With having enjoyed watching a Curry Western starring producer/lead actor/director Feroz Khan a while ago,I was delighted to spot a 1975 gangster film from Khan that I could watch for a poll taking place on IMDbs Classic Film board,which led to me getting ready to meet the "god man"
The plot:
Despite having had the opportunity to send the city down the drain,local gangster Dharmatma has done everything he can to stick to his principles,which along with stopping the trafficking of hard drugs into the city,also involves using the money he raises from his illegal gambling activates to be put towards the creation of free schools.Whilst his dads principles have won a lot of fans, Ranbir has always been disguised by the way his dad goes about his business.
Sick of Dharmatma's grip on the city,a rival gangster called Jeevan feels that its time the old timer got pushed aside,so that the city can be saturated with hard drugs.Finding it impossible to find a weak spot in Dharmatma's political connections in the city,Jeevan finally sees his chance when Ranbir makes a surprise return,which leads to Jeevan setting his sights on bringing the family down.
View on the film:
Whilst Feroz Khan never quite gets the threads in Kaushal Bharati's screenplay to fully gel together,he makes sure that his attempts are never a dull experience, thanks to Khan sweeping across the movie with a delightfully bonkers directing style,which goes from covering a bustling night club (back with a Gary Glitter song!) in screeching reds,to sheep busting each other's heads! For the first ever Bollywood movie to be shot in Afghanistan,Khan and cinematographer Kamal Bose use superb wide shots to create a rugged atmosphere,by displaying the dry to the bone locations that the gangsters attempted takeover takes place in.
Giving the character a warm nature lacking in Bharati's screenplay, Prem Nath gives an excellent performance as "Darmatma",with Nath knocking Dharmatma's hard exterior to reveal a man with strong (flawed) principles,whose goals are always related to what is best for his family/the city.Joining Nath, Anokhelal gives a wickedly deranged performance as Anokhelal,whilst Feroz Khan does very well at showing a delicate nervousness ,as he prepares to reunite with his Dharmatma.
The plot:
Despite having had the opportunity to send the city down the drain,local gangster Dharmatma has done everything he can to stick to his principles,which along with stopping the trafficking of hard drugs into the city,also involves using the money he raises from his illegal gambling activates to be put towards the creation of free schools.Whilst his dads principles have won a lot of fans, Ranbir has always been disguised by the way his dad goes about his business.
Sick of Dharmatma's grip on the city,a rival gangster called Jeevan feels that its time the old timer got pushed aside,so that the city can be saturated with hard drugs.Finding it impossible to find a weak spot in Dharmatma's political connections in the city,Jeevan finally sees his chance when Ranbir makes a surprise return,which leads to Jeevan setting his sights on bringing the family down.
View on the film:
Whilst Feroz Khan never quite gets the threads in Kaushal Bharati's screenplay to fully gel together,he makes sure that his attempts are never a dull experience, thanks to Khan sweeping across the movie with a delightfully bonkers directing style,which goes from covering a bustling night club (back with a Gary Glitter song!) in screeching reds,to sheep busting each other's heads! For the first ever Bollywood movie to be shot in Afghanistan,Khan and cinematographer Kamal Bose use superb wide shots to create a rugged atmosphere,by displaying the dry to the bone locations that the gangsters attempted takeover takes place in.
Giving the character a warm nature lacking in Bharati's screenplay, Prem Nath gives an excellent performance as "Darmatma",with Nath knocking Dharmatma's hard exterior to reveal a man with strong (flawed) principles,whose goals are always related to what is best for his family/the city.Joining Nath, Anokhelal gives a wickedly deranged performance as Anokhelal,whilst Feroz Khan does very well at showing a delicate nervousness ,as he prepares to reunite with his Dharmatma.