Valliyoor Satya

A brilliant movie..a must watch. Shot in Ooty! It is amazing how a movie could be made with practically no female cast. South sensation K R Vijaya appeared in a blink and miss role because she couldn't speak Hindi. When the film was remade in 1968 in Tamil, Jayalalitha enacted the role that K R Vijaya did in the Hindi version. The Tamil version was a super hit and Jayalalitha had an extended special appearance. The debonair AVM Rajan enacted the role of Feroze Khan. Unfortunately, K Balachander and Jayalalitha never worked again...Brilliant performances by Raj Kumar, Feroze Khan and Ashok Kumar. Kanhaiyalal provides some relief from the otherwise heavy duty drama. Don't miss this movie at any cost! It is the kind of movie that you should see before you die!

The movie is a delightful watch. It reminds you of the kind of blockbusters that were made in the 70's and 80's. Feroze Khan's actions, mannerisms and flamboyance can be watched forever. What a magnificent actor. Narendranath, Paintal, Ranjeeth, Sudhir and Danny have done a commendable job and share great screen chemistry. Excepting for the song - Jeevan Mein Tun Darna Nahin, other songs are forgettable. The action sequences are worth watching. Rehana Sultana proves once again that she is a great actress - she shines in a not-so-great role with her brilliant dialog delivery (with the right pauses) and impeccable histrionic abilities - especially watch the scene where Salim (Ranjeet) pounces on her to kill her. It is a pity that Bollywood never fully utilised the talent of this FTII topper. It is sad to see that Alka who showed so much promise in "Waapas", "Khilona" and "Aasoo Ban Gaye Phool" has been reduced to playing a side role wearing itsy bitsy costumes. It was rumored that she was married to music director Ganesh (Pyarelal's brother) for a brief while before she divorced him, married an NRI and settled down in the US. Believe that Alka is running a retail store in the US. Filmy gossip also hinted that Alka got this role because of Danny who was her then boyfriend. Madhu Chanda (who also acted in Do Boond Pani, Shankar Hussain , Pyar Ki Kahani & Sara Akash) has a truncated role but she manages to hold on her own despite having such limited screen time. She also reminds you of Mala Sinha. Please do not miss this film. The film was shot in a village near Udaipur. Worth watching - even though it has shades of "Sholay" and "Zanjeer".

Badhai Ho Badhai is a welcome change from formula films coming out from the Bollywood stable in the last few months. A simple script pictured in an endearing fashion, the movie manages to move you at times. Acting is avant garde. Neena Gupta and Surekha Sikri steal the show. Ayushman Khurana and Sanya Malhotra form a good pair. Khurana's acting is subdued and well nuanced. The only dampener is Khurana's heavily Punjabi accented Hindi. At times you wonder if you are watching a Hindi movie or a Punjabi movie. South Indians will find it difficult to understand Punjabi and Haryanvi dialects. An unexpected pregnancy embarrasses a family and mercifully the mother decides to go ahead with the pregnancy instead of terminating it. The grown-up children find it difficult to accept that their parents have an active sex life but eventually they reconcile to the fact. Khurana's girl friend (Sanya) is pretty cool about it though her mother (Sheeba Chaddha) cautions her that the child will eventually become her responsibility. Gajaraj Rao has great screen presence and manages the comedy sequences very well. The locales add immense value - be it Lodha Colony in Delhi, railway station, Meerut. One feels so happy for Neena. She was always sidelined by mainstream Bollywood ; she was forced to do sidekick roles like the one in Feroze Khan's Yalghar or playing side kick to Madhuri Dixit in the dance "Choli Ke Peechey" in Subash Ghai's Khalnayak. This role is a role in a lifetime for Gupta - she might win a couple of awards. You actually see an ageing middle class housewife Priyamvadha Kaushik and not Neena Gupta the actress. There lies in the success of the director in his efforts to extract best performances from all actors. Every actor has got a meaty role and this is where the script appears to be balanced. Shardul Rana has delivered a good performance as Khurana's younger brother. One wishes that one had an elder brother like Khurana - protective, strict and affectionate. Definitely worth a watch. Do not miss it.