Roti

Caught this one just now on prime. I grew up on AAA, Suhaag, Desh Premi and Dharam Veer. You enjoy all the twists and the repeated plot in those.

But this one really touches your heart. Movie continuously had twists plus action and entertainment Manmohan Desai style. But it also has a human element of problems, philosophy, hunger, crime and poverty. The lost and found element also plays differently here. Songs are great. Kaka put heart and soul into his performance here. I found him better in it better than many of the older romantic hits. Mumtaz also has an unconventional role and more than just a doll. Supporting actors Vijay Arora, Sujit Kumar and Jeevan also shine. Overall, a rare gem.

Roti is a Manmohan Desai film. Before making movies with Amitabh,Manmohan Desai worked with Rajesh Khanna the Super Star- We wish they made more films as Roti would be one of the best movies of Manmohan Desai. It has excellent story, crisp direction, slick photography, solid dialogs, top performance and super hit music by Laxmikant Pyarelal. All songs are even hit today. Shot on locales in Kashmir, this is a story of Mangal Singh - a reformed criminal on the run. Rajesh Khanna has done the role excellently and is well supported by Mumtaz and the story line. Fellow artistes though do not have much to do but give good support. It is a must see for all Manmohan Desai and Rajesh Khanna fans.

This film stars Rajesh Khanna as Mangal Singh a criminal on the run with a very good heart who kills somebody by a accident and is on the run from the police and his gangster boss at the same time. When on the run he makes himself at home with the dead mans relatives and throughout the film we see Mangal Singh as a very good person rather than all of the wanted posters going around. The musical score for Roti is very good and at times Roti is a tearjerker. However this film also shows how Rajesh Khanna makes us wonder with surprise and sadness through this film. And also how sad it to see Mumtaz who plays Bijli loves Mangal Singh, more than her own self is shocked to find out about Mangal real and past identity. The songs sung by Kishore Kumar makes Roti very powerful as well as Rajesh Khanna as Mangal will make you love this film from beginning to the end. Ratings ***** of ***** 5 Stars out of 5

Review By Kamal K

Oh my. How do I begin to describe this film? It's very definitely Manmohan Desai's work. It has all the usual hallmarks of his stories: poverty, heavy-handed symbolism, religious motifs, good versus evil, sin and redemption. There are parts where ideas are presented so powerfully it takes your breath away. But it's also filled with the ridiculous: mind-boggling coincidences, over-the-top drama, and one plot twist after another.

This film felt larger in scale and ambition to me than any of his others. Fate is a hard task-master here, and Rajesh Khanna gives an excellent performance as its victim, driven by his basic needs but haunted by his wrong-doing.

Mumtaz is delicious as the fierce beedi-smoking Bijlee, and Rajesh Khanna is superb as ill-fated Mangal. The songs by Laxmikant Pyarelal are wonderful, and the supporting cast is impressive too. But the mix of masala craziness and overwhelming sadness didn't always work for me. I wish there had been more care taken with the script: fewer plot holes and a more cohesive story. I do recommend the film, though, especially if you are a Manmohan Desai fan.