'Sherni' is pretty much the typical studio-produced Bollywood flick from the 80s. Thus, it has a very campy look (the title is enough to hint that) and the story is the usual dacoit formula. A tyrannical Thakur (Kader Khan) oppresses his village. As a result, Durga's father (Pran) is sent to prison under false accusation. A week before his release, he escapes prison and becomes a bandit in order to fight the evil Thakur. The father fails to convince his family to go along as Durga opposes his choice of path. However, Thakur is too ruthless to spare Durga's family.
There are plenty of dishum-dishum action sequences and the songs were quite bad (except the Asha Bhosle number towards the end). However, Sridevi's presence and dancing skills make them worth watching. There is a scarecrow song that is so terrible that it's funny. The pairing of Sridevi and Shatrughan Sinha is hilarious. Sinha who's supposed to be a dashing young military trained (I assume) police officer but he just looks too old for the part and much older when standing next to La Devi. Pran does a decent job as Durga's dad.
Anyway, what makes 'Sherni' worth a watch is Sridevi. Even though her transformation from village belle to bandit queen is physically depicted through her wardrobe (e.g. the transformation from ghagra cholis to full black leather biker gear and a black leather bandanna), she makes her acting count and conveys that not only has Durga's outift changed, but so has her personality. She's no longer the naive village girl who had faith in the system but a ruthless bandit to the oppressors who's not afraid to take matters into her own hands in order to protect the villagers. Her convincing portrayal makes one care about the character and the final scene, where she glances at the locked door of what used to be her house tugs at the heartstrings.
Overall, 'Sherni' is campy entertainment. It helps having a remote control nearby so that one can fast-forward the non-Sridevi sequences. It's always fun to see La Devi dance, kick some butts and work a rifle.
There are plenty of dishum-dishum action sequences and the songs were quite bad (except the Asha Bhosle number towards the end). However, Sridevi's presence and dancing skills make them worth watching. There is a scarecrow song that is so terrible that it's funny. The pairing of Sridevi and Shatrughan Sinha is hilarious. Sinha who's supposed to be a dashing young military trained (I assume) police officer but he just looks too old for the part and much older when standing next to La Devi. Pran does a decent job as Durga's dad.
Anyway, what makes 'Sherni' worth a watch is Sridevi. Even though her transformation from village belle to bandit queen is physically depicted through her wardrobe (e.g. the transformation from ghagra cholis to full black leather biker gear and a black leather bandanna), she makes her acting count and conveys that not only has Durga's outift changed, but so has her personality. She's no longer the naive village girl who had faith in the system but a ruthless bandit to the oppressors who's not afraid to take matters into her own hands in order to protect the villagers. Her convincing portrayal makes one care about the character and the final scene, where she glances at the locked door of what used to be her house tugs at the heartstrings.
Overall, 'Sherni' is campy entertainment. It helps having a remote control nearby so that one can fast-forward the non-Sridevi sequences. It's always fun to see La Devi dance, kick some butts and work a rifle.