Beta (1992)

Director:

Indra Kumar

Writers:

Gyandev Agnihotri (screenplay)
K. Bhagyaraja (story)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Beta is the story of Raju, the only child of a widowed multi millionaire. Raju's father can provide...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Childhood Innocence | False Accusation | Cleaver | Poison

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Anil Kapoor	...	Raju
Madhuri Dixit	...	Saraswati
Aruna Irani	...	Laxmi Devi (as Aroona Irani)
Laxmikant Berde	...	Pandu Dhondu Bhikaji Rao
Akash Khurana	...	Prem
Adi Irani	...	Ramesh (as Ajitesh)
Anupam Kher	...	Totaram
Rita Bhaduri	...	Neeta
Satyendra Kapoor	...	Shyamlal (as Satyen Kappu)
Bharati Achrekar	...	Mynavati (as Bharti Acherekar)
Kunika	...	Kunika
Priya Arun
Brij Gopal	...	Bhairon Singh Rana
Master Bunty	...	Young Raju
Yunus Parvez		(as Yunus Pervez)

Runtime:

171 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Chandivali Studio, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company:

Maruti International

Movie Connections:

Remake of Enga Chinna Rasa (1987)

Soundtrack:

Sajna, Sajna, Sajna, Main Teri, Tu Mera, Duniya Se Kya Lena

The devoted son, the devious stepmother, and above all -- the smart wife named Madhuri!

Beta is extremely melodramatic and for the most part suffers from very poor writing. Like most of Indra Kumar's films, it is a film which has a fantastic story which is poorly executed on-screen. The very inept depiction does not withhold the film from being entertaining and watchable though, that's mainly thanks to its interesting concept, superb soundtrack and brilliant star-cast. The film has three main characters: the son, his devious stepmother, and his wife who enters the picture like a savior. Kapoor plays Raju, a devoted son to his wicked stepmother who would kill and give his life for her if she asked. Since she entered the house as his father's second wife, she has used the boy who had carved for a mother and deviously left him illiterate. In addition to that, she quietly made her husband's life miserable by making the entire world think he is mentally imbalanced and imprisoning him - all for money. But soon Raju marries Saraswati, a young and smart woman who, unlike her loyal and innocent husband, shortly discovers her mother-in-law's true character and swears to destroy her plans.

The film's story is, as said, fantastic. But the film itself suffers from a poor script and some amazingly annoying comic sequences. Having said that, it is filled with many great moments and scenes of romance and drama, it has some very worthy dialogues, the development of story is effective, the songs are very melodious and pleasant. That's what keeps the film generally alluring and entertaining, but if there is one aspect that particularly manages to keep it intact, it must be the acting. Anil Kapoor, playing the title character, does get a bit let down by the very immature character he was given. But while his character's overly loving and often childish attitude did get irritating at times, his sincerity was much more powerful and was strong enough to make this performance memorable. Aruna Irani is simply outstanding as the vicious Laxmi and is thoroughly convincing. However, Beta is clearly Madhuri Dixit's film. She is mind-blowing as Saraswati. She always could rise above a poor script, and here she gets to play a courageous and sensible woman who is not afraid to fight everyone for justice. Madhuri does not disappoint. Her expressive eyes, forceful line delivery, smart attitude, decisiveness, hot dance numbers and overall persona -- are all spot on and contribute to making this performance unforgettable.

All-in-all, Beta is not a film for everyone, but I think as a mainstream Hindi entertainment, it is brilliant. Some may find it overblown, but I still think it is one of Indra Kumar's better works (along with Mann, his best, and Dil). I found the film totally enjoyable and I liked the film's last scene, which was superb and quite satisfying. The film remains memorable for its music and for its actors, especially Madhuri, and it's easy to see why. This film could have easily been titled Bahu (daughter-in-love) after her character. Anyway, I recommend you to watch Beta, but remember not to expect that much from the film.