As Algemas

This hard-hitting film is my favourite for many reasons: -powerful performance by amitabh (laughs twice in the movie) -train murder scene which deserves putting Prakash Mehra up there with the all time director greats. Also Mehra has a penchant for location shooting and you get to see some of the dark sides of the mumbai locale. -esoteric motifs and hints strewn all over the movie('Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool') -Teja the bad guy is convincingly portrayed by Ajit -The unending quest for justice and it's bittersweet resolutions -The theme of love vs. revenge All these were amplified in Mehra's second classic 'Muqaddar ka Sikandar' In short it is rewarding viewing!

My dad made me see this when i was a kid. Obviously it is outdated but some of the 70's era clothes n hairstyles are hilarious. The zoom shots to an actor's face is funny and the editing is lousy. It is slow at times but hang in there. Bachan is excellent. His angry n serious facial expressions, dialogue delivery n above all his screen presence is awesome. Bachan displayed the character's internal turmoil very well. The action choreography is again lousy. Also noteworthy is Pran, another magnificent character actor. He was solid as the fearless Pathan n his song about friendship is memorable. The villain, Ajith was good too.

As a kid, little Vijay, while hiding in a wardrobe, witnessed his parents' assassination by Teja, a man who was a member of a mafia group Vijay's father was a part of and retired. Vijay was adopted by a police officer and as he grew up, he himself became a hot-blooded policeman. Vijay does not remember Teja. He only vaguely remembers the murderer's golden chain with a white horse hanging on it.

That's the story of Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer, an action-packed drama and one of the first films which shot the leading actor Amitabh Bachchan to fame. Zanjeer is an entertaining movie, and the story is interesting and well told. The direction is also pretty good. The characters are well-written. Bachchan's character is that of a very serious and uncompromising young man who takes crime as a personal affront and is thus often put in trouble with his superiors.

The film has several actors supporting Bachchan, including Jaya Bhaduri, his real-life future-wife, who plays the sassy and lovely Mala. The chemistry between the two is wonderful as always. Pran, also an actor who frequently collaborated with Bachchan, plays Sher Khan, a kind-hearted, brave and smart man who befriends Vijay in some unusual circumstances and supports him in every step throughout the film. Om Prakash also appears in a small but important role of a drunkard who is also Vijay's informant.

Bachchan is excellent as Vijay. It's easy to see why this was a star-turning performance for this towering actor. He is restrained and inhibited and brilliantly displays his character's internal turmoil and fear. Jaya Bhaduri is absolutely charming and natural as Mala, and it's nice to see her transform so convincingly from a vivacious girl to a mature and supportive wife. Pran is brilliant in his rather unusual role. Om Prakash is good in his role of a traumatised man. Bindu makes her usual vamp act, and Ajit is okay as Teja.

Zanjeer is an enjoyable and well-made film. It is at times a bit unsettling and disturbing but it is generally well-executed, well-narrated and well-acted. The film's music is also very nice, though the cabaret number was a bit annoying. I liked it that no songs were given to Bachchan. It only contributed to his serious image in the film. In its favour it can also be said that the film is devoid of too much melodrama, though it is not very realistic in the last portions. Anyway, this is a good, classic Hindi movie, I recommend you to watch it.

This is a unique movie (well, until every director started to copy the theme).

I don't think I need to comment on the story, it's good though. This is Amitabh's first hit, and he's been on top of the movie industry since then, and did an excellent job as usual. Everyone played their roles very well, and acting wise nothing is wrong. The only thing is if you're like me, you'll think there's a little bit too much violence. Actually, Amitabh got hurt during the shooting and when he was asked he acted like nothing had happened. But later Prakash Mehra felt his head and there was a large bump on it...AB is very dedicated obviously.

But excellent songs! KA are wonderful music directors! An entertaining movie, a must see, and you just have to listen to the superbly composed title music.

Unbelieveable!

This movie is lots of fun. It has EVERYthing in it - car chases, dance numbers, action, crime, revenge - like many Bollywood films - there's something for everyone. The film cant help but be dated - some of the 70's era clothes are hilarious. Some of the cliché zoom shots to an actor's face and yes, the movie is long - 145 minutes - it is slow at times but hang in there - it is worth it. The fact that Bachchan became a huge superstar after this also makes it a must-see. He supposedly found the seeds here to start his "angry young man" act. And the gypsy knife sharpener girl became his future wife in real life. I loved her first dance number where she gets customers to come out of their homes and bring her their knives to be sharpened. One thing about the copy we watched on DVD - it was subtitled but the SONGS WERE NOT. Frustrating.