Karma (1986)

I was really looking forward to this movie. I'd seen the poster in an old French textbook (don't ask why) and it looked quite awesome. I'd never seen an Indian film before, and I figured an Indian action movie from the 1980s could be great. So last month I purchased the Karma DVD online.

Two words: big disappointment.

I don't know if all Indian movies are like this, but the photography was terrible, the acting was cheesy, the songs are incredibly generic (they all sound the same to my western ears), and the action is TERRIBLE. The movie has a few good explosions, and lots of guys get gunned down, but the stunts are third rate (at best!). The director doesn't handle the story or the action with any sort of style or exuberance. The movie has only one redeeming quality, and that's the actor with the black beard. He's a real badass, and he nearly pulls this movie from the brink with his incredible Bronson/Eastwood-esque performance.

If the Indians want to make movies like Hollywood, they need to trim their scripts down and learn how to direct. I still want to see Sholay, but if that's as bad as this movie then I won't be putting any more Indian films at the top of my list.