संन्यासी

Sanyasi (1975) : Brief Review -

Vishwamitra, Menka, Kalidas, Shakuntala, Ramayana, Felunath, Don Juan, Cowboy-all theories mixed together in a typical mass blockbuster. Manoj Kumar, in a mass film, was a different boss altogether. After the huge success of Roti Kapda Aur Makan (1974), he went on to star in another mass blockbuster, Sanyasi, followed by another mass blockbuster, Dus Numbri (1976). This was probably his peak phase, as he had become an established name back in the 60s and also carried the legacy into the 1980s. Sanyasi has to be one of the typical mass films that doesn't have any MK trademarks but follows the perfect mass cinema of the time. It came in the same year as Sholay, which tells a lot about why he had to star in such a film because the audience was loving it. Yet somehow, Sanyasi has a few socially triggering and important segments of fraudulent Babas raping women and looting people. "Yeh hai Geeta ka Gyan" song was like an awareness campaign against such fraud saints. The film starts with a Kalidas reference, followed by Vishwamitra and Menka's segments, then turns into a Ramayana episode, and at last comes to adopt Hollywood theories of Don Juan, Cowboy, or Robinhood-whatever you prefer. It gets a little messy, predictable, and unbelievable by the end, only to get the commercial action cinema right, which was the need of the time. The songs don't really keep up with the momentum except for the one song mentioned above and "Chal Sanyasi Mandir" because it has good visuals that take the narrative forward. Manoj Kumar submits himself to the role, and Hema Malini looks as beautiful as Menka. Every member of the supporting cast is superb. Sohanlal Kanwar delivered a perfect blockbuster that stood behind Sholay and Jai Santoshi Maa in yearly grossers. Clearly, a public's film more than critics or logic.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.