Sunday, November 1, 2009

Hamraaz Movie Review (older film, 1967 one) | Critique

We have all had felt some point in time in the past, “Dude, past Hindi thriller flicks have been pretty ordinary’?? Think again. Case in point being, 1967 flick Hamraaz starring Sunil Dutt, Raj Kumar aka Jaani and once-a-starlet Vimi.


The plot follows, superstar Kumar( Sunil Dutt) meets Meena (Vimi), and marries her. Few years of blissful marriage pass, but then Meena suddenly starts acting suspicious and nervous. Kumar investigates, but Meena gets murdered soon. What follows is a tight thriller from that point on.

Watch it through, and you’ll be surprised how well the film has been put together. Plot, Characters, lighting all are wonderfully done. Both cinematography and direction are top notch. Film moves through different genres, a-bollywood-romantic, a-murder-mystery, police-chasing-the-innocent, and it succeeds at all genres. Sunil Dutt looks his best in the movie and fits the part as a superstar. Raj Kumar has a smaller role but is spot on. Frankly, I didn’t know who directed it but little research (read Google) showed it to be BR Chopra film, and it is evident why he is considered as the finest directors in India

Lest I forget I need to mention its superb songs like “Tum agar saath dene ka waada karo” and “Neele gagan ke talle”.

Watch out for the scene in which Dutt sahib is performing at a stage play(which is set in colonial times), and unwittingly strangulates his co actress as he is disturbed by thoughts of his wife unfaithfulness. Also look out for kid Sarika (mother of new actress Shruti Hasan).

Hamraaz is in my list of top 20 Hindi suspense thrillers, right up there with my other favorite ‘Teesri Manzil’.

Rating– 3.5 stars.

Verdict- if you ever get your hands on a DVD or on TV do give it a chance, you’ll love it! A Must Watch.

Written By: Ali Naqvi

5 comments:

rishabh shukla said...

hamraaz is one of those golden movies that bollywood has give us...my fav too!!

Ali Naqvi said...

@ Rishabh: i feel then same dude and also that it is largely unknown to most viewers of new generation !!

Ali Naqvi said...

Also this film featured a supremly graceful performance from Raj Kumar 'Jaani'.... but he was best in Pakeezah ... will review it some time soon !

Anonymous said...

Its Raaj Kumar not Raj (awara) Kapoor!

Sujoy said...

@Anony: thanks.
corrected

Post a Comment

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, POST COMMENTS TO TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS ARTICLE,

Finding it difficult to post comments ??
type your comment in white box below and under "Comment as" Drop down list, either:

1. select "Anonymous"
OR
2. If you are logged into Google account, select your Google account from the drop-down list