Naseeb (Manmohan Desai, 1981)
Naseeb (Fate) is a batshit insane crowdpleaser, an exploration of destiny, love, sacrifice and friendship, a not so subtle treatise on the evils of liquor and above all, an immensely entertaining 3 hours of PURE MASALA.
The story begins with a drunk, unable to pay his tab, who in lieu of cash, offers to sell his lottery ticket to waiter Namdev (Pran). Namdev and his three friends: photographer Damu (Amjad Khan), taxi driver Ragu (Kader Khan) and musician Jaggi (I have no idea who plays Jaggi, because I was too busy screencapping Amjad…swoon) decide to split the ticket between them – a decision that proves…well, fatal for Jaggi, and troublesome for Namdev, when the ticket turns out to be a winner. Because Damu and Ragu murder Jaggi and frame Namdev for the crime, so as to keep the winnings for themselves – an action that will alter not just their fate but the fate of all the four friend’s children…as we will find out when the film’s action jumps INTO THE FUTURE!
Sigh. You're not getting a proper review this time. I don’t even know where to BEGIN with Naseeb, because there is just SO. MUCH. TO. LOVE.
Like pretty much every single outfit anyone wears, ever, in this film. I am particularly fond of this polkadot shirt/tie ensemble on Shotgun.
I also love his red jogging outfit.
And have also secretly nicknamed Kader Khan and Amjad Khan “Tweedledum” and “Tweedledee” in this scene.
Amitabh Bachchan plays a waiter:
AND a cage fighter!
(He also has a midget manager named Mehboob he punnily refers to as his "sweetheart")
There’s the fact that in addition to uber-adorable Amjad Khan,
just about EVERY OTHER FILMI VILLAIN YOU CAN THINK OF is in this film. We’re talking Kader Khan, Pran, Prem Chopra, Shakti Kapoor, and Amrish Puri!
Why have just one baddie when you can have ALL OF THEM?!
Again, just be grateful I am choosing not to post all the screen caps I took of my beloved Amjad. Because there are MANY.
Why have just one baddie when you can have ALL OF THEM?!
Both Amitabh and Shotgun take turns getting wasted - and Shotgun pulls it off WAY better:
Hot.
Not.
Hema Malini rocks the biker chick chic when she isn't (and I am so not joking) ON A BOAT FIGHTING OFF MEN WITH PANTYHOSE ON THEIR HEADS WHO JUST CLAP TOWARDS HER OMINOUSLY BEFORE THRUSTING A GUITAR AT HER AND SAYING 'PLAY' IN A EUROPEAN ACCENT:
I too would be confused if someone clapped at me in a threatening manner.
There is also, of course, the famous song John Jani Janardhan, set at the golden jubilee celebration of Dharam Veer and populated with Bollywood celebs. This is partly why I own Naseeb – because Deewangi Deewangi in Om Shanti Om is based on this song.
HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THAT Shotgun totally dishooms someone over a CAKE (no exaggeration)?
It’s because he really really loves cake, and the fight over the wrecked cake is SO COMPLETELY AWESOME your mind will be BLOWN. (Hint: Shotgun and foe FALL THROUGH A 2nd storey WINDOW and land on top of a moving bus, and continue dishooming).
RISHI! (needs no further explanation).
Okay fine. Rishi dresses up as Charlie Chaplin, has a song where he is playing kabaddi against a bunch of girls, and has the CUTEST song where he is imploring drunken Amitabh to give up the demon drink.
All time favourite Kapoor.
Disturbing trend (I DO NOT APPRECIATE THE HEARTBREAKING DRAMATIC IRONY):
Amjad pretending to have a heart attack.
No!
But he’s just tricking (and look at his smile!)
SWOOOOOOON. (Am I sick? Probably).
One of my all time favorite Amitabh movies! Love it to bits.
ReplyDeleteThe cage fights are better than anything in Lafangey Parindey :-)
And I love the Drunk song. Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt did a very similar thing in Chal Mere Bhai, if you caught that one? but nothing as cool as this.
Altough I never thought the Amitabh-Hema Malini couple had great chemistry back in the 80's. They do look super cute now like in Baghban!
Well I'm super glad you loved the cake dishooming scene, that has to be one of the craziest and most thrilling fights around! Maybe I need a rewatch to behold the full glory of having every single villain and every star around! The guy playing Jaggi is Jagdish Raj who for a change is not playing a police officer! And if I may say so myself Amrish Puri is a pretty elegant and fine looking man back in the day!
ReplyDelete@Yunus Perveez Yes, I LOVE this film! And the cage fights are definitely way awesome - how can they not be when the cage is MADE OF BARBED WIRE?!
ReplyDelete@Rum I think the cake scene is my absolute FAVOURITE scene in the whole film, because it is so hilariously mental! And Shotgun plays it SO SERIOUS (whereas I would have been cracking up, because seriously, dude, IT'S JUST A CAKE) - the guy wrecks his cake, and he just goes APESHIT. Sigh. Man I love Shotgun SO MUCH.
I'm totally just gonna pretend you didn't say what you said about Amrish Puri because it totally creeps me out. RUM! Look at his creepy weird outfits! HE'S THE ORIGINAL CRAZY EYES!
Hmmm...a cage fight in a cage lined with barbed wire. And I thought Wolverine's cage fight in "X-Men" was macho. I must say, Ness, you find the most interesting movies to love.
ReplyDeleteHa! This review made my day!
ReplyDeleteAmitabh being filmi-rascal-good guy, and so much dishooming! Over CAKE! Any B-wood review that requires all caps to describe the CRAZY-AWESOME plot twists, is good in my book...
Btw, that shot of Rishi, swanning it up in popped-collar 80's style pwns my LIFE.
@Danielle B I know, right? Rishi needs no further explanation! I felt like that awesome screencap said it ALL.
ReplyDelete