khayaal_e_yaar

'Aks' is probably one of the most underrated films. For years, it only remained in the good books of critics, because the mainstream movie goers rejected it straight away. Now 'Aks' didn't get the respect it deserved because of few things: 1. It's a supernatural drama (not masala) film. 2. It doesn't waste a single minute in things like upbeat romance and so on. Yes, there is romance, but Mehra has handled it differently. 3. The first half is fast but the film loses pace in the 2nd half and becomes more drama-oriented. 4. Strong performances by seasoned theater actors got less attention from glamour seeking audience. Yes they needed something that 'sells' in the market. Now, the plot!

The film begins with Budapest, the capital of Hungary, where the Indian Defence Minister (Amol Palekar) is being escorted to a safe location by his security chief Manu Verma (Amitabh Bachchan) and his fleet. Amol tells Manu that he thinks security personnel are like machines as they have to work round the clock and always remain on high alert. We see that Defence Minister being spied upon and someone from a distant building is waiting to shoot him (The day of the jackal? Remember that?). Fortunately, Manu senses the danger and asks the fleet to take another way. Moments later, we see Manu going to Amol's room. Amol gives him a confidential floppy containing the names of all the suspects, who are plotting against the government and want to kill good leaders of the country. After taking the floppy, Manu draws a silencer equipped gun and shoots Amol point blank. Manu rushes outside and we see him finally getting to a lonely place, where he gets rid of his false heels and a heavy latex mask. We see that it's not Manu, but Raghavan Ghatge (Manoj Bajpai), a ruthless contract killer, who is in Budapest on an assignment to kill the Defence Minister. Despite hard trials, the real Manu fails to locate the killer.

Raghavan returns to Mumbai and is given a contract to kill the Prime Minister (Mohan Agashe), who is also a popular leader. Manu is restless, because he couldn't carry out his responsibility properly. He meets his old colleague Pradhan (Kamal Chopra), a highly experienced cop. They both try to locate the killer unofficially and take help of an old (and now wheelchair bound) gangster Hanif Kasai (Virendra Saxena), who now works as a police informant. Hanif tells them that the killer is Raghavan. Pradhan finds that Raghavan frequents a club called 'Topaz Bar' to meet his girlfriend Neeta (Raveena Tandon) from time to time. He also comes to know that Raghavan lives with his close ally Narang (Vineeth Kumar) and his mentally retarded but full grown brother Mahadev (K.K. Raina), who has unusual calibre of making excellent latex masks!

Time goes by and another gangster Yeda Yakub (Vijay Raaz) is killed by Raghavan. Pradhan finally goes to 'Topaz Bar' to nab Raghavan, but Raghavan is bit too clever and shoots Pradhan, killing him in the process. A desperate Manu finds a bleeding Pradhan and vows to arrest Raghavan. Findings show that Raghavan usually goes to meditate in a nearby jungle and races with the wolves! Manu doesn't know that Raghavan also knows black magic. Manu along with his team of trained commandos, goes to the forest to nab Raghavan, but Raghavan kills all the commandos one by one with sheer brutality. After a close encounter with death, Manu finally subdues Raghavan and takes him along. Manu asks Raghavan to tell the names of all his clients, who are plotting against the government, but Raghavan doesn't reveal anything. Manu even promises him life sentence instead of death penalty if he revealed those names, but Raghavan is determined.

On the day Raghavan is being dragged to the gallows, he snatches a gun from a police officer and tries to kill Manu, but Manu shoots him and Raghavan dies. This is where the actual story begins. Raghavan's spirit possesses Manu and forces him to kill all those who mistreated or deceived him. Possessed by Raghavan's spirit, Manu begins to act like him and goes deranged. He shoots Narang, who double crossed him, kills two RAW agents, brutally rapes his wife Supriya (Nandita Das) and then kills Justice Balwant Choudhary (Pramod Moutho), who issued Raghavan a death penalty. A doubtful Supriya comes to know that Manu is possessed by the vengeful spirit of Raghavan and seeks help of her spiritual Guru (Salim Ghouse), who tells him that spirits also follow the course of nature and can be defeated during total solar eclipse, when their powers vain out.

Finally on the day of total solar eclipse, Manu uses his will power to drive away Raghavan's spirit, but the spirit now possesses a junior police officer Arjun (Abhimanyu Singh) thus asserting the essence of Bhagwad Gita, which states that a soul is immortal and nothing can destroy it.

Aks can be interpreted in many ways. On the spiritual front, it validates the existence of good and evil spirits. On the entertainment front, It disappoints. Films like 'Aks,' 'Samay - 2003,' 'Gehrayee - 1980', and 'Raat - 1992' are actually made for serious audiences, who don't have qualms taking non-spicy food. If you like the hazy world of spirits and reincarnation, then you may give 'Aks' a try. It's a good combination of horror and thriller, but again, this combination has gone very artistic here. The use of drumbeats to build up the atmosphere and a continuous feeling of 'Aks' being a theatrical show rather than a full fledged movie, is really impressive. The drums also bring some hypnotic touch to the scenes (Remember 'Scalps - 1983'?) and remain with you for a very long time. I watched it 15 years ago, but can still play all those scenes in my head effortlessly. Overall, a great effort by Mehra, not in terms of family entertainment, but for those who are 'mystery-horror' buffs. Good one!

'Raat' was released in the early 90s, precisely in 1992. The early 90s were the time when the substance of horror was nowhere to be found in the horror films. Unlike Ramsay films, 'Raat' wasn't a B- movie. Yes, it had low budget, yet the actors like Rohini Hattangadi, Revathi, Aakash Khurana, Anant Nag and Om Puri save it from being a B-movie. I watched it in 1992 when it was released in several cinema halls. Thanks we didn't have multiplexes then, else the collections would have been less. 'Raat' is all about a decent setup, tricky camera work and horror. Fortunately, this is far better than any other horror movie released in the late 80s and early 90s. People would say that Ram Gopal Varma got into horror soon after 'Bhoot - 2003,' but the truth is that his love for horror is well reflected in his early creation like 'Raat' that haunts me even after 22 straight years. 'Raat' is about belief vs disbelief and known vs the unknown. Let's have a look at the plot.

Mr. Sharma (Aakash Khurana) has just shifted to a new house located in a posh suburban area of Hyderabad. He lives along with his wife Shalini (Rohini Hattangadi), daughter Manisha aka Minnie (Revathy) who is in her late teens and grandson Bunty (Atit), who is the son of his deceased daughter and elder sister of Minnie. The house is elegant and the Sharmas are happy with it. Minnie is happier than everyone else because the house next to hers belongs to her fast friend Rashmi (Jaya Mathur). Minnie lives a carefree life and loves spending quality time with her college mates like Deepak (Sushant) and Rashmi. Minnie is having a silent affair with Deepak and both of them want to keep their profile low.

Ever since the Sharmas shifted to this new house, Minnie is having nightmares, where she finds herself being chased by some unknown entity that ultimately gets her. Scoffing at her own silliness, Minnie dejects the idea that something might be fishy. She even suffers from episodes of delusion where she finds herself all alone even when surrounded with her friends in actuality. Rashmi's grandmother, who had been living in the very next house is surprised how the Sharmas decided to move into this house because she thinks (or knows?) that the house had a bad past and is home to an evil spirit. Minnie's delusions take a bad turn one day, when she decides to go to a nearby picnic spot with Deepak on his birthday.

During their trip Deepak gets an idea that something is abnormal with Minnie as during a fit of delusion, the color of her eyes change and she behaves as if her senses are being ruled by some unknown entity. The episodes come and go in a jiffy but gradually intensify. Minnie even kills Rashmi in a fit of delusion and the investigating officer Tej Sapru is mysteriously trampled under a truck. Rashmi's death mystery remains unsolved. Shalini begins to smell a rat too but Mr. Sharma doesn't believe her. One night, Minnie attacks her father thus giving him a reason to believe that something strange is lurking in the vicinity. Mr. Sharma considers it to be a psychological problem and brings home a shrink (Anant Nag) but Shalini is advised by Rashmi's grandmother to seek the help of Sharji (Om Puri), a renowned exorcist. Sharji's findings reveal that an evil spirit (Sunanda) is living below the house and needs to be warded off to save Minnie's life. How Sharji, Deepak and Shalini work together to save Minnie's life forms rest of the story.

'Raat' reeks atmosphere and is intense at several places. Revathi is brilliant and truly convincing in her efforts. Deepak doesn't have much to do, but his role is still an important ingredient of this flick. Even after 22 years, I would like to thank Ram Gopal Varma for his ingenious and flawless direction. One shouldn't forget Bunty as well, because he literally owns some of the most memorable scenes, especially the ones related to his dear cat. Aakash Khurana's effortless acting is smooth and natural as always and Om Puri shines in his brief role of Sharji. I don't consider 'Raat' as a family entertainment, because it's not made from entertainment perspective but still remains a horror drama that is rude and truly chilling. As Sharji says, ' When we light a lamp, a certain area around it is lit. This illumination is just a deception, because the areas where light doesn't reach are still dark and hold so many secrets that can only be understood in the light of paranormal wisdom. We need to be prepared to fight this darkness, else it will consume us.' I guess this statement details everything about 'Raat' and the thought that might have provoked Ram Gopal Varma to produce and direct it.

The year was 1985 and Late Rajesh Khanna was no more a superstar. Yes, he had projects but none of them were powerful enough to revive his career that was on a downward slide. The quartet (Samanta, Pancham, Kaka and Kishore) had come together again to create a magic, but as time would see, Alag-Alag couldn't become more than a musical hit. During the early and mid-80s the art cinema was at its peak and films like Garm Hawa, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Tarang, Ardh Satya etc. were actually sketching a true portrait of the Indian society. Alag-Alag is very-very filmy, I mean it misses something that could connect it with the paradigm of real world. The story is a simple tale of two individuals, who start off bickering but end up loving each other. The film portrays their struggle and how they manage to get over all the obstacles to ultimately attain their 'Zindagi Ka Maqsad' (Life's Goal) that unfortunately changes twice or thrice in 3 hours. The good thing about Alag-Alag is that it's loaded with memorable and lingering songs and is also very nostalgic. I watch it whenever I like to take a trip to the mid-80s, when films used to be so stress busting comical creations. Ah! The Wonderful 80s.

Neeraj (Rajesh Khanna) is an aspiring singer, who comes to Mumbai hoping to make it big in the music world. In Mumbai, he lives with his friend Karim (Deven Verma), who assists him in his hunt for opportunities. Even though Neeraj is talented, yet none of the music directors want to give him a chance as a playback singer. He sings for the common people living in the neighborhood and is admired by all.

Chandni (Tina Munim) is an innocent runaway village belle, who has come to Mumbai to find a suitable and rich husband for herself. Neeraj and Chandni come across each other and keep fighting over trivial issues. Fate takes Chandni to Dr. Pratap Rana (Shashi Kapoor), who is a successful doctor and lives in a palatial house. Dr. Rana is a widower and Chandni due to her sheer innocence, wants to chance upon him. However, Dr. Rana looks upon her as his daughter.

One day Neeraj is discovered by a successful actress Sarita (Bindu). Neeraj thinks she could help him getting a chance to perform, but Sarita is actually obsessed with him and wants to pull him into a live-in relationship. When Neeraj comes to know of Sarita's amorous intentions, he severs his relationship and goes back to Karim. It's there he realizes that he only loves Chandni and wants to begin his life with her.

Chandni is blessed with a melodious voice and Dr. Rana wants to teach her urban mannerism. For this he sends Chandni to Begum Zaidi (Gita Siddharth). On the other side, Neeraj finally gets his long awaited chance to become a playback singer. He makes it big in the world of music and then his 'Zindagi Ka Maqsad' shifts to Chandni. He follows Chandni to Begum Zaidi's house and vows to 'kindle the flame of love' in Chandni's heart. Despite denying earlier, Chandni finally realizes that she loves Neeraj and they thus come on the same note.

Chandni wants to go to Dr. Rana and Neeraj decides a spot to meet once she is back. When Chandni goes to Dr. Rana, she finds him on deathbed. Rana dies soon after wishing Chandni a happy life. Now we see that previously Neeraj had a rift with his billionaire Dad (Subbiraj) that led him to Mumbai. He rejoins his family and is now a billionaire too (Wish I were lucky too!). Neeraj wants to meet Chandni but meets an accident that turns him mute (I never knew that injury on vocal chords is a psychological problem. Wonder how they made it up!).

When Neeraj doesn't show up, Chandni is left all alone and homeless. To hide his inability, Neeraj begins to avoid Chandni. Feeling that she has been ditched by Neeraj, Chandni's 'Zindagi ka Maqsad' shifts towards realizing the dreams of now deceased Dr. Rana, who wanted to see her as a successful singer. Neeraj helps Chandni in realizing her goals unbeknownst to her, because now Neeraj's 'Zindagi Ka Maqsad' is to establish Chandni as a successful singer. He begs a great music maestro Mirza ji (Om Shivpuri) to groom Chandni. Well, you see Mirza ji and Karim both live in the same house....Oops this was a goof!

Alag-Alag had scope, but only if it were released in 70s. By early 80s, the audience had adopted a new taste for action films and family dramas. There were so many young and promising faces to challenge an aging Rajesh Khanna. Mithun, Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol etc. had a list of successful films behind them. Rajesh Khanna had hits and semi-hits like 'Souten,' 'Avtaar,' and 'Kudrat,'yet I won't say he was fit for Alag-Alag. He looks too old and his wardrobe doesn't suit him. I mean, he looks funny with those costumes when he tries to throw his jaded charms acting like a young boy that he surely wasn't. I guess Shakti Samanta had to cast him as a hero because Kaka produced the film. Samanta should have disagreed with Kaka just the way Mahesh Bhatt did while directing 'Naam,' for which producer Rajendra 'Jubilee' Kumar asked him to give the part Sanjay Dutt was playing to his own son Kumar Gaurav. Time told that Bhatt was right, else 'Naam' would have been a fiasco. Desipte a simple story line with so many unprecedented events, packed with funny twists and turns, 'Alag- Alag' is still a strong representative of the 80s, so you can watch it too in case you are a hardcore fan of Rajesh Khanna (like me) and need to take a quick trip to the 80s.