Do Kaliyaan

This review will be fun for me, if not for you, so please indulge me. Like so many Indian films, it could go on and on ...

Do Kaliyaan was the first Indian film I had ever seen, back in 1968. No, I've not seen it again since then, but it left such a huge impression. I was freshly relocated to Kenya, which had a substantial Indian community and therefore a good supply of Indian films. My friends wanted to try something "new", so we went to the cinema.

Wow! What an assault on the senses, in all ways. For one thing, the colours -- apparently all primary. The running time -- endless. The music, the songs, the dancing, at seemingly random intervals. The plot line -- all possible emotions one after another. Kids. More music. Being real about it, from my distant memory of this film, I thought it would *never* end.

But I came to knew and appreciate a certain formula for Indian cinema, and up to this day, somehow I compare every film from there in my head with Do Kaliyaan, and if it were possible, yes, I would definitely watch it again.

Thanks for reading!

Do Kaliyan (1968) : Brief Review -

On par with "The Parent Trap" (1961), with a perfect Indian touch. Those were the days when Indian remakes used to match the original Hollywood movies or sometimes even go slightly better. Do Kaliyan was a remake of the Tamil film "Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum" (1965), which I haven't seen. Krishnan-Panju's Tamil film was itself a remake of the Hollywood movie "The Parent Trap" (1961), which I have seen and reviewed already. The Hollywood movie was based on a German novel, so it's a long chain of "credit." Do Kaliyan, or KD, is on par with TPT because it brought Indian flavour and drama for our audiences. It would have been hard to imagine a glamorous actress like Maureen O'Hara playing that typical abala nari (helpless woman), right? Why would she anyway, since the American culture is far different from India's? You hear "Tumhari Nazar Kyu" in the beginning, and it sounds like such a fun song, and then the same song is used with a sad tune as a tragedy song. Do we have many songs like this? And the background score keeps playing in almost every emotional scene, elevating the melodrama they wanted to create. Do Kaliyan wins there, as it brings a perfect Indian touch to the husband and wife's story with that cruel mother-in-law playing the antagonist. The Parent Trap follows the foreign culture of divorce and then reconciliation after so many attempts. Do Kaliyan is emotionally well-surrounded, and the two little characters add extra cuteness to this lovely family story. Neetu Kapoor, aka Baby Sonia, has played many child roles, but this dual role of Ganga Jamuna will easily top the list. Nobody can ever match Mala Sinha's expressions in those evergreen romantic songs (any movie you name), and Biswajeet was a perfect definition of a "gentleman" with "principles." Overall, a fantastic family romantic drama.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.