Packing a punch (Shikar)

I'm a happy soul today. I've just watched a film that brought under one roof two good-looking men, three fetching ladies, a thrilling murder plot, plenty of feet-tapping songs, awesome action, rib-tickling comedy, superb dialogues and... Well, if you ask me, the list is endless! Yes, Shikar, directed by Atma Ram is one scintillating entertainer. It grips you from the word go, and rivets you to

Sound suspense (Anamika)

I think I've managed to zero in on my favourite Jaya Bhaduri film. Easily, it's Anamika, the 1973 mystery romance directed by Raghunath Jhalani. There is something very charging about the Jaya Bhaduri here. She is different and immensely enjoyable. Not that in her other films she is not. But here, she is spontaneous, sprightly and extremely jaunty. Her character undergoes several changes in

Hey baby!! (Tum Haseen Main Jawan)

I call this a bubblegum film. Nothing is serious here. Even when the villain is trying to bump off an infant, you know at the back of your mind that he will reform his actions in the climactic scene. I also call this bubblegum because of the plethora of colours I see here. Every frame is bursting with multiple hues. Every song is bouncy and one can surely leave his brain behind when this Bhappi

Soulful sonatas (Maya)

This is one film that will stay on with you because of the wonderful music. The story has been heard before, the characters seen and the denouement expected. But these songs are so powerful even today that whenever they play they bring bliss to my senses. I'm talking of Salil Chowdhury's fantastic score in Maya, the 1961 romance directed by D.D. Kashyap. The film has a likable plot and famous

Drama galore (Zindagi)

The best thing about Ramanand Sagar's Zindagi is Vyajyanthimala. Not only is she ravishing and dances like a dream, she actually makes you sit up and take note of her histrionic skills. She is utterly believable as the sensible Beena who reasons with her mother that acting as a profession needn't be slighted at. When she is loathe to barter her love for the sake of easy money, you really feel