Zara Si Zindagi (1983)

CAST & CREW

Produced By	R. Venkataraman
Directed By	K. Balachander
Music By	Laxmikant - Pyarelal
Starring
Kamal Hasan	Anita Raj
Karan Razdaan	Arjun Chakraborty
Mazhar Khan	Dr. Sriram Lagoo

Click HERE for a complete listing of Cast & Crew

PLOT SUMMARY

Zara Si Zindagi is the remake of Balachander's Tamil hit Varumayin Niram Sivappu which had Kamal Hasan and Sridevi in the lead roles. Kamal Hasan plays the role of an unemployed graduate living in Delhi with his two room mates (Karan Razdan and Arjun Chakraborty). He falls in love with a struggling theater actress, Kusum (played by Anita Raj) who is also leading a life of difficulties having to take care of an ailing grandmother and an alcoholic father (played by Nilu Phule).

The movie is a flowing account of the various hardships the characters go through and presents a grim view of the urban unemployment of the decade of 80s.

MY TAKE

I had become a fan of this film ever since I saw it for the first time on cable television. Set in a simplistic backdrop of Delhi of the early 80s, this film captivates with its subtle situations and brilliant performances.

I guess the greatest strength of this movie is its story telling. There is an undertone of grave sarcasm in the portrayal of the unemployed men and at the socio-economic and the political scenario of the nation. I, in particular like the scene where the three men have a fake lunch and make a lot of noise and the shot towards the end where Kamal Hasan picks up an apple from the dustbin and bites into it. Even in the shots where you just have the three friends sitting, there is one thing or the other in the backdrop that makes you smile at the sarcastic note in the situation.

The character of Rakesh has a shade of raw arrogance to it that is beautifully portrayed by Kamal Hasan. He shines as an unemployed protagonist who braves all situations relentlessly with a never say die attitude. Be it a scene where Rakesh confronts his father or where he argues with Pratap (Mazhar Khan), Kamal Hasan delivers with equal ease and panache. I guess the only place he actually looks to falter is with his thick accent when attempting to recite a few verses (which he does at multiple points in the film).

If Kamal Hasan delivers with visible exultant power, Anita Raj flows throughout as a gentle stream binding the entire film. I don’t think she has looked as pretty in any of her other films that I have come across. She excels with her subtle beauty and does well in her scenes to reach out with conviction.

Karan Raazdan, Mr. S, Nilu Phule and Dr. Sreeram Lagoo render the necessary support to the overall frame of the film and do well in their screen space.

MUSIC

The music is by the duo Laxmikant -Pyarelal who were probably the best in trade at the time when the film was shot. However, apart from the song ‘Zamaane se kuch log darte nahi’ the music is largely disappointing. The other song ‘School se college..’ shot on locations in Delhi gives you a glimpse of the city 3 decades ago and is enjoyable to look at but not really something you can hum later. Overall, just an average music plate.

Catch the song here:

Zara Si Zindagi

OVERALL

Overall a 4 out of 5 attempt, the film excels on its simplistic story line and is a must watch if you are a Kamal Hasan fan.

PS: The movie is available on YouTube, in case you wish to watch it. You can buy a copy at Moserbaer’s website as well.

Situm (1982)

CAST & CREW

Produced By	Vikram
Directed By	Aruna Raje – Vikas Desai
Music By	Jagjit Singh
Starring
Naseeruddin Shah	Smita Patil
Vikram	Sulbha Deshpande
Keith Stevenson

Click HERE for a complete listing of Cast & Crew.

PLOT SUMMARY

Situm is the story of how two people cope with a sudden death. Subhash (Naseeruddin Shah) is a footballer who gets hit in the head and dies while playing a football match. His wife Meenakshi (Smita Patil) holds Inder (Vikram), the player who kicked the ball, directly responsible for Subhash’s untimely death and accuses Inder publically. Inder can not handle the guilt and becomes a mental wreck.

Inder’s boss, Mr. Bakshi (Keith Stevenson) plays a pivotal role in convincing Meenakshi to forgive Inder and talk him out of his depression to get him on his feet again. Inder and Meenakshi in due course fall for each other by the end of the movie.

MY TAKE

I bought the VCD of the movie purely on the star cast and I am not totally disappointed. The movie could have taken on a different platform altogether had it been a little more slick and ‘to the point’. Perhaps back in the 80s, it was forbidden for the women to be left single at the end of a movie and hence the director-writer duo forced a romance to be developed between the survivors. The movie for a large portion rides on an able performance by Smita Patil. However, she is limited by the screen play and her assignment on the movie and just about as you feel that a performance or a scene is about to take off to another level, it falls flat again.

Naseeruddin Shah easily essays the character of a fun loving, full of life, jovial and fair sportsman (typical character sketch of someone who is supposed to die half way in any Hindi movie). At times, you tend to feel that he is straining himself or acting out of his mould and overdoing things a bit, but such is his acting prowess that even in sequences where he makes a fool out of himself, he tends to convince you otherwise.

Vikram’s previous claim to fame was his role in movie ‘Julie’. He perhaps wanted to reinvent himself with this particular attempt and went onto produce this film, maybe with a view to make a mark for himself as an actor all over again. His character actually appears a little over the top and a little hard to believe. Overall, he still does well and is not totally lost in the scheme of things.

This is not exactly Smita Patil’s best work. The film in a way rides on her performance but overall, I really feel that she could have been handled better.  However she shines in her portrayal of a widow and beautifully brings out the anguish of her character in a scene where she is talking to Sulbha Deshpande while ironing a shirt.

Watch the clip if you can appreciate the subtle variations in the scene.

Sulbha Deshpande on the other hand acts in her comfort zone and does well in her limited screen space. Keith Stevenson is better known for his role as the villain in Amitabh starrer ‘Akela’ and the Sheikh in the TV series ‘Zabaan Sambhaal Ke’. Though his role kind of moves the film along, his performance is just about average.

 

MUSIC

Music by Jagjit Singh and lyrics by Gulzar. Sadly, the icons fail to live up to their  reputation. The music score is flat and the lyrics just about average. I would like to forget that they worked together on this project (I am sure they would agree as well). I ultimately forwarded the songs ahead while watching the movie. Absolutely nothing to write home about.

OVERALL

This movie had the right ingredients (Naseer, Smita Patil, Gulzar, Jagjit Singh) but I guess an average recipe. The result – individual flavors stand out in the dish. There are capable situations and potent sequences in the film that had the potential to move and entice the audience but the fuel burns out before the moment arrives.

The film had a few clear blunders and I guess the director-writer duo need to take the responsibility for the film to lose grip just at the right moments. For example, there is this elaborate sequence where Naseeruddin Shah is being taken for his last rites again something which could have been trimmed a bit) and the director chose to have the song ‘Akele akele kahan jaa rahe ho’ to be played in the background. In defense of this I guess you would be tempted to add that the character of Subhash is shown to be an avid Shammi Kapoor fan and he does imitate him on more than one occasion but the song added on the situation not only made an otherwise very serious scene look funny, it also showcased a lack of judgment of the audience’s sensibilities by the directors.

Watch the  clip below if you don’t believe this.

Overall, I guess the movie is a clear 2.5 out of 5. Watch it for Smita Patil’s performance though.

The Revival and The Art Movie Mania…

It’s been a lot of weeks (months actually) since I last updated this blog of mine. Somehow, one thing or the other kept me away. Maybe the lack of responses or comments from friends and readers dissuaded me.

However, I began thinking recently that feedback was not the primary reason for initiating this blog – my love for Cinema in general and the common Indian passion for movies was.

So, in an attempt to revive this blog and to ferociously go on this, I am aiming to talk about various movies in the coming few weeks at the rate of about 2 movies per week.

I recently added about 25 movies from the art movie or parallel cinema genre to my DVD collection and I would be picking them at random and talking about some interesting cinematic experiences to begin with.

I am sure not many people would have heard about these movies. I shall talk about the basic plots, add a few screen captures and maybe upload some clips on YouTube (if it is not against copyright rules) as well for all those who share the same flair for Bollywood and cinema in general.

I am willing to loan these disks (mix of DVDs and VCDs) to friends and people who promise to handle them like crystal children and duly return them back in stipulated time frame… and yes, those who are willing to come and pick them up on their own or send me an advance courier fee :)

Here, is a glimpse of what I have on mind.

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