philban65

This was a real waste of an evening. The storyline was weak, and it was difficult to empathise with Reese Witherspoon's character - not all her fault as the script did her no favours, giving her such a two-dimensional role to play. Patrick Dempsey's character similarly did him no favours - he surely must look back on this dreadful movie as a low point in his career. This role gave him little scope for his talent to shine. The stereotyping of the 'Democrat mom-in-law' was appalling and conveyed a distasteful political bias. Furthermore, Sweet Home Alabama gave out a rather simplistic, clumsy 'North is bad, South is good' message, which is rather bizarre for this genre of movie, not to mention inappropriate and alienating. This is a very poor movie.

This is a truly classic Indian film, and a fitting showcase to the substantial talents of it director, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who shows how a masterpiece can be produced on a small budget.

Shot almost exclusively inside the Sharma household, this film explores the tensions and rivalries within the Sharma family, and how their domestic problems quite literally bring them to their knees. Into this house of discontent steps a man with answers to their problems and a lot more. How can a cook be so smart? What is his agenda? Who is this man? The acting in a very strong cast is first class, and without weakness. Rajesh Khanna steals the show though with a brilliant, amusing lead role as the loquacious Bawarchi. At that time (1972) he was the darling of the Indian cinema and women wrote letters in their own blood to him, such was his appeal, and this film showcases his immense talent. Rajesh Khanna's performance is one of great depth: his facial expressions, delivery and mannerisms are skilfully never overplayed, none more so than when he utters in English "It is simple to be happy, but it is difficult to be simple". Whether it be a comic or serious sad scene, Jaya Badhuri, as Krishna, perfectly conveys the uncertainties of a complex, sensitive young woman and captures her emotions beautifully to show just what a fine actress she is. A.K.Hangal amuses as the kindly Uncle who likes a quiet tipple and makes a fine double act with his screen brother. Harendranath Chatopadhay's performance as grandfather is authentic and very enjoyable. All this is underpinned with strong direction, and creative screenplay: the beautifully crafted entry of the Bawarchi through the morning mist into the chaotic proceedings being a personal highlight. Overall the delivery of the Gulzar's punchy dialogue has the required pace to make Bawarchi work. Either all these actors are adept at this and/or Mukherjee and his direction team are experts in achieving it.

Bawarchi can inspire a mixture of emotions: from sadness to joy. Whether you understand Hindi or not, it's a film that you can go back to and still enjoy again and again, and that is the mark of genius.

Zanjeer (The Chain) is the film where Amitabh Bachchan made the breakthrough from being an established actor to superstardom, and where the trend was set towards the revenge film in Indian cinema. Amitabh's Angry Young Man character was born in this film in his brilliant portrayal of the brooding, temperamental Vijay who is haunted by a recurrent nightmare. Indeed, his performance as a disturbed, vengeful young man propelled him to new heights, such that he was at the top of many directors' wanted list for at least a decade afterwards. Interestingly, the role was rejected by several stars of the early 70s before being offered to Amitabh, illustrating how luck can play a part in a career's success or failure. Who knows what different turns Bachchan's career would have taken had he not had the chance to play Vijay, the young man with chips on both shoulders. Surely his talent would have found an outlet somewhere, but would he have made such a ground breaking impact in any other role?

Zanjeer is certainly not all about one actor, and a strong cast showcase their talents to the full. The greatest character actor of all time in Indian cinema, Pran, gives a very enjoyable performance as Vijay's loyal friend, Sher Khan. As ever, Pran's attention to detail and willingness to 'live the character' is immediately obvious and doubtless he will have researched the Pathan dialects to deliver a richly authentic performance. Jaya Badhuri cleverly plays the sassy knife sharpener with great depth and sensitivity. Ajit is no conventional villain: not the hothead that is seen in so many Indian movies; instead he is cold and cruel but nevertheless, quintessentially evil. Even Iftekhar's cameo as Vijay's boss, the Police Commissioner is worthy of praise.

This classic thriller is tightly scripted by Javed Akhtar, and never loses its pace thanks to Salim Khan's screenplay and Prakash Mehra's clever direction and the richly talented cast. It has a high octane tension which is sustained throughout. An example of this is in Vijay's visit to the party when the gangster's moll (played by Bindu) seeks to seduce Vijay in the raunchy number Dil Jalon Ka. The posturing of the unimpressed Vijay and Teja (Ajit), the cool, calculating tycoon and his cronies with the backdrop of the gyrating Bindu and superb musical score are captured expertly by a circling camera team. Mehra achieves all this without being overly melodramatic, something that might not be said of one of his other big hits, Muqaddar Ka Sikander, and that is very much to Zanjeer's benefit.

There are several haunting, dark moments in this film which last long in the memory. The initial murder scene against the backdrop of the firecrackers of the Diwali celebrations, as well as Vijay's nightmare of the black hooded rider atop a galloping white horse are enduring images which immediately spring to mind. The film is essentially dark in mood and many of the images - the inner city back streets and railway sidings give it a real gritty feel - and yet in contrast, many of the scenes are shot in bright daylight. Mehra's attention to detail influences all aspects of the film, giving it a rich texture, quite literally in some cases! Vijay's costumes are very early 70s Western chic, without going over the top, and the Pathan, Sher Khan (Pran), wears authentic cultural dress.

The enjoyment of this film is slightly detracted from in a couple of scenes, as the cropping of the edges of the film mean that facial expressions of the leading characters are missed. This does not detract from the fact that Zanjeer is pure, carefully crafted art and that this seminal film is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in Indian cinema.

Some great music and well acted. I first saw this haunting movie in India when I was 10 years old, and enjoy it just as much, if not more now in my late 30s, for understanding more Hindi! OK, Rajesh Khanna's star was probably on the wane at this time, but he still delivers a strong performance, as does Hema, Prem Chopra et al. So what if Rajesh Khanna was overweight? The world isn't made up exclusively of thin people. What matters is that he conveys the feelings of the Romantic hero (Suraj) like no one else. There's always depth to his performance. Hema looks beautiful and her dances are pure art. Prem Chopra is perhaps more of a pantomime baddie, but still gives an enjoyable performance, and the often unsung Asrani also delivers another amusing cameo in his role as Suraj's manager. If there is one criticism of this film, it is that the lip-synching to the music is not up to the standard it should be - something that the director should have sorted out. RD Burman's music is truly excellent, though.