Bemisal

the movie is also bemisaal like its name. actually it is the story of the movie which makes it different from all other movies. this was a great year for amitabh with hits like "satte pe satta", "shakti" and "namak halal". bemisaal was not a big hit but of course critically acclaimed and it had two of the most finest gazals of that era. performance wise amitabh is unmatchable. it might not be one of the best movies of hrishikesh mukherjee but ofcourse it is a masterpiece vinod mehra has done justice to his role and so has rakhi. i rate this movie as 8.5/10.

I watched this movie today and would like to say that i was disappointed. The movie could have been better with a much tighter screenplay. The story is very haphazard and as a viewer i felt like a child lost in a big party. Acting was OK, cinematography was good, music was excellent but the story left a lot to be desired.

Amitabhs double role made no sense and did not add anything to the story. In fact, it diverted the story from its main topic that of how in the hope of trying to make quick buck you can lose your humanity and sense. The movie needed to delve deeper in the inner conflict faced by Vinod Mehra, Big B and Rakhee but it does not dig deeper into the main theme which would have made the movie much more gripping and thought provoking. The theme chosen by Hrishida was good but cant say the same about the execution. I think the stardom of Big B forced the makers to modify the original story and add extra Big B scenes which, in my opinion, just killed the real theme they wanted to explore.

The biggest disappointment is the movie comes from my fav director Hrishi da but is no where near the class of movies like Anand, Bawarchi, Namak Haraam, Golmaal etc.

Hrishida's last film with Amitabh-Bemisaal was a Hindi remake of the Bangla film Ami Se O Shakha starring Uttam Kumar!

The film was based on a medical background and since my father was a doctor it became a favourite of his and our entire family. It looks as a suitable movie to end this golden team of Hrishida-Amitabh although I wish that they make some more movies. In an interview Hrishida revealed that once he had an argument with his good friend Raj Kapoor on human psyche. Raj Kapoor said that if one gives bread and shelter to a dog he always remains faithful but if u do the same to a man he will stab your back. Hrishida replied that it was not the same everytime and he said the plot of Bemisal proved that!

The script has shades of earlier Hrishida's classics Anand-medical profession and 2 friends who have different views on the profession and Namak Haram where also Amitabh takes the blame on something which he had not commited. It also has shades of Tere Mere Sapne. The story and screenplay of Bemisaal is amazing. The relationship between the 3 main characters is amazing. The friendship of Amitabh and Vinod, the romance of Raakhee and Vinod and above all the relationship between Amitabh and Raakhee are very well scripted and enacted. Hrishida repeated his team of Jurmaana-which had Amitabh bachchan, Raakhee and Vinod Mehra in lead. The movie released in 1982 has one of the best ever performances by Amitabh Bachchan. He is the lifeline of the movie. He excels in every scene and it is amazing to see him pump life in the complex character of Dr. Sudhir Rai. Surprisingly he did not had a proper action scene nor did he had a drunk or exactly comic sequence.

The performances by Vinod Mehra and Rakhee are also top notch. R. D. Burmans music lifts the film and all songs still remain popular!!

The movie was the least successful of the 6 Big B movies released in 1982. The other 5 being Namak Halaal, Khuddar, Shakti, Satte Pe satta and Desh Premee. Infact it did not do an impressive business but it remains a classic and was a huge favourite on the video circuit!!!

Bemisal review :

By the '80s, the angry young man tag was so synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan that the audience was unwilling to see him in any meek and mild avatar. As a result, some of his good films like Jurmana (1979), Silsila (1981) and Bemisal (1982) underperformed at the box office. In fact, Bemisal directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, had Bachchan in one of his best and highly underrated performance ever.

Based on Hrishi da's own Bengali movie Ami Se O Sakha (1975), Bemisaal was a poignant tale of a triangle between Bachchan, Rakhee and Vinod Mehra. As an orphan raised by Mehra's father, Amitabh not only sacrifices his love for Rakhee and gets her married to Vinod Mehra but eventually even takes the blame for an illegal abortion committed by Mehra.

R. D. Burman's scintillating music score complimented the scenic Kashmir locales beautifully. 'Yeh Kashmir hai' song became a chartbuster and it is still in my songlist. Another song which I love is 'Ek roz main tadapkar' picturised on Amitabh and Sheetal who got the chance of a lifetime to be his heroine though her role had negative shades.

Bemisal completed a silver jubilee at Mumbai's Opera House but was still called a box office flop as it didn't perform to Bachchan's high standards. The film is a must watch for his fans who will certainly enjoy seeing him in an emotional dual role.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

No movie captures the great Amitabh as an angry yet soulful young man better than Bemisaal. Although uniquely done for its time of release, when such blockbusters as Shakit, Khuddar, Mahaan, and Pukar hit the screen with quite a punch, Bemisaal is set to give the audience an intimate look at the very soul of Amitabh's portrayed anger. Playing a double role as both the insane older brother and the younger pediatrician, Amitabh performs fabulously in this tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and vendetta. Some of the monologues, that establish the backdrop of his character, are so well performed that one realizes that bone-crackling punches and booming voices are not the only means to express a character's inner rage. In fact, a much more emphatic appreciation is achieved through fine changes in tone and pace that enable dialogs alone to bring Amitabh's inner turmoil to bear. Of course, Lata's lilting rendition of "Ae Ri Pavan" coupled with Kishore's pain-infused performance of "Kaffa Hoon" bring to a nice finish a piece of art by Mr. Mukherjee. If you are looking for action, this is clearly NOT the movie for you. However, if you want to truly experience the rage that Amitabh has portrayed in so many different facets, you want to watch Bemisaal.