Chal Mere Bhai

Chal Mere Bhai
(translates as "Come on, my brother")
2000
5/5 stars

Vicky (Sanjay Dutt) and Prem (Salman Khan) are brothers and the closest of friends. Sapna (Karishma Kapoor), Vicky's secretary, and Prem fall in love, but Prem waits to announce it hoping that his older brother will find a wife first. Unfortunately, when Vicky settles on a bride, it's none other than Sapna. Prem is torn between his new love for Sapna and his long-standing devotion to Vicky.

As often happens with Bollywood, this begins as a lighthearted romantic comedy, but in the second hour becomes a more serious family drama dealing with love, duty, and sacrifice. Dutt and Khan have excellent chemistry together and were entirely convincing as brothers. Kapoor, as usual, gave a fine performance, both comedic and serious. The musical numbers were good and the costumes were beautiful. Overall, it's an excellent and enjoyable movie from beginning to end.

Cast also includes Nagma, with special appearances by Twinkle Khanna and Sonali Bendre.

edit: (April 2020)  After rewatching this, I'm doing something I rarely do and changing my rating. The acting is quite good, the plot convincing and even moving at times, the music catchy, and the costumes gorgeous.  Most of all, though, the chemistry between the three leads is spectacular, making Chal Mere Bhai a 5 star film. 

This movie is available on Amazon Prime, as well as on You Tube:

Saajan

Saajan
(translates as "beloved")
1991
4/5 stars

Serious poet Aman (Sanjay Dutt) and irresponsible playboy Akash (Salman Khan) have been best friends since they were children, and were raised as brothers. When both fall in love with the same girl (Madhuri Dixit), sacrifices must be made, hearts broken, and friendship tested.

Both Dutt and Khan are excellent in their roles; the emotions they display later in the film are convincing. Dixit is a delight as always, both playful and serious. There are many musical numbers, with some lovely songs, but very little in the way of choreography. The plot, while familiar, is still engaging and moving. All in all, it's typical Bollywood--but that is a plus.

The cast includes Kadar Khan and Reema Lagoo.


Movie available to rent on Google Play.