Kicking off Dharmendra week here on this blog is one of my favourite Dharmendra films, i watched this again the other day and had a new found respect and admiration for Dharmendra the actor and man. Yes it does contain some of the cliches of 80's bollywood but this film was well directed and is greatly entertaining. Greed, ghosts, possession, a incredible hulk type transformation, tongue cutting, mental shocks and evil evil villains, this film has it all. Even if you're not a fan of the revenge fare's bollywood churned out in the 80's by all means watch this oneAjay (Dharmendra in a wig and humoungous front teeth) is a mentally retarded happy go lucky guy who lives with his wealthy father Vikram Singh ( Shereeram Lagoo) in a huge tea estate, his father wants him to learn how to run the business when he dies but all naive and fun loving Ajay wants to do is romance Jamuna (Rekha) and play with her brother Raju all day
Goofily cute Dharam
When Vikram Singh uncovers his disloyal workers headed by Arjun Singh (Ranjeet) using his tea industry as a base for the distribution of Heroine, he threatens to report them to police. on his way to the police staion he has an accident as a result of Arjun and his evil workers snapping off his car brakes
Unsure of what will be the outcome of his accident he tells Ajay of a twin brother and Mother (Seema Deo) in Bombay, he explains how they had separated when he had married another woman and as a result they had each taken one of the twins
He tells him to tell NO ONE and TRUST no one and that he should go to Bombay after his death to bring them back so they can help him in run the tea estate.Vikram Singh is murdered by Arjun (Ranjeet) who fears Vikram will reveal their deeds to the police
Ajay is devastated by his fathers death, but naively trusts Jatashankar (Madan Puri) with the secret his father had revealed to him about his mother and twin brother Vijay in Bombay, unknown to Ajay however is the fact that Jatshankar is dishonest and along with Arjun he plans on taking over the family property. He tells Ajay he would go to Bombay and help bring them over to the estate, naive or should I say silly Ajay is pleased
Jatashankar tells Arjun Singh and they come up with a plan to hire actors to play his mother and brother in the form of Narveri (Arunai Irani) and Karbadi (Jagdeep). Ajay is delighted and believes them to be his real mother and brother
Ajay is disappointed when he hears plans being made by Arjun Singh, Jatashankar & co. to kill him so that they can inherit the Tea estate. Ajay locks them in and threatens to report them to the police
They manage to break the lock and beat him black and blue, after which they push him off a rock leading to his death
Jamuna enters a state of shock upon witnessing the murder
her brother Raju's tongue is snipped off to prevent him from blabbing to the cops
is that a peace sign Ranjeet
Following his death (and i kid you not), Ajay's Ghost goes to Bombay in search of his brother Vijay and his mum Laxmi
When he finds Vijay he starts talking to him which scares the hell out of Vijay, who starts thinking he might be hearing voices in his head
He makes himself known and Vijay as one would be is in awe , he tells of his ordeal & makes Vijay promise to avenge his death as well as that of their father, so that his own soul can be at rest
When Vijay goes back with Ajay they come across Jamuna who is now mentally ill and a mute Raju
When Vijay returns to his father's house he's taken as a ghost
Will Vijay be able to get revenge or will he suffer the same fate as his father and brother? Will Jamuna gain her memory back?
Other reasons to watch Ghazab include
a deliciously evil Ranjit
The greatest ghost possession incredible Hulk transformation ever seen on screen (see it HERE) which i have to say is very similar to a scene from the 2010 film dabangg
This is a fun delightful action packed movie and is A MUST SEE FOR ALL DHARMENDRA FANS, great acting as well as excellent comic timing from Dharmendra as Ajay (a stand out scene include him challenging his dead father to a blinking competition) and action packed hero as Vijay. This film really does showcase Dharmendra as a multi faceted and versatilte hero. This movie became the craze or is still the craze among many bollywood loving Nigerians, Ghazab is a Nigerian bollywood classic
Super gorgeous Dharmendra, he was in his late 40's here
Great acting from the supporting cast as well, Ranjit was deliciously evil, he was on top form as the greedy villain Arjun
And Rekha was beautiful as always, i loved her Jamuna act
The songs of from Ghazab by Laxmikant Pyarelal are EXCELLENT, i have said it before and i'll say it again Laxmikant Pyarelal are amongst my top 3 hindi film composers there's the lovely 'Ghar se chali' and 'aage se dekho, peeche se dekho'
My two favourites however are 'Ye hawa' Lata's voice is on top form as usual and Rekha's dance moves are just so graceful
Ghazab - Ye Hawa (HQ)
Uploaded by kandigee. - Explore more music videos.
Followed by arguably my favourite Dharmendra song of ALL TIME 'Jaaneman, Jaane Jigar' this song also became the craze among bollywood loving Nigerians and remains immensely popular even till today when one talks to any red blooded Nigerian bollywood lover
Ghazab - Jaaneman
Uploaded by kandigee. - Explore more music videos.
Total Score: 8/10 (Perfect Masala Drama)
Buy the dvd here
Edited to add: According to Ramesh (Thanks for the tip) Ghazab is a remake of the 1979 Tamil movie Kalyanaraman starring Kamal Hassan and Sridevi, from this youtube clip right here, it would seem Dharmendra is playing Kamal Hassan's part and Rekha that of Sridevi in the tamil version
Edited to add: According to Ramesh (Thanks for the tip) Ghazab is a remake of the 1979 Tamil movie Kalyanaraman starring Kamal Hassan and Sridevi, from this youtube clip right here, it would seem Dharmendra is playing Kamal Hassan's part and Rekha that of Sridevi in the tamil version
I like Dharmendra too, although he was much better in his earlier roles, where he actually looked young and fit. Love the poster, and must say each of your posts looks like a lot of work - do you take all of the stills yourself ?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting looking for sure. I've never seen any of Dharmendra's work. The second song didn't work for me for some reason. I'll have to try it later. Rekha is certainly beautiful in this film. When I think of her I always see the little cameo appearance she made in Deewangi Deewangi in OSO and she looks rather witchy in it. I much prefer her look in what I've seen posted from her early films as opposed to now.
ReplyDeleteOOO this sounds good and i cant resist a goofy Dharam! But is that Ranjeet holding Sharat Saxena's hand in one cap??! Poor little filmi bachha gets his tongue cut off, i guess i need to adopt him in the Filmi Baccha Orphanage at my masala pradesh!!
ReplyDeleteI'm always wary of 80s Dharam, which is why I havent seen this yet. I do prefer him in the 60s and 70s when he was less OTT and a better actor all round. But this one sounds like fun and Dharam+Rekha will hook me, any day!
ReplyDelete@ Amodini Thanks for the kind words, i definitely do the stills by myself and i'm quite meticulous when it comes to doing it but i enjoy it, as i love to give people an experience of the movie and i do agree Dharmendra's earlier films were so on point and showcased how great of an actor he really is
ReplyDeleteA great tool to use for screen caps is the vlc player
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Lol Shell i know what you mean by mean witchy i myself felt the same but i was so excited to see her in the number plus she still had the moves ;0) Do watch a Dharmendra film i'd recommentd this one easily or watch one of his 70's flicks with Hema Malini or the classic Sholay
@ Rum That is indeed ranjeet holding hands with Sharat Saxena what a lovely couple they make na ;0)
of course that kid would love to be adopted into your masala pradesh, i am trying to see if he was the famous child star Master Bittu
@ Bollyviewer i can understand your wariness about Dharam's films from the 80's but you'll enjoy this, its funny and it has the right mix of everything
for the past few month, I haven't seen most of the films that you have reviewed...but it's okay, time to get back on it.
ReplyDeleteYES, I so agree with you on all points - this movie is classic OTT 80s, but it's a lot of fun, especially for any Dharmendra fan. I really tend to stay away from Dharam's 80s films as they tend to be quite awful, but I love this one! And yes - definitely a Nigerian classic!!! 'Jaan e mannnnnnnnn'!
ReplyDelete@ Nicki the joys of blogging i suppose
ReplyDelete@ Daddy's girl Jaane mannnnnnnnnnnnn it is indeed ....LOL
that song has become etched in my memory, when i think Dharmendra i think of that song first
Dharmendra, as Ajay looks very cute. A typical 80's masala flick (had almost all the elements - twins separated at birth, drugs, murder, mentally ill heroine, mute brother, ghost, deliciously evil Ranjit, and oh yes most importantly the revenge) which hardly made any sense. Inspite of being totally silly. Unlike most of the other movies of that era, this one's lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteI really like Ye hawa . I somehow like Rekha a lot in such plain-simple village-girl looks.
@ Sunehri I like her in just about anything but yes there is something always genteel about her in her village girl looks
ReplyDeleteGhazab was a remake of the Tamil movie of the 70's "Kalyanaraman "starring Kamalahassan...which was a big hit..The difference in these 2 movies is the production quality & of course Garam Dharam...I believe the second Dharam was a Boxer(Like in Main Inteqam Loonga)in this movie..& I agree..the hulk transformation in the climax was a highlight of this movie...
ReplyDeleteThanks for that tip off Ramesh, i've found some clips on outube on they do indeed look similar. The second Dharam was indeed a boxer, that reminds me i have to see Main Intaquam Loonga its been lying around my house for months
ReplyDelete@bollywooddewana:Lovely post here. I really must commend you on what a great review you have done on one of hindicinema's Landmark films.Ghazab is truly a spectacle to behold and yes, it remains one of nigeria's most loved films ever.The ever-green song "janeeman" became an all-time runaway hit.Thumbs up to you.
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, i would utterly disagree with you or any other person about dharmendra's 80's films. Dont forget that in this era, he was one of the very few actors from the 70's that was still a remarkable draw at the boxoffice(who could forget how he cemented his status as a true boxoffice legend in 1987 with a succession of critically-acclaimed hits).This legend was inexplicably still in demand and of course, churned out some of the most renowned receptacles of the 80's.It was only in the 90's that his body of work began to wane to an extent,but nothwithstanding, he was a perpetual firm favorite amongst the audiences.
Dharmendra endeared himself to the masses for a remarkable 40 decades(60’s, 70’s 80’s,90’s which was due to his exceptional dynamism and enviable level of consistency.
Thank you!!
@bollyviewer:That is totally wrong.He was just as good also in the 80's.Some of his body of work in the 80's even spak more vlume in than those of the 60's, 70's. Believe me, Dharmenda maintained his "Pure Charm" throughout..
@daddy's girl: What can i say about you.. You are just the BOMB. Am a firm favorite of your lovely blog on dharmendra, who happens to be one of the most renowned and respected personalities of the indian film industry.You coinage of words as well as your astute disposition towards facts and relevancies is deeply admired.
ReplyDeleteBut you see, i was quick to find out that you have not seen many of dharam's 80 flicks, which makes you invariably, follow the bandwagon, in concluding that his 80 films were “quite awful”..That is far from the truth.
I would strongly recommend you see films like GHULAMI(one of the most influential and landmark films in hindi-cinema), SITAMGAR, HUKUMAT, AAG HI AAG, WATAN KE RAKHWALE(Dharmendra, in a very Dynamic and powerful performance), LOHA, HATYAR, JHUTA SAACH,SULTANAT oh my ghosh…The list is endless.
Infact, I was stunned beyond all norms while going through your legendary blog on dharmendra that his number of films you have indeed seen is totally minimal.Infact, it was discovered that the ratio of your “Dharam passion personified” far outwits his number of your watched films of his..Infact, it can be concluded that you have not even seen averagely, up to a quarter of his remarkable films.Lets leave that for another day.
I would recommend strongly that you see dharmendra’s 1985 Ghulami Thriller. For, the records, this film represents one of dharmendra’s greatest performance in his illustrious career.His character as Ranjit singh represents arguably one of the most unforgettable characters in the history of hindi-cnema. Far back in 92, The Big B singled it out as one of favorite films of all time and thereby revealed his desire to work with the films director, The elegant JP Dutta, Later. Dharmendra is JP Dutta’s favorite actor whom he went to work together in 3 more remarkable films.Dharmendra was truly at his best here.Amongst a powerful star cast, Dharam shines supreme and was fabulously in full-flight. His powerful dialogue delivery in this film is unmatchable.The film received a filmfare nomination for best picture in 1986 and till today, is regarded as a cult-classic.
Also another dharmendra 80 film I suggest you see is the action/comedy, Nauker Biwi Ka(1983).Like bollywooddewana rightly said, Dharmendra once again highlited his professionalism by being such a multifaceted and versatile film personality.Dharmendra for the umpteenth time showcased his flare for comedy, but this time, like never seen before.Also note in this film, at 48yrs of age, Dharmendra was “Drop Dead Extremely Gorgeous”.His looks are really killer.
But frankly speaking, the film has some shortcomings like average cinematography, unconvincing plots, an almost weak script and finaly,I just felt it could have done better.
The only saving grace for the movie was undoubtedly dharmendra..He was absolutely brilliant. He was able to draw a big gap between “Sheer Star-Power” and a fairly well made film.The film became a “super-hit” at the boxoffice and dharam’s performance was praised by the critics.Needless to say, he received a filmfare Nomination for Best Actor in a Comic role. Together with the above films I have mentioned, also find time to see Jhuta-saach(1984) and appreciate the amazing chemistry that exists between Dharam and the inimitable Rekha. You would see that your notion about dharam’s 80 films will change for good.The only time your phrase “quite awful” slightly suited dharmendra was majorly in the mid-90’s(onwards) as he featured in some terrible forgettable B-grade films at the time, which I, as a great fan of his, found audaciously disappointing. Meanwhile he was still able to churn out classic performances in A-grade films like Kshathriya(93), Kundan(93) Maidan-e-jung(95) and Gundagardi(97).
Notwithstanding I love your work. Please keep it up and wish you the very best. Muaah!!!!
Lots of love from Nigeria...
@daddy's girl: What can i say about you.. You are just the BOMB. Am a firm favorite of your lovely blog on dharmendra, who happens to be one of the most renowned and respected personalities of the indian film industry.You coinage of words as well as your astute disposition towards facts and relevancies is deeply admired.
ReplyDeleteBut you see, i was quick to find out that you have not seen many of dharam's 80 flicks, which makes you invariably, follow the bandwagon, in concluding that his 80 films were “quite awful”..That is far from the truth.
I would strongly recommend you see films like GHULAMI(one of the most influential and landmark films in hindi-cinema), SITAMGAR, HUKUMAT, AAG HI AAG, WATAN KE RAKHWALE(Dharmendra, in a very Dynamic and powerful performance), LOHA, HATYAR, JHUTA SAACH,SULTANAT oh my ghosh…The list is endless.
Infact, I was stunned beyond all norms while going through your legendary blog on dharmendra that his number of films you have indeed seen is totally minimal.Infact, it was discovered that the ratio of your “Dharam passion personified” far outwits his number of your watched films of his..Infact, it can be concluded that you have not even seen averagely, up to a quarter of his remarkable films.Lets leave that for another day.
I would recommend strongly that you see dharmendra’s 1985 Ghulami Thriller. For, the records, this film represents one of dharmendra’s greatest performance in his illustrious career.His character as Ranjit singh represents arguably one of the most unforgettable characters in the history of hindi-cnema. Far back in 92, The Big B singled it out as one of favorite films of all time and thereby revealed his desire to work with the films director, The elegant JP Dutta, Later. Dharmendra is JP Dutta’s favorite actor whom he went to work together in 3 more remarkable films.Dharmendra was truly at his best here.Amongst a powerful star cast, Dharam shines supreme and was fabulously in full-flight. His powerful dialogue delivery in this film is unmatchable.The film received a filmfare nomination for best picture in 1986 and till today, is regarded as a cult-classic.
Also another dharmendra 80 film I suggest you see is the action/comedy, Nauker Biwi Ka(1983).Like bollywooddewana rightly said, Dharmendra once again highlited his professionalism by being such a multifaceted and versatile film personality.Dharmendra for the umpteenth time showcased his flare for comedy, but this time, like never seen before.Also note in this film, at 48yrs of age, Dharmendra was “Drop Dead Extremely Gorgeous”.His looks are really killer.
But frankly speaking, the film has some shortcomings like average cinematography, unconvincing plots, an almost weak script and finaly,I just felt it could have done better.
The only saving grace for the movie was undoubtedly dharmendra..He was absolutely brilliant. He was able to draw a big gap between “Sheer Star-Power” and a fairly well made film.The film became a “super-hit” at the boxoffice and dharam’s performance was praised by the critics.Needless to say, he received a filmfare Nomination for Best Actor in a Comic role. Together with the above films I have mentioned, also find time to see Jhuta-saach(1984) and appreciate the amazing chemistry that exists between Dharam and the inimitable Rekha. You would see that your notion about dharam’s 80 films will change for good.The only time your phrase “quite awful” slightly suited dharmendra was majorly in the mid-90’s(onwards) as he featured in some terrible forgettable B-grade films at the time, which I, as a great fan of his, found audaciously disappointing. Meanwhile he was still able to churn out classic performances in A-grade films like Kshathriya(93), Kundan(93) Maidan-e-jung(95) and Gundagardi(97).
Notwithstanding I love your work. Please keep it up and wish you the very best. Muaah!!!!
Lots of love from Nigeria...
@ Gkk Thanks for your kind and thoughtful commets on mant people not liking Dharam's work in the 80's, i guess what it comes down to is taste, many people don't like 80's hindi cinema so its no surpristo me at all
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm Nigerian and I totally loveee this movie !
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous I feel you
ReplyDelete