Bemisal

The year was 1982 and Amitabh was enjoying a blitz of super hits which catered for the masses. In the midst of all them is a film called Bemisal. Amitabh was not into parallel cinema and I think Bemisal was his little foray info it. The result is a confusing love triangle, peppered with self-sacrifice, lust and insanity. Amitabh looks uncomfortable and sullen in his role as a doctor grappling with his emotions for his best friend's wife. Vinod Mehra is his usual one dimensional diminutive self. This was one actor who knew how to play the underdog loser with such aplomb. Then there is Rakhee who plays the clueless wife who thinks Amitabh's affection for her is like a sister. Her character could have been developed much more but she tends to disappear once Amitabh switches his attention to Sheetal, the whip wielding seductress. Watch it if you must but I would rather spend the time watching satte pe satta, mahaan or suhaag. Amitabh at least looked comfortable doing those regular roles tailor made for him.

No movie captures the great Amitabh as an angry yet soulful young man better than Bemisaal. Although uniquely done for its time of release, when such blockbusters as Shakit, Khuddar, Mahaan, and Pukar hit the screen with quite a punch, Bemisaal is set to give the audience an intimate look at the very soul of Amitabh's portrayed anger. Playing a double role as both the insane older brother and the younger pediatrician, Amitabh performs fabulously in this tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and vendetta. Some of the monologues, that establish the backdrop of his character, are so well performed that one realizes that bone-crackling punches and booming voices are not the only means to express a character's inner rage. In fact, a much more emphatic appreciation is achieved through fine changes in tone and pace that enable dialogs alone to bring Amitabh's inner turmoil to bear. Of course, Lata's lilting rendition of "Ae Ri Pavan" coupled with Kishore's pain-infused performance of "Kaffa Hoon" bring to a nice finish a piece of art by Mr. Mukherjee. If you are looking for action, this is clearly NOT the movie for you. However, if you want to truly experience the rage that Amitabh has portrayed in so many different facets, you want to watch Bemisaal.

Bemisaal is a 1982 movie directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The movie is quite different in comparison to previous movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Movie has a complex story which tries to cover too many plots which i guess was bit unnecessary.One must watch this movie for 2 reasons. 1. Excellent acting by Amitabh Bachhan 2. Melodious songs of R.D Burman sung by Kishore Kumar and lataji. I enjoyed the main character of Amitabh and relationship of Rakhee and Amitabh Bachhan which probably never presented in any movie.Dialogues between Amitabh and Rakhee are awesome.

Major reason of failure of this movie at box office could be the complicated story line and no action. as it was expected in all Amitabh movies in that era.

Sudhir Roy (Amitabh Bachchan) is son of a poor teacher.After his father's death and his elder brother Adhir Roy going insane (Amitabh Bachchan in dual role) he is sheltered and brought up by the magistrate Mr. Chaturvedi whose son Prashant (Vinod Mehra) gives him good company as a friend.Together they become doctors.After Mr. Chaturvedi's death Prashant opens a nursing home.To earn money fast he performs an illegal operation which leads him to police.There Sudhir helps hims and disowns himself of the debts he and his father have owed him throughout life.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Bemisal is an average film, with average performances by it's actors, an average music and a not so average direction.Although with Amitabh in lead this film failed to impress me as a viewer and certainly it is not as good a film as his other masterpieces such as Chupke Chupke, Golmaal or Naram Garam

Bemisal review :

By the '80s, the angry young man tag was so synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan that the audience was unwilling to see him in any meek and mild avatar. As a result, some of his good films like Jurmana (1979), Silsila (1981) and Bemisal (1982) underperformed at the box office. In fact, Bemisal directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, had Bachchan in one of his best and highly underrated performance ever.

Based on Hrishi da's own Bengali movie Ami Se O Sakha (1975), Bemisaal was a poignant tale of a triangle between Bachchan, Rakhee and Vinod Mehra. As an orphan raised by Mehra's father, Amitabh not only sacrifices his love for Rakhee and gets her married to Vinod Mehra but eventually even takes the blame for an illegal abortion committed by Mehra.

R. D. Burman's scintillating music score complimented the scenic Kashmir locales beautifully. 'Yeh Kashmir hai' song became a chartbuster and it is still in my songlist. Another song which I love is 'Ek roz main tadapkar' picturised on Amitabh and Sheetal who got the chance of a lifetime to be his heroine though her role had negative shades.

Bemisal completed a silver jubilee at Mumbai's Opera House but was still called a box office flop as it didn't perform to Bachchan's high standards. The film is a must watch for his fans who will certainly enjoy seeing him in an emotional dual role.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.