Movie Geek's Blog

Long before David Dhawan and Priyadarshan started making ordinarily funny films in the name of comedy, there was one man who used to make films that made you feel good about life and laughter, that man was Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His films had a natural humor with the value of family in the background, never ever he tried to make a family look bad together.

Botany professor Parimal Tripathi [Dharmendra] marries Sulekha [Sharmila Tagore] without the presence of the girl’s family members and then plans to introduce himself to them under false pretense. Her wife and few friends support him in this little endeavor and he reaches his in-laws place acting as a driver sent by the professor himself.

The couple thus enjoys the secrecy in their relationship and her family, only consisting of her sister and her brother-in-law [Om Prakash], often finds it offensive seeing Sulekha giggling with the driver, who is actually her husband. This development between Sulekha and the driver grew tension in her brother-in-law and sister’s life and they are worried how professor Parimal will react to this. 

Professor Parimal/Driver Pyarelal calls upon his colleague Sukumar [Amitabh Bachchan], who is also like a younger brother to him, to come and act as Sulekha’s husband. The set of events become more laughable once the fake Parimal indulges in a relationship with Vasudha [Jaya Bachchan].

Dharmendra shines as Professor Parimal/Driver Pyarelal and proves that he can do comedy effortlessly and has more shades to his acting skills.

Om Prakash as Ragahvendra plays the 2nd best performance in Chupke Chupke after Dharmendra of course.

Amitabh Bachchan played an extended special appearance in this film, his inability to hold his nerves is brilliantly executed. 1975 was a great year for Amitabh Bachchan because of the back to back hits. Amitabh tasted success with Sholay, Deewaar, Mili and Chupke Chupke all in the same year.

Among others were Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bachchan, Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee, all playing their roles to perfection. This film has great music by SD Burman and lyrics by Anand Bakshi.  This is a proper comedy film a family wants to watch together. Although the film focuses on the urban Indian middle class, the narrative was able to communicate with viewers of all society.

Movie Geek's Rating: ★★★★½

Cast: Dharmendra, Om Prakash, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan

Directed by: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

-------------------------

Author: Amritt Rukhaiyaar

[This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge in April 2014. Let's celebrate blogging.]

"You'll believe a man can fly!" That was the tagline for Richard Donner's Superman.

Movies are neither the best nor the worst, it is never perfect or totally weird, movies are an opinion, no definitive answer can ever be determined about a movie. It’s a personal thing and Superman is that personal film which everybody loves despite of all the cheap props it may have used. Superman is loved unanimously.

In Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2, Bill talks about Superman to Beatrix Kiddo [Uma Thurman], I would like to share that little part first.

“Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne; Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us.”

First Blue, then Red and then may be Yellow are the colours you remember Superman for, no other fancy superhero costume make it look better. Superman is godly and his costume is something you don’t like to see tampered.

Superman is absolutely delightful, you sit watching a film where you know this bespectacled guy is going to become Superman soon and you wait for that first scene when Clark Kent almost tears apart his shirt to show us the big “S” on his chest, that moment is the definitive superhero moment in our lives. [Till the time Christian Bale pulls Falcone on the roof of his car and yells at him; “I am Batman” in Batman Begins].

People of the Gotham city lose hope when Bane beats Batman or when the bad guy dominates any other superhero but people of Metropolis believe in Superman, Superman will never let them die. They never give up on Superman.

You realize this later only that how perfectly Clark Kent complements Superman. Kent is weak, a coward and was one of the biggest critic of Superman. A few people I talked about Superman complains that how is it possible that Lois Lane couldn’t see that Clark Kent and Superman had an identical face [Since Superman doesn’t wear a mask]and believes it as a major plot hole but the way I see, it was the main theme behind the Superman-Clark Kent equation. It was intended to be like that.

Lois Lane, played by Margot Kidder, was one woman who spend more time with both Clark Kent and Superman and Clark’s characteristics made him look coward and weaker than most of his colleagues and on the same time Superman was the one alpha male she has ever seen in the whole world. This comparison made Clark look even weaker and it was not their faces but their strengths which Lois Lane found tough to compare, though she had a doubt in one sequence in the film which Clark successfully evades. 

Christopher Reeve was the iconic Superman and any superman that came later had to look like him in a certain way; the face, the physique or the body language, it was like Brandon Routh [Superman Returns] and Henry Cavill [Man of Steel] auditioned to play Christopher Reeve and not Superman.

Gene Hackman was the chosen one to play Lex Luthor, he was very humorous, amusing and witty but still a diabolic and ruthless conspirator, even though I liked Kevin Spacey’s performance of Lex Luthor more satisfying in Superman Returns by Bryan Singer.

There is a less than 15 minutes part by Marlon Brando who plays the role of Jor-El, father of Kal-El [Superman’s name in Krypton]. Brando was paid $3 Millions for that little important part he played.

Now, whether you are a movie fanatic or not, you should watch Superman, because it’s not a film, Superman is a way of life.

Movie Geek's Ratings: ★★★★½ Brilliant

Cast: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder

Directed by: Richard Donner

-------------------------

Author: Amrit Rukhaiyaar

After Don Vito's Death, Michael hunts down the five families and his brother in law for betraying Sonny, Michael's elder's brother. So, When Michael asks his brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi, who he approached first for setting up Sonny's death, Carlo says that he is innocent.
-------------------------
PS: Since Movie Geek's Blog is trying to determine the greatest movie ever made as voted by its readers, will you please take a minute to vote for your favorite movie(s) on the right side bar of this blog?