing to do other than look like a crook, but he does that very well. All the support cast are fine for what little they have to do in this romping murder mystery musical romance.

This is a film celebrating sixties fashion, make-up and hairstyles.  Dolly and her mother look amazing in their selection of groovy salwars, saris and frocks.  The village girls are pure filmi delights with their immaculate grooming and stylish makeup. The party scenes give a chance for the wardrobe team to go all out on the bling, and makeup obviously had a field day with the actresses. Its fun looking at this film after seeing Endhiran as it really makes Rajni’s wig collection look very restrained indeed. For an excellent review and a wonderful gallery of screencaps, check out Memsaab’s post.

The plot is very silly but it did hold our interest mostly due to the likeable cast. The final fight scene just went on and on and on and on….and then it went on again. It was a bit too much to have Vikram pop out of a coffin shaped box and start chasing the bad guys, especially when wearing a powder blue polyester suit. There is only so much disbelief we can suspend. The songs are fun and the overall visual design is great.

Heather says: Having bought this film solely because of the description on the back of the DVD, I was delighted to find out it was such a fun movie to watch.  The fashions and hairstyles are fab and make the film a real visual treat.  It certainly lived up to the promise on the cover! Dolly’s antics are hilarious and Vikram seems to be as unstoppable as Cher.  The plot makes no sense whatsoever, and yet it’s somehow enthralling – if only to see just how many attempts on his life Vikram can survive.  Madan is quite determined in his dedication to Dolly, or rather to her supposed fortune and provides a nice air of sleaze.  The film really does belong to the girls though – all play very strong characters which is a lovely change from the more usual hero-centric films of the time.  Shyama is fantastic as the women who will let nothing stop her in her quest to own more artificial hair than anyone else.  Rekha shines as the village girl, and proves right from the beginning of her career that she sure can act.  I love the soundtrack by Sonik Omi and the whole sixties vibe to the film.  Such a fun movie – I give this 4 stars.

Temple says: I also bought this DVD purely on the strength of the cover and the blurb. It’s so nice to find truth in advertising! Its a very stylish effort, and always a pleasure to watch. The performances are mostly fun, although Navin Nischol will never be the hero of my dreams. Wooden is a kind description. Rekha was lovely and charming in this sympathetic role. I really enjoyed seeing her in such a girly avatar for a change. Shyama was impressively insane in her role and really made an impression. I do like an evil stepmother on film and she was one of the best! This is the film that taught me the very useful phrase “Yeh Vikram nahin hai!” so it will always be special to me! It’s fun, but ultimately not a stellar example. I give it 3 stars.