While flipping through the numerous channels on the television I spotted on an old re-run of the 80’s multi ---starrer -Shaan and it got me thinking what is it about this campy movie that the channel plays endlessly every weekend to garner eye balls and TRP's.
Shaan was directed by Ramesh Sippy , yes the man who made the inimitable spaghetti curry western Sholay and I am sure his epitaph would surely read “here lies the man who made Sholay and the rest is history”. Shaan was an entertaining film in all aspects- Stellar Star Cast lead by the likes of Sunil Dutt , Rakhee , immensely likeable Johnny Walker and the Trimurthi of Shotgun Sinha , Shashi Kapoor and yes of course the Superstar Par Excellence – Amitabh Bachchan complemented in no small measure by Parveen Bhabhi ( she could kill it in a silver gown) and the lively Bindhya Gowswami.
The movie had a lot running for it –Multi skilled star cast, naughty one liners and repartee, introduction of a creepy villain going by the nomenclature of Shakaal,who resided in a virgin island peopled by his hoodlums and last but certainly not the least introduced us to an ugly looking over-sized fish with bad dentures much before Steven Spielberg’s Jaws came on board. Additionally the icing on the cake was the killer soundtrack ranging from the disco number “ Pyaar karne wale” featuring Parveen Bhabhi bringing her brand of the oomph to the playful and mischievous- “ Jaanu meri Jaan” which had romance and fun written all over it and yes the final ditty in the villian’s den – “Yama Yama” signaling the intent of the male and female leads.
The movie had a lot running for it –Multi skilled star cast, naughty one liners and repartee, introduction of a creepy villain going by the nomenclature of Shakaal,who resided in a virgin island peopled by his hoodlums and last but certainly not the least introduced us to an ugly looking over-sized fish with bad dentures much before Steven Spielberg’s Jaws came on board. Additionally the icing on the cake was the killer soundtrack ranging from the disco number “ Pyaar karne wale” featuring Parveen Bhabhi bringing her brand of the oomph to the playful and mischievous- “ Jaanu meri Jaan” which had romance and fun written all over it and yes the final ditty in the villian’s den – “Yama Yama” signaling the intent of the male and female leads.
Yes the movie had nothing in terms of plot points but the director did bring in his own sense of satirical style and flourish -the car chases, the regular assortment of villains and a certain harmonica ( it’s been repeated quite a few times in most of his movies) which makes it for a full on movie watching experience on a lazy weekend after a heavy meal.
8 comments:
It's been years since I saw the movie but have to agree, Parveen Bhabhi is drop dead gorgeous!
shakaal was another good villian in Indian Cinema compared to Mogambo... good shakes. yes for the songs and pretty faces, the movie is worth a watch in the lazy weekend afternoon.
Nice to get back into Eigfhties . Yes SHAAN had a glow of sorts . Sippy could handle many main stream actors and get best out of them .When Sholay was all time great with 10 on 10 or 5 STAR , " Shaan " had some weakness in overall script .Because of some good entertainment elements it still had a 6 out of 10 rating or 3 STAR . It is nice to dig into past movies 3 decades back. 2012 Dec brings Dabaang with just one actor of name and fame. That is the difference !!!!- V Suresh
Shekhar, only you can come up with a blog about this movie Shaan which is long forgotten. Having said this I really like your style of writing which is very fluid and the language is arresting to say the least. Since you have stirred my memory I will say Kulbushan Karbhanda made a great impact as a villain and the eagle at the back of his throne-like chair added to his persona. I think it was his first film as villain and he portrayed it so well that I felt he was odious, repulsive and of course repellent. But then I was young and couldn't admire how well he had brought in all those negative emotions. The picture itself was a Bondesque thriller with multi-starrer,Bond style high jinks, great sets, and a style that was Jaw-dropping those days. But then the plot was a zero and in spite of carrying those heavy names like Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhi it failed to impress. You are right.The music was great because it was by R.D. Burman and Usha Uthoop still sings her "shaan se" in her shows. Shekhar, tussi great ho!
Once again, old is gold !
Yes Sheikhoo
U took me down memory lane... 1980s what a fabulous decade!
Ramesh Sippy tried to re-create on the success of Sholay
A parallel villain in Shakaal
Helen again for Yamma Yamma
Thats a human failing!!!
But yes, Sippy's villains leave a lasting impact
Who can forget Gabbar Singh or the bald Shakaal who reminded
me of a similar looking James Bond villain!
Cheers to the rocking RD - U were the most versatile...
Of course Ramesh Sippy was blockbusters king. I remembered watching Sholay everytime it broadcasted on TV. You cannot miss that..
More than everything i loved the style of your writting(Praveen Bhabhi.:))
Raji Aunty, like the great pundits of Hindi movies say, its not the box office cash registers that decide whether a movie is a hit or not, its the impact the movie has on a viewers mind which counts the most and I guess 'Shaan' is way ahead of many of the pointless, over the top comedy and dumb movies that are released.
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