Gambler (1995) User Reviews

Remake of SHORT TIME but good

[silvan-desouza · 4/10 · 27 July 2009]

Govinda has done several serious roles even when he did comedy post AANKHEN this is one of those films where he gets to prove himself as an actor

he film is a remake of SHORT TIME the initial scenes are ordinary but the scenes when Govinda coems to know about his sickness to the entire track of he trying to die on duty till Aditya revealing the truth are brilliantly handled

The problem with the film is that the film rests on clichés and crude scenes like the Govinda- Shilpa scenes initially and the dances which were added for Govinda's mass appeal

Also the villainy track especially Gulshan Grover track is badly handled The film ends too as a typical potboiler

Direction by Dayal Nihalini is good in parts but bad in parts Music is good, especially the title song

Amongst actors Govinda is as usual in comic scenes but excels in serious scenes, especially when he comes to know he has tumour and the entire scenes later and also his outburst with Aditya proves he can deliver much more Aditya too is very good in his part Shilpa Shetty is typical and irritates at times Raj Babbar is nothing great Gulshan Grover overacts, Mohan Joshi is unbearably loud the rest are adequate

Name is kind of misnomer

[varghesejunior · 5/10 · 25 December 2014]

The name Gambler is kind of a misnomer for this film, which is kind of a remake of "Short time" and which also incorporates the Rambo character.

Cowardly but humorous and outgoing officer Dayashankar happens to nab notorious criminals by fluke, which wins him accolades but which also gets him into the bad books of the city gangs. Soon he less that he is ill and not going to live long; this and few other happenings transform Dayashankar completely, which is what forms the rest of the film.

There is good acting many a time, especially by Govinda, but which gets too overt occasionally. The editing work is poor, which I think was a major issue in many films of the 90s. Johnny Lever and Govinda put in their effort to make us laugh, which is at times successful. Dialogues are good. The film has a mix of comedy, action and drama. The portrayal of cop Dayashankar as a "Rambo" is however weak.

The Choreography of the film is excellent. And the songs are melodious and remarkable. It is the memory of the songs like the title one, Meri marzi and Stop that!! which made me wanna see this film.

At present this would be considered a childish film, but for the 90s, it should've been noteworthy.

One Of Govinda's Best Films!

[r_mantra_r · 23 August 2015]

A great action comedy from one of my favorite production teams of the 90s; that of Dhirajlal, Pravin, Hasmukh Shah & Time Magnetics who gave blockbusters such as the Sunil Shetty starrer 'Krishna' & Ajay Devgan starrer 'Vijaypath'.

As the latter two, this film also has music by Anu Malik with a soundtrack of two hit numbers: The romantic 'Hum Unse Mohabbat Karke' with vocals by Kumar Sanu & Sadhana Sargam and the enjoyably comedic hit 'Stop That' which is a remake of Apache Indian's smash hit 'Chok There' re-sung by Devang Patel.

Cinematography, Editing & Choreography of many of soundtrack's numbers in the film are stunning & can be appreciated by a film lover who enjoys good picturisation of songs.

Comedy between Govinda & Johnny Lever in the first half of the film is excellent! Lots of laughs guaranteed!

Aditya Pancholi's role as a Police Officer alongside Govinda is also notable, although the plot of the film carries some unnecessary twists regarding his character.

Shilpa Shetty, Raj Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Mohan Joshi & Tinu Annand's performances are fair and integrated into the second half of the film which is action packed!

Some scenes from the plot could have been avoided to better compact the storyline into a shorter runtime, however generally an enjoyable Action/Comedy film not to be missed by any Govinda fan.

Cringeworthy 😖😣☹

[winak · 3/10 · 17 August 2022]

One of the most cheesiest Govinda movie I have ever seen with forgettable songs and elementary school level special effects. Storyline though borrowed from a malayalam movie was totally nonsensical. Govinda has an exaggerated style of acting which is suited for slap stick comedy movies only, as soon as he tries serious roles, his acting stands out like a sore thumb as in this case. This movie didn't do well when released in the 90s and is an embarrassment to Indian cinema in this age and time.