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| Directed by: Manmohan Desai Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Neetu Singh, Shabana Azmi, Shammi Kapoor, Indrani Mukherjee, Amjad Khan, Kader Khan |
Ever
since I read of his demise, I have been on a mission to watch Vinod Khanna
movies – both ones that I’d inexplicably not watched in my misbegotten youth,
and ones that I had watched and liked very much indeed. (Or at least, I’d liked
him in those films very much indeed.) There was a niggling little voice,
however, that told me I was being unfaithful to my original idol. To quieten
that irritating voice, I decided to watch a film that starred both of them. That
was easy enough. After the Kapoors, Shashi and Rishi, Amitabh co-starred with
Vinod in the maximum number of movies. In fact, my husband used to refer to
Shashi and Rishi as ‘Amitabh’s favourite heroines’ – they were indispensable to
the Bachchan phenomena. (More so than the actual heroines.)
So
I went through their filmography to see what suited my mood of the moment. Parvarish not only fitted the bill, it
had an added bonus – Shammi Kapoor in his Papa Bear avatar. Besides, it is a
Manmohan Desai film, so one is assured of a decent dose of masala, in the right proportion (including a locket to identify the
real son).
Parvarish (Upbringing) is based on the age-old
dilemma of nature vs. nurture. DSP Shamsher Singh (Shammi Kapoor) captures
dreaded dacoit Mangal Singh (Amjad Khan) after a deadly raid on the latter’s
village. Mangal Singh’s wife, used by him as armour against police firing,
gives birth amidst the chaos. When Singh meets her, the dying woman hands her
new-born over to him, pleading that the boy be brought up as a law-abiding
citizen.
Feeling more than slightly responsible for the boy being orphaned, the
kindly DSP decides to bring the baby up as his own. His niggling doubts about
the matter are put to rest by his loving wife (Indrani Mukherjee).
However,
it becomes quite clear that while Amit (Master Tito), Mangal Singh’s son, is a
sweet-natured kid, Singh’s son, Kishan (Master Ratan) is not exactly the good
son – he skips school, he lies, he steals, and persuades Amit to cover up for
him. He is punished often, and Kishan, broody and introspective, is convinced
that he is not loved.
It
is a feeling that deepens when Mangal Singh, returns from jail to ask for his
son. Shamsher Singh refuses. He’d promised to keep the boy away from Mangal’s
malignant influence. Overhearing his parents’ conversation, Kishan mistakenly
assumes that he is Mangal Singh’s
son. Mangal Singh returns despondently, but Kishan, who’s managed to escape
from his room, accosts him, avowing that he’s Mangal’s long-lost son.
Mangal Singh is ready to leave with the boy, but his
brother’s sage advice makes him leave Kishan behind.
Cut
to twenty years later. Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) is now a police inspector
himself, while Kishan (Vinod Khanna) runs a school for blind boys. Their
childhood cops-and-robbers game is continuing, albeit not so innocently as
before. One day, Amit, hot in pursuit of smugglers, runs into his brother.
Kishan
misdirects him while the smuggled goods are discreetly carted off to Mangal’s
residence. The police are left with fake gold, and while Shamsher is furious,
Amit wonders how the smugglers seem to always be one step ahead.
Meanwhile,
Kishan is demanding of the gang leader, Supremo (Kader Khan), that their share
be increased to 50%. After all, they had never lost a consignment yet. Supremo’s
bid to make him change his mind, blows up spectacularly (not literally).
Impressed,
Supremo gives him another assignment – get a packet of diamonds to their fence.
The next day, while carrying out the trade (by an ingenious method of switching
the white sticks of the blind), Kishan makes the acquaintance of Shabbu
(Shabana), a petty thief and con woman. While Kishan is sympathizing with her
(Shabbo is pretending to be blind), she manages to flick his wallet. At the
same time, Shabbo’s sister, Neetu (Neetu Singh), is busy conning Amit with a
sob story of a sister with cancer, just when he’s arrested her for stealing. He
falls for it, however, and is relieved of his watch.
The intrepid sisters also
manage to con both (now-) Commissioner Shamsher Singh and
his wife, apart from sundry others. (They are good!) Though
they are caught, eventually, the girls don’t believe in giving up – this time,
however, they have their eyes set on a bigger prize. Willthe men agree?
You
haven’t forgotten the smugglers, have you? Well, the police’s plan to capture
the big fish is foiled by Kishan, but Amit has another plan up his sleeve. This
time, the Trojan horse is a rare, antique time piece to be exhibited at the
Safarjung Museum. Mangal, who’s informed of it sends Kishan to get it for him. A
deadly fight in the darkness and Neetu’s unexpected intervention (the girl sure
has a penchant for watches) leads to Kishan getting away.
While
Kishan manages to foil Amit’s plan, thanks to Shabbo, he’s worried that Amit
has not only seen his face, the bullet wound will leave a scar – what if Amit
tells the Commissioner? Mangal takes a hand.
But
the matter doesn’t rest. Amit, who’s sure Kishan is upto something nefarious
confronts him before their parents’ anniversary party.
Their love for each
other notwithstanding, Amit is forced to put his duty before sibling
relationships; but Kishan, knowing his brother had already taken precautions.Amit
is forced to back off, but that doesn’t stop him from keeping a close eye on
his brother’s activities. On one such occasion, Amit loses his eyesight while
saving Kishan from the vengeance of a gang member.
Can
Amit save his brother from the path he’s treading? Will they ever find the
smugglers, or will Kishan always remain one step ahead? How will Amit balance
his dual duty – his obligation to his profession with his obligation to his
foster parents? And the girls? They have a vengeance of their own to fulfil.
Parvarish is not as much of a madcap ride as Amar Akbar Anthony, for instance, but it’s
also a rather sweet film, and the heroines had a definite narrative arc of
their own, instead of just providing the heroes with arm candy. They get three
songs of their own – one, a lovely diatribe about socialism (their style) as they
generously ‘sell’ their ill-gotten gains to other people; the other a song
where, miffed at their lovers, they threaten to kill themselves in inventive
ways, only to find that the men, instead of repenting, are providing them with
the means to do so; the third, a ridiculously over-the-top (is there such a
thing as that in Desai’s dictionary?) qawali
in the villain’s presence. (No one asks how two strange girls can become a part of a professional troupe at the last moment, or change the steps to incorporate their props.)
The
songs are cleverly placed too, and provide just the right distraction amidst
all the action. It is also interesting to see
two heroines in a 70s commercial film who take charge of their own lives, are
pro-active in their romantic liasons, and even propose (to their prospective
in-laws) that they are the perfect brides for the sons – this, after having looted
them. I’m loving it!
What
also makes the film interesting is that it takes a look at the dynamics of
familial relationships, both filial and fraternal. The interaction between
Bachchan and Khanna, as well as with their parents, Shammi and Indrani Mukherjee,
is warm and loving, even after Amit suspects Kishan is up to no good. The bid
to save his brother from himself, Kishan’s reaction to Amit’s accident, etc.,
were all finely etched out within the constraints of a commercial film. Both
Bachchan and Khanna are suitably restrained, even while the madcap action
around them is going ballistic.
Of
course, Desai’s films wouldn’t be what they are without villains’ villainy to
match up to the heroes’ heroism. While Amjad Khan bites into his role with
relish, Desai also had to add Kader Khan as ‘Supremo’, his boss. And of course,
he gets to live in a submarine, while Amjad gets a super-fantastic villain’s
lair all to his own, and Vinod gets a trapdoor inside a chest in the school’s basement.
It’s crazy! Like all Desai films, Parvarish
is replete with gags, giggles, twists – the more improbable the better – that
keep us engrossed. Pretty fluff it may be, but it’s as entertaining as hell.
And because I can, here's some eye candy.
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