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Journalism of Courage
They have never been written about, but it is time we chronicled the crocodiles of Indian cinema. It is about time, given that these scaly over-sized lizards have made a comeback with Mohenjo Daro, playing a considerable part in making Hrithik Roshan the hero that he is.
Though the crocodile and gharial populations across the country have not really been looking up for many years, they are been a real threat on the real screen. We certainly haven’t had a series like Crocodile Dundee, but crocs were all the rage in the 1980s and sadly seem to be making fewer appearances over the past couple of decades. However, there are a few appearance that have certainly made a big impact.
Shaan, 1980
In this Ramesh Sippy classic, Amitabh Bachchan survives the attack of a wide-eyed crocodile against all odds like only he and Mithunda could. He just needs a broken plank to send the scaly beauty back to its long-tailed maker. Now you know how BigB became a super star.
In 1988, there were two movies featuring crocodiles, both significant hits thanks partially to the on-screen antics of the reptiles.
Khoon Bhari Maang, 1988
The Rakesh Roshan movie starring Rekha was all the rage that year. And the success, in fact, the very plot of the movie would have been hollow without the crocs. In the story, Rekha is pushed into a croc-infested water body by her husband who is having an affair. But thankfully, the damage caused by the crocs is more superficial and nothing a plastic surgery can’t fix.
Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, 1988
Then there was the climax scene in the Manmohan Desai flick, where hero Amitabh Bachchan beats up Amrish Puri who is then casually devoured by a croc in a gladiator ring. Yes, we had crocs in gladiator rings in 1988.
Safari, 1999
A decade later came Jyotin Goel’s Safari. Those who suffered this Sanjay Dutt flick were also treated to another bling-and-you-miss croc cameo which ended with the Junior Dutt knifing the hapless creature.
Mohenjo Daro, 2016
But crocodiles, especially those of an Indian vintage, really leapt on to the silver screen only with this epic historical. Since the trailer release the croc has been one of the talking points of this movie thanks to the reptelian flying trick. No, we are not going to add more spoilers and we will let you enjoy this movie and its bite.
Know of more crocodiles who should be on IMDB? Keep us informed in the comments section.
