Sharaabi

Sharaabi review :

After launching Sharaabi, noted director Prakash Mehra was asked about its plot. "Well its about Amitabh and he plays a drunkard" came his pat one line reply.

Sharaabi, a 1984 Superhit and my most favourite AB film, is indeed that!! It is about Amitabh Bachchan who plays the kind hearted alcoholic. Thats it. Nothing else really matters!!

Drunken scenes were always the superstars fortè (as evident in Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and Satte Pe Satta (1982)), but in Sharaabi, Bachchan surpassed his past glory as Vicky, a richie rich guy neglected by his forever busy businessman dad (Pran) who recites poetry in a drunken stupor.

"Pyaar se shaayari mein wajan aata hai" suggests his guardian Munshiji (Om Prakash, endearing) and soon enough, Vicky falls in love with the charming dancer Meena (Jaya Prada).

"Inteha ho gayi, Intezaar ki. Aayee na kuch khabar mere yaar ki"

he laments his yearning in to a song which the legendary Kishore Kumar (rumouredly) sang with a peg in hand just to come in to the mood. Bappi Lahiri's music was truly extraordinary and it rightly won him the Filmfare Best Music award that year.

Amitabh's comic timing is also superbly explored by Mehra Saahab in the "Mucche ho toh Nathulal jaisi" sequence. His emotional outburst against dad Pran makes for another memorable scene.

I watched Sharaabi with my entire extended family at Dadar's Plaza Cinema occupying a full balcony row and yep, having a blast!! A gigantic cut out of Amitabh with a glass of alcohol in hand graced Plaza for more than 25 weeks of its run and I used to admire it everyday from my school bus when it passed from there. Swag ho toh aisa. Cheers!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni

This is a classic example of how a good movie can be inspired by another movie and not be a remake. Inspired by the Dudley Moore movie Arthur, this Prakash Mehra directed movie is Indianised. And done very well! After Namak Halaal and Muqadder ka Sikander this is my fave Amitabh-Prakash Mehra movie. The movie costars Jaya Pradha, Smita Patil, Pran, Om Prakash, Ranjeet, Satyen Kappu. Even Suresh Oberoi is watchable in a cameo. The guy who was Amitabh jr in Muqadder ka Sikander (Mayur i think) also has a part in this movie. Music by Bappi Lahiri is okay. Dede pyaar de and Mujhe Naulakha manga de re were hits. Def worth a watch. Even worth repeating.

I think Sharabi is Amitabh Bachchan greatest ever performance as an actor. I have seen Deewar many times, Agneepath comes close.

But for sheer acting he displayed in this film i think this has to be his greatest ever performance. The way he acts as a semi-drunk throughout the film and the dialouges he delivers are the stuff of legend.

I know bollywood is going through a re-make trend. I urge film-makers NOT to ever remake this film. It is almost impossible! I would really feel sorry for the actor if a remake is ever made. Whoever the actor maybe he will get humiliated in a the re-make. Amitabh has given his career best performance which can never be matched by any other actor from India.

A very small story is stretched to 22 reels. A truly verbose film. Fortunately with very good dialogue by Kader Khan. Amitabh Bachchan acts very true to the character and is brilliant, like always. Very watchable.

I first saw this movie in 1985 when I was a kid. Since then, I have seen this movie again and again at least 100 times! (I'm serious) I like it so much...that I could never get bored of it!! The dialogues in this movie are very powerful! "Sharaabi ko sharaabi nahin tho kya pujari kahoge, geohon kogeon nahin tho kya juari kahoge? :)" Those of you who grew up watching movies of Amitabh Bachchan like myself and those of who are his die-hard fans like myself will certainly agree that Sharaabi is one of his finest movies! What I liked about this movie the most is the character played by Amitabh Bachchan of a millionaire's son who has all the money in the world but who never received any love or affection from his millionaire father who was too busy accumulating oodles of money. Despite Amitabh Bachchan's superb role of a drunken character has been shown throughout the movie, he has also shown that a person intoxicated with alcohol can be funny, classy, romantic, and knows how to treat a lady right! Sharaabi is a classic in my books and I highly recommend you see it if you love Hindi movies and if you are a fan of Amitabh Bachchan!!