The Burning Train (1980)

I'll forever be wondering why this film flopped at the Indian box office, it has everything that makes for a top blockbuster, there's a stellar star cast, pulsating music, action, romance, thrills, you name it but still Indian audiences shunned this lovely film for half baked movies relased the same year like Dostana & Ram Balram which became huge hits. Anyway i forgive bollywood for the injustice done to this movie, if i had to pick my all time favourite films, 'The Burning Train' film will surely be on there

Vinod (Vinod Khanna) & Ashok (Dharmendra) are best buddies, Vinod is a highly ambitious engineer and Ashok a flashy playboy of sorts. They're so close that they both meet and fall in love simultaneously with best friends Seema (Hema Malini) & Sheetal (Parveen Babi)

All is well with both our couples but as we all know, life can't be Ha ha Hee Hee all the time, and drama crops up when Randhir (Danny Denzongpa) proposes marriage to Sheetal who shuts him down in favour of Vinod (In all honesty asides from Vinod being majorly hot, Randhir's chat up lines didn't help matters)

Sheetal's like "yeah whatever"

Randhir is gutted as one would imagine and if all that heartbreak wasn't enough his engineering project is snubbed in favour of Vinod's Super Express Train, Vinod as expected is delighted while Randhir is vengeful

Danny was quite scary in this

Vinod and Sheetal get married while Ashok and Seema get engaged to each other, with Seema promising to marry Ashok when she returns from her pilgrimage

In another case of cruel fate, tragedy strikes when Ashok's dad commits suicide over a debt he's unable to pay, as a result the family property is repossessed leaving Ashok penniless, if all that wasn't bad enough he receives a letter from Seema who writes him to break off their relationship

Poor Ashok, his lovely Sportscar gets repossessed (Does anyone know what car model/brand that is)

Years pass by and all our friends have drifted apart, Vinod is now a family man plus his ambitions and hardworking ways have caused a strain in his marriage to Sheetal. The super express is eventually launched as the fastest train in the world after Japan's, it would reduce Mumbai to Delhi journey time from 23 hours to a mere 14 hours

On board the train are lots of colourful characters like a petty thief Ravi (Jeetendra) and a runaway bride Madhu (Neetu Singh in a similar role she played in Rafoo Chakkar)

my favourite is the gorgeous Ramkalli (Asha Sachdev) draped in a fab red sari and gold trinklets

Also aboard the train is embittered Randhir who is looking to spoil the journey for everyone, he does this by planting a bomb on board the train and blocking the trains brakes

Aboard the super express also is Ashok, who meets Seema on the train

as well as Raju (Master Bittu) who is Vinods' son

Whatever happenned to Mater Bittu, he's one of my favourite Child stars of 70's-80's bollywood

I Loved his cute transistor radio

After a battle of words with Seema, Ashok gets off at Mathura only to be joined by Randhir who reveals his evil deeds to Ashok in a drunken Stupor, Ashok gives him a good beating down before going on a chase to get to the train before the bomb explodes

Oh and someone carelessly left the gas on

Where there is Ranjeet mischief is not far behind, and Ranjit won't be threatened by a burning train

Watch as tension builds both on the part of the passengers and families? Who will make it alive and who wouldn't? The train also becomes a place to revisit and heal wounds of the past

This is one of my all time favourite films, i saw it way back when i was aged 9 and till this day it remains the first and only film i've cried to (more on that later). The burning train brings together bits of action, romance, drama and thriller in just the right amounts, why this film flopped at the Indian box offices is way beyond me, if anyone has answers please comment or email me, i really want to know. For the bollywhat forum users who thrashed this in favour of the Towering inferno, i would rather watch the burning train a million times than the towering inferno, which i found rather boring and a bit too pedicatble

Asides from mixing action, romance and drama perfectly this film also had some snide commentary on the capitalist work ethic and how it wreaks havoc on human relationships, this can be seen through Vinod's character who struggles to keep his family and work life together, he eventually recognises the importance and priority of relationships in the midst of adversity, another thing that jumped at me was how adversity brings everyone together regardless of religion, caste, as the passengers on the train soon found out.

A lot of effort went into making this film and yes i know some might jump on my throat for the toy train models in the ending scene but the credits list some Twentieth century fox expert in charge of the Special effects plus the prints were made in Hollywood, I'm thinking this must have cost BR. Chopra the producer a lot of money

Performance wise, everyone is on fine form and i have to sat that this is one of my favourite Vinod Khanna films, he's not the lead character, (no lead characters amongst the plethora of stars) but Vinod's role is very crucial in this, as not only did he come up with the idea of the Super Express, he also had a major role to play in bringing it to halt

I also loved Dharema (Dharmendra+ Hema) in this, their romance and chemistry was just so real, i'm guessing they were freshly married around the time this film was released and it shows, the romance was way too real

The Super express train had lovely interiors, i love the marble type walls and the red plush seats of the First class carriage, why can't the train i travel in everyday look like this

Economy Class no doubt

the first class seating area

Please people even if you don't like 80's bollywood, make it a point to get this one, its well worth it, a word of warning though, avoid the Yash Raj dvd release as it snips a whopping 30minutes out, buy the moserbaer or shemaroo versions instead as they both feature the complete movie.

Fabulous songs by R.D. Burman i loved them all, from the funky title music to the the fun 'Pehli nazar mein hamne' where we see our lovers cycling simultaneously, the romantic 'jab tak amber par' my favourites though are the lovely prayer song 'Teri hai zameen, tera aasman' its the scene that made me cry as a little boy, this film still holds the record for the only movie i've ever sobbed to

an awesome qawwali and one of my all time favourite filmi qawwalis 'pal do pal ka'

and the absolutely fabulous 'Meri Nazar hai tujpe' a east meets west blend of music and dance off between Hema Malini and Parveen Babi

Paisa Vasool Rating: 9/10 (One of my all time favourites)

For all you cheap skates you'll be pleased to know some kind soul has uploaded the movie unto dailymoton in 17 parts with english subtitles or better yet still, buy the dvd here

Anokhi Ada (1973)

My second film for Khanna O-Rama week is Anokhi Ada, while it has most of the ingredients for a great masala it doesn't quite have those 'squishy dil' moments that would make it qualify as a classic, there's enough goodness still though

Lalaji (Nazir Hussain) & Gupta (Manmohan Krishan) are best of friends as well as business partners, their kids Lalaji's son Rakesh (Jeetendra) & Gupta's daughter Neeta (Rekha) are also in love with one another (talk about keeping it all in the family)

All is well in both households until a certain man named Gopal is found unconscious by the village sea, Lalaji pays for his healthcare and nurses him back to health

When he awakes from his coma, he tells a sob story on how he has no one left in the world,Lalaji and his son Rakesh being the kind-hearted fellows they are, give him a job in the family company, in fact Rakesh is so trusting that he puts him in charge of the family business (Rakesh is clearly lazy and doesn't have time for business, all he wants to do is romance Neeta)

Gopal on the other hand is a man on a mission and its not long till he starts showing his true colours, his greed as well as his desire to gain his hands on Lalaji's property cause him to destroy Lalaji and Gupta's friendship by setting them up against one another with the help of Kushiram (Jeevan) an employee of Lalaji

Gopal's plans to destroy the entire family and gain the wealth all to himself comes under threat when Rakesh hears of his schemes, Gopal outsmarts him and before he can even make a move he orders his men to dump him in the sea

Now that Rakesh is out of the game, Gopal feels closer and is more confident of inheriting Lalaji's millions, but his plans are threatened when a Rakesh lookalike in the form of Kishan turns up, winning Lalaji's affection with Lalaji even adopting him as his own son

What schemes will Gopal come up with to ensure he ends up with the millions? Why does Kishan look so much like Rakesh, plus is Rakesh really dead? Will Lalalji & Gupta ever be friends again? Will Gopal be able to make away with the family's fortunes or will he be stopped

Anokhi Ada is a very much a product of 70's bollywood, escapist fare that's very watchable and charming but as i've said at the beginning of this post, it just doesn't have that 'squishy dil' angle that could have made it a classic, i guess the directors favoured camp entertainer rather than a message laden masala flick.

vah! great use of colour Vinod & never has a Villain looked so hot

This film made me think how versatile an actor Vinod is, I just loved him so much as the vilian here, such a stylish villain might i add, here are few of his amazing fashion statements but as i'm dissecting Vinod's fashion sensibilities in a later post i don't want to give to much away

A major fashion trend i picked out were lots of belts worn over tight t shirts complete with neckerchief (that's a styling tip for all you partygoers/clubbers who are stuck for inspiration on funky 70's bollywood outfits)

gotta love that eyeliner

As for Rekha she doesn't have much to do but she was charming and gave me the right amount of eye candy i could have wanted from her. I loved her looks in this, from her 70's style chiffon sari's to her eyeliners, she was uber cute

Like most early 70's film the feistiness the heroine lacked was made up for by a feisty Village belle played by Padma Khanna in this. Unlike most other films of the time like 'Caravan' and 'Mera Gaon mera desh' that gave the supporting actress much to do, Padma doesn't have as much screen time as i would have liked

Good soundtrack from Laxmikant Pyarelal not on the same level as some of their top soundtracks like Loafer or Nagin but there are enough goodies like the lovely romantci duet 'tere sil mein', playful 'sundari hai hai' my two favourites are 'Goom gayi Goom Gayi' with Padma Khanna in full on Village belle mode & an awesome qawalli 'Hal kya hai dilon ka'

Paisa Vasool Rating: 5/10

Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979)

I kick off my own Khanna-0-Rama week with Lahu Ke Do Rang (Two Shades of Blood). I had watched it in my early days of my Helen Fandom simply because it was the film that won Helen her first filmfare award, now you might ask why i go on so much about the filmfare awards, the thing is, when i rediscovered bollywood the award winning films /performances were my guide on what films to watch. Asides from Helen, I also remember loving Vinod in it, any way here's the story

The Indian Army led by Netaji Shubash Chandra Bose stationed in China (circa 1943) by the British government to help fight the Japanese, see Hong kong as the perfect opportunity to turn against the British

One of the soldiers Shamsher Singh (Vinod Khanna) while being chased by the British runs into Suzy's (Helen) house for help. She protects him when they come hunting for him and its not surprising she finds it hard to resist the hotness of Shamsher, as a result they both get busy between the sheets

Few months later when its time for him to leave for India, she reveals news of her pregnancy, he's reluctant to go back but she urges him to go and help India and then come back to get her and the baby (No Girl! No! i think we all know what happens in cases like this)

Back in India it turns out Shamsher Singh is married to Ladjo (Indrani Mukherjee) with whom he already has a child named Raj, he tells her about Suzie, she's heartbroken but promises to accept Suzy as a younger sister

During a plan to raise money to buy more weapons for fighting off the British, one of Shamsher Singh's men Shankar Kathuriya (Ranjeet) betrays them to the British government which results in Shamsher being killed off

Asides from the betraying, Shankar also loots the bank gold, he does this with the help of Mac (Mac Mohan) who later betrays him too by hiding the looted gold at the bottom of a lake before handing himself over to the police and then betraying Shankar to the cops

Raj grows up to be a hard working inspector, who's determined to avenge his father's death, he also happens to be the spitting image of his father

When Mac gets released from prison Raj tracks his movement and hopes he might lead him to his father's murderers. Shankar who is now known as Devi Dayal threatens and tortures Mac for the location of the gold they had looted from the bank years ago, which Mac reveals is in the boot of a car at the bottom of a lake. Upon arriving at the location, the Car had sink so hard that an expert diver would be required, they decide on hiring a foreign diver from China called Suraj (Danny Denzongpa)

Suraj turns out to be surprise! surprise!, Shamsher Singh's long forgotten son he had with Suzy. Suzy is now in old age and is still awaiting the return of Shamsher, Suraj on the other hand is vengeful and angry that his father had left him and his mother alone in China subjecting him to lots of abuse and prejudice. Suzy is hopeful he might find him in India

Upon arriving in India he meets Shabo (probably one of the most charmingly annoying kid actors you'll ever see) she turns out to be a pain in the (you know where). Shabo (Baby Shalu) and Suraj end up being buddies and when Suraj is sent by his employer Devi Dayal to live in Darjeeling with Roma (Shabana Azmi) he falls for her, with little Shabo giving him tips on how to win Roma's heart

A fellow competitor arises in the form of Inspector Raj Singh who has also come to darjeeling to investigate the death of a certain Doctor and get closer to to the investigation of his father's death.While there he and Roma fall for each other

she reveals how Devi Dayal had gotten her mother addicted to drugs and forced her into working for him, he also finds out Devi is responsible for Mac as well as a certain Doctor's killings, his determination to find Devi Dayal leads him to Hong Kong

before leaving his mum reveals news of a gift he must bring back, the said gift being Suzy who's still awaiting her Husband's return after years

Will Raj find Suzy? Will Suraj & Raj realize they're brothers? Will he succeed in finding Devi Dayal?

Writing up the plot of Lahu ke Do Rang is one of the hardest plot write ups i've had to do on this blog (no wonder on one bothered writing up on imdb) there seems to be so much happening but i hope you all get the gist of the story. Overall its an enjoyable fare, definitely not a bad one if you're a Vinod fan, i wouldn't say its up there with the masala classics like Muqqadar Ka Sikandar, Pavarish etc. It just doesn't have the masala craziness and style those other classics had, but Lahu Ke do rang holds its own relying on Vinods charms and other 70's style formlaic plots like long lost brothers, love interests, scheming villains etc.

I watched this film for Helen at first, as it was the film that earned her the best Supporting actress award and oh! how disappointed I was, she barely had much to do and i believe she got the award for her self sacrificial mother mumbo jumbo. I've seen and i prefer Helen in many other supporting roles such as that in Gumnaam or Shikar, i'd have preferred if she was awarded for any of those rather than these

Danny was enjoyable as Suraj, i wonder why he had no love interest though, Couldn't they find him one, rather than place him next to a 9 year old, who then goes on to him dating advice, i would have liked to see Danny with his own love interest

Now i know Shabana is an acting legend, but she seemed so stiff in this, either she was uninterested or just in it for the money (as she was mostly an art film actress) or she completely bowed to what the director demanded of her, i would never know

This one's for you Sita-ji

As for Ranjit i never tire of his villainy, he just delivers pure villain awesomenss in this, from his pimping ways, all the way to his disguise as 'Fu Man Chu'

And how can i end this post without a gorgeous picture of Prema Narayan one of my favourite side Heroines of all time, i wonder why she never hit it big, she definitely had the looks and acting capabilities to be a leading lady

The songs by Bappi Lahiri well before his disco king days in the 80's are further proof of Bappi Lahiri's talents, I hate when he's spoken of as a shameless lifter who stole people's songs, though in fairness he did plagiarise, i believe he did it with much style and he always added his own Midas touch. I love his songs in this, none have been lifted as far as i know, this film has not one but two of my favourite Vinod Khanna songs of all time

There's the fun 'Chahiye Thoda pyar' (a VK favourite of mine)

the absolutely lovely 'Muskurata Hua' ( yet another VK Favourite)

and Helen in very un-Helen (Mathe ki Bindiya) but still very lovely song

a fun duo between danny and his lovely sidekick in the cute 'Hum se tum mile'

and a lovely 'Masti jo mein nikli' for all daaru (drunken) songs collectors with Vinod and the lovely Prema Narayan

Paisa Vasool Rating: 5.5/10

Housefull (2010)

When a film starts off being dedicated to the likes of Manmohan Desai (Amar Akbar Anthony, Dharam Veer), Brij (Yakeen, Yeh raat Phir Na Aayegi)Prakash Mehra (Zanjeer, Muqqadar ka Sikandar, Sharaabi) Feroz Khan (Qurbani, Dharmatma) K. Raghavendra Rao (Tohfa, Himmatwala) you instantly know you're in for some solid classic suspension of belief moments. However, Sajid Khan 's Housefull lacks the distinctive style of the aforementioned producers, but it's a watchable fluffy slapstick comedy

Brief Synopsis

Aayush (Akshay Kumar) is a "loser" whose bad luck follows him all about, he believes his bad luck will end when he meets his true love. In a bid to gain some good luck he returns to London to meet his best friend Bob (Ritesh Deshmukh) whom he claims brings him luck. While in London he's set up with Devika (Jiah Khan) the daughter of Bob's boss (Randhir Kapoor), they get married under his blessings as he approves of Aarush being a traditional Indian boy. Following their marriage they honeymoon in Italy, where Devika reveals she's in love with a White guy named Barry, she had only married Aarush to save face with her father, she cuts a deal with him offering to pay him lots of money if he consummates their marriage, Aarush agrees and then meets another woman Sandy (Deepika Padukone). Will she be the true love that'll bring an end to his bad luck?

Classic leave your brains at home fluff, do not look for logic in this film, nitpickers will have a lot to pick on, like teenagers in the streets of London speaking in American accents, Canary Wharf tube station (which is in London) appearing in Macau (Asia)etc. The film succeeds as a slapstick comedy but the climax drags on a bit and felt rushed as few plot elements weren't concluded the way i would have liked

Performance wise, everyone was on hamming mode (in a charming way) with the exception of say Arjun Rampal. Chunky Pandey as the Italian 'Aakri Pasta' with his "Mamma Mia' i'm only joking" line really made me laugh. I also really liked Jiah Khan, she's barely in the movie as much as i would have liked her to, but she's impressive.

Now unto something that has been getting this film criticism, there's a scene which involves a black baby (i actually felt this was a bit of a social commentary on colorism, as Boman Irani later notes that what matters is the heart, as such i feel the film redeems itself ) what i found annoying was the way Akshay's character explains his African roots, by breaking out in a stereotypical African Jig and tribal type noises, I found this scene unnecessary & i hope bollywood directors realise their films are becoming ever more popular now, all these racial stereotypes & jokes are so unnecessary.

All in all a silly slapstick comedy with some truly whacky moments like Akshay getting slapped numerously by a monkey & numerous Gay innuendos. If you like loud, jumbled, slapstick comedy then check this out.

Good commercial soundtrack by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy my favourite of all the tracks is the hilariously sexy 'I don't know what to do'

I'd give Housefull 6/10

For a full list of movies that Housefull borrowed from, check out Bobby talks cinema post here