Ashanti (1982)

Within three seconds of the start of the movie, there is an explosion followed by an engaging car chase. That alone is enough for any fan of action to start enjoying this movie.

The script starts off very sharp, blending character building with progressive, thrilling, action sequences.

Big cast, but they are given time to be introduced into the story fittingly. And Rajesh Khanna is well placed in the starring role, shorn of his usual romantic overtones, he capably explores the role of a morally guided man on a mission.

Amrish Puri demonstrates why he is a Legend. He is not just a moustache-twirling, pantomime villain, there is depth to his character of a man corrupted by his ego.

Shabana Azmi is a real draw here because she brings a sensitive vulnerability to her character which is kind of wasted in an action movie like this.

Unfortunately, the movie starts to drag around halfway, with dumb plot vehicles and dumber acting. Maybe the production was hampered, but somehow it's as if the second half was the work of a different director than of the first half.

But then Amrish Puri comes back and salvages thing to an extent. Good thing that PETA didn't see this movie, Puri can be seen getting rather freaky with a snake in a very disturbing scene.

There's lot of good comedy set-ups, some intentional, thanks to Mithun and the divine Parveen Babi. And some unintentional, such as characters' names changing randomly (Kader becomes Ader, Shalini becomes Kamini), Rajesh Khanna's William Shatner-like delivery, the mother characters' aptitude for mortality, atrociously bad acting from the actor playing "Kader", male stunt doubles for women, bad foley effects such as a person imitating the barking of a dog, and most of all, Shabana Azmi looking embarrassingly cute when her character's meant to be taken seriously.

The ending is nonsensically convoluted, but ties things up... probably.

The first few songs are a bit of a nuisance, especially having to endure watching Zeenat Aman flipping around like a deranged, yodelling circus acrobat. But the later songs are enjoyable thanks to Babi, Mithun, more consistent music and the rest.

Overall, it's worth a watch for fans of the stars featuring here, especially the wonderful Shabana Azmi, but not much else to recommend it.