Dhund

I gave it 8 stars directly for its storyline and stars performance!

The narrative of DHUND 1973 commences with the body of a lifeless man - so who actually murdered this man - his step mother who depended on him for her sustenance - his wife who was mentally n physically brutalized by him - her paramour who wants to safeguard her at all costs - an outsider who enters the house to make a phone call - this is a whodunit which definitely needs to be appreciated - good performances by the entire cast - zeenat aman looks smashing - the opening track, by mahendra kapoor, is a major plus - rating 3/5.

Dhundh is an Indianized celluloid adaptation of Agatha Christie's play - The Unexpected Guest. This B.R. Chopra directed movie is still considered one of the best murder mysteries made in Bollywood which keeps the viewer hooked right from the very first scene to the climax.

Dhundh (mist) starts with a traveller whose car has had a breakdown in the misty weather in the night and he wants to make a telephone call from a house lying on his way. While entering the house, he finds a shot dead person lying on a chair with a lady sitting beside him having a gun in her hand. The lady who is the wife of the deceased man, tells him that she has killed her husband and asks him to call the police so that she could be arrested. Upon listening to her sad story containing the oppression and cruelty effected to her by the dead man, i.e., her husband, the traveller offers to help her by cooking a story to be served to the police to save her from the law. It turns out to be a case of love triangle because the woman, now a widow, has been in love of another man. However the more the police investigates the case, the more intricate the mystery of this murder appears to them. The truth comes out in the court-room in the climax only.

The narrative captures the minds of the spectators right from the very first frame after the credits which run alongwith the classic Ghazal of Mahendra Kapoor - Sansar Ki Har Shay Ka Itna Hi Fasaana Hai and thereafter barring some songs (which could have been avoided), the narrative moves swiftly towards the desired end, i.e., the revelation of the mystery of the murder. The story goes into flash back from time to time and the performance of Danny Denjongpa as the cruel husband makes a great impact. In a whodunit involving limited characters, a viewer can always guess for the murderer by logical elimination but for that also time is required by him to think over the scenario. The flawless direction of B.R. Chopra does not give the viewer that time only and that's the success of this whodunit.

Dhundh (1973) was the movie which established Danny Denjongpa firmly in Bollywood in the real sense. He had done some movies earlier but it's Dhundh which made him popular. His throwing saucer at the face of the camera makes a great impact in two-dimensional cinema itself. I sometimes ponder, had this movie been made in 3 D format, this scene would have proved awesome for the viewers. Other than Danny, Zeenat Aman as the leading lady, Sanjay Khan as her lover and Naveen Nischal as the traveller helping Zeenat Aman have done justice to their respective roles. The complete supporting cast has also done well.

B.R. Films' patent music director, Ravi has composed music according to his repute only, using his favourite singer Mahendra Kapoor for the male voice. Sansar Ki Har Shay Ka Itna Hi Fasaana Hai is a classic Ghazal. Uljhan Suljhe Na Rasta Soojhe Na (Asha) is also very very melodious, meaningful and impressive. A dance number - Jo Yahaan Tha Woh Wahaan Kyun Kar Hua upon which Padma Khanna and Jayshree Talpade perform (voices being of the Mangeshkar sisters - Asha and Usha) is also quite entertaining to watch. One more duet (by Manna Dey and Asha) - Jubna Se Chunariya Khisak Gayi Re is also in the movie. Though these songs seem to be a bit situational with the meaningful lyrics penned for them (by Saahir Ludhiyanvi), one or two songs could have been removed to trim the movie.

Technically the movie is up to the mark. Though, as I have already asserted, it would have been better to shorten the movie a bit in order to make it compact and more impressive like the original story of the mystery-queen, Agatha Christie; the editing is not that bad. Background score is good. Cinematographer has ably captured the beauty of the mountains and the hilly region shown in the movie. Production value aspect has also been given proper attention according to the standards of the prestigious banner which has made it.

On the flip side, there are regular Bollywoodish pot-holes and inconsistencies in the narrative. It's an old fashioned mystery. But the pluses are enough to outnumber the minuses.The storyteller has not allowed the grip of the narrative on the spectators to be loosened anywhere. True to its title, the mist / fog of mystery pervades the maximum part of the movie, to be cleared and make the solution visible in the climax only.

I wholeheartedly recommend this classic mystery to the audience of whodunits.

Review By Kamal K

What a super duper whodunit! And what a perfect star cast! Danny Denzongpa as the wheelchair bound sadist with a twisted soul was unforgettable. As was Zeenat Aman as his beautiful, long suffering wife. Sanjay Khan as the suave debonair advocate who's a family friend and is also carrying on an affair with Zeenat had done his role very well. And, we come to Navin Nishchal as the man who discovers the dead man and his murderer was excellent. Kudos to B R Chopra for his taut direction!

'Dhund', to this day, remains a very well made murder mystery.

In bollywood mystry thrillers are quite rare and considering a thriller made in bacchhans era 70 s is by no means an ordinary feat. danny is quite extraordinary in his 5 min role, u feel like getting up and slapping him and feel quite satisfied that he dies, thats acting ...sanjay khan , navin nischol and ashok kumar are fabulous but zeenat aman was poor in acting, could have been better. all the loopholes in the story are plugged n last few min in such a way that each and every scene and character is justified in what he/she does. a must watch