Mr. Bechara (1996), is the remake of the 1994 Tamil film Veetla Visheshanga (There is a ceremony at home), directed by K. Bhagyaraja (both the Hindi and the Tamil versions).
The film was not successful at the B.O. despite a good story line, great performances, hummable music and some good comedy. Critics attributed the film's failure to Anil Kapoor and Sridevi's sagging careers (baring Anil Kapoor's only successful film Loafer, in the preceding 2 years) before Mr. Bechara hit the screens (only to be revived a year later with the super-hit Judaai).
Mr. Bechara narrated the oft told story of a girl who loses her memory and falls for a man, only to regain her memory and recall that her heart belongs to someone else. There have been several films with similar story lines in the past but what distinguished Mr. Behcara from these was it's comic sequences that did not fall prey to the double meaning syndrome that dominated the film scene around the time this film released (courtesy Anupam Kher, Tiku Talsania and Shakti Kapoor).
Anil Kapoor essayed the title role with ease and Sridevi is a delight to watch. This film proved yet again that she is truly one of the finest actresses India has seen. The penultimate sequence which requires Sridevi to choose between the 2 men in her life is a good example of her prowess. She uses expressions (which has always been her core strength) to convey her emotions instead of dialogs and that's what makes this scene absolutely brilliant. Anil Kapoor is good in his act as well, showing the audience yet again that he is a terrific performer and can handle any scene with maturity. Anupam Kher does go over the top in a few scenes but provides a few laughs, especially his scenes with Shakti Kapoor. The baby is super-cute. Heera Rajgopal and Nagarjuna get limited scope.
Anand-Milind's music is infectious and melodious. Khoyee Khoyee Aankhon mein (in 2 versions) is easily the best song in this film. Lage mujhe sunder was another peppy song, that was ahead of its time. And of course Saathi Mere is tuneful, which also proved to be the most popular song when the music released. Although the music did not top the charts in 1996, I still feel it is one of Annad-Milind's finest works.
Overall, Mr. Bechara is a good family film. Released around the same time as a number of films that indulged in double meaning dialogs and songs, this film refrained from all that and yet managed to provide wholesome entertainment. The film may have failed in 1996, but it has enjoyed satellite runs successfully over the years and is still aired on various channels even in 2012! Watch it, you won't be disappointed!
