Baaz

This was a reasonable film, although a little slow in places. Geeta Bali and Guru Dutt made a nice pairing. Guru Dutt was very dashing as throughout the film - sad he died young in real life. Some good songs especially "Taare chaandni afsaane" which was very melodic, as was "ae dil ae dilwale". "Har zabaan ruki" was quite dramatic and Geet Bali carried it well - nice, inspiring lyrics. "Mujhe dekho hasrat.." was sung beautifully by Talat Mehmood - sad and clear.

The film didn't have enough action in the finale and the villains got killed abruptly and quickly - not enough conflict between the General and his forces and the rebels, probably because too much time taken to establish the romance between the lead pair. All in all it could have been better paced. There were also a few nice comedic touches from Johnnny Walker and the Portuguese lady. Finally verdict - catch it on TV.

Baaz Was Directed By Guru Dutt Which Was A Adventure/ Action Movie ...The Direction Is Very Attractive Everything Looks Very Defined...The Story & Screenplay Is Again Written By Guru Dutt....Which Is One Of The Strong Point Of The Movie....

As Per Acting Geeta Bali Who Is The Lady Pirate & Captain Of The Ship Similar To Captain Jack Sparrow Is Actually The Baaz (Eagle) Of The Movie...She Is Superb Throughout The Movie...Guru Dutt Looks Better In Romantic Scenes ...Johny Walker With Comic Elements ...And K. N. Singh The Stylish Villain General Barbosa Don't Comapare Him To Captain Barbosa Of POTC....

Music Of The Movie Was Composed By O P Nayyar Who Was A Strong Member Of Guru Dutt Team ...Songs Are Good ...Especially Har Zubaan Ruki Ruki & Aye Watan Ke Navjawan Jaag...Inspiration Tunes..

Now The Negative Aspects of The Movie The First Half Of The Movie Is Good But The Second Half Is Quite Slow...The Ending Is Not Convincing Everything Is Done In A Bit Hurry...Songs Are Good But Would Have Been Far Better...Overall A Good Movie...Watch If You're Guru Dutt / Geeta Bali Or Pitares Of The Caribbean Fan ;)

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed to see a lead actress play such a strong role in an action-adventure movie of the 50s. Just a couple of weeks ago I was watching 'Kohinoor', another film of the 50s that falls in the same genre, where the heroine had a very clichéd damsel in distress. In 'Baaz' (falcon) where the heroine plays the title role, she is brave, strong, sensual, a skilled fighter and a good leader throughout the whole film. Even after she falls in love with the prince, she isn't 'tamed'. Then again, I shouldn't be so surprised as the female lead has always been a strong component of the one and only Guru Dutt's films.

Speaking of the film, 'Baaz' is one of the most entertaining adventure films of the 50s. However, some may feel that it's a little too anti-Portuguese. While it moves at a very fast pace, it does not feel rushed. On the technical side it does not disappoint, especially the brilliant cinematography deserves special mention. The songs are very pleasant (but it's funny how uninvolved the extras look in the song sequences as they mouth the lyrics like zombies) and the choreography is mostly dazzling (for the fight scenes and the dances).

Geeta Bali effortlessly pulls off Baaz/Nisha. Next to her firm screen presence, she fights, dances and of course acts very well. The charismatic Guru Dutt looks and acts like a prince and has the right chemistry with his heroine. Kuldip Kaur is over the top but funny at times. K.N. Singh is the evil general. Ruby Mayer is good too.

'Baaz' is a great classic adventure film that can easily be enjoyed with the family around. This genre seems to be lost in the recent trend of Indian cinema. But hey, the classics are always there for us to revisit.

The special screening of Baaz is memorable for it's making. Story set in the 16th century Malabar coast, the Portuguese under the rule of General Barbosa have been tormenting people into slavery while the ruling kingdom has no say on this matter. Above that, they are embroiled in the internal politics where the rightful heir, Prince Ravi is yet to be crowned as King while the cunning Jaswant has joined hands with Barbosa to take the throne. A commoner Nisha rebels against the Portuguese after losing her father and she succeeds in forming her own private army of rebels. As she takes on Portuguese ships, she becomes infamous as Baaz - The Falcon. How does Nisha and Ravi join forces to defeat the Portuguese while falling in love, forms rest of the story.

The subject makes for a solid film and the first half was simply terrific. For a 1953 film, the creation of the Portuguese colony remains the highlight and the other masterstroke is narrating this story through Nisha's journey into the brave warrior. Her character is superbly established with the right amount of vulnerability and rebellious personality while depicting the Portuguese atrocity. The love story is kept to bare minimum here. However, the second half makes way for the romance and it undermines her character for while, with the pace dropping due to multiple songs. The final act is well executed though the print did miss out few reels. Overall, making it a worthy watch.

Kudos to the restoration team for salvaging whatever they could for the 4K restoration as the 35mm camera print remains untraceable. So the missing shots need to be overlooked.