Lekin...

For me, the film is a novel interpretation of the life in the desert of Rajasthan. Without going into the details of the story line, which I hope someone else would do more precisely, I only want to concentrate on the central character of the film Rewa performed by Dimple. She is the unfortunate younger sister of a singer. The older sister comes to sing at maharaja's palace one night when the maharaja eyes her malevolently and orders his men not to let her go out of the palace that night. The music teacher gets the clue that the maharaja is going to rape the older sister if he does not help her run away that evening. So he does that, and the cruel maharaja orders to put him and Rewa behind the bars. He would wait until the she would grow into a young woman. After spending years behind the bars she was to be 'presented' to the maharaja as she succeeds to escape… Nothing changes in the desert… She also gets frozen in a moment of time… Though not a spellbinding story, it really touches one right at heart… And Dimple played the role well… The Haridaynath's music combined with the Gulzar's lyrics unfolds the magic of the desert in Latta's and Asha's voices

Got to know about this film via a youtube channel, but i was lucky it happened.

My main point of attraction was dimple and vinod sir scenes. Dimple as mysterious character and vinod as intriguied researcher made a very nice combo.

I watched in youtube where the songs were not there, i guess i missed the songs which were a big hit , but for me, even without songs, the story and acting and settings were enough to enchant me.

Also i remembered Kareena Amir from Talash movie during the scenes of dimple vinod sir, that mysterious aura was here also. There, anurag kashyap helmed the dialogues ans they were cherry on cake, but here vinod and dimples expressions were enough.

Gulzar's 'Lekin...' is a spellbinding experience. He is already very well-known as one of the finest storytellers in the history of Indian cinema and 'Lekin...' is no exception. The movie is like a great book that once you start reading, you can't put it down because it has such a hold on you that you want to reach the end. Gulzar also left some parts of the story open to interpretation. The whole reincarnation element was suggestive and while the film revolves around supernatural elements, the director does not reject science or spirituality but instead he explores possibilities. His attention to detail is impressive.

While the story is gripping, Gulzar makes fine use of the cinematography that gives the setting a life of its own like it did to the desert and the 'mahal' (palace). Hridaynath Mangeshkar's baffling music is an integral part of the movie without which 'Lekin..' would be lacking. Lata Mangeshkar's haunting voice and Gulzar's magical lyrics and Asha Bhosle's vivacious voice in the mujra number are among the highlights of the song. In addition, the background score is simply fabulous.

Vinod Khanna is brilliantly cast as the good hearted Sameer who is 'enchanted' by a mysterious 'gypsy'. Amjad Khan is first rate as the best friend. Beena Banerjee provides good support. Hema Malini has graceful presence. I used to think of Dimple Kapadia as a below average to average at best actress but after seeing 'Rudaali', 'Krantiveer' and a few other films I now respect her as actress. I am so glad Gulzar cast her in the lead because she really captivates the viewer with her haunting performance.

'Lekin...' is pretty much like an enigmatic poem. Like Sameer, the audience is also left wondering and trying to figure out the truth of Reva's existence and is affected and heartbroken by her tragedy and Sameer's search for answers. By the end, one experiences the same feeling like after having read a fabulous book.

I was completely mesmerized by Lekin and especially by the castle and Dimple's haunting character who took over the screen whenever she materialized. It brought back memories of Ugetsu, one of my favorite Japanese films. The photography, the music, story, acting was all top notch and I am definitely going to have to see what else Gulzar did. The desert, itself, was as much a character as any of the actors.

I would have given Lekin a 10 but, since I do not know Hindi, I have to rely on subtitles and, periodically, the subtitles were a little hard to follow unless you are a speed reader. Also, my biggest gripe with a lot of great Hindi films is that they do not include the subtitles to the songs which was the case on my DVD. I was unable to see for myself why Gulzar won two awards for best lyrics that year. It was also frustrating because, when Dimple's character sang, I am almost certain that knowing the lyrics would have only added to the enjoyment of the film. I still gave Lekin a 9 but if anyone can tell me where I can easily find the lyrics, I would be very grateful.

The lines of time are very blurry. Past, present and the future are merged into one another in a very fascinating manner. So are the lines of conventional philosophies. What is life? What is death? Where does one end and the other begin? What is in between? According to Gulzar's Lekin, in between is this eternal search for moksha, in between is this struggle against the ghosts of life, where time stands still, till the spirit is free.