Ram Gopal Verma is a master at garnering interest in his films through innovative and interesting promos. Here is a tiny sample:
Be afraid ... be very afraid!
True indeed, it is my review that you have unfortunately stumbled upon. Nothing can be scarier, but please do not tell Sushant Singh about your fears ... after all, darna mana hai!
Love story chahiye? Aana mana hai!
Don’t worry, this time, I will not subject you to my ever-changing romantic liasons. But in return, I want plenty of comments on this one. Reading without rating and commenting mana hai!
And finally,
20, 12, 33, 201 aspirants came to Mumbai to enter Bollywood. She is the 20, 12, 33, 202nd ...
20, 12, 33, 201? Out of these, how many came on screen? And more importantly, how many of them registered an impact? Barely a handful. Out of the handful, how many have managed to evoke mass hysteria for over three decades? How many have been able to act well themselves in each and every movie, whether the movie is a classic or a dud? How many have fought Lord Yama, and bounced back with renewed vigour after being clinically proclaimed dead? And how many have been written off, weighed down in debts running in crores and then bounced back, like a phoenix from the ashes, with a show that promises the viewers crores?
The answer to these questions is a solitary person. Big B! Mouthshut need not start applying censors. The Big B in question here does not refer to parts of the female anatomy. I am talking about someone who was refused by All India Radio (!) because they reckoned that his name was too long (!). The guilty, long name is Amitabh Bachchan.
Although the topic is ’Ten Best Movies Of Amitabh Bachchan’, I am breaking the rule (as always, says one of my teachers) and mentioning 11 (NOT in order of preference), since today, 11th October is Bachchan’s 61st birthday.
Kabhi Kabhi. Although the film’s title sounds suspiciously like yet another Ekta Kapoor tearjerker and also resembles the abominable melodrama Kabhi Male Kabhi Female (the ideology of its director, Karan Johar), this one is a true classic. With a rich ensemble of a vibrant Shashi Kapoor, a mesmerisingly gorgeous Rakhee (who thankfully isn’t waiting for Karan, Arjun and Dharamveer), a romantic Rishi Kapoor, his oh-so cute flame, Neetu Singh and wine which gets better with age, called Waheeda Rehman, the Big B still manages to register a strong impact. The beauty of the film was how it did justice to such a long and talented cast. Amitabh, playing a brooding poet, wears the most amazing polo-necks in the first twenty minutes of the movie, and then makes an appearance at the interval sequence. An older, more sombre Amitabh acts brilliantly in the second half, especially in the scenes with Shashi Kapoor.
Silsila. Another Yash Chopra flick, this one was highly controversial as it featured the real-life couple of Amitabh and Jaya, added with the real-life flame, a piece of sheer sin called Rekha. Though it may have been a major flop at the B-O, this flick was sheer poetry.
Don. A very entertaining flick, Don featured Amitabh in two contrasting roles. Watch out for the sheer contrast the Big B puts in the two characters!
Majboor. A thriller which leaves a lump in your throat, Majboor will be best remembered for Amitabh (obviously) and a lovely cameo by Pran. The way Amitabh reacts to being informed that he has a tumor, the risk he takes since he is ’majboor’, and the way he sings ’Nahin mein nahin dekh sakta tujhe rote hue’ to his sister, Farida Jalal ... Sigh!
Do Anjaane. A sheer entertainer. Amitabh played Rekha’s husband (hmm ...). Rekha subscribes to the title ’Mein Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon’ (though Madhuri wasn’t even known then!) and wants to join tinsel ville. Amitabh is disposed off by Prem Chopra, but he returns ...
Abhimaan. An all-time classic, Abhimaan delved into the human emotion of jealousy. The emotion which I feel everyday on reading certain writers on this site is also experienced by Amitabh, when he realises that his wife, played by Jaya Bachchan, is a better singer than he is.
Deewar. Yash Chopra’s best film, Deewar had the Big B revolting against the hypocritical society. With great acting from the master, it’s still inexplicable how Shashi Kapoor bagged an award ahead of him.
Amar Akbar Anthony. Triple A films seem to be the most entertaining films. Andaz Apna Apna, and much before it, Amar Akbar Anthony. Amitabh, playing Anthony Gonsalves is a delight to watch!
’’You see the coefficient of the linear is just a position by the haemoglobin of the atmospheric pressure in the country!’’
Aankhen. His only recent film in my list, Aankhen had Amitabh believing in a nursery rhyme which went something like, ’Three blind men, three blind men, see how they rob, see how they rob!’ Although he had few dialogues in the movie, his amazing facial contortions were brilliant. The glare is menacing enough to send one running in fright!
Faraar. A brilliant movie, in which an escaped convict seeks refuge in the house of his ex-flame, who has now married a police officer. Amitabh, as the convict, displayed a plethora of emotions, and was ably supported by Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmila Tagore and the cute kid, Master Raju.
And finally,
Chupke Chupke. Corolla !!! A role which made a mess of my Biology concepts, this one has to be one of the funniest characters in the history of Indian cinema!
’’Jo hai, who nahin bhi ho sakta hai … aur jo nahin hai, who kaise ho sakta hai’’
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Wishing the Big B a Happy B!
And reminding MS users, that two months after the Big B celebrates his birthday, the small R (also known as Raj, the nikamma), also celebrates his birthday!
So which ones are your favourites, huh?