Naam

Naam is a terrific treat and a great film, The music and the acting of Sanjay Dutt was out of this world.

The story at the start is slow and boring but it's worth the wait because the second part of the film is outstanding and Sanjay Dutt in this section of the film is out of this world and gives Amitabh Bachchan a run for his money, Reminds you of the similarities of the role Amitabh Bachchan plays in some of his early films, A Shame Sanjay Dutt couldn't do roles like this more often, A one off Sanjay Dutt stunner,

A must watch Film, A film you can watch over and over again.

It is one of greatest performance ever made by Sanjay Dutt. this movie is primarily based on the firm bondage between two brothers Sanjay Dutt and Kumar Gourav and gradually turned into the saga of Sanjay alone. This film also made Paresh Rawal as a stunning villain of Hindi film industry. The song Chtti Aihey by Pankaj Udhas is one of his most touching songs. Above all this film is the turning point of the career of Sanjay Dutt and the mile stone for director Mahesh Bhatt as a commercial director.

After watching this movie I felt that this movie really touches your heart. Its a must watch movie if you appreciate good movies. It also lime-lights the facts in life, the ethics that what to follow and what not to. It also gives essence to nationality and the pain one goes though without their family and loved ones. The love for one's mother, one's brother and the responsibility one should never forget is the main theme of the movie. Life has no meaning without near and dear ones. I think Kumar Gaurav and Sanjay Dutt did a splendid job and there is no other way to make this film better. I think this movie is a milestone to the history of Indian Film Industry.

What can I say about this gem of a movie? It is a tough task, a very tough task. This movie makes one feel a gamut of emotions and leaves one in tears. This movie was a big hit back in the day, however I still feel it is grossly underrated as there is an entire generation who has not even watched the movie. That is probably because the movie was quite depressing, and the movie was not the typical Bollywood film, however that is what makes it all the more special.

Naam (1986) is an unconventional Bollywood film, aka it is a typical Mahesh Bhatt film. It has a pretty flawed protagonist, no prices for guessing that the flawed protagonist is Sanju, because it is a crime to show him non-flawed in a movie. LMAO, and why not? only Sanjay Dutt can pull off flawed yet innocent so well. Because this is exactly who is in real life too; flawed yet innocent.

Early in the movie when Kumar Gaurav's character Ravi introduces Vicky (Sanjay Dutt), he says "Vicky mein gussa aur becheni toh bahut thi lekin nafrat nahin" and I have not seen a character been summed up so well in a sentence. This is what being Vicky aka being Sanjay Dutt is all about. There is no wonder that Mahesh Bhatt strictly told Sanjay Dutt to not play a character onscreen but be himself. Full marks to Mahesh Bhatt in shaping Sanju to being the actor he is today, this was Sanjay Dutt's breakthrough performance. And quite obviously his personal experiences and traumas made for a perfect fodder for this character.

The fact that Sanju's very close friend and brother-in-law, Kumar Gaurav played the character of his brother in the movie was also the icing on cake. Talk about art imitating life, Kumar Gaurav has always been with Sanju through thick and thin, and asked his father to produce this movie so it could help his career and help him stand on his feet. This is exactly on the lines of his character Ravi who does everything possible to help his brother stand on his feet.

The relationship that Vicky and his mother (Nutan) share in the movie is also extremely emotional, it mirrors the relationship Sanju shared with his father at the time. Sanju was constantly trying to win his Father's approval but was not really making headway, he came back to Bollywood after rehab on his insistence, but couldn't really make him proud. This is the same case with Nutan's character in the movie, she is tired of being disappointed by Ravi and has stopped trying, she gets angry at Vicky and discourages him at almost every given opportunity.

Vicky also gets restless to prove his worth to his Mother. It is a pretty sad scene when he tells his Mother that he knows she has given up on him and he does not blame her for that.

Sanjay Dutt is flawless as Vicky. It is hard to believe a 27 year old can give such a natural performance. Sanjay Dutt truly makes one feel every emotion in the book. You cannot help but root for Vicky with all your heart. His trauma slowly becomes the audiences' trauma. He takes the audience through a very rough journey in this movie. After Naam there has been no stopping Sanju, this movie brought him into his own.

This movie also belongs to Kumar Gaurav, who himself is a fantastic actor, it is a shame he didn't do too well in Bollywood. The rest of the supporting cast comprised of Nutan, Amrita Singh and Paresh Rawal and all of them were amazing.

A special mention to the scene when Amrita Singh's character Rita cries inconsolably in front of Ravi and says that Vicky is innocent and begs for his help. Amrita Singh acted brilliantly in that scene. Interestingly, Amrita Singh is also pretty close with Sanju, and till date Sanju mentions her as his favourite costar.

Talk about life imitating art, we all know that Sanjay Dutt did get into trouble with the law, just like shown in this movie. I can't help but feel sorry for him and his near and dear ones, just like Ravi, all they could do is helplessly watch the tragedy and do nothing more. Kumar Gaurav stood like a rock behind Sanjay Dutt during all these ordeals just like how a brother should.

Naam is a tragedy which makes one feel helpless, but it also provides important lessons. It provides the lesson of not being careless with one's life, your family cannot save you every time, just like how Ravi couldn't save Vicky in the end. It also teaches parents to be less harsh with their kids, if they are less harsh and less skeptical, it can truly save bad outcomes.

Naam is a soul-stirring sage which is recommended to everyone who love this kind of cinema. For me it is a 5/5.

Naam review :

Director Mahesh Bhatt's first commercial sucess was Rajendra Kumar's Naam which was written by Salim Khan - his first script post split with Javed. The film was an emotional drama with top notch performances from Nutan, Amrita Singh and Sanjay Dutt and became a highly successful enterprise at the box office.

Produced by Rajendra Kumar as a relaunch for son Kumar Gaurav who had delivered multiple flops after a promising debut in Love Story (1981), Naam ended up reviving Sanjay Dutt's career instead whose performance was lauded by critics and audience alike. Amrita Singh made a good pairing with Dutt and they are shown to be in a live in relationship - quite bold for 80s Bollywood.

Paresh Rawal played the villain with his cacophonic laughter while Anupam Kher dubbed for the person playing Poonam Dhillon's father. Poonam, by the way, was Kumar Gaurav's love interest who supports him when he loses his job for no fault of his. Character actor Ghanshyam, normally seen in comic roles, played the bad employer whose wife Shehnaz Anand makes sexual advances at Gaurav.

The bromance between Kumar Gaurav and Sanju Baba is the films highlight and their camaraderie is just fantastic. Sanju Baba's swag is another factor which works here - something he used effectively in his subsequent hits.

Musically, Naam is known for the Pankaj Udhas sung "Chitthi Aayi Hai Watan se Chitti aayi hai" - which struck the right chord with non resident Indians of those time. The song became a runaway hit.

Overall, Naam is a well packaged entertainer which can make for an ideal Sunday afternoon watch. Recommended!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.