Namak Halaal

For anyone who may not know what a one-actor movie was like, this is the best example. This plot is ridiculous, and really makes no sense. It's full of cliched situations, hackneyed lines, melodrama, comedy... you name it!

But Amitabh Bachchan can make anything convincing, and this movie is by no means an exception. Everyone turns in a decent performance - Shashi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Ranjit, Om Prakash, Smita Patil... But it is the Megastar who overshadows everyone with his towering presence. Without him, this movie would have been a non-starter... The story is about separation / mistaken identities / misunderstandings / love / hate / loyalty / good vs evil - everything, really! Amitabh's is a brilliant performance on all counts, in an otherwise silly film! And did I mention that it is ridiculously funny?

Namak Halaal review :

"E lo kar lo baat Babuji, Aisi Angrezi ave hain ke I can leave Angrez behind.

You see sir, I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English Because English is a very phunny language".

This iconic dialogue evoked laughter galore in theatres and transformed the film's hero in to a one man show. Earlier in the '60s and '70s, Bollywood needed a Mehmood or a Rajendra Nath for the comedy track which would run parallel to the main plot. Not anymore!! Superstar Amitabh Bachchan changed the trend and how!! Now the hero would not just sing songs and bash up the villains but he would tickle the audience to lol as well.

Namak Halaal, directed by Prakash Mehra, is Bachchan show all the way. As Arjun Singh, he becomes a one man show stealer - almost a standup entertainer to his audience. Its not that others dont matter here. There is Shashi Kapoor as Big B's employer cum dost and the beautiful Smita Patil as his colleague cum love interest. And yup, who can forget the charming Parveen Babi singing "Raat baaki baat baaki" to an enchanted audience.

Namak Halaal is an out and out masala entertainer blending action, emotion, comedy and drama to perfection which Prakash Mehra was known for in his hey days. His films provided wholesome entertainment for all ages and appealed to class as well as mass audience.

The typical lost and found formula was peppered with awesome music score by Bappi Lahiri. Coming to the much heralded eleven and half minutes 'Pag ghungroo bandh' song, Kishore Kumar is at his best here and Amitabh is equally brilliant performing it on screen. In another chartbuster, Amitabh and Smita Patil literally scorched the screen in the rain number 'Aaj rapat jayen'. The song is so sensous but never vulgar.

Namak Halaal remains my personal favourite Bachchan film. It not only proved his versatility as an actor but re-affirmed his superstar status at the box office. Having seen it multiple times on TV, I watched it recently in a Sunday afternoon re-run at New Excelsior, Mumbai and trust me, the film cheered me just like before. Something lasts forever!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

This is undoubtedly one of the funniest movies ever made. Amitabh as a country bumpkin, Arjun Singh, is hilarious. The best thing is the laughter never stops. The plot is a same-old same-old story where child is separated from mother who sacrifices everything for her duty - with a happy reunion at the end. There are villains (Ranjit) and there are brothers (Sashi Kapoor) and there are vixens (Parveen Babhi) and there are lovers (Smita Patil) and there is a blind brother and a grandfather thrown in for good measure. But this movie is about Amitabh and thats all you remember at then end.

Amitabh comes to the city to make a decent living and his dialogue delivery and mannerisms are hilarious. Later in the movie he turns into the Angry Young Man he is famous for but the humour stays. Memorable parts include his walking, talking and speaking english, the song (pad gungaroo re bhand, meera nachi thi) and everything with his dadoo.

All in all I was rolling with laughter throughout the movie. If you want 3 hours of entertainment with Amitabh at his absolute best - this is it. It will easily give it a 10/10.

I've liked most of the comedies by the Shashi Kapoor- Amitabh Bachchan duo than the more serious films they did e.g. 'Deewar'. Another title that comes to mind right now is 'Do Aur Do Paanch'. 'Suhaag' too works as a semi-comedy.

'Namak Halaal' provides numerous laughter and entertainment. There is the loyal servant (Bachchan) who's protecting his employer, a hotel owner (Kapoor) because of the promise he made to his mother (Rehman) and he also falls in love with a fellow employee (Patil). There is a grandfather (Prakash) who wants his grandson to make it on his own. There's a siren (Babi) who's been hired to assassinate the hotel owner. Then there's the evil manager (Ranjeet) who wants to frame the mother and kill the owner in order to takeover the hotel.

Mehra puts it all together and gives us a thriller/ comedy. This gives Amitabh another chance to show his comedic abilities. The actor does reasonably well at most parts but he does tend to go over the top. Shashi Kapoor is quite adequate. Smita Patil is luminous and Parveen Babi is ravishing. Waheeda Rehman does well with her part as does Om Prakash.

The songs are a strong point. Though the first song is better to watch than listen to, the rest are both pleasant for the ears and filmed nicely. Parveen looks particularly stunning in 'Raat Baki' while Smita is sexy in the white sari rain song.

'Namak Halaal' is one film that can be enjoyed with the family. It does have its share of flaws as some of the comedy fails to be funny (mostly due to Amitabh's over the top acting).

Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachan make a great duo in films such as Suhaag and Hum do aur panch, and they return in what is their last appearance together, and they are both funny and fantastic in what is a solid comedy-action entertainer with a strong plot and a great production.

The story: Arjun, a youngster, works at a hotel owned by Raja and serves him faithfully. However, when he learns about a plot to kill Raja, he decides to save him from harm at any cost.

The songs are great, especially Jane E jaaneman, which Parveen Babi sings with style. It's a classic scene. The performances are great all around. Smita Patel shows that she can both do serious and masala films effortlessly.