Mangalsutra (1981) User Reviews (2)

The reason why men avoid chastity!!

[g_aparna · 3/10 · 28 December 2015]

The story showed a chaste man who does not give in to the advances of a cheap readily-available-to all sexy female!

Guess what happens to him! The sexy siren gets killed accidentally and her ghost possesses him – especially when he is about to do-the-needful with his wife!! Eemeegawds!!

Well I happened to watch this late night film on TV...I did not watch till the end but I can understand that Rekha (wife) will win over the ghost by virtue of her piousness and mangalsutra!

Some myths busted by this film:

A human does not lie just before he/she is about to kick the bucket. Well folks, the ghost lied about her death to the tantric..saying things like she was in a relationship with the hero and blah blah! So if after-death a ghost can lie...then obviously before death such a soul can definitely lie!

The hero could be saved in the end because he himself was chaste and true to his love since childhood...had he not been chaste but a flirtatious playboy...could he be saved? Should he be saved?

Had the hero given in to the advances of the sex-starved female...he would not have gone through such gory existence...of getting possessed by ghost, hitting his own wife - unknowingly etc...is this the reason why males immediately jump on bed with any female who shows even a wee bit of interest to beep?

The female ghost tries to rape the wife!! Very Strange Indeed! Like it was a female's dead spirit that possessed the husband's body....why would it want to rape? It could just hit her hard..or killed her...whatever! Rekha – the wife was a very religious woman – believed in God...but her husband did not – he was an atheist! How can you be in love with such a person who does not believe in your beliefs...esp. related to faith and God? What kind of love is that ...where your views and opinions differ...yet you want to live with such a life partner!?

Anyway – so you see folks, we, who belong to the 1980's, have grown up watching such films...and then you call us superstitious and dumb...do we really deserve such adjectives?

An Indian exorcist .

[Queen_of_pentacles · 8/10 · 6 May 2007]

The title Mangalsutra , which means a sacred golden chain, worn by Hindu married women, not only as a sign of their marital status, but to ward off the evil eye,and also protect their husband's life, from evil forces.

This movie succeeded in creating the desired effect of a weird atmosphere, evil spirit of an enraged soul, out to take revenge, possessed husband , and his brave wife, who struggles to free her husband of the evil possession, against all odds.

It was basically due to the perfect casting, of Anant Nag as the husband, Rekha as his wife, and Prema Narayan, as the woman, who won't let the man live peacefully even after she is dead, as her love was not accepted by him.

All three of them are worthy of praise, for giving excellent performances ,as otherwise, in such kind of horror movies, one can hardly expect any acting.

Supporting actors have also added to the film's effective delivery of the weird factor, which is further enhanced by the special effects, which are reasonably organized, relevant to the technologies of the 80's.

The final struggle of the movie's heroine Rekha, trying to reach the famous Shiva temple at Ujjain, in M.P. of India, is picturised in a pulsating manner.

Finally, it's the power of the sacred chain, Mangalsutra, which wins above all odds. but more so, it's the iron willed woman, determined to rid her husband from the evil spirit , who emerges as a powerful individual , whom even the supernatural can not defeat. Musical score is average , not bad, not memorable either.

It's surprising , however, why this sufficiently awe-inspiring movie was so much under-rated, while other movies like Gehrayee, or Raat, were hyped and did better at the box.

of course, the treatment to the situations in Raat, or Gehrayee, were more relevant to the modern day events, like young college girls falling in love, and roaming around with their boyfriends, or the role of Padmini Kolhapure in Gehrayee, where she is shown sitting in nude, with her back to the camera, and the angle is a little distant, not a close up, but still, that bold shot, where she is subject to exorcism, evoked curiosity .

Rekha, the heroine of this movie, is always clad in a Saree, and bedecked with ornaments, that's the difference.

i have given 8 out of 10 to this, as i feel, the movie is not frivolous, and quite good at supernatural theme. worth watching , for the performances, and the overall suspense, horror.