Do Aur Do Paanch

Do Aur Do Paanch review :

Amitabh Bachchan made a great pairing with Shashi Kapoor giving blockbusters like Deewaar (1975), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978) and Namak Halaal (1982). Do Aur Do Paanch, released in early 1980, was not so successful collaboration of theirs but nevertheless remains memorable for the masti mazaak and the amazing chemistry they shared onscreen..

Bachchan and Kapoor played small time crooks who are at loggerheads with each other for stepping on each others toes in every crime they commit. They end up as fake teachers in a hill-station school with intention to kidnap a wealthy guy (Sreeram Lagoo)'s son. Hema Malini and Parveen Babi are their colleagues at work who eventually become their love interests. Kader Khan, called Uncle for most part of the movie, was the main baddie.

Do aur Do Paanch was a perfect blend of comedy and action with both the stars getting ample scope to outwit the other. It was fun. It was entertaining. And yet it was called a box office flop. Actually in those days, Amitabh was off press and the press was totally against Amitabh. Thus, every film which fell even slightly below expectations was conveniently labelled a flop. This film also bore that brunt of his press boycott..

Later, most of these so-called Bachchan flops were revived with new titles particularly from late '80s till early '90s and they had successful re-runs at the box office. So The Great Gambler (1979) became Sabse Bada Juaari and Do Aur Do Paanch was released again as Do Ikke. I saw Do Ikke at re-run favourite cinema Paradise at Mahim and remember the show being housefull with the noisy crowd cheering and whistling at every dialogue of Amitabh Bachchan. Such was his charisma and star power!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

I've enjoyed most films, like 'Do Aur Do Paanch', 'Suhaag' and 'Namak Halaal', with the Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor duo. Although I did not like 'Deewar' or 'Kala Patthar', the duos strong essence is felt. 'Do Aur Do Paanch' starts off as a comedy with a lot of slapstick, cussing, situations and wit. Bachchan and Kapoor are back providing us with several laugh out loud moments. The director does a good job in presenting the story with its comedic twists. However, towards the ending it becomes a little melodramatic with less comedy. The dialogues are good and the performances are competent. Amitabh Bachchan is hilarious. His knack for comedy is clearly evident. Shashi Kapoor too leaves his mark even though Amitabh has the better lines. Hema Malini as the strong-minded but gullible teacher is fun to watch and Parveen Babi is quite glamorous and shares a great chemistry with Bachchan. I don't think Amitabh has had a better chemistry with any of his other leading ladies and that includes Rekha and Jaya Bhadhuri. Kader Khan is good as the evil Uncle. Child actor Bittoo hams it up. Rajesh Roshan's music is a mostly okay. The title songs (sung by the legendary Kishore Kumar) are laugh inducing as they got me chuckling all the time and Asha Bhosle's soothing 'Kya Kehti Hai' is very romantic. But, the rest of the songs are forgettable. Agnihotri and Bhowmick deserve credit for their writing which eventually gave us this fun film. I remember having seen 'Do Aur Do Paanch' decades ago and I watched it again last night. For me, it stood the test of time as the humour does not feel outdated. Even the action sequences which are of the dishum dishum sort have a touch of comedy. Perhaps it would have been more fun if there was just a little more comedy towards the end which gets a tad too dramatic. Nonetheless this is one film which dares to teach us that 2 + 2 does not equal 5.

Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor's most iconic film together was the gritty Deewar but this tends more towards the comedy genre.

They both play two ex-cons who end up at the same school with the same conflicting aims. This leads to series of comedic situations, especially in the middle of the film which is quite enjoyable.

Sadly, the build up is slow and so is the last half which is quite cliched and predictable. Add to it songs which haven't aged at all well and you have a quintessential eighties Hindi film.

The female leads had less heft to them compared to the male ones and even then, Parveen Babi manages to mess her role up. But then, she was mostly used for eye candy purposes then and rarely for her acting skills (which one could argue, were quite lacking). I actually preferred Shashi Kapoor's role in this to Bachchan's. The villain's role by Kader Khan is lacking. Having seen folks like K N Singh and Pran essaying the negative role, Kader Khan doesn't rise up to their standards.

A hilarious and superb entertainer. AMitabh-Shashi-Best combo duo ever...just a stunning duo!!! no can beat them once they come together on screen!!! Amitabh-Parveen-Whatta couple!!! excellent... A must watch for all Amitabh and Shashi fans. The song Tune Abhi Dekha nahiin... is outstanding!!! The comedy is excellent. Especially the scene when Amitabh is made to eat parottas by all the children and his stomach nearly s. His expression in the scene was just outstanding. And the scene when Parveen faints in Amitabh's room and Shshi blocks his way out of the house. It was hilarious!!! and when Amitabh says "Sangeet Samrat" and starts singing and making a fool of Shashi is the bornfire. just rib-cracking

Do Aur Do Paanch is the story of two con men Vijay/Ram (Amitabh) and Sunil/Laxman (Shashi Kapoor) (also bitter enemies) who want to abduct Bittoo, son of a rich man (Shree Ram Lagoo) from a high security boarding school. The difference is that Vijay is doing it on his own and, Sunil for Uncle (Kader Khan) an enemy of Bittoo's father. To help their own cause, Ram and Laxman lure two teachers Anju (Parveen Babi) and Shalu (Hema Malini), respectively in their web of love. What ensues from here is a hilarious comedy of one-up-man-ship, Ram and Laxman trying to outwit each other.

What makes Do Aur Do Paanch different from other comedy movies is that unlike other comedies where there is usually one or two main supporting comedian, there is no comedian in it (unless you want to rank Amitabh and Shashi along comedians). The element of comic is in the story telling, script, dialogs and acting. Moreover, the comedy is spontaneous and is not forced upon the audience.

Amitabh and Shashi who have proved their chemistry in earlier movies excel in this movie with their first rate acting and dialog delivery timing. Hema Malini and Parveen Babi as love interests of Shashi and Amitabh have supported ably with their acting skills. Kader Khan has little screen presence but leaves a lasting impression as villain "Uncle" (a different flavor of villain). There is menace in his role but at the same time his acting, dialog delivery and timing evokes laughter. Not to forget is Bittoo the child artist who has acted very well and is the heart of the movie. The list of supporting cast is huge but all of them have acted well. It is necessary to mention that in this huge cast and spectra of talented actors Amitabh stands tall through his superior acting skills.

Rajesh Roshan's music composition is first rate. So are the words of lyricist Anjaan. All the songs are melodious and play-it-again kind. In songs "Mere Zindagi Ne Mujhpe Ehsaan Kyaa Kiya Hai", "Do Aur Do Paanch", "Chhoti Hai Raat", and a small portion of "Prem Se Humko Zine Do" Kishore is simply at his best. The song "Yeh Zulfon Ki Bhikri Ghatta Kya Kahti Hai (Kya Kahti Hai)" rendered by Asha Bhonsle is soothing and pleasing to ear. In "Prem Se Humho Zine Do" Lata shows her versatility. The surprise package is Mehmood's magical rendering of part two of the "Prem Se Humko Zine Do", and Rajesh Roshan rendering part two of "Do Aur Do Paanch". Furthermore, the background score is noticeable and pleasant.

Rakesh Kumar's direction is good. His direction and the script makes sure the characters of the supporting cast is memorable. For instance, Goga Kapoor has only like six scenes but he will be remembered for the beating he (Lion) gets from two donkeys in "Prem Se Humko Zine Do". Also, memorable are the cameo appearances of Om Prakash and Jagdeep. Credit also goes to the writing department (story, script, and dialogs) for giving us such a hilarious movie. Do Aur Do Paanch story has some not so apparent flaws but fast paced, linear and to the point (even when the heroes are with their heroines) story telling keeps the audience attention engaged till the end of movie and, away from the flaws.

Do Aur Do Paanch is a collectible movie. To say it again, one never gets enough of it even after several viewings.