Shaque

Shaque is a decent suspense thriller with its class elements. Thriller part of the movie may not thrill people of today's generation, but comparing the melodrama, revenge and lost and found movies of 70s, shaque shines with its realistic charm of 70s Mumbai and subtle but effective performances by Vinod Khanna, Shabana Azmi and Utpal Dutt.

Shaque is a little-known thriller, but a very good one. The film boasts of some very good production values - it is technically very good and the setting is really impressive for the times. Aruna Raje and her then-husband Vikas Desai are the film's directors, and they did a very good job. Shaque is quite ahead of its time in terms of camera, cinematography, and indeed, the writing. The script was evidently very carefully written, and it is really well brought out on screen, with some very impressive attention to detail. The film is portrayed rather realistically, both in dialogue, which is very natural, the sets which give the film a lifelike aura, and in its everyday routine - the dinners, the conversations in bed, the wife cooking in the kitchen for a good few minutes, and just the relationship between the husband and wife, and their kid, which is very convincing, whether they drop him at school or go fishing together. All these, along with the overall authenticity of the proceedings, make the suspense really work, which is only aided by the way the story develops and its twists unfold. Even the songs are kept in the background and don't show up out of nowhere for a racy dance number. The film thus manages to be really gripping at some points and rather unpredictable.

The actors are exceedingly good. Vinod Khanna is excellent as the husband, but the film belongs to Shabana Azmi, who is wonderful as the conflicted and confused wife who loves her husband but at the same time not totally convinced of his innocence. It's noteworthy that even within mainstream cinema she knew which films to pick, as this one is clearly a middle-of-the-road sort of fare, and a very good one at that. Khanna and Azmi form a great couple, as seen in many other films where their chemistry is just great. Here they contribute to the film's successful depiction of suspicion and mystery, but they also manage to give their pairing a striking sense of regularity, which is seen through their every interaction, their little moments, and then their ups and downs, which makes them like practically every normal couple and, in turn, makes the film more than just a thriller, but also a commentary on relationships, which more than one could expect from films of this sort. Towards the end the film does veer into mess, but even then it is better than the usual fare. Shaque has style and suspense and it indeed works as a thriller but also as a credible drama - a very good film for its time which is worth watching today. Recommended.

I had never heard of this film before and only came across the title by chance. Vikas Desai and Aruna Raje's 'Shaque' is quite an intense thriller that is a little ahead of its time. I don't know whether the film did well at the time right after its release but I was surprised at its quality. The story felt Hitchcockian (perhaps it's loosely based on Hitchcock's 'Suspicion') even though the execution could have been better (as the lighting is poor and cinematography is flat).

The directors and actors really succeed in building the tension and while a suspicious Meena is tormented as she tries to figure out the truth, the viewer too is left questioning Vinod's innocence. The suspicion grows stronger as the story proceeds. I liked that the songs were set in the background instead of having them appear out of nowhere and slowing the pace.

A spellbinding Shabana Azmi pretty much carries the film. The ending was slightly overdone but it wasn't bad enough to ruin the film. Vinod Khanna too does an excellent job as the suspected husband who fails to convince Meena of his innocence. Bindu, Farida Jalal and Utpal Dutt provide great support.

'Shaque' is a cleverly written, suspenseful, well acted and underrated film that deserves to be watched. Even among today's Hindi thrillers, it stands high.

The awkwardness of the acting and the plot takes away the interest and entertainment from the movie. This is what you get when you take a mainstream story and turn it into a semi art film.

Shaque review :

A gripping crime thriller with a tadka of human emotions; Shaque paired the macho Vinod Khanna with the offbeat actor Shabana Azmi for the first time and their chemistry was so crackling hot that they ended up doing many more films together including Manmohan Desai's Amar Akbar Anthony (1978) and Parvarish (1977).

Shaque was directed by the couple Aruna Raje - Vikas Desai and revolved around a murder at Vinod's workplace in which he testifies against a colleague. Years later, Vinod's wife Shabana gets a letter stating her husband to be the real killer who allegedly did it for money. The suspicious Shabana then tries to unravel the truth herself. Is Vinod really the culprit?!!

The screenplay is taut and layered with the right amount of emotional quotient. As aforementioned, Shabana struck a solid chemistry with Khanna and that works fantastically for the film. Full credit to Aruna-Vikas for that!!

The supporting cast comprising Utpal Dutt, Bindu, Arvind Deshpande and Suhas Bhalekar are also super competent. This is one of Vinod Khanna's underrated performances where he excels in each and every scene. His outburst on the terrace in front of Shabana is truly wow!!

Even today, Shaque makes for a great watch on a Sunday afternoon and here is a plot worthy enough to get a remake. Maybe, Aruna Raje can helm it herself..

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.