Pushpaka Vimana

A poor and unemployed youth, played by Kamal Hasan enjoys the good life by stealing the identity of a rich middle-aged drunkard. Pushpak is the name of the apartment-hotel the rich man resides in. While an imposter, Kamal gets to experience a life normally not granted men of his station and meets a beautiful girl and falls in love with her. But, like all good things, this brief excursion into paradise must end.

The movie is set against the backdrop of vast urban unemployment among educated youth in the India of the Eighties. While peppered with numerous comic incidents, the movie is quite serious in adressing its central theme. The glaring contrast between the lifestyles of the rich and the rest is evocative of Indian society. A rich beggar, whose possessions the public tries to scavenge after his death and a bungling killer who gets electrocuted are interesting diversions that do not detract from the depth of the storyline. But, what makes this film a cinematic masterpiece in my opinion is that such a powerful portrait of the times is created without resort to dialogue. This is a silent movie !! It is truly difficult not to be atleast a little moved by the ending.

Pushpak (a.k.a Pushpaka Vimana in Kannada) is a must see film. Director Singeetham has done a superb job. Even though there are no dialogues in the movie, you don't feel like you are watching a silent movie. Camera work and direction are so clever that the scenes itself convey everything. And, Kamal Hassan is simply brilliant! He deserves all the greatest awards out there (be it Academy Awards or anything else). The film focuses on the life of an unemployed youth. The comedy, or I should say dark comedy, is superb! Pushpak is the real thing, you have to see it to believe it.

I think that Pushpak has gone unnoticed by international movie aficionados. It is a pity that Pushpak does not feature in IMDb's top 250 lists. And, I am disappointed to see many flaky Japanese horror movies being over-hyped!!!!

There can and will never be a film like Pushpak. Pushpak is a cult film from day one.

First of all, if you did not know that this is a silent movie, you will never realize it unless somebody tell you. Such is the brilliant direction, background music and acting. This movie was shot in Bangalore (mostly in Windsor Manor Hotel).

Brief Story: An unemployed young man who lives frugally bumps into a rich unconscious drunkard. He takes the drunkard to his house and gags him and ties him to his cot. He than assumes the drunkard's identity and lives in the drunkard's suite in a luxurious hotel.

Most memorable moments: 1) The way he feeds the drunkard and takes care of his morning chores. 2) The ending

This is the best comedy-film I've seen ever(Hollywood and Bollywood). This film deserves an award and Kamal Haasan, as well, who acted great for me. The story, I think, is easy to understand for everybody everywhere. A must to see!!!!

After numerous recommendations I finally managed to get a hold of this movie. I appreciate the director's attempt of making a silent movie that is charming, funny but very flawed. As much as I enjoyed it, I would not place it among the best movies. Some of the humour is too tacky for my liking, especially the toilet humour (for example the whole toilet situation with the hostage) and some comic tracks just fall flat. At times, the film moves at a lethargic pace. The Tinu Anand track did not need that much focus. That entire track could have been better left out. Yet, 'Pushpak' remains likable. I loved the irony in the end and that beautifully concludes the poetry of the entire movie. In terms of acting, 'Pushpak' belongs to Kamal Hassan. The actor gets into the skin of the character and nails the part. I never thought of him as one of the best actors in Indian cinema but i admire his attempt at experimenting with different things and he is exceptional in 'Pushpak'. Amla is vivacious in a smaller role. Director Singeetham deserves credit for daring to make a silent film, and one that mostly manages to avoid the clichéd gimmicks. Perhaps this was his homage to the voiceless movies made in the 30s. I loved his use of symbolism and metaphors especially in the end sequence. For the most part, 'Pushpak' is a fun watch and I thin it would have been excellent had the editing been more crisp but there's enough good about it that compensates for the weaknesses.