Bhagam Bhag

Bhagam Bhag
(translates as "running around")
2006
2/5 stars


Champak Chaturvedi (Paresh Rawal) is the director of a theater group whose heroine (Tanushree Dutta) attracts a British businessman into hiring them for a London show.  His two male leads, Bunty (Akshay Kumar) and Babla (Govinda), are both vying for the attention of said heroine and annoy her enough that she quits, leaving Champak in a lurch.  While in London, Bunty and Babla search for a replacement, leading to a mix-up with a drug ring, trouble with the police, a murder, and involvement with an amnesiac, suicidal actress, Munni (Lara Dutta).

With three superb comedians in the lead, and an excellent supporting cast, this suspense-comedy had such promise, but did not deliver.  There was little-to-no chemistry between any of the main actors, particularly between Akshay Kumar and Govinda, so most of the humor simply fell flat, or the situations were so silly that they just were not funny.  The thriller element  was good, but simply was not strong enough to override the rest of the movie. The songs were average or below, with one being particularly off-putting.  Overall, Bhagham Bhag was such a disappointment.

Chhote Sarkar

Chhote Sarkar
(translates as "small government")
1996
4/5 stars

Aman (Govinda) is mistaken for Rohit, the deceased fiance of Seema (Shilpa Shetty). Seema has become mentally unsound from grief, and her father (Kader Khan) persuades Aman to pretend to be Rohit to help Seema recover.  Aman falls in love with Seema, but after professing his love to her, is arrested for the murder of his uncle.  Aman, then sets out to discover the true facts about his uncle's death.

Govinda and Shilpa Shetty

Oh-so-cute Govinda plays both the serious and comedic roles well in this film.  He and Shetty have good chemistry, and Shetty is convincing in her part. The choreography is not extensive, Govinda not being the best dancer, but at times was quite cute.  The music, while obviously 1990s, ranges from average to above.  The plot is quite good, and delivers two clever surprises.  Overall, it's a suspense/comedy that is well-worth watching.

This movie is available on YouTube:

Jewel Thief

Jewel Thief
1967
4/5 stars

Vinay (Dev Anand) suddenly finds himself being mistaken for another man named Amar.  It then begins to seem that this Amar is a jewel thief, and Vinay's doppelganger.  Vinay joins with his father, the police commissioner, to infiltrate Amar's gang to catch the thief.

The film also stars Vyjayantimala as the main love interest, and Ashok Kumar as her brother.  It also features four actresses in secondary romantic roles: Anju Mahendru, Tanuja, Faryal and Helen.

This popular movie is, for the most part, an enjoyable watch.  It becomes genuinely confusing--intentionally, no doubt--to keep up with who is doing what: Amar or Vinay.  This adds to the feeling of suspense, as does some excellent film angles and the incidental music.  It contains a great surprising plot twist.  The music was average, and there are no exciting musical numbers, though it was fun to see the famous Helen dance.  The costumes are mostly typical 1960's outfits, though Vyjayantimala did wear some beautiful traditional saris.  The acting was more stilted than is the style today, but all the cast did well portraying their roles and creating the tense atmosphere.  Despite being sometimes hard to follow--perhaps a problem due to having to read subtitles--it's easy to see why Jewel Thief was such a success and still enjoyed today.