Kalyug (1981)

Okay so first of all, I was NOT prepared to see the late Reema Lagoo (may her soul rest in peace) do bedroom stuff. Not kidding, my soul screamed "SAASU MAAAAA" in Supriya Pilgaonkar's voice (if you do not know the reference, that's on you).

Coming to the actual movie now, which is Shashi Kapoor and Rekha supremacy all the way. Not that the other actors aren't amazing, but these two prove why they're G.O.A.Ts. Rekha in particular- she has very few dialogues, but man, the way she can act more with her two eyes than most people in their entire filmographies. From her very first scene, she arrests your attention, and makes you look out for her in all the subsequent scenes, anticipating her restrained but brilliant performance. Shashi Kapoor meanwhile, is pitch-perfect. Seriously, there is no other way to describe it. As soon as I knew he was going to play the Karna character, I was pumped because I knew that no one could do this role justice like him. 

The other actors were in excellent form too, notable mentions being Supriya Pathak (always a delight, ma'am), Anant Nag, and Victor Banerjee (who played the Duryodhana character). Speaking of which, hats off to Shyam Benegal for appropriately humanising both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. I am glad he didn't take the path of showing the former as perfect, and latter as nothing but evil. As someone who has been interested in the Mahabharata for a long time now, it was a relief and genuine joy to see such nuanced characterisation. And as an added bonus, I feel less intimidated by Shyam Benegal's formidable body of work now, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of his film in the future.

In conclusion, mayhaps the '80s weren't that bad for the Hindi film industry after all. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shyam Singha Roy (2021)

There is honestly nothing more annoying than a movie that has flashes of being a good movie, but turns out to be a bad one anyway. Not only have you watched a bad film, but you have also been cheated of all hope and it's exhausting, to say the least.  Also, when this movie is a first day first show, you can't help but feel betrayed. Full "I trusted you!" moment only.  The first half was so tedious to sit through, I genuinely thought of leaving after the interval at one point. I didn't though, because Sai Pallavi only made her entry in the second half, and let's face it, she was the real reason for me to go watch it anyway. I mean, Nani was a huge pull factor too, but after Tuck Jagadish (2021) and V (2020), I was a little wary of trusting this man completely. As I should, because look what he made me sit through... again! (I swear to god, if the Nazriya film isn't good, I just might never watch a Nani movie ever again). Back to Pallu though- she is the onl
Read more

Aasai (1995)

My only regret is that I wish I knew absolutely nothing about this movie before watching it. I know I'm 26 years too late to the party, but honestly, not knowing the basic premise would have made things even more scary and messed up, not that there wasn't enough of those sentiments already. But to watch it unfold like the psychotic drama it was on the big screen, while innocently expecting another cute sweet love story featuring foetus Thala... I would give anything to have that experience. I know we love poking fun at Prakash Raj for being the evergreen villain, but it takes an Aasai for one to truly understand why he's earned that reputation. He really brings to life the evil but powerful psychopath who can manipulate people and situations to get what he wants, and I swear I was shaking a little when the movie ended because he is just that good at driving the point home. That's the thing about well-written thrillers- they work excellently as horror movies because you
Read more

Pokiri (2006)

Sairam, thank god I had forgotten the "twist", despite having seen Bhai's Wanted (2009) when it came out. Not only was I majorly zoned out (so much that I don't even remember for sure if I slept for sometime in the middle) but I have also actively tried to erase all memories of it. Which is why I was shocked enough to legit scream when the big twist came along.  From what I have heard about Pokiri , it sounds like some kind of cultural reset. And going by that, I must say that it totally lived up to that hype. Prince Mahesh seems to be at the peak of his career, and it's a performance that is memorable in more ways than one- he really shines through as the cool, stylish hero who outsmarts villains and beats them up. Of course, he needs a solid story and some killer dialogues as well, both of which are amply present here. I loved how understated his commitment dialogue was, especially in comparison to Bhai's exaggeration, the memory of which still gives me war
Read more