Muqaddar Ka Sikandar

For me, the most beautiful thing about 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' is the song 'O Saathi Re'. It is a wonderful song and is sung beautifully by Kishore Kumar. Amitabh Bachchan does a good job of expressing the emotions of the song.

"Muqaddar ka..." is a tragedy (and a particularly tragic one), but it's a tragedy that manages to evoke just the right amount of sympathy, without becoming unduly weepy or maudlin. It's a tragedy done properly, with class, honesty and depth. Amitabh Bachchan is great as the lead character. I just loved him in this film, from start to finish (the little boy who played the young 'Sikandar' was wonderful too). Sikandar is at heart a good (even noble) man, but yet is a deeply flawed character, who feels deeply but is completely unable to express it. He's been hardened by his life, but he still has a very soft core, which few get to see. The scene at Memsahib's birthday celebration (when she's older), when Sikandar comes in with her precious gift, is breathtaking. It's a haunting echo of the experience Sikandar had at her 'younger' birthday party. A beautifully nuanced performance, definitely one of the Big B's best.

Vinod Khanna also does a lovely job as the young lawyer, Vishal, in this movie, and the rest of the cast does well, too ... with one notable exception: the lead female, Rakhee. By the time the film was over, I hated her character, and I'm not sure that was the intention of the film makers(or was it?). She managed to portray 'Memsahib' as extremely shallow, uncaring and fickle. It's difficult to see even what the character of Vishal sees in her (although Sikandar's love for her - being completely childlike, pure and unselfish, is perfectly understandable). Even her last-minute repentance rung hollow. I've seen Rakhee do loads better in other movies, so I won't hold it against her in this one .. although it does slightly retract from the overall quality of the movie.

Rekha, as Zohrabai, deserves a mention ... hauntingly lovely and tragic (which is what she does best), she puts in a very good performance. Her role is very stereotypical, but she pulls it off and makes it memorable. Watch out for the scene where she threatens to swallow the diamond.

All in all, this movie is simply unmissable Bollywood. Watch it, and I guarantee you'll be hearing 'O Saathi Re' in your head for a few days afterwards.

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar is the second biggest blockbuster of Amitabh to date after Sholay and when you watch this movie you feel that it deserves too.Prakash Mehra was in top form in this movie he made some other top movies with Amitabh like Sharaabi,Lawaaris,Zanjeer,Namak Halal,Hera Pheri but Muqaddar Ka Sikandar was his best, in my opinion.

STORY:-A poor orphan boy is kept as a servant by a man named Ramnath in Shimla but the boy is outsed when he delovopes a friendship with Ramnath's daughter Kaamna,Ramnath shifts to Mumbai with Kaamna and the orphan reaches Mumbai searching for Kaamna .In Mumbai the orphan boy is adopted by a Muslim woman named Fatima who names the orphan Sikandar.Fatima works as a servant for Ramnath in Mumbai.On Kaamna's birthday Sikandar steals a favourite doll of Kaamna from a shop and as he is secretly placing the doll in Kaamna's room Ramnath catches and falsely accuses him of theft and beats him up and removes Fatima also from his house, even Kaamna believes that Sikandar is a thief. Fatima dies of a heart attack leaving the responsibility of her younger daughter Mehroo on Sikandar.After burying Fatima, Sikandar meets Fakir Darvesh Baba(Kader Khan)who advises him to embrace sadness in life as it is faithful and remains with us forever whereas happiness in momentary and hence not trustworthy and this wouls make him the master of his fate(Muqaddar Ka Sikandar) which Sikandar decides to follow.

Sikandar(Amitabh) grows up and becomes rich by giving information of smuggled goods to police and receiving cash awards, as a result smugglers become Sikandar's enemy. Sikandar has set up his business and looks after Mehroo,he still loves Kaamna but Kaamna does not.Ramnath is not rich any more and has become very old.Whenever Sikandar tries to confess his love to Kaamna she refuses as she regards him as a thief and a betrayer to her family.As a result Sikandar starts drinking and visting Zohra Beghum's(Rekha)Kotha regularly.Once Sikandar is saved by a bomb attack planned by his smuggler enemies by a young advocate Vishal(Vinod Khanna)so Sikandar befriends him and also arranges a also arranges a case for him.Zohra Beghum is falls in love with Sikandar but a crimnal Dilawar(Amjad Khan)loves Zohra and as soon he escapes from the jail and goes to Zohra's kotha searching for Sikandar as soon as she finds Sikandar a fight ensues between them in which Sikandar beats up Dilawar.Dilawar swears to kill Sikandar.

Kaamna discovers Sikandar's kindness to her family and goes to thank him. Encouraged, Sikandar tries to profess his love to Kaamna through a love letter. Because Sikandar himself is illiterate, Vishal transcribes the letter for him, but the plan backfires when Kaamna mistakes the letter as actually being from Vishal. Vishal, unaware that Kaamna is the girl Sikandar loves, falls in love with her, and the two begin to date. Sikandar, upon learning this, struggles with his emotions but decides he must sacrifice his love for the sake of his friendship with Vishal.

Sikandar's visits to Zora Begum have hampered his reputation. His sister(Mehroo's) marriage is in dire straits because of this habit. Vishal then visits Zora and offers to pay her for the rest of his life if she would let Sikandar go. Zora, upon learning the reason, promises Vishal that she would die before letting Sikandar visit her again. Sikandar arrives at Zora's in the evening and Zora refuses to let him in. Sikandar demands entry, and when Zora is unable to stop him she swallows a diamond and lets Sikandar in, only to die in his arms.

Dilawar in the meanwhile has formed an alliance with Sikandar's arch smuggler enemy JD(Ranjeet)and upon learning of Zora's death hatches a plan to destroy Sikandar and his family. Dilawar kindaps Kaamna but Sikandar sees them and follows him. JD and his henchmen kidnap Sikandar's sister Mehroo but Vishal follows them and rescues her.

Sikandar rescues Kaamna and sends her home while he battles Dilawar. In the final battle both Dilawar and Sikandar are mortally wounded, and Sikandar tells Dilawar that he never loved Zora. A dying Sikandar reaches the wedding of Kaamna and Vishal. Just as the wedding ceremony is completed, Sikandar collapses. His dying words inadvertently reveal his love for Kaamna, and Vishal sings him his favourite song "Life is going to betray you someday...Death is your true love as it'll take you along..." Sikandar's entire life flashes before him and he dies in Vishal's arms just as the song is completed.

Amitabh was brilliant as Sikandar which had a mix of his "angry young man" image as well as a that of a "doomed lover" watch his scenes when he beats up Amjad Khan or when he breaks into a Shayari during "Salaam-E-Ishq" song or his speech before "O Saathi Re" song or the climax scene he oozes confidence in every scene. Vinod Khanna was very good and efficient, Rekha was great as the the Mujra dancer Zohra who falls in love with Sikandar, Raakhee was decent, Amjad Khan was good as usual in the villain role,Kader Khan was excellent as the 'fakir', Nirupa Roy is perfect in her short role, Ranjeet fits his role..

The script by Vijay Kaul,Kader Khan and Laxmikant Sharma is great and now we come to the biggest strength of this movie:-

THE MUSIC by Kalyanji-Anandji is just excellent with superb songs like 'Rote Hue Aate Hain Sab','O Saathi Re','Wafa Jo Na Ki To','Dil To Hai Dil','Pyaar Zindagi Hai','Salaam E Ishq','Zindagi To Bewaafa Hai'.

A movie you can't afford to miss, because this movie is the complete package it has everything action, romance,comedy specially the emotional quotient of this movie is too strong, you might shed a couple of tears in the climax scene...

Amjad Khans best Role after Gabar Singh.

Everyone is top Notch in this Music is brilliant, they don't make em like this anymore. It's a modern re telling of Devdas.

As an orphan on the streets in Shimla, young Sikandar (Amitabh Batchchan). Has no one to care for him. For a short while he works for Mr. Ramnath, little Kamna Ramnath (Rakhee Gulzar) gives Sikandar the kind of consideration friendship no one has ever before given him. After that Ramnath, leave Shimla for Bombay, Sikandar follows them there. Eventually Fatima, a young widow who works for Ramnath, adopts Sikandar. At Kamna's birthday party Ramnath mistakes Sikandar for a thief and has him thrown out. Little Kamna turns against Sikandar and wants to have nothing further to do with him. At Fatima's grave yard, a Darvesh (Kader Khan) advice young Sikandar how to deal with the realities of life. Young Sikandar works hard and grows up to be a wealthy respected young man. Kamna, who still wants to have nothing to do with Sikandar, is unaware that he has been helping her all along by paying for her handicapped father's medical bills. Sikandar meets a dancing girl, Zohra Bai (Rekha), who falls in love with at first sight. But Sikandar still loves Kamna. Dilawar (Amjad Khan), a vengeful lover of Zohra, declares Sikandar to be his enemy. When a young lawyer Vishaul (Vinod Khanna) saves Sikandar's life, Sikandar takes him in to his home and treats him more than a brother. Vishaul who know nothing of Sikandar's feelings for Kamna, becomes Ramnath's assistant and falls in love with Kamna. Before Sikandar can declare his love to Kamna, his life long dream is shattered when he see her in vis haul arms. Sikandar feels he has been betrayed by his best friend and by his love.

I love this movie for so many reasons, first and foremost for Amitabh Bachchan. How can anybody not fall in love with him?, then for the story- It's been portrayed very well, it touches every right chord of your heart. The movie and some amazing scenes resonate with you long after you have watched the movie and finall all songs. I love the sikandar drunkard scene outside his house, I love to listen to all the songs, but definitely love to watch one song in particular which is salaame ishq. There you see dual magic of Kishore Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. The end is of course my favorite.

I particularly want to appreciate the writer-director for the way they handled Amitabh's reaction when he learns of VK and Rakhee's love. Anybody would obviously feel betrayed and wounded.. so he kills VK but only subconsciously to realize later that it was never VK's fault. Then he goes to Rekha to console his feelings and when he gets defeated there too. He comes back to do the only thing he can and should which is to let go off the illusion of ever marrying Rakhee and have VK and Rakhee marry instead.

Over all this is yet another feather on Amitabh's well deserved victory hat.