Ram Balram

Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan unite in this Vijay Anand directed film as brothers. Garam Dharam is a mechanic-thief and Amitabh is a police officer, who are manipulated from childhood by their uncle -Ajit - and he uses them to fill his pockets. They fear him, but will their fear change when they realise that Ajit killed their father and mother? You'll have to see this action-packed melodrama to find out.

Ram Balram might not be as famous or iconic as Sholay, but it's very enjoyable, it's plot and characterisation has you immersed in its story, and the exciting action set pieces vary from a western-style shoot-out to a well-staged car chases. The production is top class,so are the songs (Ladki Pasand Ki Mushkil Se Milti Hai, Mil Gayi, Mil Gayi" is my favourite), and Zeenat and Rekha make great leading ladies. But it's Ajit who steals the scene as the evil uncle, who frankly is a child abuser. Amjad Khan and Prem Chopra guest star. An energetic and highly entertaining masala film.

This movie is my all-time favorite movie but i still didn't give it a 10 only because realistically it did average at the box-office and it wasn't as good to most people as was Sholay. The directors tried to recreate another Sholay but most of the audience did not accept it as anywhere close to Sholay. However, I loved the songs and the story had constant action from scene to scene and to me, it had no dull moments at all. I loved this movie more than Sholay and I thought Sholay was a classic. So maybe this might give all of you an insight into how good this movie was. If you guys and gals love the classic Amitabh Bachchan movies and haven't seen this one, then take it from me, this is a classic Amitabh Bachchan movie with all the drama and action that he became famous for. There's no harm in checking it out, if you don't like it, then it's only $1 wasted. If you do, and I'm sure most of you will enjoy it, then maybe you might end up buying it on DVD like i have. Another point, do check out the DVD version of this movie because most VHS tapes will have bad quality. Do check out this movie and you wont be disappointed!!!

Review By Kamal K

It could have been much better. Amitabh and Dharmendra were not utilized fully in the true action sense. The plot was weak and complicated. Poor direction I would say.

Okay, I guess if you're a Dharmendra or an Amitabh fan...and if you were really impressed with Sholay (like me), you should see this movie.

Jagatpal (Ajit) causes a misunderstanding between two brothers who he claims as relatives (but obviously not). While they were arguing, Ajit shoots both of them from the window, and frames them for murdering each other. Meanwhile he kills Ram's mother Saraswati who also raises her brother in-law's son Balram as her own (supposedly, but she pops up at the end somehow). Jagatpal forcefully raises Ram to be a thief, and Balram to be educated without the accompaniment of his brother/cousin. He does this with sharp-pointy objects on the ends of his crutches...if they don't listen he threatens to stab them.

Ram (Dharmendra) ends up being a car mechanic, and Balram (Amitabh Bachchan) ends up being a police officer. Jagatpal shares his plan, for Ram to be the best smuggler, and for Balram to be the best police officer. Balram tries to argue, but those annoying pointy things are once again a threat.

The first half of the movie (excluding the evilness of their evil uncle) was pretty entertaining ~ Dharmendra and Amitabh are first shown together and then shown in different scenes separately to show the differences and similarities in their life. Balram falls in love with Shoba (Rekha - a good couple I must say) and Ram falls in love with Madhu (Zeenat - she is very ugly in this movie and her a Dharam don't match). The part where they display their own girls to each other is pretty funny.

But I mean the VIOLENCE is just TOOOO much! I watch action movies, but this was ridiculous! After the first half, one who is watching this movie won't even be able to see the nice acting of the Dharmendra and Amitabh! It's like shooting and blowing up things all the time. And Jagatpal's evilness gets to be too much. It's hard to believe that it was so hard for toughies like Dharmendra and Amitabh to beat up a cripple.

I only rate it a nine because I am an ardent fan of Dharmendra as well as Amitabh and I wasn't particularly disappointed with their powerful performance combo. I recommend this movie if you like the actors, and if you're a fan of Laxmikant Pyarelal who made good songs (like Ek Rasta, Hama Maafi Dai Do, Yaar Ki Khabar, and Ladki Pasand). But if you're not then don't waste your time. I was thoroughly angry with Vijay Anand's violent and perverted direction.

Stick with Sholay.

Ram Balram (1980) : Brief Review -

Vijay Anand's mediocrity saved by Dharmendra and Amitabh's pair. It's hard to believe that Vijay Anand, who has made so many beautiful films for 3 decades, has to surrender to the masala era for this mediocrity. Not that Ram Balram is a bad film or a crappy affair, but it's outdated for 1980. The film runs on known formulas of lost & found and revenge theories and then adds an interesting concept of a thief and a cop being brothers. It's illogical to see them okaying these things and carrying on working in their particular fields when they have to live like brothers, if not together. It's also illogical to believe that none of the gangsters even found out about their relation with Jagatpal. As expected, he is exposed years later, be it about his relationship with these two brothers or his own daughter. The plot looks thin, and the screenplay is faulty as well. Too many things happened so quickly in the last quarter, right from Dharmendra's escape from the ship, kidnappings, Amitabh's raid, Ajit's hostages, and all that masala stuff that looked highly repetitive. You can't really waste two big villains like Prem Chopra and Amjad Khan, even though Ajit has done well as the main villain. Dharmendra and Amitabh's pair somehow saves the show, but even they couldn't match what they had created before in other movies. Zeenat Aman and Rekha play typical heroines, and Helen as a mother wasn't up to the mark. Like I said, it looks so formulaic that at one point you find all if it is forced. Vijay Anand played safe-actually too safe. Ram Balram is based on a ridiculous theory of having chor police combo at home, and I would have enjoyed it more if the father/uncle's role wasn't too brutal. Laxmikant-Pyarelal's "Ek Rasta, Do Rahi, Ek Chor, Ek Sipahi" tried to define the same, while the rest of the songs are below par. Overall, a fairly watchable film but didn't do justice to Big B & Dharmendra's pair.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.