Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan (1974) :
Brief Review -
Big assembled cast, Chartbuster Music and Blockbuster Filmmaking on Current affairs of the Nation. When i look at top 5 biggest hits of the 70s decade, all the films are masala films (except for Bobby, a Romantic Drama) and while looking at top 10 biggest hits i see somewhat similar picture which means it was the decade masala films. Bollywood wasn't ready for experimental and artistic films so we didn't get much of offbeat films. But Indian Filmmakers were really thinking about it and therefore they brought all the social messages and poignant stories through mainstream masala/action flicks which can be understood by mass Audience. Manoj Kumar directorial Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan is one of those picture in which audience got to see everything they loved in that time such as Romance, Emotions, Family Drama, Action, Clapworthy dialogues, Super Hit Music and unexpectedly social message or should l say talk on current situation of the nation. One can imagine how amazing it would have been to see such a tremendous star cast on screen filled with heavyweights like Manoj Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman. And then there were overwhelming performances by Moushumi Chatterjee and Prem Nath. Those were the days when even supporting roles used to leave equal impact and now days supporting roles are not even written with that mindset. Laxmikant Pyarelal's Music is not just Superb but Timeless also. There are many super hit albums composed by this maestro pair and Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan is surely one of those. I must give a lot of credit to lyricist Santosh Anand for his brilliant and hard hitting words. Thoughtful lyrics and Melodious Compositions makes a terrific combo that is remembered even in Today's time. "Haye Haye ye Majboori", "Baki Kuch Bacha To Mehngai" and "Mein Na Bhulunga" are just fabulous songs. The dialogues are fantastic and also have a perfect balance of mass and class. I always wondered why Manoj Kumar's name is not taken like Manmohan Desai when people talk about Mainstream Masala Entertainers of 70s. He has given bigger hits than Manmohan Desai's biggest hits in consecutive decades 70s (RKAM) and 80s (Kranti) and he also dealt with social issues through his films. Even in this film he shines brightly as a director and actually more than an actor. There were no dull moments even if the plot seems predictable just like any other 70s masala film. The screenplay is engaging despite long runtime of about 150 minutes and i don't think it will reduce even in the repeat watch. Overall, Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan is Perfect Blockbuster Entertainer having everything in correct ratio whether it is acting, story, music, dialogues or direction.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest
