Namak Halaal

This movie will tell you why Amitabh Bacchan is a one man industry. This movie will also tell you why Indian movie-goers are astute buyers.

Amitabh was at the peak of his domination of Bollywood when his one-time godfather Prakash Mehra decided to use his image yet again. Prakash has the habit of picking themes and building stories out of it, adding liberal doses of Bollywood sensibilities and clichés to it. Zanzeer saw the making of Angry Young Man. Lawaris was about being a bastard and Namak Halal was about the master-servant loyalties.

But then, the theme was limited to move the screenplay through the regulation three hours of song, dance and drama. What comprised of the movie is a caricature of a Haryanavi who goes to Mumbai and turns into a regulation hero. Amitabh's vocal skills and diction saw this movie earn its big bucks, thanks to his flawless stock Haryanvi accent. To me, this alone is the biggest pull in the movie. The rest all is typical Bollywood screen writing.

Amitabh, by now, had to have some typical comedy scenes in each of his movies. Thanks to Manmohan Desai. This movie had a good dose of them. The shoe caper in the party, the monologue over Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare's considerations, The mosquito challenge in the boardroom and the usual drunkard scene that by now has become a standard Amitabh fare.

Shashi Kapoor added an extra mile to the movie with his moody, finicky character (Remember him asking Ranjeet to "Shaaadaaaap" after the poisoned cake incident"). His was the all important role of the master while Amitabh was his loyal servant. But Prakash Mehra knew the Indian mind...and so Shashi had to carry along his act with the rest of the movie. It was one character that could have been more developed to make a serious movie. But this is a caper, remember? And as long as it stayed that way, the people came and saw Amitabh wearing a new hat and went back home happy. The end is always predictable, and the good guys get the gal and the bad ones go to the gaol, the age-old theme of loyalty is once again emphasized and all is well that ends well.

So what is it that makes this movie a near classic? Amitabh Bacchan as the Haryanvi. Prakash Mehra created yet another icon in the name of a story. Chuck the story, the characters and the plot. My marks are for Amitabh alone.

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.

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 is an action comedy film, directed by Prakash Mehra. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Late Shashi Kapoor, Late Smita Patil, Late Parveen Babi, Waheeda Rehman, Late Om Prakash, Ranjeet and Late Satyen Kappu.

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.

This film is a perfect example of a masala film. The film has action, emotion, comedy, great music and a pinch of romance and is blended beautifully which is superbly backed by great acting by all the star cast. The film also gives a feeling of lost and found plot although this film can't be termed as a typical lost and found film.

The acting is superb and everyone were outstanding in their respective roles with a special mention for Amitabh Bachchan who carried the entire film on his shoulders and is beautifully backed by the stellar star cast. Shashi Kapoor impresses in the role of rich hotel owner, Smita Patil looked very pretty and was great in acting too, Parvin Bobby also impresses in her limited screen space. Satyen Kappu who played negative role was stunningly good and deserves a little more screen space along with Om Prakash. Ranjeet and Waheeda Rehman were also good.

Screenplay of the film is funny and hilarious and will keep you glued to the screen. The film is so funny that it will not even give you a chance to blink your eyes. The climax of the film gives a perfect closure to the film.

Music of the film is mind blowing and every song was a craze upon it's release and are still craze with "Pag Ghungroo Baandh", "Aaj Rapat Jayen" and "Jawaani Jaan-E-Man" my personal favorite.

A must watch family wholesome masala entertainer which will surely be enjoyed with all the masses of the society.