Gumrah review:
After Chandni and Chaalbaaz (1989), Gumrah is the third Sridevi performance I truly love. She played a singer who gets trapped in Hong kong jail after her friend (Rahul Roy) plants drugs in her vanity case. This is one of Sridevi's finest act notably her hapless state in prison is so realistically scary to watch.
Sanjay Dutt was initially signed for a cameo which was extended to a lead role after Khalnayak (1993). On the other hand, Rahul Roy's role was chopped out at the editing table including a song picturised on him and Sridevi. This soured his relations with his mentor Mahesh Bhatt who was the film's director. In reality, Bhatt Saahab was the busiest director in those days and most of Gumrah was handled by his assistants.
Loosely adapted from Bangkok Hilton series (1989), Gumrah had an gripping first half but lost its mojo towards the end which made it only an average grosser at the box office.
The lead pair Sridevi and Sanju Baba didn't see eye to eye throughout the movie shoot as Baba had misbehaved with her during the filming of the shelved Zameen (1987). The sexy Kunika and Bob Christo played villainous cops and their sex scene inside Hongkong jail drew ceetis from the audience at Gaiety Galaxy Bandra where I saw the movie in its first weekend.
Gumrah is still watchable for Madame Sridevi!!
Regards,
Sumeet Nadkarni.