Katha
- 1983
- 2h 21m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Secretly in love with his neighbor, a mild-mannered clerk is heartbroken when his much bolder, more charming friend wins her heart instead.Secretly in love with his neighbor, a mild-mannered clerk is heartbroken when his much bolder, more charming friend wins her heart instead.Secretly in love with his neighbor, a mild-mannered clerk is heartbroken when his much bolder, more charming friend wins her heart instead.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Shriram Ranade
- Kaka
- (as Sriram Ranade)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
I love this movie and I wish for more similar movies to be made in the future. This movie is worth watching and is so hilarious I simply adore it so much. I love the work of Farooq Shaikh, he is one of my favorite actors.
The natural acting of the actors and the simplicity is what makes this movie worth watching as compare to all the commercial films that are been made today. I will recommend this movie and many more such movies to the audience and encourage the directors to make more meaningful and quality films like Katha rather than making the peppy love stories.
I also recommenced the movie Chashme Buddoor featuring Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval which is one more hilarious movie from the same director.
Thumbs up to this movie!!!
The natural acting of the actors and the simplicity is what makes this movie worth watching as compare to all the commercial films that are been made today. I will recommend this movie and many more such movies to the audience and encourage the directors to make more meaningful and quality films like Katha rather than making the peppy love stories.
I also recommenced the movie Chashme Buddoor featuring Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval which is one more hilarious movie from the same director.
Thumbs up to this movie!!!
This 1983 Naseeruddin Shah- Deepti Naval- Farookh Sheikh starer is a take on the popular children's tale- 'The Hare and the Tortoise'. It is a light-hearted comedy with a simple narrative that shows the daily hustles and bustles of a Mumbai 'chawl', and how the life of the simple- helpful-naive-idealistic Rajaram (Naseeruddin Shah as the Tortoise) changes when the confident-clever-manipulative-complacent Bashu (Farookh Shiekh as the Hare) re-enters his life. The sequence of events brings out a stark contrast between the two characters and how they approach each and every situation and life in general. Very subtly the film also paints a comparative picture between the 'high society' and the 'chawl class people'. The unity that binds the 'chawl' people and the way they enjoy simple joys of life is shown in a very adept manner. Although this is an ensemble cast film, there are almost no sub-plots or distractions and the movie sticks to its core idea. The end is beautifully done and is really thought provoking. The old story has it that the tortoise always wins. But in today's times, as a character rightly sums up- 'yeh jeet bi koi jeet Hui?'
A very little known classic by Sai Paranjpaye movie- this certainly deserves a watch. No big budget- no foreign locales- no big stars- no popular songs- no thrills and action- just a simple engaging story that will make you smile a lot. Farookh Shiekh plays the brat really well and Naseer excels as the simpleton. In a way this a role reversal of sorts as Farookh Sheikh was known to play simple sad characters and Naseer would be thought of as more suitable for what his anti-thesis in the movie is.
For my views on more such lesser known movies from the world of Hindi cinema, do check moviesandnomore. blogspot. com
A very little known classic by Sai Paranjpaye movie- this certainly deserves a watch. No big budget- no foreign locales- no big stars- no popular songs- no thrills and action- just a simple engaging story that will make you smile a lot. Farookh Shiekh plays the brat really well and Naseer excels as the simpleton. In a way this a role reversal of sorts as Farookh Sheikh was known to play simple sad characters and Naseer would be thought of as more suitable for what his anti-thesis in the movie is.
For my views on more such lesser known movies from the world of Hindi cinema, do check moviesandnomore. blogspot. com
The title Katha means story in Hindi. The movie is about two friends Rajaram (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and Basu (Farooq Shiekh)living in a Mumbai chawl. Rajaram is the tortoise, helpful and kind but "the silent type". Basu on the other hand is what we call as a "gas bag" who brags a lot but does nothing concrete. You need to see the film to find out who wins the race The film is a light hearted comedy. Most American/European readers may not be aware of what a chawl is. A chawl is a three to four storied building where each family has a single room to itself. Chawls in Mumbai and other Indian cities has their own culture and lifestyle. This movie captures the lifestyle in the chawl authentically without making it a documentary. The directors skill lies in creating humor out of everyday situations in a chawl.
Naseeruddin Shah is excellent (as always). Farooq Shaikh does the role of a "gas bag" beautifully. Sai Paranjpee's direction makes this movie a worthwhile watch
Naseeruddin Shah is excellent (as always). Farooq Shaikh does the role of a "gas bag" beautifully. Sai Paranjpee's direction makes this movie a worthwhile watch
Why do all directors have to make an "epic" these days? What happened to the good old 'story telling' without making too much about it? Why no one makes movies like these anymore?
Simply told, it is a story of Rajaram, a modern day tortoise and his friend Basu, a modern day Hare and their race against each other. As the simile suggests, Rajaram is a simple and honest clerk who doesn't let go off any opportunity to help others, even absolute strangers whereas Basu is a smooth talker and a conman who doesn't have any qualms in stealing from his own friend. Even Sandhya, Rajaram's neighbor whom he fancies for a long time gets dazzled by Basu's glitter leaving Rajaram heartbroken. Just like the classic story, will Tortoise win against Hare in these modern times? This is a satire, a tragi-comedy and character analysis at its best.
The movie was actually shot in a chawl and the real residents played their parts as the neighbors of Rajaram and Sandhya. Naseer as Rajaram, Farooq Sheikh as Basu and Deepti Naval as Sandhya fit their parts like hand in a glove. Normally you would expect Naseer to play Basu's role and Farooq to play Rajaram's role but the accomplished actors that they are they disappeared into their characters.
No gimmicks, no technical wizardry, just plain old simple art of story telling.
Simply told, it is a story of Rajaram, a modern day tortoise and his friend Basu, a modern day Hare and their race against each other. As the simile suggests, Rajaram is a simple and honest clerk who doesn't let go off any opportunity to help others, even absolute strangers whereas Basu is a smooth talker and a conman who doesn't have any qualms in stealing from his own friend. Even Sandhya, Rajaram's neighbor whom he fancies for a long time gets dazzled by Basu's glitter leaving Rajaram heartbroken. Just like the classic story, will Tortoise win against Hare in these modern times? This is a satire, a tragi-comedy and character analysis at its best.
The movie was actually shot in a chawl and the real residents played their parts as the neighbors of Rajaram and Sandhya. Naseer as Rajaram, Farooq Sheikh as Basu and Deepti Naval as Sandhya fit their parts like hand in a glove. Normally you would expect Naseer to play Basu's role and Farooq to play Rajaram's role but the accomplished actors that they are they disappeared into their characters.
No gimmicks, no technical wizardry, just plain old simple art of story telling.
Gone are those days when films were more about storytelling and that too simple stories that one can relate to.
Well Katha is one such film that grabs your soul right from the beginning and neither tries to impress nor amuse you randomly. It just shows the events as they could appear.
Performances are outstanding and the entire cast is too perfect with Naseer and Farooq being the perfect leads.
Overall a great experience and really worth watching!
Well Katha is one such film that grabs your soul right from the beginning and neither tries to impress nor amuse you randomly. It just shows the events as they could appear.
Performances are outstanding and the entire cast is too perfect with Naseer and Farooq being the perfect leads.
Overall a great experience and really worth watching!
Did you know
- TriviaSai Paranjpaye had a real hatred for director Basu Bhattacharya. This was due to Basu being on the the censor board and not passing Sparsh. So to get even with Basu,she named a fraud character named Basu in the film. Basu Bhattacharya argued that Katha was not passed by the censor board for 6 months. It was his vote that passed the film eventually. So he had no problem with Sai.
- ConnectionsRemade as Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu (1988)
- How long is Katha?Powered by Alexa
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