Beimaan (1972) :
Brief Review -
Manoj Kumar's crime drama is passable at best. I watched Beimaan with high expectations, especially after knowing that the film had won 7 Filmfare Awards. I was wrong. Actually, Filmfare was wrong. The film is a decent watch-passable, to be frank. I don't understand why it won so many awards, especially when there were several better films competing that year. Manoj Kumar gets a proper crime drama lead role like a standard hero, but the script doesn't offer anything worthy of his stature. He was one of those rare actors who delivered good content consistently, but here everything feels mediocre. Speaking of the story, it's okayish-nothing special. Yet, it won the Filmfare Award for Best Story. Yuck. The film tells the story of a thief who was once a good man. He couldn't marry the girl he loved because of a conspiracy, which led him to become a burglar. Later, he connects with an honest constable and his daughter. The villains, of course, try to ruin him as he attempts to reform and reconcile with his lost love after uncovering several secrets. It's a messy story somehow wrapped up in an action-packed climax. Emotions fall flat, though the screenplay maintains pace throughout. Manoj Kumar's performance is steady but unremarkable. Rakhee is decent, Pran is fantastic, and Prem Chopra is superb as the villain. Nazima and Premnath support well. A typical Bollywood film-a typical Sohanlal Kanwar product that fails to engage throughout since the excitement level is quite low. I don't get the hype, but perhaps it was the people's choice back then, so I can't say much on that. Overall, strictly average. Manoj Kumar and Kanwar have both done far better films than this, so I see no reason to recommend it.
RATING - 5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
