Bullet

It's amazing that such an outstanding director like Vijay Anand could make such a poor movie in "Bullet" . Everything about the movie was awful especially the direction and acting.

Vijay Anand, the brother of Devanand, made many classic films in the 1950s and 60s. This one is a decent addition to his filmography but not a great film.

Devanand plays a police officer who ultimately has to clear his name whilst in the pursuit of a crook. The plot interweaves multiple characters and a sub plot. However, what lets this film down is it's slightly longer run time {150 minutes for what I saw}, shoddy acting from couple of character actors and the filler song and dance sequences {previous films by this director had some true gems in terms of music}.

Still, the film has a good pacing, especially in the middle where the plot moves quick and folks won't be disappointed.

Dharam Dev of the Special Squad (played by Dev Anand) wants to bring swindler Durga Prasad, or DP (Kabir Bedi), to book. He befriends DP's secretary, Sapna (played by the gorgeous Parveen Babi), to obtain information. Very soon, though, DP has his revenge: he frames Dharam Dev on false charges of drunken driving and the latter is imprisoned. The police soon realize it was a mistake and Dharam's term is reduced and he is out after six months. He starts his battle from outside the police force, with Sapna and Inspector Rajesh (Rakesh Roshan) as his only friends. Soon, however, DP again outwits him and he finds himself involved in a kidnapping cum murder case. How Dharam Dev proves himself innocent and catches DP red-handed is the story of Bullet.

A fairly captivating thriller starring Dev Anand, Praveen Babi and Kabir Bedi, the latter playing a significant role as a sociopathic crook that Dev Anand is desperate to apprehend, but Bedi is too smart, and in the second half, where things become suspenseful, Dev Anand gets in a spot of a bother as he embroiled in a kidnapping plot and murder.

The plot is tautly-woven, moves briskly, though it's the characters that drives the film, especially Anand who really performs well as a policeman determined to get a crook behind bars or at least use the bullet he carries with him; a bullet that has the crook's name on it. There's a strong kitschy flavour and some dodgy songs, but it's quite atmospheric, offbeat with some odd camera angles and is fairly captivating.

Bullet was a slick production from the house of Vijay Anand. Made to celebrate the silver jubilee of Navketan, this film had all ingredients for a nice, entertaining thriller. Definitely one of Dev Anands sane films, as most of his films have bordered on the juvenile.

Dharam Dev (Dharam Dev Anand) is a police office who is on the trails of conman DP, played by Kabir Bedi. DP is a sly businessman who sells company shares to public promising the sky. In reality the shares are decoys as the company is actually bankrupt and has no business to back the promises made to the public and the financiers.

Dev hires the services of DP 's secretary Sapna (Parveen Babi), who in turn falls for him , but plans to move out once she finds out that Dev is a policeman. But after getting a view of the real picture of the future of the shares, she extends help to Dev as she senses that the public is being taken for a big ride.

DP too has aces up his sleeve. He gets Dev jailed on account of a fabricated drunk on duty charge, and later, with the help of his mistress, generates a master plan to rake in millions and eliminate Dev totally by getting him framed on a murder and ransom charge.

Now it is up to Dev to try and exonerate himself and pin the actual mastermind behind all the ploys Good, catchy music by Rahul Dev Burman adds to the color of the film.

Bullet is a well made film. Pity it was ahead of its time in content and treatment.

Ton celebrate the 25 glorious years of Navketan International Films, producer Dev Anand invited his Legendary director brothers Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand for directing Jaaneman and Bullet respectively in 1976. Both movies were successful and had some great soundtrack by Laxmikant Pyarelal and R.D. Burman. Jaaneman was a kind of remake of the 1954 classic Taxi Driver while Bullet was based on a famous novel Just Another Sucker. Goldie's crisp editing, narrative and screenplay were the highlight of the film which had an impressive starcast of Parveen babi, Kabir Bedi and Rakesh Roshan. Dev who was always known to wear full sleeves shirt and buttoned up collar broke the trend with this movie where he was seen half sleeve Khaki uniform and needless to say he looked equally dashing even at the age of 54. Ita a must watch for all Dev and Goldie fans especially who love edge of the seat Suspense Thrillers.