Junoon (1979)
Kalyug (1981)
Bhumika (1977)
Mandi (1983)
Junoon (1979)
Jennifer Kendall confirmed younger Hindi audiences glimpses of what she was able to with Junoon. Shashi Kapoor who’s married to the attractive however querulous Shabana Azmi will get obsessive about an Englishman’s daughter. Set within the days of the mutiny of 1857, by a coincidence the fleeing “firangees” are sheltered in Shashi Kapoor’s home a lot to the chagrin of his childless spouse. Beautiful portrayals from Shabana, Jennifer. Nafisa Ali made a tremendous debut. The author Ismat Chugtai reveals up in a cantankerous cameo, too. However for me, regardless of his truncated function, Naseeruddin Shah steals the limelight. Junoon based mostly on Ruskin Bond’s A Flight Of Pigeons is gripping with out a single false observe. Govind Nihalani’s camerawork is stellar.
The love between the martyred Javed Khan performed by Shashi and Ruth performed by Nafisa, who died unwed, is the stuff nice romances are fabricated from. The final scene within the church the place Javed and Ruth meet one final time and by no means see one another once more is poignant. Javed like a real gentleman lives as much as the promise made to Ruth’s mother. Junoon was approach forward of its time and didn’t get its due. Director Shyam Benegal is on high of his recreation right here. The flight of pigeons might be a metaphor for the human predicament as a cry for freedom as a lot as it’s a metaphor for the upcoming hazard that lurks for these harmless birds simply across the nook.
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Kalyug (1981)
Kalyug was the perfect Hindi adaptation of the Mahabharata. How Shyam Benegal weaves the totally different strands of affection, ardour, jealousy, ambition between two warring enterprise households who’re associated was lovely. The Mahabharata parables ran by seamlessly. The Karna angle, Draupadi’s love for Arjuna, the humiliating vastraharan sequence reveals within the type of IT raids, the “blind” Dhritarashtra. The retelling of the Mahabharata is essentially the most compelling tales informed and for my part Shyam Benegal’s finest on par with Nishant, Bhumika and Manthan.
Rekha on the peak of her profession performed the sullen and lovely Draupadi. Shashi Kapoor in considered one of his life’s most advanced roles, a stunning supporting solid of Kulbushan Kharbanda Akash Khurana. Anant Nag made for fiery scion who hates his cousin Victor Bannerjee. Supriya Pathak made a tremendous debut too.
On repeated viewings Kalyug has a lot nuance because of a tremendous screenplay. You need the Draupadi-Karna relationship explored a bit extra that does not occur one way or the other. General, what an ensemble solid with Victor Bannerjee, Anant Nag, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Shashi Kapoor and Sushma Seth in scene stealing turns.
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It is a fantastically taut screenplay by Satyadev Dubey and Shyam Benegal. Kalyug, gained Finest Movie, Finest Supporting Actor for Supriya Pathak and Finest Sound Design on the Filmfare Awards. However for me it was a Rekha present all the way in which regardless of a supporting function. Her “vastraharan” scene is excellent.
Making an attempt to piece collectively the varied strands of the Mahabharata and making it a contemporary allegory isn’t any imply feat. Benegal makes use of superb quantity of innuendo, suggestion to reinforce a scene.
Shashi Kapoor produced the movie on the peak of his involvement in business cinema whereas Rekha within the midst of her three shifts a day reign as queen of business cinema took break day to do Kalyug. This one options in my high 25 to not be missed movies.
Bhumika (1977)
At a time when administrators are busy giving cinematic blowjobs within the identify of biopics, Shyam Benegal’s Bhumika based mostly on the lifetime of the controversial actor Hansa Wadkar, was as a lot an exploration of the psyche of a troubled lady, as a lot because it was a touch upon the altering face of Indian cinema.
All of 21, Smita Patil invested her character with a fierce depth and quiet dignity. The movie telescopes from the pat to the current portray an image of an empowered lady who regardless of her stature was a pawn to the double requirements and feudal behaviour of males.
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There are some spectacular performances by the supporting solid together with Sulabha Deshpande, Amrish Puri and Amol Palekar in an unforgettably sleazy avatar. The Naseeruddin Shah parts nonetheless go away me bewildered and is maybe the filmmaker’s weakest hyperlink. Vanraj Bhatia’s background rating provides to the blue temper of the movie.
Benegal’s digicam is non-judgemental. He presents a state of affairs and asks you to make what you’ll. Smita who gained the Nationwide Award that 12 months is each fierce and decided and but weak and gentle.
The scene the place Smita’s gold digger husband performed by Palekar, makes her abort the child as a result of it could have an effect on her standing within the film marquee and her reunion along with her teenaged daughter are masterstrokes. One other uncooked scene is when Smita’s mom hits her mercilessly for having an affair behind her husband’s again. When she agrees to a lifetime of anonymity because the mistress to a feudal landowner, she realises that she has run away from one jail solely to be imprisoned in one other one.
Bhumika is a greater than honest illustration on the again tales of showbiz actors. It additionally holds up a mirror to ugly truths behind the varnished faces and glamorous existence. Miss this jewel at your personal threat.
Mandi (1983)
If proof is required that she’s one of many best actors in Indian cinema, simply watch Shabana Azmi in Mandi. For my part, it’s on par along with her performances in Arth (1982) and Morning Raga (2004).
Shyam Benegal’s movie was approach forward of its time. The grasp filmmaker cheekily crafts a narrative about society’s double requirements. With out being preachy or didactic, Benegal drives dwelling such truths.
On the coronary heart of all of it is the artful however benign Rukminibai performed expertly by Shabana Azmi. Shabana, who was concurrently doing movies like Masoom, Paar, Arth placed on monumental quantities of weight and performed the half to perfection. Her voice, her physique language was wonderful.
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She is surrounded by an ensemble solid. Naseeruddin Shah excels because the stoic Tungrus, who would not say a phrase in the course of the day, however viciously mouths profanities towards Rukminibai at evening in his drunken state. Neena Gupta, Anita Kanwar, Om Puri, Ila Arun excel of their elements, too. Because the prime antagonist within the brothel, Soni Razdan is terrific.
The surroundings chewing scenes belong to Shabana. Watch how she negotiates cash dealings with Kulbushan Kharbandha. That very same 12 months she and Kulbushan performed spouses in Arth, whereas Naseeruddin and Shabana had been a married couple in Masoom. The ending of Mandi is a large let down because of the meandering screenplay.
It’s also testimony to Shabana’s prowess as an actress. Within the midst of lamenting concerning the betrayal from her personal ladies and Tungrus, she pauses within the mirror to admire herself. That scene in direction of the climax is a masterstroke of performing. After which she continues to holler the place down berating Ila Arun who’s going by labour pangs. That is sheer craft and genius.
