Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda

The movie revolves around the romantic involvement of the protagonist -- Manik Mulla (brilliantly essayed by Rajit Kapur) with three women from different strata of India's social hierarchy: the lower-caste, the middle class, the intelligentsia. The movie is consequently laid out in three parts which are excellently woven together to form a wonderful story with lyrically humorous dialog and excellent performances. Shyam Benegal's direction is flawless and one can notice the characteristic complexities he infuses into his characters. Also, typical of Benegal, is the portrayal of the family co-existing synchronously with society and the protagonist in a perpetual surrealistic state of mind. The finale will leave you dazed and in awe of Benegal's story-telling prowess.

I don't usually write reviews on films, whether I have liked the movie or not, but when I tried to search the best film I have ever seen I was shocked to notice that there was only one review for this movie and to add more to it the rating of this movie which probably should have been higher.

Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda title comes from the story of the seventh horse of the Sun's chariot, which is the weakest and youngest of the horses but goes on to become the driving horse of the chariot. The movie is about love seen from men's perspective at different situations.

The film is presented as a flashback of an artist, Raghuvir Yadav, who remembers the master raconteur Manik Mulla (Rajit Kapoor). In Allahabad, every evening, the bachelor Manik Mulla tells stories to a group of friends at his house. Over two evenings, he tells his friends three different stories of his love affairs to define what love is all about. These three stories are independent stories about three different women with whom Manik had relationships, first as pre-pubescent boy, then an adolescent and lastly as a mature adult. After each story, the friends discuss about the human traits and the definition of love. You are then surprised to notice that these stories were happening at the same time. The protagonist, Manik, is shown as an escapist in all his affairs. Each story is amazingly intertwined with the notion of love, romance and separation. The presence of the same characters in all the stories makes it the most amazing.

The way the film ends where in the raconteur, Manik just vanishes away, and in the process, a writer(Raghuvir Yadav) is born, makes it a classic. Its an ideal example of film-making. All the supporting cast for the film is fabulous.

This film is an adaption of Dharmvir Bharti's classic by the same name.

I saw this movie about a year back and was really impressed by Benegal. I am not much of a reviewer, and decided to submit a review only because i was appalled by the reviews this movie has got here. This movie definitely deserves a watch, at least by all Indians. The screenplay was brilliant, the plot unfolds slowly and beautifully and you start feeling for the characters. The performances are brilliant, Nina Gupta and Amrish Puri being the most impressive. The direction and photography are flawless and clearly show why Benegal is so respected. Overall, the movie was entertaining and thought-provoking and definitely one of the best Hindi movies i have ever seen. And i can say i loved it more than several top 250 IMDb movies.

The Hindi, i agree, might be a little difficult to understand at times, but let it not bother you, or still better, use subtitles.

Shyam Benegal directs this 1993 film based on Bharti's Hindi novel. The highly experienced cast and talented production team manage to cook up a rich tapestry of semi-dream-like experiences of a young man, entering into adulthood. Using a story-teller mosaic, the narrator (Rajat Kapur) goes back and forth over the lives of 3 women whom he was involved with in his high-school and early college.

Simple-minded country bumpkins do lead colorful complicated lives filled with drama and intensity. Surely but occasionally. Mostly not as it is shown here. There's somewhat of a mismatch between the rural atmosphere and the refined, educated, urbane, clean-cut protagonist. That cavalier attitude of his ('Look, I've arrived') doesn't give it away, rather it only serves to confound. Benegal conditions you from the very start not to expect great drama until the very end. Watching the dead-pan account with an equally dead-pan expression is all you can do. Use of purist as opposed to colloquial Hindi fails to have the desired effect. Could be due to Benegal's early background in documentaries for Films Division, NFDC, 'Door'darshan, et al.

If one watches such movies at a theater, it will either be mostly empty to start with, or mostly empty within 10 min., or most certainly mostly empty halfway thru i.e you can sit anywhere post-interval and munch on your popcorn. Audiences thumb it down, and the producers foolishly tell themselves its because viewers are illiterate, they don't get it, etc.

No doubt the screenplay, direction, photography, etc are all top-notch. But if there's no drama and not much entertainment, why blame viewers? Style alone can't substitute for substance.

The movie made no ripples at the box-office and disappeared without a trace (can't blame that on Shahrukh-Madhuri). Left a lot to be desired by way of suggestibility (not suspense, go figure!)

What worked:

• the screenplay and storytelling; it's one of those movies which touches you instantly as you go through the movie. The mood, setting and the narrative is balanced and tells the story with sub layers and each with a separate but intertwined theme. I am especially impressed by the way story unfolds, the narrator narrating the stories and he is somehow present in all these stories. Also, the use of vantage point to explore the characters' individual perspective is so clever and smart. I am hugely satisfied with the time of the movie, made me relate to the story although it's set in different time zone. And of course the songs , they are awesome.
• strong performances; Rajit Kapoor, Amrish Puri and Neena Gupta stole the show. It's so satisfying to see such a phenomenal performances. And of course, Shyam Benegal, for me , it's one of his finest movie. Overall production team deserves the praise.
• multiple interpretations and analysis; the movie questions our definition of love, marriage in a society with different socioeconomic status in a linear focus. Many instances of the movie shows the characters interpretation about love, events in life and human behaviors.The movie also is a metaphorical satire. Each set of stories has a weak, strong and confused character. As a psychological enthusiast, the movie is filled with many references in the field.The title was of the movie is explained at the end of the movie, and it does make sense.

Final verdict: highly recommended.