Hip Hip Hurray 1984

Hip Hip Hurray is another one of those movies which did not knock on the door of marketing. Rather,it passed by ho-humming and we missed it. Yes. I'm yet again happy to have discovered it and also to see Raj Kiran again after some saas bahu movies in which he acted. This movie has been my fav of his.

Its kinda slow. Ok very slow. I had instagram on by the side and that is against my Code-of-Watching-Classics. But it is really slow. I can't believe Prakash Jha directed it. Musical effects were rarely used and songs had no dum. 

A simple movie nevertheless. Takes you back to your school and the dusty playground.

Ek Baar Phir 1980

Ek Baar Phir has two unique aspects. One,its one of the rare movies of 1980s which was entirely shot in an outside location. Yes,entirely. Even the credits. Second, in doing so,it didnt need a YRF banner. No Switzerland or the alps or USA. Just good old,stiff upper lip London as if London London nahi hua bagalwala gymkhana hua!

So what is about this almost unheard of movie that you should see? It is,frankly,not amongst the other better flicks Deepthi has done. But it is poignant and has a pace of its own. Simply put the story is about a wife of a superstar who is a casanova. She is lost in her marriage and finds her way straight into the arms of a guy who, obviously,is just the opposite of her husband and right for her.And yes he does feel right for her! What a brooding performance by Pradeep Verma. Pity he wasn't that popular

The movie is slow either due to some poor direction and poor performances of support actors or deliberative slow because once the infidelity starts who cares for poor performances eh? We just want to know if the Indian wife has the guts to walk out of a loveless marriage. Whether the casanova gets a slap on his dirty face or not. Whether the lover ever stops being miserable and finds his love back. Whether a non YRF film will do well without its patronage! Also we are glad to see how a movie on infidelity is made without being sleazy (read non Bhatt)

Watch it for : old London,old fashions and charming Saeed Jaffery

Kissi Se Na Kehna 1983

The title suggests a flick with chori chupe romance ,which it is. Though without much of the mindless laughing and people falling on banana skin and the guy hiding in the to - be father-in-law's bedroom aka Chupke Chupke style. The movie rather shows some unbelievable care between an Indian father-in-law and his daughter-in-law.

I like how Utpal Dutta is almost all his movies with more or less similar role. A khudgarz father,a strict employer etc almost touching the character of a middle class Indian.Kissi Se Na Kehna is no less.

Girl and boy fall in love and want to marry. Dutt unfortuantely happens to view modern girls as victims of Western culture and who feel ashamed to speak their mother tongue. Thus he doesnt want his son to marry of their ilk. And role playing starts. Deepti has to sometimes act like a village belle and one who doesnt know English,isnt educated and is not what she is; doctor.

Its an easygoing movie mildly tempered with Deepthi's and Saaed Jaffery's performances. Shiekh hovers in the background with his gharelu persona. But you can easily call Utpal Dutt the lead of the movie because he dominates it with his personality as a proud Indian  and so called bade buzurg.

Watch it for : understanding old Indian family culture,simple middle class living or for a glimpse of village life.

Saath Saath 1982

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the mesmerising song 'Tumko dekha to yeh khayal aaya' is from Saath Saath. I thought it was from some famous Yash Chopra flick. (you know how it is...there are certain songs you would have heard a lot but just don't know where it is from)Another undiscovered and unhyped movie from the Eighties.

I have instant love with Deepti Naval. Visit her website and hop onto earlier mag articles written about her. Its true,she isn't the typical commercial Bollywood actress of then and now. You cannot typecast her. She isn't deep as Shabana Azmi nor is she grave as Smitha Patil. Somewhere in between.

And that is why I love her movies. I personally search for her Filmography and look for her movies. Thankfully some lovely people have uploaded here and there and apun ka guzaara ho jaata hai.

The movie is about a couple who are as different as chalk and cheese. Farookh Shiekh is a stubborn,self respecting college boy and Deepti is just daddy's rich girl. She falls in love with him for his ideals and principles. An arya samaj marriage and char din ke chandni ke baad... they start to live their lives. Farookh keeps getting anxious now and then if his wife will ever be tired  of the poverty and turn into a bitch but nothing of the sort happens.

Out pops a baby and things then change. Farookh does a somersault and enters the rat race with a blind motive to earn more money. Deepti starts getting surprised as are we, at his change of behaviour.

The movie is more Deepti than Farookh. With her bubbly girl in love to mature patience as a wife is a transition that is the essence of the movie. Could have named the movie 'Aurat ka dil' or 'My great wife'. Sorry! Saath Saath is just better!

To be watched when you are nostalgic,love old Bollywood,love Deepti Naval,love Farookh Shiekh,want to see old Bombay,want to see college of old times and want to see old Neena Gupta

 

Pic courtesy - flipkart