JOHNY MERA NAAM
(1970)
Directed by- Vijay Anand
Written by- K.A. Narayan & Vijay Anand
*Dev Anand, Pran, Hema Malini, Jeevan, Iftekhar, I.S. Johar, Premnath
Critiquing a '70s Bollywood film is similar, yet quite the opposite of critiquing, say, a French film.
Both require incredible attention and are pretty long.
However, for the latter you have to focus and take in all the superficial beauty and then look beyond that for the thematic wonder hidden beneath the layers within the movie.
For the former you have to maintain your focus amid all the general bullshittery flying about in every direction and enjoy the fun in-between moments of genuine cinematic pleasure these films have to offer. Both aren't easy jobs.
Vijay Anand's Johny Mera Naam does belong to the latter category but he makes going through it a breezy, enjoyable affair with his lovable tidbits strewn throughout the screenplay which help you through moments of dullness and worthless drama.
He crafts a quintessential Bollywood corny, funny, thriller/romance/drama film featuring actors in multiple roles, beautiful locations, memorable music and some really cool moments.
This is the simple story of two brothers separated as children. One becomes a cop, the other, obviously a crook.
What follows is an interesting, low stakes game where the cop infiltrates the crook's ring and befriends him, ultimately leading to the revelation and a teary reunion. That 'reconciliation by boxing' scene was pure cheesy fun. And I loved it!
Overall, a pretty good and complete Hindi film. It has its low moments where you just wish the plot would fast forward towards resolution, but when Vijay Anand throws in a neat little twist it swiftly grabs your attention and you start having fun again.
The previous '70s film that I watched (Parwaana) had a massive one-up over this, which was its running time. Johny Mera Naam is a good one hour longer than Parwaana and this hour is probably filled with needless meanderings about the plot just to develop a romantic subplot or the goofiness procured by three identical brothers.
Ok, scratch that. I.S. Johar was cool. (The guy is a Bafta nominee!)
All the performances were fine. All the actors, unforgettable.
From Dev Anand's agile retorts and legendary gimmicks to Pran's rich, calm voice and Hema Malini's big, enchanting eyes.
The character artists all did a fine job too.
A film with good rewatch value and one that didn't age too badly thanks to Anand's nifty little bag of tricks.
Rating- 3.7/5
(1970)
Directed by- Vijay Anand
Written by- K.A. Narayan & Vijay Anand
*Dev Anand, Pran, Hema Malini, Jeevan, Iftekhar, I.S. Johar, Premnath
Critiquing a '70s Bollywood film is similar, yet quite the opposite of critiquing, say, a French film.
Both require incredible attention and are pretty long.
However, for the latter you have to focus and take in all the superficial beauty and then look beyond that for the thematic wonder hidden beneath the layers within the movie.
For the former you have to maintain your focus amid all the general bullshittery flying about in every direction and enjoy the fun in-between moments of genuine cinematic pleasure these films have to offer. Both aren't easy jobs.
Vijay Anand's Johny Mera Naam does belong to the latter category but he makes going through it a breezy, enjoyable affair with his lovable tidbits strewn throughout the screenplay which help you through moments of dullness and worthless drama.
He crafts a quintessential Bollywood corny, funny, thriller/romance/drama film featuring actors in multiple roles, beautiful locations, memorable music and some really cool moments.
This is the simple story of two brothers separated as children. One becomes a cop, the other, obviously a crook.
What follows is an interesting, low stakes game where the cop infiltrates the crook's ring and befriends him, ultimately leading to the revelation and a teary reunion. That 'reconciliation by boxing' scene was pure cheesy fun. And I loved it!
Overall, a pretty good and complete Hindi film. It has its low moments where you just wish the plot would fast forward towards resolution, but when Vijay Anand throws in a neat little twist it swiftly grabs your attention and you start having fun again.
The previous '70s film that I watched (Parwaana) had a massive one-up over this, which was its running time. Johny Mera Naam is a good one hour longer than Parwaana and this hour is probably filled with needless meanderings about the plot just to develop a romantic subplot or the goofiness procured by three identical brothers.
Ok, scratch that. I.S. Johar was cool. (The guy is a Bafta nominee!)
All the performances were fine. All the actors, unforgettable.
From Dev Anand's agile retorts and legendary gimmicks to Pran's rich, calm voice and Hema Malini's big, enchanting eyes.
The character artists all did a fine job too.
A film with good rewatch value and one that didn't age too badly thanks to Anand's nifty little bag of tricks.
Rating- 3.7/5
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