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Journalism of Courage
Joyride
Revisiting this film is a great exercise in nostalgia. Apart from the unrecognisable Bombay, Victoria No 203, by producer-director Brij, had all the thrills8212;a stash of diamonds worth Rs 3 crore, a girl masquerading as a boy and a strip-tease by Saira Banu. But, what stands out in my memory are the two jailbirds, Raja and Rana8212;played with spectacular effortlessness and joie de vivre by Ashok Kumar and Pran. I remember watching the movie on television as a seven-year-old and splitting my sides as the two bickered and fought through sticky situations.
I don8217;t clearly remember how it all ended, or whether they managed to find their treasure trove. It was the adventures and ad-libbed antics of Raja and Rana that have clung on even after all these years.
Recipe Book
Once upon a time, there was a dysfunctional family called the Sharmas, with bickering women, dissatisfied men, bemused children and a cantankerous old man. And the house they lived in was inappropriately christened Shanti Nivas.
This is a pretty unlikely con flick in that we haven8217;t a clue who8217;s being conned. But, with unfailing good humour, Hrishikesh Mukherjee8217;s Bawarchi Raghu, quietly turns the acrimony and frustration in the household into opportunities for love and service.
Some of my favourite moments in the film are when Raghu Rajesh Khanna takes turns as poet, musician, dancer, storyteller, shrink, even doctor8212;apparently, he8217;d had the good fortune of working for everyone from SD Burman to Dara Singh.
But when he darted sly looks at the family treasure chest under the eccentric patriarch8217;s bed, I8217;d wonder with delicious anticipation of what was to come. And, of course, something did. To quote Raghu, Tan-ta-ran! The family was robbed of their stash, and to this day, I wonder if the director and writer had intended for something else to happen.
Shaan Se
Don8217;t watch Shaan for the James Bondesque island or impossible gimmicks, the best thing about the film are the two wickedly-good brothers, who spend most of their time occupied in wild, outrageous get-rich schemes. Vijay and Ravi played with brilliant tongue-in-cheek insolence by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor formed perhaps the most enjoyable feature in this Ramesh Sippy film.
Their first con in the movie, as I recall, was where the two duped an unscrupulous hotel owner. Much of what I remember of the scene is Bachchan chewing on the rather large collar of his overcoat to characterise his seediness!
And from him to the gawky Bindiya Goswami and glamorous Parveen Babi, this blithe bunch of cons8212;posing as water-walking gurus and nightclub singers to defraud folks8212;provided much more entertainment than the stiff Shakaal.
On Prescription
Gangster movies aren8217;t a particular favourite of mine, but I found Sanjay Dutt8217;s comic vigilante turn as a criminal with a heart of gold Are there any other kind when topline heroes play them? in Rajkumar Hirani8217;s Munnabhai MBBS pretty entertaining.
I couldn8217;t help the giggles when, following a delayed telegram about his parents8217; visit, Munnabhai8217;s entire gangster entourage set about transforming his Dhobi Talao den of immorality overnight into a life-saving hospital. And it8217;s hard to beat the best of his dupes at the medical college8212;from getting a hapless intern as proxy for his exams or transcribing the correct answers through a not-very-cleverly disguised cellphone headset. Bole to, ingenious!
Robin Hoodwink
My first recollection of Vijay Anand8217;s Guide Raju Dev Anand is the sequence when the bogus holy man trumps villagers by responding to their Sanskrit shlokas with an incomprehensible speech in English! As my favourite con-artist-cum-guide ripped off gullible tourists, and forged a cheque, I wanted to justify and cleanse his intentions with some underlying helplessness.
Raju8217;s treachery was always an offshoot of circumstance, never intended in malice. And my heart went out to him every single time. But when he got caught in his own glib-talking trap as the suffering famine-struck villagers believed that he could repeat the miracle he8217;d once told them8212;of a holy man who fasted for 12 days and brought rain8212;I, along with everyone else, prayed for rain.
From the ebullient guide to an accidental transformation into an unwilling mahatma, the irony of his life8217;s trajectory is unmistakable. My only grouse with the film8212;as opposed to the RK Narayan novel that is its source material8212;is that it clearly depicts a less ambivalent portrayal of the con man-turned-saint.
