Yash Chopra vision of love and Indo-Pak relations

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

In the post-independence and post-partition India, movies were made in Bollywood containing good Muslim characters. It might have been because of the concept of a secular India propagated in the Hindu majority nation by the Indian leaders under the stewardship of Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. However those movies showed the relation between a young Hindu male and a young Muslim female or vice versa as that of a brother and a sister only. Why ? Because the wounds of partition were unhealed and the despite the Bollywoodish brotherhood, these two communities were mostly wary of one another. So showing any kind of romantic relationship between the people of these two communities was out of question as it could have resulted in strong opposition. Therefore, inter-religious (Hindu-Muslim) marriages used to take place in real life but seldom in reel life.

The movies showing inter-religious marriages (especially having a Hindu male and a Muslim female) started being made in the nineties. Such movies invited backlashes also from the concerned communities. However the ice had been broken and a new trend had set in. It was a positive sign telling that the Indian movies were ushering into a new era.

Yash Chopra was known as the King of Romance in Bollywood who had made love stories like Daag (1973), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Silsila (1981), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), Darr (1993) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). Movies directed by his son Aditya were also love stories only containing a clear stamp of his vision, viz. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Mohabbatein (2000). Four years after Mohabbatein and five years after the Indo-Pak war of Kargil, he came up with Veer-Zaara (2004) which is the love story of a Indian Hindu male (Veer) and a Pakistani Muslim female (Zaara). It was a matter of courage to make such a movie because post the Kargil war, the relations between the two countries were (naturally) not good. However he dared to take the risk of making this movie which can be considered a classic and one of the best love stories made in Bollywood.

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The story of Veer-Zaara (written by Aditya Chopra) starts with the reopening of the case of a prisoner (Shah Rukh Khan) in Pakistan whose real name is Veer Pratap Singh but who does not disclose his real name or his real identity and is passing his life silently with the tag of prisoner no. 786. The lawyer who is keen to reopen his case and get his release from prison is a young lady named as Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukherjee). Her success happens when she is able to make Veer Pratap Singh who has kept his mouth shut for the past twenty-two years, open his mouth and tell her everything about his past which contains the love story of himself and a Pakistani Muslim girl Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta). Veer was an Indian Air Force pilot involved in rescue operations. Zaara met him when she visited India to fulfill the last wish of her Sikh granny by wafting her ashes in the Satluj river. Veer not only rescued her from a mishap but also helped her in fulfilling her granny’s last wish. With him, she saw places in India and also met his uncle (Amitabh Bachchan) and aunt (Hema Malini).

Veer and Zaara fell in love but they were shocked to meet Zaara’s fiance Raza (Manoj Bajpayee) on the railway station who had come to take her back home. After returning home, Zaara confided her feelings in her cousin and friend Shabbo (Divya Dutta) who informed Veer that Zaara was about to be married off to Raza. Veer came but Zaara’s mother (Kirron Kher) begged him to leave her considering the reputation of their family. Veer agreed to it and decided to go back but Raza arrested him and made him agree to sign a document stating that he’s an Indian spy upon the condition that Zaara would live a happy life thereafter and the reputation of her family would also remain intact. And the love which had brought Veer to Pakistan only instigated him to accept life long imprisonment under a false allegation.

After listening to Veer’s story, Saamiya reopens his case in the court and claims that he’s not an Indian spy and should be allowed to walk free and return back to his motherland. Her rival lawyer is an experienced advocate Zakir Ahmed (Anupam Kher) who is hell-bent upon proving that this person is what he had admitted in the document signed by him years back, i.e., an Indian spy. Saamiya needs proof for her claim but doesn’t find any. Veer refuses to say anything in the court and also takes a promise from Saamiya that she won’t say any such thing in the court that brings the name of Zaara’s family in public. This makes Zakir’s task easy and Saamiya’s task extremely difficult. Veer is under an impression that Zaara is leading a happy wedded life in Pakistan. But the reality is something else which Saamiya comes to know when under her bid to find some proof of Veer’s innocence, she visits his village where his uncle and aunt used to live. There she finds Zaara and Shabbo. She is overwhelmed to see that Zaara’s sacrifice is no less than that of Veer. Zaara had been under an impression over all these years that Veer had died in an accident. The movie ends on a happy note when Saamiya is able to win the court case and get Veer aquitted and thereafter Veer and Zaara move to India together.

Veer-Zaara is a long movie of more than three hours and due to this much length, the writer-director duo has got ample time to show romance as well as courtroom drama. Cinematic liberties have been taken aplenty. There are many things which appear to be implausible. However, in the end, it’s a feel-good movie which entertains the audience like anything on one hand and touches its heart at many places on the other. It emphasizes that sacrifice for the beloved is a part of true love. Despite the tension between the two countries, the director has stressed upon the need of friendship and brotherhood between them. He has made the movie in his trademark style. The narrative moves very well both in the present and also in the flash back. The spectator is moved deep within when Veer accepts the false allegation and ruin his own life for the sake of love and also when Saamiya happens to meet (quite unexpectedly) Zaara in India.

There’s no boredom in the movie. Punjab falls on both the sides of the border and the cinematographer has ably captured the beauty of the fields of Punjab. Otherwise also, the movie is a visual treat. It’s a lavish movie according to the repute of Yash Raj Films banner. The art director has done his job well in portraying both India and Pakistan. Background score and some thrills (when Veer is involved in rescue operations) are also up to the mark. The movie is long but since it’s interesting from the start to the finish, the length is not felt. The editor has not faltered in his job. One minus point that can be mentioned is that a lot of dialogues are in Punjabi. Shabbo is always shown as speaking in Punjabi only.

For the music of the movie, Yash Chopra utilized the hitherto unused certain compositions of Late Madan Mohan which are highly melodious. Sanjiv Kohli has recreated them for the purpose of using in the movie. Songs like Jaanam Dekh Lo, Tere Liye, Do Pal Ruka, Aisa Des Hai Mera and Hum to Bhai Jaise Hain are ear-soothing and picturized also very well. Javed Akhar has penned beautiful lyrics for the songs.

Acting wise talking, Shah Rukh Khan is at his romantic best when playing a young Veer and at his emotional best when playing an old prisoner. Preity Zinta is not far behind. Their on-screen chemistry is amazing. Rani Mukherjee has got a different kind of role and she has done complete justice to it. The whole supporting cast, viz. Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Kirron Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher etc. has done well. Bit players are also able to leave their mark in the movie.

Love does not know any borders. We know that there is an organization known as Doctors Without Borders. However lovers are always without borders. Hence movies like Veer-Zaara should be applauded and encouraged. In the present environment filled with hatred (between communities and countries alike), such movies are like oasis in desert. The movie did not get commercial success on the expected lines but it’s to be admitted that the master storyteller has made a masterpiece. There is a song from the movie Refugee (2000) which tells the essence of this movie – Panchhi Nadiya Pawan Ke Jhonke, Koi Sarhad Na Inhen Roke (no border can stop birds, river and air). Ditto is applicable to love.

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The best Bollywood sports movie as well as the best work of SRK

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

Prior to the outset of the new century, not many sports movies were made in Bollywood. Hip Hip Hurray (1984) directed by Prakash Jha was an exception and it was also more about the teacher-pupil relationship and less about sport. Quality sports movie made in Hindi was the need and to fulfill that Yash Raj Films, renowned for making romantic movies, came up with a movie which can justifiably be termed as the best sports movie presented by Bollywood. It’s Chak De ! India (2007).

‘Chak De’ is a Punjabi phrase which means ‘go for it’. It’s a motivating call in the world of sports. And this call only is the central theme of this movie which not only underscores the power of sports but also the women power. This movie tells the story of a sports coach trying to regain his lost dignity as well as sixteen girls coming from various parts of the country who strive to bring glory for the nation. It’s their journey from the beginning to the destination.

In the Asian Games of 1982 held in New Delhi, India lost to Pakistan in the men’s Hockey final by a huge margin of seven goals against one goal. This humiliating defeat created a nation wide furor and the Indian Hockey players found themselves at the receiving end of that. The main target of the public fury was Mir Ranjan Negi who was the goalkeeper of India in that match. He became a punching bag for all and sundry. People made allegations that he sold himself out to Pakistan and brought shame to the nation. He was even called a traitor. Years later, he coached the Indian women’s Hockey team and succeeded in making it win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games of 2002 held in Manchester. It was his redemption moment. Chak De ! India is said to be inspired by his life story (covering these events) and the role of the coach in the movie is said to be modelled on his personality. However it’s a partial truth. The movie may be inspired by this thing and I also found it inspired by Hip Hip Hurray at some places but the thing is that this movie has an identity of its own.

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The story starts from an Indian Hockey player’s falling from grace when he misses a chance to score a goal in a crucial match against Pakistan. This player is Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) who is termed a traitor by not only the sports lovers but also the public at large. He has to leave his home alongwith his mother and then he disappears from the scene for many years. After a long hiatus, he comes back and offers to the Hockey Association of India to coach the Indian women’s Hockey team for the forthcoming Women’s Hockey World Cup. He is given a team of sixteen female Hockey players coming from different parts of the nation. Nobody believes that he could take them even near to the target. However his self-belief propels him to take up the challenging task. He finds regional (and racial too) biases among the girls. He also finds some indisciplined players among them who are not ready to listen to him, leave aside obeying him. Besides, there are a couple of players who want to play for their personal achievements and not the nation. How he overcomes these hurdles and takes the team to the ultimate glory forms the remaining part of the story.

The most important thing about the story written by Jaideep Sahni is the coach’s teaching the women players to respect each other’s identity and get united as a team merging their individual traits and personalities. And he has been ably helped by the lead actor Shah Rukh Khan by his inspiring performance. Making an authentic movie on a sports like Hockey was no easy job. So a pool of professional women Hockey players and actresses was arranged. Mir Ranjan Negi was called to join the production team and he (alongwith the former coach of the Indian women’s Hockey team – M.K. Kaushik) taught Hockey to the actors of the movie. The scenes of Hockey practice and Hockey matches are highly authentic which speaks volumes about the effort gone into making of this movie.

Chak De ! India is a movie which not only fulfills its principal (and original) objective of entertaining the audience for two and a half hours but also inspires the audience to bury their past demons and create a bright future. Director Shimit Amin has done a splendid job. It teaches how to put your ego aside and mingle with your teammates to achieve a common goal. It underscores that individual achievements are to be put aside to be superseded by the bigger goal. It declares loud and clear that with self-belief, anything can be achieved. It tells how to handle a bully in team and if his/her capabilities are to be utilized at any stage of the exercise, how to caress his/her ego to bring him/her into the mainstream. Scenes of keeping the indisciplined players out of the field, girls’ beating the eve-teasers in a restaurant, one player’s giving a straight reply to her Cricketer beau (who’s making fun of her game), the men versus women Hockey match, the coach’s pep-talk to the players before the final match, one player’s understanding the feelings of her rival teammate during the final match and assisting her to score a goal etc. are all filled with energy, optimism and motivation. It is not just a sports movie, it’s a movie about life. It’s a declaration of women’s lib (though the coach is a male).

Yash Raj Films made a gamble by casting romantic hero Shah Rukh Khan in the role of the coach. In this movie, he did not have to romance. He had to look like and behave like a coach. And to be frank, he got into the skin of his role and appeared as such a Hockey coach that the real life coaches may be envious of him. I personally consider this performance of SRK as his best performance. Considering the limited time available, every girl player could not be given sufficient screen time and a proper character arc. Still the writer and the director have given many actresses an opportunity to rise and shine. Mainly the characters of Preeti (Sagarika Ghatge), Vidya (Vidya Malvade), Komal (Chitrashee Rawat), Balbir (Tanya Abrol) and Bindiya (Shilpa Shukla) remain with the audience after the movie is over. Even the supporting characters like Krishnaji (Vibha Chhibber) and Sukh Lal (Javed Khan) are also able to leave their mark.

Music by Salim-Sulaiman is very good. Jaideep Sahni only has penned the lyrics which are equally good. All the songs are hummable and still very popular. Technically this movie is superior. As mentioned supra, a lot of toil has gone into developing a realistic Hockey team. Hence the Hockey matches shown in the movie are a treat to watch. Background score, cinematography and art direction, all are of very high quality. Dialogues are also very impressive. Editor has used his scissors very sharply and cut a long movie by 25-30 minutes. The result is that the character of Gul Iqbal (Arya Menon) has not got its due. By seeing the deleted scenes of this movie (uploaded on YouTube), I saw that many of them were meant to give the character of Gul a proper arc. However I believe, the editor and the director have done this in the interest of the movie and render the narrative the required speed.

Chak De ! India can boast of the best sports movie ever made in Bollywood. It can be seen and liked by those also who have little knowledge of (and interest in) the game of Hockey. It has a repeat value and can be seen any number of times. If you need enthusiasm, courage, self-belief and optimism; just watch Chak De ! India.

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The entertaining tale of Mars Mission

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

In 2014, India created history by becoming the first nation to send a satellite to the planet Mars in its very first attempt. Prior to that, countries like the USA, Russia and China hadn’t succeeded in it despite trying a lot. It was a proud moment for the whole nation. The toil of the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) people that had gone into making this mission a proud success was hidden from the countrymen. So upon completion of 50 years of establishment of ISRO, director Jagan Shakti came up with the tale of the Mars Mission which was initially called Mars Orbiter Mission but later on renamed as Mangalyaan. The movie presented by the director Jagan Shakti and written by R. Balki is Mission Mangal (2019).

Mission Mangal (Mars mission) as the name explains, tells the story of how the mission of sending a satellite to Mars was conceived, conceptualized and executed and also how it became a success against all odds. This movie is not a very enlightening movie because it uses the scientific jargon to the minimal extent and explains things in a layman’s language. In fact, it is an entertaining movie which entertains the audience for around two hours. Once started, the movie seldom bores. It makes the audience to invest in itself and carries it along in its journey to the final moments.

The story starts with the failure of a mission known as GSLV Fatboy whose responsibility is taken by the incharge of the mission – scientist Rakesh Dhawan (name modelled on the renowned Indian scientist Satish Dhawan). An enquiry commission is set up to look into the failure and thereafter Rakesh (Akshay Kumar) is transferred to the Mars department which is so neglected that even the basic infrastructure has not made available there. His colleague and junior – Tara Shinde (Vidya Balan) feels that the mistake was hers and his senior shouldn’t have been penalized for that. However she faces the Eureka moment of her life while Pooris are being fried in the kitchen of her home when the idea of sending a satellite to Mars illuminates in her mind. She shares it first with Rakesh and then with the director of ISRO (Vikram Gokhle) and others. Once Rakesh and Tara are able to convince the director about the feasibility of the mission, their journey to make this mission a success starts.

Like most Indian movies, this story also has an antagonist named as Rupert Desai (Dalip Tahil) who has come from NASA (the space agency of the USA) and who wants ISRO to borrow the knowledge and expertise from NASA instead of experimenting and creating its own expertise. Since beginning itself, he is against Rakesh and doesn’t want the Mars Mission to succeed. He gives Rakesh and Tara an inexperienced team of junior scientists consisting of Varsha (Nithya Menon), Krutika (Taapsee Pannu), Eka (Sonakshi Sinha), Neha (Keerti Kulhari), Parmeshwar (Sharman Joshi) and Anant (H.D. Dattatreya). Anant is on the verge of retirement and none of the others have any prior experience to partake in any such mission. Plus they are not motivated enough to give their 100% to the mission. They just want to do the regular duty of 8 hours and go home. Eka wants to leave ISRO and go to NASA. Neha is troubled because of not getting a rental accommodation because of being a Muslim. Parmeshwar is disturbed because he is not getting married. Krutika also gets distracted when her soldier husband gets injured while on front. Thus Rakesh and Tara get a team which is interested in biding its time instead of showing any kind of enthusiasm for the mission.

Tara has challenges at home also. Her husband (Sanjay Kapoor) and children especially the son, are always on two opposite sides. She struggles to maintain a balance between them and maintain a cordial atmosphere at home but her success on this front remains limited. Her husband doesn’t like her to continue with her job but she loves her job and now with a big mission in her hand, wants to make it a success. She motivates her team members by devising a plan in which she celebrates the birthday of the scientist in each one of them. But budget problems are also there as the govt. does not want to pay additional amount for the mission and wants ISRO to manage it in its annual budget though the budget estimated for this mission is very less (Rs. 800 crores) as compared to the other countries trying for the same. Suddenly the postponement of a mission named as Chandrayaan-2 opens a new door for the Mars Mission but the funds available due to this postponement are barely Rs. 400 crores. However Rakesh, Tara and their team finally make this mission a success against all odds including the meagre budget and the bad weather.

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The story has been told with a view to entertain and not enlighten. Hence several things have been explained in an oversimplified manner. The movie has narrated the story as if the rocket science is No Rocket Science. A lighter satellite is to be made considering the load capacity of the launch vehicle known as PSLV, so the structural engineer (Anant) suggests to make it using the plastic litter lying on the bed of the ocean. The propulsion scientist (Eka) gets the idea of propelling the launch vehicle with less fuel by seeing a design on a cushion cover at her home. The satellite autonomy scientist (Neha) suggests using a cloth (wolverine material) to send signals. The height of such things is that when the navigation and communication scientist (Krutika) finds out the solution of system problem in switching off and then again switching on the system. Initially itself, Tara gets the idea of sending a satellite to Mars by using PSLV when Pooris are being fried at her home (by using the same home science principle). Later on also, she suggests using the equipments (and also the furniture) of Chandrayaan-2 for the Mars mission as they were of no use in view of the postponement of Chandrayaan-2 mission.

The movie grips the viewer from the very first scene which is of the happenings inside Tara’s home and then twists after twists don’t allow him to take his eyes away from the screen. The narrative flows very well and how the different problems (of the individuals as well as the mission) are resolved make a very interesting viewing. Interesting events like the beating of Neha’s unfaithful husband by the public and the fight of the scientists with some bad characters in a metro rail compartment have been woven into the narrative which has enhanced its entertainment value.

Conventionally speaking, Rakesh is the hero of this movie but in fact, the character of Tara has been depicted as the anchor for everything – from the activities of the mission to the activities and the personalities of the team members. Her character is that of a highly sensible lady (unlike the hot-headed and sometimes eccentric Rakesh) who reflects upon every issue with a cool head and looks for a solution. She is a role model not only for the other characters of the story but also for the people who are watching the movie.

Technically, the movie does not boast of very high standards and the computer graphics used to tell the launching and movement of the satellite are ordinary. However the other technical aspects like the background score, the art direction, the cinematography and the editing are up to the mark. Its a compact movie of two hours and odd minutes which does not drag anywhere. Amit Trivedi’s music is good. Shaabaashiyaan is the best song.

Acting wise speaking, I feel, Akshay Kumar is a misfit here. And his characterisation is also poor. An experienced scientist (billed as a genius by the director of ISRO) cannot be so short-tempered and eccentric as Rakesh has been shown in the movie. However he has not done badly. Actors like Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menon, Keerti Kulhari, Sharman Joshi, H.D. Dattatreya, Vikram Gokhle, Dalip Tahil, Sanjay Kapoor and the artistes playing the roles of Tara’s children; all have played their parts to perfection. But the best performance has come from Vidya Baalan. She has outshone everyone else in her author-backed role. The filmmaker has shown the present Indian prime minister also in the ending reel (which appears to have become essential in today’s times).

My final words – Mission Mangal is a highly entertaining movie which is inspiring also. It provides wholesome entertainment of over two hours, makes us feel proud of the extraordinary achievement of the ISRO team and renders some invaluable lessons too for life.

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Entertainment wrapped in patriotism

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

During the fifties, Raj Kapoor made certain movies in which entertainment was wrapped in idealism, viz. Awara (1951), Shree 420 (1955) and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960). During the sixties, Manoj Kumar also adopted this style of filmmaking by making Upkar (1967) which was a so-called patriotic movie but, in fact, an entertaining movie only. He followed it up with many such movies in which patriotism was talked about but actually those movies targetted to provide entertainment only to the audience through the regular Bollywood formulas like songs, dances, action, comedy etc.

Producer-director Manmohan Desai was skilled in making potboilers containing a complete entertainment package of romance, comedy, songs, dances, emotions and action. After the box office success of his movie Naseeb (1981), he came up with a similar movie Desh Premee (1982). Here the only difference was that Desh Premee showed some patriotic scenes (of pre-independence India) and portrayed the protagonist as a patriot (and an idealist). Else, everything was more or less the same as Naseeb. The public was served entertainment only by wrapping it in patriotism.

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Desh Premee (patriot) is the story of Master Dinanath (Amitabh Bachchan) who fought for India’s independence from the British (by participating in the Quit India Movement) and suffered a lot in their hands without any complaint from his side as he loved his country (India) very much. After independence, he lost his wife (Sharmila Tagore) and daughter Preeti (Parveen Babi) due to the Bollywood style twists of fate and the activities of the villain. Only his son Raju (Amitabh Bachchan in double role) remains with him but instead of becoming an idealist like his father, he becomes totally money-minded after growing-up and starts working with his father’s enemy Prataap Singh (Amjad Khan) who carries out illegal activities. Raju gets a sweetheart in the form of Asha (Hema Malini) whereas Preeti becomes a doctor and gets her beau in the form of police inspector Deepak (Naveen Nischal). The wife of Master Dinanath also gets separated from her daughter and suffers from leprosy. How all the separated ones get reunited in the end and how the baddies, i.e., Prataap Singh plus some others are punished, forms the remaining part of the story.

The story does not contain only these characters. In addition to them, it also contains four different characters – one Sikh (Shammi Kapoor), one South Indian Hindu (Premnaath), one Muslim (Parikshit Saahni) and one Bengali Hindu (Uttam Kumar). These were always at loggerheads before coming into contact with Master Dinanath who teaches patriotism, love and unity to them through a song – ‘Aapas Mein Prem Karo Desh Premiyon’ (written by Anand Bakshi and sung by Mohammed Rafi). Well, this dose of patriotism also helps in justifying the title of the movie which is otherwise nothing but a crime based story.

The movie is damn interesting right from the start to the finish. After the initial reels in which the genuine patriotism of Master Dinanath is portrayed, the story goes on the main (different) track for entertaining the audience through the tried and tested formulas. And the package served succeeds in entertaining the audience to the full. Separations take place, children grow-up and get different kinds of treatment from the destiny, romancing takes place, comic incidents take place and finally the action-packed climax arrives at for conclusion. Comic songs like Ja Jaldi Bhaag Ja and Jaate Ho To Jaao Par Itna Sunn Lo bring laughs for the audience. Another comic song Khaatoon Ki Khidmat Mein Salaam Apun Ka reminds of Mehmood’s old comic song from Gumnaam (1965) – Hamen Kaale Hain To Kya Hua Dilwaale Hain. Laxmikant Pyarelaal have given good (and foot-tapping) music in the movie. Laxmikant himself has sung the song – Gore Nahin Ham Kaale Sahi. Technically also the movie is superior.

Acting wise talking, Amitabh Bachchan has got the maximum screen space because of his double role and he has delivered the performance as always expected of him in those days. In the role of Master Dinanath, he has performed better. Hema Malini has delivered a hilarious performance. She only was Amitabh Bachchan’s heroine in Naseeb also and her name also was Asha only in Naseeb. This is the only movie in which Parveen Babi has become the sister (and daughter) of Amitabh Bachchan and she has done well. Naveen Nischal, Sharmila Tagore, Amjad Khan, Shammi Kapoor, Premnaath, Parikshit Saahni, Uttam Kumar etc. have also played their respective parts well. Singer Mohammed Rafi and actor Uttam Kumar had passed away before this movie was released. Hence it contains one of their last performances.

Summing up, Desh Premee serves some Desh Prem (patriotism) to the audience in the beginning (real footage of the Indian leaders of pre-independence period have also been shown) but ultimately it proves that this patriotism is only the packing for the entertainment which becomes visible once the packet is unwrapped (when the narrative moves forward after the initial reels). It was an average success on the box office. It has been made in such a way that no entertainment-seeker will be dissatisfied after watching it. And the huge fan-following of Amitabh Bachchan will be too much pleased to see their favorite hero in a double role.

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The matchbox of anguish

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

During the late seventies and the eighties, Punjab was burning in the fire of terrorism. A group of militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had raised the demand of a separate nation for the Sikh community, titled as Khalistan. After a lot of bloodshed (mainly of innocents), the then political leadership of India (Mrs. Indira Gandhi, to be exact), gave the green signal to the army to carry out the Operation Blue Star which was a military operation inside the pious Golden Temple of Amritsar as the militants including their leader, i.e., Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were hiding inside that. The operation was successful, Bhindranwale with his companions got killed and the arsenal in the possession of the militants was confiscated. But !

But the Operation Blue Star could not end terrorism from Punjab. Within a few months, Mrs. Indira Gandhi got killed by her own bodyguards (who were Sikhs). Thereafter a lot of anti-Sikh riots took place in India, mainly the capital city – Delhi in which thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed. The new prime minister of India, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi started the peace process by releasing the prominent Sikh leaders from jail and talking to them. Finally, a peace accord known as the Punjab Accord was signed by Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and the prominent Sikh leaders especially Sardar Harcharan Singh Longowal in which certain demands of the Sikh leaders were acceded to by the Govt. of India. Thereafter president’s rule was lifted from the state, assembly elections took place and an elected govt. took charge of the state. However despite this whole exercise peace could not be brought back to Punjab and the killings continued because the wounds on the hearts of the people who had lost their near and dear ones during the riots plus the police and military action could not be healed.

The army went back to the barracks but the police under the stewardship of Mr. K.P.S. Gill kept on handling the people with an iron fist without caring for as to who was innocent and who was guilty. I have always believed that instead of (or alongside) eliminating the terrorists, terrorism should be eliminated. Else, elimination of one terrorist gives birth to many like him. The police atrocities continuing in the state generated a different kind of anguish in the hearts of the suffering people and the militant activities kept on mushrooming within and outside the state. Sikh leader Sardar Harcharan Singh Longowal who had signed the peace accord with the Indian prime minister and General A.S. Vaidya who had led the Operation Blue Star were killed by the militants. The activities of police in the name of controlling and eliminating terrorism were like trying to put the fire off by using petrol instead of water. Injustice or lack of justice always increases the anguish in the heart of the victim because it is another kind of victimization for him. However the (Indian) beaurocracy seldom understands it.

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Prominent Hindi filmmaker (and litterateur) Gulzar made a movie on this theme titled as Maachis (1996) taking Tabu and a newcomer Chandrachur Singh in lead roles. This movie deeply examines the atrocities on the innocents by the police force of Punjab and the anguish in their hearts generated by the same. Maachis (matchbox) is the apt name for the story because the anguish in the heart of the victim of the oppression can justifiably be given the analogy of a matchbox filled with wickers having gunpowder on their heads and just one spark (any incident) is enough for its explosion and resultant fire. Many youths who were otherwise not taking to violence and trying to live as peaceful citizens, took up arms or joined the militant groups because of the police atrocities on their families and injustices poured on themselves by the system. The real militants still wanting to create a separate Sikh nation or destabilize the govt. of the Punjab as well as the govt. of India took advantage of this situation. Thus the faulty police and the legal system created a complete generation of militants. Gulzar has depicted this phenomena very realistically on the screen through the story of Paali (Chandrachur Singh) and Veeran (Tabu).

The movie is very interesting from the start to the finish and is very impressive also. The timing of the movie can be questioned because by the time of release of this movie, peace had returned to Punjab despite the assessination of the chief minister of the state, Mr. Beant Singh a few months back. The filmmaker has shown that during those days of unrest in the state, the police used to enter any house and took anybody (or more than one person) of the family to the police station without following any due process of law purely on the basis of their (so-called) suspicion. And then they gave third degree treatment to them by beating them mercilessly and torturing them like anything without caring for their innocence or allowing them to get legal help. Such things only created a mentality among the youth of the state that the govt. was against them and it’s better to join any militant group (to take on the mighty state force). However after joining any such group only, the naive youths (gradually) came to know that the militant groups were no better than the police and they were only puppets in the hands of those who had their own axes to grind. But then they could not leave such groups on their own will. Joining was easy, leaving was not.

The story of Maachis ends tragically as it’s a realistic movie. The seasoned director has kept the pace of the movie fast and made it engrossing for the viewers. It does not bore at any place. The narrative flows very well and instigates the audience to invest themselves in it. The emotions of the viewers are stirred by it and they are made to root for the lead pair as well as some other (innocent but oppressed) characters of the story. All the actors have done exceedingly well. Tabu won the National Award for Best Actress for her role in this movie. Newcomer Chandrachur Singh is not far behind. The actors playing the baddies (both the militants and the cops) have left no stone unturned in creating disgust in the heart of the audience for their characters. Seasoned actors like Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Om Puri, Kanwaljeet Singh and S.M. Zaheer have played them. This is the first movie of Jimmy Shergill and he has also impressed. Other actors like Raj Zutshi, Sunil Sinha, Ravi Gossain etc. have also done justice to their roles. The performances are quite natural and nowhere theatrical.

All the technical aspects of the movie viz. action, background score, art direction, cinematography, editing etc. are up to the mark. It’s a long movie but given the nature and the canvas of the story, a shorter version would not have done justice to the same. The script as well as the direction of Gulzar is brilliant. Vishal has composed good music for the equally good lyrics of Gulzar himself. Chappa Chappa Charakha Chale and Chhod Aaye Hum Woh Galiyaan had become quite popular at the time of release of this movie.

After release of this movie, its shows were arranged in certain villages of Punjab (most probably by those who were either involved in or sympathetic to the militant activities) to remind the people of the oppression and injustices suffered by them. Thus this realistic movie actually caused harm to the peace of the state which definitely might not have been the intention of the filmmaker. However whether it’s the case of bandits or terrorists or (certain) criminals, isn’t the real duty of the state to stop their growth by providing justice to the victimized and applying ointment of sympathy, affection and genuine help on the wounds on their hearts ? Since it doesn’t happen (mostly), such aggrieved ones become anti-establishment. Terrorism is bad and should be acted against with full force. But at the same time, innocents and peace-loving people should not be compelled to take this path. This is the real message of this good movie.

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The Gaganmahal mystery

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

Paapi Parivaar (sinner family) is a murder mystery penned by eminent Hindi mystery writer Surendra Mohan Pathak. Had this book been titled as Gaganmahal, it would have been more appropriate as the mystery happens in a royal palace of olden times known as Gaganmahal. It’s a very interesting mystery and keeps the reader as spellbound till its climax.

The royal family which has inherited Gaganmahal from its forefathers contains five members – four brothers and one sister. All of them are unmarried on account of different reasons. The youngest brother Bhaanu Prataap and the sister Roop Kunwar are twins whereas the other three brothers are elder to them. The eldest one is Gagan Prataap, the second one is Surya Prataap and the third one is Chandra Prataap. Bhaanu Prataap and Roop Kunwar live in Gaganmahal as their father had given this palace to them only in his will. Gagan Prataap and Chandra Prataap do business in the city whereas Surya Prataap is a wanderer by nature and a trekker also who has tried to climb even the Mount Everest, the highest peak of the world.

This novel belongs to the highly popular Sunil Series of the author whose hero is a Bengali press reporter Sunil Kumar Chakravarty who works for a national daily – Blast. This series is set in a fictitious metropolitan city known as Rajnagar. There is a tourist place known as Jhery which is 65 miles away from Rajnagar and Gaganmahal is situated even six miles farther. All the major events of this novel take place in Gaganmahal and our hero has to come from Rajnagar for his investigation.

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The story starts with Gagan Prataap’s vacation program. When Roop Kunwar comes to know it and the forthcoming visit of Gagan Prataap to her before his moving out of India on his vacation, she calls both Surya Prataap and Chandra Prataap there so that the whole royal family stays together at least for some time. She also calls a common female friend – Manjari there. The relations between the family members are not good. Gagan Prataap feels that his father had not done justice to him by giving Gaganmahal to his daughter and the youngest son. Roop Kunwar and Bhaanu Prataap who are not well off and facing financial difficulties are under an impression that Gagan Prataap is trying to usurp Gaganmahal by any means. When Gagan Prataap reaches Gaganmahal, Roop Kunwar greets him like an honoured guest but when he offers to buy Gaganmahal, a quarrel happens between them. Her twin brother Bhaanu Prataap is happy to see all of his brothers but his problem is that he is physically and mentally weak. It is said about him that he can peep into the future and guess future events beforehand.

Next morning, after Gagan Prataap’s departure from Gaganmahal to catch his flight for going abroad, police inspector Prabhu Dayaal from Rajnagar reaches Gaganmahal with an arrest warrant for Chandra Prataap who is charged for embezzlement. At the same time, Sunil also reaches there for meeting the members of the royal family and finding out something useful for his newspaper. However before Prabhu Dayaal and Sunil could meet anybody, Chandra Prataap commits suicide in a room of the palace known as Rangshaala by shooting himself by a gun which is the property of his elder brother Surya Prataap.

Now starts the investigation of the incident. The face of the dead body has got damaged and therefore, it’s not possible to identify Chandra Prataap by face. There is a strong family resemblance among the brothers and the sister. So Sunil suspects that the dying person is not Chandra Prataap and also that the incident is not a suicide but a murder. He visits Gaganmahal again after some days and wanders through the complete palace alongwith Surya Prataap. He comes to know that this old palace has some secret way to come in and come out and the whole layout of the palace also is no less than a mystery in itself. After the incident, Bhaanu Prataap has disappeared and the servants of the palace have left job. In such a scenario, Sunil gets concerned for the safety of Roop Kunwar who has, by this time, expelled Surya Prataap also from the palace who is now living in a nearby hotel. In his final visit there alongwith his friend Ramakant, his junior reporter Arjun and Ramakant’s employee Jauhari, he is able to unearth the whole mystery and unmask the culprit.

Paapi Parivaar is not just a whodunnit but also a howdunnit. If Chandra Prataap had not committed suicide and was murdered by someone, how it could be possible because Rangshaala where the incident had taken place, was closed from inside. There are many other questions related to the incident and the identity of the deceased one whose answers are found out by Sunil through his investigation. Sunil delves deep into even the smalles aspect of this case. Police inspector Prabhu Dayaal does not take interest in finding out such things and closes the case from his side by considering the incident as a suicide but when Sunil unravels the mystery before him, he feels that he should have taken deep interest in the case.

Written in simple Hindi, this novel is a brilliant mystery though after unmasking the culprit, the author has to explain a lot of things to the readers (from the mouth of Sunil) which may be cumbersome to read for some readers. Even then it’s a treat for the mystery fans and also those who are the admirers of the hero, i.e., Sunil. Right from the beginning, the narrative flows very well and engrosses the reader. And after reading the book fully, the reader gets a feeling of satisfaction. Other than a mystery, this is a family drama too. The relations of the family members have been elucidated very well by the author and he has established that even the small and seemingly ordinary incidents of childhood may create rifts among the siblings which may not be bridged in their adulthood.

The novel contains humour also which has been generated through the characters of the hero’s friend Ramakant and the receptionist of Blast – Renu. However this humour is only as much as salt is required in flour to prepare food.

This novel is a typical Sunil Series novel of the popular author and will be liked by all kinds of readers of fiction may it be the mystery fans or those who like family drama kind of stuff.

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A good cocktail of DDLJ and Bawarchi

Posted on January 19, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

In Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic movie – Bawarchi (1972), a dysfunctional middle-class family gets transformed due to the influence of their new multi-talented cook (Bawarchi). Decades later, director David Dhawan took the same story to make his movie Hero No. 1 (1997). The story of Bawarchi had been written by Tapan Sinha and the screenplay had been written by director Hrishikesh Mukherjee himself whereas for Hero No. 1, the story credit has been given to Rumy Jaffery who has taken some inspiration from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) for the pre-interval session of the movie and lifted the post-interval story straight from Bawarchi. In the original movie, the title role was played by Rajesh Khanna whereas in this remake, the same role has been played by Govinda.

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The dysfunctional family of Hero No. 1 is headed by Dinanath (Paresh Rawal) who has a joint family containing three sons, two daughters-in-law, one married daughter, one grand-daughter and another grand-daughter Meena (Karishma Kapoor) whose parents are no more. The daughters-in-law of the house have loaded the work of the complete household on Meena and their cook has left their home. Meena gets an opportunity to go to Europe where she meets Raju (Govinda) who comes from a wealthy family and they fall in love. After coming back from Europe, Raju sends his father Dhanraj (Kader Khan) to meet Dinanath regarding his marriage with Meena. However things take such a turn that inadvertently a quarrel happens between Dhanraj and Dinanath even before they get introduced. Now Raju has to win the heart of Dinanath and his family members. He enters their family in the disguise of a domestic servant and starts spreading positive vibes to one and all, solving individual problems and indirectly teaching good things to the family members. Finally, as expected, Raju and Meena are united when Raju’s reality comes before Dinanath and his other family members.

Hero No. 1 is an entertaining movie as the writer and the director mixed the essences of DDLJ and Bawarchi in optimum proportions to prepare an interesting comedy. Considering Govinda’s comic image, it has been made as a comedy and not a romantic movie like DDLJ. In the pre-interval part of the movie, the hero and the heroine meet in Europe, sing songs and romance. In the post-interval part, the hero enters the heroine’s household, hiding his identity, to set the things right and get the hand of his sweetheart. The complete set-up of the heroine’s family is more or less a copy of the same in Bawarchi. However in Bawarchi, the hero and the heroine (Jaya Bhaduri) were not involved romantically and the hero proved to be like an elder brother for the heroine who ensured that she got the love of her life against all odds.

The narrative flows smoothly and though the set-up gives a feeling in the beginning itself that it might be another version of Bawarchi, actually it turns out to be so in its second half only. The teasing between the hero and the heroine in the first half are clearly inspired by DDLJ. Overall the movie is good and is able to entertain the spectator from the beginning to the end. However David Dhawan is neither Aditya Chopra nor Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It was not possible for him to make a classic like DDLJ or Bawarchi. The way the movie comes on the screen has a clear stamp of the director’s own well-known style of making comedies with Govinda.

Technically the movie is good. Like Bawarchi (and unlike DDLJ), it’s not unduly long. Music by Anand Milind is okay. Performance wise talking, all the actors have done justice to the assigned roles. Govinda can’t be expected to act like Rajesh Khanna, still he has made a sincere effort to play the role of a mock servant (or Bawarchi, to be exact). He is an skilled actor and in his heyday, simpleton kind of roles suited him well. He has performed in his trademark style which had catapulted him to stardom during the nineties. His pair with Karishma Kapoor was popular because of their amazing on-screen chemistry which is visible in Hero No. 1 also.

Summing up, this cocktail of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Bawarchi is quite good and satisfying for the regular Bollywood movie buffs. It was a commercially successful movie when released and is a treat for the fan-following of Govinda and Karishma Kapoor.

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One case, many interpretations

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Jitendra Mathur

Akiro Kurosawa’s classic movie Rashomon (1950) coined the concept of the Rashomon Effect in which one incident is narrated and interpreted by different people in different ways. In the world of fiction, it has been used several times when a single event is given different (and contradictory) interpretations by different people. Hindi novel Crime Club penned by eminent author Surendra Mohan Pathak tells one such story only.

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The novel has been named as Crime Club because it shows the activities of a small group of people from various professions known as Crime Club. There are only six members of this group or the club who take interest in the field of criminology and have at least the basic knowledge of crime detection procedure. These six members are – 1. Vivek Agashe, a retired militaryman who runs a private detective agency, 2. Ruchika Kejriwal, a young lady who is a crime reporter, 3. Laungmal Daasaani, a criminal lawyer, 4. Mrs. Chhaya Prajapati, a middle-aged first class magistrate, 5. Abhijeet Ghosh, a Chartered Accountant who takes interest in mysteries and crime detection, 6. Ashok Prabhakar, a mystery writer.

A case comes before this club which the police has not been able to solve. A lady named as Anjana Nigam had died of poison which was in the chocolates received by her husband Mukesh Nigam who had received it from a person named as Dushyant Parmaar whom it had been sent to by some chocolate manufacturing company as a free sample. She had eaten many chocolates and died. Her husband had eaten barely two chocolates and fell sick only. The police suspected many people for this killing of Mrs. Nigam but failed. Ultimately they (unofficially) handed over the case to Crime Club for trying its hand upon the same.

After hearing the brief of the case from the investigating officer, the members of Crime Club decide to try to solve the case individually with each one to come up with a theory of the solution which is to be presented before the Club on one by one basis. Who is to present his / her theory at which number is decided by chits bearing the names of the members. The real story starts from here. All six members present their respective theories before others having a different solution and a different perpetrator of the crime. After the last theory (presented by Abhijeet Ghosh), the real culprit is unmasked.

The narrative of this novel is sans any action or twists but still very interesting. How a single fact can be interpreted by different people in different ways drawing different conclusions has been established very emphatically. That’s why no two members suggest a common culprit. It is also explained how misleading conclusions can be drawn by telling half-truths or hiding a part of truth. Through the theory of Ashok Prabhakar, it is also underlined that when facts are imposed upon a pre-determined conclusion (instead of drawing conclusion by analyzing the facts), the result can be grossly inaccurate.

Reading this novel is an interesting brain-exercise for the readers. Alongwith the members of the Crime Club, the reader also applies his mind to find a solution to the case and guess as to who can be the culprit (it’s extremely difficult for the reader to correctly guess the culprit). Thus this novel is different from the run-of-the-mill murder mysteries. It’s a unique novel based on a unique theme. Written in simple Hindi, it is able to satisfy both the mystery fans and those who like social drama kind of stories.

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A scheme too far-fetched

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Jitendra Mathur

Hindi maxim Door Ki Kaudi means something far-fetched or something which is not plausible or believable. During the eighties, Hindi novelist Late Ved Prakash Sharma had penned many novels whose characters used to make so complex and far-fetched schemes that they could be termed as Door Ki Kaudi only and turn them into action as well. This characteristic of his novels (mainly suspense thrillers) only made him a special writer who believed in presenting something new to his readers in his every new novel.

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In the new millennium, he wrote less number of good novels. One such novel is titled itself as Door Ki Kaudi. It is because of the scheme made by its central character Ajay Srivastav which is so complex that it’s difficult for the reader to understand his real intention even after reading more than half of the novel. He guesses the future activities of his target people as well as their reactions to own acts so accurately that it appears surprising to the reader and he starts wondering whether any person can really peep into the minds of the other ones to know as to what they will do and when. He considers himself as an expert in kidnapping the minds of others and is confident of making such chesslike moves due to which his targets will do only what he wants them to do, nothing else.

This main character of the story (whether you call it the protagonist or the antagonist) is not alone. He has made a group for meeting his objective. However in his group, only one person is aware of his full scheme and intentions. Others are only pawns in their game knowing only a part of the scheme. It’s very interesting to read the scheme of the main character and its implementation. The novel keeps the reader as spellbound from the beginning to the end. It’s a thick novel and written on a large canvas. However almost everything written in the novel is meaningful and connected to the main story. Ved Prakash Sharma used to say that his novels should be read by those only who need food for their brains. Door Ki Kaudi is one such novel only which provides a lot of food for the reader’s brains.

The theme of the novel is based on the defects in the judicial system of India which lead to the injustices to the innocents and in turn create the feeling to seek revenge in the minds of the victimized. The main character of this novel and his close confidante have been keeping such a fire only in their hearts. They want to seek their revenge from their perpetrators (in their opinion) not directly but in a twisted manner through a complex scheme. One of their targets is a judge and the other one is a police inspector. However the novel also underscores the fact that such people might have acted in good faith or compelled to act like that because of the system they are in. A judge has to give his verdict on the basis of the facts and evidences presented before him and a police inspector is compelled to follow the orders of his seniors. By doing their assigned duties in this way, they do not become bad people in themselves. And hence seeking revenge from them without understanding their situation is not correct. Revenge should be taken from the culprit and not any innocent. Justice is desirable, revenge is not. As Mahatma Gandhi had asserted – an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.

The novel also highlights that it is not correct for the immature young girls to be crazy for some writer or artist and go against the wishes of their parents for his sake. Misunderstanding own parents without observing everything logically and wisely may put such girls into troubles. The positive end of the novel clarifies that those who make far-fetched schemes to target others should not think that the other ones are stupids and their schemes will work exactly as they have thought. If they keep on moving with the assumption that the other people are damn fools, their schemes may boomerang also and they may have to endure a taste of their own medicine. It happens with the main character of this story in the end. And hence, smartness is good, oversmartness is not.

Written in simple Hindi and studded with impressive dialogues, this suspense thriller is no less than any treat for the lovers of Hindi fiction.

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Hrishi Da narrates a heartwarming tale

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Jitendra Mathur

In the earlier times, the westernized women (and sometimes even well-dressed women) used to be called by the commonfolk as Mem Saheb or simply Mem. Sometimes this kind of address was meant to give respect to the concerned woman and sometimes it was used satirically. Didi means elder sister in Hindi (and in some other languages too). So how will it feel if some woman is called as both Mem and Didi making it a single word, i.e., Mem-Didi ?

That’s what happens in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film Mem-Didi (1961). Hrishi Da was the pioneer of the middle of the road cinema in Bollywood. His movies were neither lavish and formula-studded nor completely realistic. He used to tell simple stories of simple people which the Indian audience could relate to. Mem-Didi is one such movie only.

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The story is set in a small neighbourhood. Chawl-dwellers are there using a common tap for fulfilment of their need of water. There are two rough-tough men living there – Sher Khan (Jayant) and Bahadur Singh (David) who are ever ready to help the needy inhabitants of that place in their own way. They come to know that some Mem Saheb is going to occupy an accommodation there. They imagine that Mem Saheb according to the persona associated with that kind of addressing. However they are surprised that an elderly and simple looking lady arrives there who does not look a Mem Saheb (or Mem) from any angle. When they meet her, situation becomes like that that the woman who is some Mrs. Roy (Lalita Pawar) slaps them. Now being concerned for their rough-tough image, both these men decide to have their revenge by throwing her out of that place. Their simple minds generate the idea of first tying that lady on a chair and then throw that chair out.

However when they visit that lady for this purpose, their plan does not succeed because she turns out to be kind and good-natured. Their hearts change towards her by experiencing her good behaviour. They become her deemed brothers and considering her as their elder sister, start calling her as Mem-Didi. Thus an affectionate and humanistic relationship develops between them and their Mem-Didi.

Mem-Didi is a hard-working woman. She earns by working very hard but does not spend much. She is doing it to finance the education of her daughter Rita (Tanuja) who is actually not her biological daughter. Rita, unaware of what Mrs. Roy is doing for her, is enjoying her student life and romancing with her boyfriend Dilip (Kaysi Mehra). When Rita is about to arrive there, first Mem-Didi has to hide the reality from her and then her wedding is also to be arranged with Dilip who comes from a wealthy family. How Sher Khan and Bahadur Singh help Mem-Didi in this regard forms the remaining part of the story.

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The script of Mem-Didi was written by Hrishi Da himself (for the story of Sachin Bhowmick). It is studded with heartwarming incidents establishing that the relations of humanity are stronger than even blood relations. The people shown in the movie are simple but having hearts of gold. Despite having a young pair in the movie, this is not the story of them. This is the story of Sher Khan, Bahadur Singh and their Mem-Didi. Thus three elderly characters are kept at the nucleus of the script. This itself was an unusual thing for a Bollywood movie in that era. The narrative flows very well and doesn’t allow even a single moment of boredom to creep in.

Lalita Pawar had been typed in Bollywood for the role of a bad woman. However whenever she got an opportunity to play a different kind of role, she displayed her abundant talent. Being in the title role, she only can justifiably be called the heroine of this movie (without any hero as the heroes are her brothers). This movie is a showcase of her talent and reminds of her role in Anari (1959). The next best performer is Jayant in the role of Sher Khan. David, Tanuja, Kaysi Mehra and others have also done their parts well.

In line with the story and the characters of this movie, the milieu has been kept very simple by the art director. The cinematographer has also done his job well for this black and white movie. All the technical aspects are in order. Dialogues written by Rajinder Singh Bedi are also good. Salil Chowdhury has composed good music for the lyrics of Shailendra. All the songs are good to listen.

In my view, a filmmaker should not remake his own classic movie. The way B.R. Chopra committed the mistake of remaking Afsana (1951) as Dastaan (1972), the same way Hrishi Da committed the mistake of remaking Mem-Didi as Achha Bura (1983) which is many notches below Mem-Didi.

Summing up, Mem-Didi is a very good movie which not only entertains but also touches the viewer’s heart at many places. No lover of golden oldies should miss this classic containing a heartwarming story with brilliant performances and good songs.

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