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Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Movie: My Name is Nobody (1973) - A comic spaghetti western

Spaghetti westerns had ceased to be serious stuff by the early 1970's, and people had started making comic westerns such as the Trinity series. Terence Hill was the new master of such movies, and when you combine him with the serious western star Henry Fonda, with some direction (not overall) by Sergei Leone, and with some great soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, you get a great movie. And this is what 'My Name is Nobody' was all about. Read more at this link:


The movie was mostly directed by Tonino Valerii, with Sergei Leone directing a few scenes, but since there was the involvement of Sergei, the movie came to be known as a Sergei Leone movie (something that Torino was not happy about). The music by Ennio Morricone was superb as usual.



However, 'My Name Is Nobody' is the story of a famous (and old) gunslinger Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda); since he is famous, he is constantly hunted by the younger punks who want to challenge him, and if they win, they will be the next famous ones. Jack, after a lifetime of fighting, now just wants to hang up his boots, and is in Europe, hoping for some peace and quiet.


My name is Nobody (1973) (partial direction by Sergei Leone and starring Henry Fonda, Terrence Hill, and Jean Martin)

Thursday, September 24, 2009

English Moviel: A Fistful of Dollars (1964): The original spaghetti western

In the 60's, and the early 70's, Spaghetti Westerns, shot with young or ageing US leads along with Spanish / Italian stars, and using an Italian / Spanish cast caught on, and continued till the early 70's, when people started getting tired of this line of films. Two of the people who were most closely associated with these types of movies were the director, Sergei Leone, and the young upcoming star, Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood came to be famous for a trilogy of movies called the "The Dollars Trilogy" or "The Man With No Name Trilogy" - primarily because Clint was not given a screen name in these movies, and this was in effect used as a promotion point for these movies. A Fistful of Dollars was the movie that started this trend, and was the first movie in the trilogy, with the others being For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Most of these movies were shot in Spain, in regions that resembled the dry, wasteland like region of the American Southwest. Another great highlight of the movie was the music by Ennio Morricone.



The Spaghetti Western culture had a touch of irony to it, since the original role was offered to Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson, but both of them refused, and a few others, after which Clint Eastwood was signed on. With the success of the genre, both of them starred in a later movie of his, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
A Fistful of Dollars is the story of a man arriving at a small town on the Mexican Border called San Miguel, and how he gets involved in the huge rivalry in the town between 2 families who want to establish their dominance in the town. These 2 families are;
- The Rojo brothers, Don Miguel, Esteban, and Ramón.
- The other family is that of the sheriff John Baxter (Wolfgang Lukschy)
The Man with No Name arrives in the town, and sees a chance to make some money ('a fistful of dollars') in this rivalry between them, but gets involved in a different way, by rescuing the captive of Ramon, Ramon's mistress (Marisol).
The Rojos catch Clint Eastwood and torture him for this effrontery, but he manages to get free with the help of the coffin maker. In their search for him, the Rojos finally get up on the Baxters by burning down their home and killing them all. Now that they are the one strong family in the town, the stranger returns to a final fight, and finally kills them all, and then moves out before the authorities make their presence felt.

A fistful of Dollars (1964), released in the United States in 1967, and starring Clint Eastwood, directed by Sergei Leone

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Movie: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Sergio Leone was the king of the Spaghetti Western brand of movies, with Clint Eastwood being the star in many of those. Henry Fonda was another famous star of the era, acting as the hero in many a film. However, in this film, Henry Fonda plays one of the villains, with Charles Bronson playing the lead role in the movie. The movie 'Once Upon a time in the West' was released in 1968 in Europe and was a fairly big success, running for a long time in many cities. However, this was not be in the United States, where it was released in 1969, and was a flop. Like some other movies that were well made but did not do well commercially, Once Upon a Time in the West is now regarded as a very well made movie, and among the greatest westerns. The movie starred, besides Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson, Jason Robards as the bandit Cheyenne and Claudia Cardinale as Jill (a lady who arrives at her new house to find herself a widow and her entire family killed).



The movie is about the fight for getting control of the rights for providing water (and a supply depot) to the railroad that will run past the town of Flagstone, with the farm being in the best position to supply water and other supplies to the railroad. The movie starts with a scene of a remote town in Arizona, where a train arrives, on which a stranger with a harmonica in his mouth (Bronson) gets down, hoping to find Frank (Fonda) there, but instead meets 3 men with whom he has a showdown and, he is the only survivor. At the same on a remote farm, where the McBains are waiting for a new wife Jill (Claudia Cardinale) for Brett McBain, a gang led by Frank come and kill all of them.
Soon after, Jill arrives at the station and starts to the farm. On the way, she meets the harmonica player and also the bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards). When confronted by Branson about the shoot-out, Cheyenne denies that the men killed were his men. And then Jill arrives at the farm to find that her new family is all dead, but she tells the assembled crowd that she had already married McBain a month back. On the basis of some false evidence, the crowd believe that the murders were done by Cheyenne, and form a posse to hunt him down.
And then you start to discover as to why these killing happened .. this is all related to the railroad that the tycoon Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) was building that would go upto the Pacific, and Frank works for him. The story is interesting, with the collision between these different men, all of them with their own interests, and how they all come together in the end. The movie is interesting, and with some great scenes. A must watch.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and directed by Sergio Leone

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Classic Movie: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966) - A great Spaghetti Western

This is a movie that will certainly not win any major awards, and was a major constituent of what were called the 'spaghetti westerns'. It was a movie directed by Sergio Leone, and starred Clint Eastwood (and Sergio Leone was the master of the art, having made a large number of such movies). What were Spaghetti Westerns ? - These were films that started coming out in the 60's, and continued till they started becoming the butt of jokes in the 70's, after which these died out. The other specialty of these movies is that they were primarily directed and produced by Italians, with a mix of young and upcoming Hollywood actors, and many other members of the cast being a mix of Italian and Spanish actors. A large number of these movies were made with a desert, wild countryside, to resemble the American Southwest (although the shooting of many of them was done in a region of Spain that was similar).



The movie has 3 characters representing each of the 3 terms:
- The Good: Clint Eastwood as Blondie. Also famously known as 'The Man with No Name'. A bounty hunter who is the best of the 3, but who can shoot first if his morals allow it as a case of self-defense. He can also swindle as part of his bounty hunter job in order to make money. Blondie knows the name of the grave stone where confederate money is hidden, but his partner knows the name of the cemetery, and hence they need to work together.
- The Bad. Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes. A sociopath, a mercenary also known as 'Angel Eyes', who can kill or shoot anybody in his path. He, as a Sergeant interrogates Tuco, and discovers the name of the cemetery where the gold is hidden, but is unable to get the exact grave stone.
- The Ugly. Eli Wallach as Tuco. More of a lout, wanted by the authorities (and he uses this fact as part of his partnership with Blondie to make money). He finds the name of the cemetery (Sad Hill Cemetery) where the gold is hidden, but Blondie gets to know the name of the grave stone. He is partnering with Blondie, but at some point, they are all in for themselves.

The movie is mainly about these 3, and their quest for finding hidden confederate gold. Blondie and Tuco are on/off partners, but are forced to become good partners when one of them gets to know the name of the cemetery where the gold is hidden, and the other gets to know the name of the grave stone. And then there is the third one, Angel Eyes, who also gets to know about the gold, and will not let anything stand in his way, including making a temporary partnership with Blondie to discover the gold. The movie is about their quest, mixed with scenes of treachery, bitter battles between the Union and Confederate forces (the movie is set in the Civil War timeframe). In the end, the three are standing in the cemetery, guns drawn, in a Mexican stand-off with each other. Who will win ?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, a spaghetti western starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef (released in 1966)

Monday, August 31, 2009

English Movie - Fugitive: A tight story of being one step ahead of the law

A fast paced action movie, with a fair amount of drama, a wrong court decision, and the need to get revenge (and clear his name) were some of the parts that made The Fugitive a very famous and commercially successful movie. The movie was nominated for a clutch of Oscars, and also earned more than $500 million worldwide. It helped that it starred 2 famous actors in the person of Harrison Ford (very famous for Star Wars and Indiana Jones), and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie also got good reviews from critics, making it really successful (it is not always seen for a movie to be both commercially successful and earn praise from critics).
The movie was released in 1993, and was based on a television series that aired on ABC between 1963 and 1967. The series ran for 4 years (interestingly, the first 3 seasons were in black and white, and the fourth season was in color). The movie has the same premise, where a doctor is charged for the murder of his wife, and escapes in order to prove his innocence.



The movie has principally 2 characters - Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, and Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy United States Marshal Samuel Gerard. Dr. Kimble has been charged for the murder of his wife, based on the fact that his wife made a call to 911 which apparently led to Dr. Kimble being blamed for the murder. In addition, there was no evidence to back the claim of Dr. Kimble that a man with an artificial hand was responsible for the murder (there were no signs of somebody breaking into the house, there were no other fingerprints on the gun). Dr. Kimble was charged for murder, and convicted by a jury, sentenced to die.
However, on the way to prison in a bus (along with other convicts), there is a disturbance inside the bus that causes the bus to fall onto the path of an oncoming train. In the disturbance. Dr. Kimble manages to run away and is now being pursued by the United States Marshal service, led by officer Samuel Gerard. Kimble manages to change out of his prison uniform, shave, and alter his appearance, but Gerard is soon on the chase, and manages to corner him inside a storm drain inside a dam. The only option for Kimble to survive is by jumping into the flow of water falling from the dam, and he does so in a fairly spectacular shot.
Now, Kimble is on a mission to find people who have received a prosthetic arm, while striving to be hidden from the police who is chasing him. In the middle of this, while hidden in a hospital, he even saves a boy by altering the diagnosis and sending him to emergency surgery. Kimble even heads to the jail to try to find the one-armed man, but is not able to find him. He eventually gets into the home of a former police office called Frederick Sykes (Katsulas). Sykes was there in Kimble's list since he had received a prosthetic arm. It is in Sykes's home that Kimble finds evidence of what could have caused the attacks at Kimble's home, as well as the involvement of somebody close to Kimble. Can Kimble save himself from the police, and expose the involvement of others ?

The Fugitive was nominated for 7 Oscars:
Won: Best Supporting Actor - Tommy Lee Jones
Best Picture (lost to Schindler's List)
Best Cinematography (lost to Schindler's List)
Best Sound Effects Editing (lost to Jurassic Park)
Best Film Editing (lost to Schindler's List)
Best Original Music Score (lost to Schindler's List)
Best Sound (lost to Jurassic Park)

The Fugitive (1993) Oscar award winning movie starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Maverick (1994) - a Western comedy starring Mel Gibson

The movie is based on a Television Series that ran between 1957 and 1962, starring James Garner in the lead role (and the 1994 film was not the first movie made on this TV series, just the latest). What does Maverick actually mean ? Maverick was termed after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), a Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded (as opposed to most people who put a brand on their livestock). Maverick is also a term used for somebody who takes a stand very different from colleagues, and in the case of the movie, maverick is meant to depict a person who behaves most unpredictably.
The movie was meant to be a good combination of humour (sometimes dark) along with a fast moving plot with surprises at every corner, and was a decent box office hit. It was never meant to be pitching for the Oscars, and hence must have been surprised when it got nominated for Oscar for Best Costume Design.
The movie is set in the American Wild West, with a certain disregard for the law, and where a man makes his own fortune with a gun and his own instincts. In this case, Bret Maverick (Mel Gibson) is on his way to a major five-card poker competition. Since he is a gambler, winning such a competition is a way to prove that he is the best. He however needs to collect money owed to him, and he needs this amount since there is a $25,000 entry fee for the tournament, and he is $3,000 short.



The movie is not only about the poker competition, but also about the journey that Maverick takes to reach there. He meets 3 co-passengers called Angel (Alfred Molina), a young con-artist calling herself Mrs Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), and Marshal Zane Cooper, a legendary lawman of the west (this role is essayed by James Garner, who played Bret Maverick (played by Mel Gibson in the movie) in the original TV series). Maverick is going to have a running battle with Angel during the movie, as they are also rival gamblers.
They go through a series of adventures, including one in which the driver of the stage-coach dies when the coach is moving at full speed and the coach needs to be controlled, more adventures with Indians, manipulated by Maverick. In between Angel waylays Maverick, attempting to hang him from a tree. However, Maverick eventually escapes and manages to join the game. Eventually, after early rounds, the 4 finalists of the game are Bransford, Angel, Maverick, and Commodore Duvall (James Coburn), who is the organizer of the tournament, and the owner of the boat on which the tournament is being held. Cooper is responsible for security of the tournament.
Eventually, Maverick wins, and in the resultant shoot-out, Angel is killed by Cooper and Maverick. However, the movie has its twists in the end, and Cooper runs away with the money rather than give it to Maverick, and it further turns out that the Commodore was also in league with Cooper. What happens next ? Does Maverick get the money back ? What about Bransford ?

Maverick (released in 1994), starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Movie: 300 (Released in 2007) - Historical battle and valour

The ancient world was replete with fights and wars. Armies travelled long distances to fight, and warfare was often with massive casualties. One of the most famous kings of the ancient times was Xerxes The Great (Xerxes 1 of Persia), and he was involved with one of the most famous battles of historic times. This was the Battle of Thermopylae (wikipedia), where a much smaller contingent of Greek troops led by the King Leonidas I of Sparta fought till the end to hold off a much larger contingent (in the millions) of Persian troops led by King Xerxes. This was a battle that is part of modern strategy because of the use of terrain planning to level the odds of superior armed forces. King Leonidas was also fighting a rear-guard battle with his Spartan council to get them to support him over this battle, and he wanted to shame them with his valiant sacrifice to take action. In the end, he was betrayed by a traitor (Ephialtes) from within the Greek citizenry who revealed a small path that allowed the Persians to outflank the small Greek army.

300 Historic Movie with battle between Persia and Greek, released in 2007

The movie is a copy of a graphic comic-book style novel by Frank Miller (with the novel having the same name), and is not a re-telling of the actual battle. It is a heavily dramatized telling of the story, and hence also became controversial. In Iran, the movie was heavily criticized because the movie did not portray the Persian army and its King in a very positive light. The movie was directed by Zack Snyder. The movie was also shot in a novel way, with the characters acting against the background of bluescreens in a Studio (shot in a digital backlot technique). This was seen as very innovative and got a lot of publicity. The score of the movie was also controversial because after release, it started becoming clear that the score seemed to be heavily inspired from other movies, and was eventually acknowledged by Warner Bros. Pictures in an official statement.
The movie is about the conflict between King Leonidas of Sparta and the Persian Emperor Xerxes. Xerxes wants the Greeks to acknowledge their submission to him, something the proud Spartan king refuses to accept. Leonidas now anticipates war, and wants the support of the Council of Sparta and the priesthood (Ephor), but the Ephors do not support him (they have been bought over by the Persians). Without this support, Leonidas sets out with a small force to fight at a superior terrain where we can fight and hold off the numerically many times superior Persians. And hence the battle starts at Thermopylae. where Leonidas refuses riches by Xerxes and promises to make him bleed. The Spartans used their tight formations to defeat the many thrusts by the Persians, but look set for defeat when they are betrayed and a secret path is shown to the Persians.
In Sparta, the Queen is trying to rally support, and eventually manages to get the Council united in battle against the Persians. Eventually, the Spartans are beaten by the sheer force of the Persians, but by this time, the Greeks send in a force that has a much higher number of warriors. With memories of losses against 300 Spartans, the Persian army is low on morale, and eventually lose the final battle, the Battle of Plataea (Wikipedia).

Movie: The Day After Tomorrow (2004): The ultimate disaster movie

This was a movie released in 2004, at a time when the Bush Administration was steadfast in claiming that there was no global warming (or rather, that the science proving it was not confirmed), and there were sections of the scientific community and in society that were unhappy over this attitude of the administration. The fact that the admnistration was much closer to the business community which would be affected if measures needed to be taken to fight global warming compounded the response of this section of society. So keep in mind this fact while watching the movie, given that it touts that global warming can cause huge damages to our community, and that the political leadership is too blinkered to be able to take effective measures.
Global warming is a fact, and nations all over the world are talking (mostly talking) about how to address this problem, and are debating who needs to take what steps. It is a game for rich nations to worry about the effect on the economy, a huge debate between rich and poor nations about responsibility and steps to be taken, but it is coming and will keep on affecting us. This movie took the scare due to global warming to a much higher level, and keep in mind that there are almost no scientists who share the vision of a much accelerated change that is shown in the movie.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004) - apocalyptic science-fiction, Vision of Disaster

The movie was hugely successful (earning more than 650 million dollars), and brings to its viewers a vision of the full power of Mother Nature. The movie however did not earn much critical acclaim for its scientific background, and was criticized by a number of scientists working in the Global warming area; the feeling being that the movie, by showcasing a sudden onset of disaster and moving away from the decades based impact of global warming and makes the whole science seem freakish and unconvincing. One area where the movie won a lot of praise was in the area of its special effects, especially the disaster scenes.
The movie starts with scientific research on the ice shelf, Larsen Ice Shelf. Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) is drilling for ice cores in the Antartic for NOAA. Suddenly, the ice shelf separates, and Jack almost dies. Jack travels to a conference on Global Warming in New Delhi where diplomats from all over the world have gathered in order to present his theory, but of course, politicians (including the Vice-President of the United States (resembling Dick Cheney)) refuse to believe him. However, the weather has other ideas. Another scientist (Professor Terry Rapson (Ian Holm) of the Hedland Climate Research Centre in Scotland) looks at Jack's theory and does not dismiss it. When he returns to Scotland, data from 2 water buoys in the North Atlantic show sudden drops in the temperature of the water. Unknown to humanity, the deep chill caused by global warming has begun.
Professor Rapson and Jack talk about Jack's theory, but Jack's theory was over a long period of time, not supposed to happen suddenly. Jack starts to build a computer model based on his theory, and on data, and the model is horrific in terms of what will happen. And the weather systems all over go haywire. Tokyo is hurt by a huge hailstorm, Los Angeles is decimated by tornadoes, planes get caught in the weather turbulence. Eventually, air traffic is stopped. British RAF helicopters are suddenly frozen as they pass through the eye of a superstorm. The human element to the movie is the father-son relationship between Jack and his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal) who have travelled to New York City for a competition, when the weather system turns haywire. Jack heads to New York to get them back to safety.
The predictions of storms, of an ice wave are so strong that it is recommended to evacuate the Northern Unites Stated and move to the South and to Mexico. In the meantime, Sam along with friends have taken refuge in the New York Public Library. Eventually, Jack manages to make it to the Library and get help for everybody over there, after the superstorm has passed.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

English Movie - The Last Samurai (2003) - starring Tom Cruise~

The Last Samurai is set during tumultuous times in both the United States and Japan. The movie is set during the 1870's, a decade after the American Civil War, a time when the United States fought an intense internal war between the forces of the Union and the Confederates. Similarly, there were dramatic changes going on in Japanese society at that time. The 'samurai' (warrior class) that were a major elements in Japanese society were losing their position and influence, and a proper military was starting to form. This was the time of the Meiji Restoration of 1867-1868 (wikipedia).
The story of the movie is about an old warrior, named Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), who is a veteran of the Indian wars (where the United States Army fought the Native Indian tribes), and who is traumatized by his role in a massacre of Native Indians. He is wandering around pretty aimlessly, making a living by recounting his adventures in gun shows, something that earns him a living, but does nothing to enliven his life.

Movie poster - The Last Samurai (2003) - starring Tom Cruise

However, he is a perpetual drunk, and is finally fired from his job; now he has pretty much no options other than to accept an offer to train the Imperial Japanese army (part of the growing western influences in Japan post the Meiji Restoration). This offer is made to him by his former commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn). Algren pretty much blames Bagley for his transgressions during the war, and has no love lost for him. This offer from Bagley is made on behalf of a Japanese businessman who has stakes in the restoration, called Mr. Omura (Masato Harada).
Algren goes about this task, training peasants and farmers in how to handle rifles as part of this training. However, in their first conflict, they come into battle with a group of rebel samurai warriors, led by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe); the army is unequal to the battle and gets defeated by the samurai. One of Algren's colleagues is killed in this attack, and Algren himself fights valiantly, defeating and killing the brother-in-law of the samurai leader. In this fight, he uses a spear with a flag of a white tiger, and Katsumoto believes that to be an omen, and spares Algren's life and takes him prisoner.
Algren is now prisoner at a remote village, living in the house of Hirotaro, whom he had killed. In this village, Algren finally starts to become more at peace him himself, and also starts to really learn the art of wielding the samurai sword as well as learn the Japanese language. In a fight with ninja assassins who had attacked the village, Algren fights along with the samurai, and manages to give a good account of himself even though the samurai take several losses.
With spring, Algren is now back in Tokyo, but now refuses to support Omura in his battle with the samurai, and at the same time, Katsumoto is arrested even after offering advice to the emperor. Algren manages to help Katsumoto regain his freedom, even though in this effort, Katsumoto's son, Nobutada (Shin Koyamada) is killed. After regaining his freedom, Katsumoto learns that a better equipped army unit is going to attack a much smaller samurai force, and it is there that Algren recalls the Battle of Thermopylae, where a much smaller force used better technology and the advantage of terrain to defeat a much larger army.
This comes true as the samurai are able to lead the larger army into a trap, however, soon the samurai realize that the army will get backup units, and another such battle will mean defeat. They resolve to make an attack of their own. However, they face canon fire, something that proves murderous, and then a second unit of infantry. In a battle, Algren kills Bagley when Bagley attacks Katsumoto; but then the second line of Gatling guns hit the samurai as they advance. The Japanese army, then ceases fire in respect of the samurai. Katsumoto ends his life.
In the end, as the emperor prepares to sign a deal with American ambassadors that would make the US as the exclusive dealers for firearms, Algren presents Katsumoto's sword to the emperor; the emperor understands the message and refuses to sign the deal, and also reduces Omura's powers and influence when he objects. Algren returns for the peace he finally found to the small Japanese village.

Track listing:
"A Way of Life"– 8:03
"Spectres in the Fog"– 4:07
"Taken"– 3:36
"A Hard Teacher"– 5:44
"To Know My Enemy"– 4:48
"Idyll's End"– 6:40
"Safe Passage"– 4:56
"Ronin"– 1:53
"Red Warrior"– 3:56
"The Way of the Sword"– 7:59
"A Small Measure of Peace"– 7:59

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Classic Movie: El Cid (1961) - The story of a hero

El Cid, the legendary hero of Spain was a real person named Don Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar ((c. 1040, Vivar, near Burgos – July 10, 1099, Valencia)). He lived around 1035 A.D. Although he spent much of his time fighting on the side of the Moors, he became identified as the best incarnation of the true Castilian Christian spirit. His name came from the Arabic "sayyid" meaning "lord" or "chief." He was a nobleman, who was educated in the royal court of Castile, and was one of the leading warriors of Alfonso VI against the Moors. He is considered the national hero of Spain.
As is expected, a movie made on such a hero is always made more romantic than reality, with acts of heroism and valor magnified, and when the movie has such actors such as Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, the movie seems much more romanticized than the original. The movie was released in 1961 and earned 3 Oscar nominations, but was unable to win any Oscars.

El Cid, the 1961 Oscar nominated film starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren

The movie was directed by Anthony Mann, and was shot primarily on location in Spain (including the historic castles of Belmonte (Cuenca) and Peñíscola (Castellón)), with a smaller number of scenes being shot in Rome. The movie used real swords during the shooting, so you would expect that the action scenes needed a much better control and thorough safety measures.
El Cid was part of an aristocratic family, but not very powerful or high in the Spanish royal court. However, he became famous as a man who was a warrior at the same time as he was a peacemaker, willing to spare enemies if they swore their allegiance to his king. This was a time when there were many royals, with many of these royals fighting for power, and fighting for the throne. And this was also a time when the Moors were fighting for gaining space in Spain, in their quest to introduce the power of Islam inside Spain.
He was to fight back charges of treason, and eventually loses favor at the royal court, becoming a mercenary when his king Alfonso abandons him. He even fights on the side of the Moors, but eventually comes back to support his king when he is called back. He also came to command much more influence among the common people, earning their respect, and forming his own army composed of both Christians and Moors, forming his own fiefdom comprising the city of Valencia and its neighboring regions.
The book had some great scenes, such as the fight between two single warriors to get control of the city, which was a great fight. Shooting on location imparted some incredible majesty and splendor to the movie.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Hindi Movie - Dus - Fast paced action

Dus is a fast-paced action thriller starring a number of Bollywood stars Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Pankaj Kapoor, Esha Deol and Zayed Khan. The movie was released in 2005, and was a decent hit (costing around Rs. 20 crore, and earned a revenue of Rs. 43 crore). The movie was directed by Anubhav Sinha, with production by Nitin Manmohan and Sohail Maklai. Music was by Vishal-Shekhar, and Ranjit Barot. The movie was fairly long, being around 2 hours & 20 minutes. Music for the film became quite popular, and the title song of 'Dus Bahane' was a hit. The movie also had a twist, in that one of the popular heroes was sacrificed at the climax of the movie, something that a lot of movies avoid.
The movie is about the effort of the Anti Terrorist Cell (working somewhat similar to what you would expect the RAW to function, but without all the glamour that the movie depicts) to stop a massive bombing of which it does not have much information, and for which there are only 10 days left. Sanjay Dutt is the head of this organization, with the name of Siddhant Dheer. Along with him, his younger brother Shashank Dheer (Abhishek Bachchan), Aditya Singh (Zayed Khan), Aditi Kumar (Shilpa Shetty) are the others in the organization. Neha (Esha Deol) is an agent in Canada who starts the entire process, by reporting the existence of a plan being spear-headed by Jambwal, about whom they do not have any information, and whose identity they do not know.

Dus - Hindi Movie released in 2005 starring Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Pankaj Kapoor, Esha Deol and Zayed Khan

The movie attempts to play the game of multiple double-crossing, about people betraying each other, about people not being who they claim to be. Because the ATS does not know the identity of Jambwal, they cannot even confirm that if they catch a person, whether that person is Jambwal or not. And this happens when they catch Mehendi (Pankaj Kapoor), an agent of Jambwal who is terrified of Jambwal. They are trying to interrogate him to find out more Jambwal, but they land in more problems. The car provided to them by Neha is rigged to explode if it slows down (English movie Speed?), so who is Neha. Zayed Khan is a bomb expert who can detect if a bomb is planted, and what are the chances of defusing it in time.
They are further trying to not reveal their plan to the Canadian police, even though the plan involves the terrorists bombing a stadium where a match is ongoing, so as to attack the Indian Prime Minister who will be there to attend the match (on May 10th). They uncover traitors in their midst, although each of these traitors extract a cost. The action peaks in the end, as they are at the stadium where there are multiple bombs planted, and their mission is to get the bombs away without loss of life (with the bombs being constructed of C4, a military explosive (where did terrorists get C4 from?)). The movie is a much watchable movie, be sure to watch (although the logic can sometimes fail).

Videos of songs from the movie:

Dus Bahane (Sung by KK, Shaan)



Deedar De (Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan)



Chham Se (Sung by Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Babul Supriyo, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sapna Mukherjee)






Lyrics from the movie Dus:

Dus Bahane:
Here Now Here Now, Everybody Put Your Hands Up In The Air Now
Here Now Here Now Everybody Put Your Hands Up In The Air
Uski Aankhon Mein Baatein, Baaton Mein Jadoo
( Say Here Now Here Now )-2
Uski Aankhon Mein Baatein, Baaton Mein Jadoo
Jadoo Mein Kho Gaye Hum Hogaye Beqabu
I Looked At You, You Looked At Me,Aur Hogayi Mushkil
And You Became My Destiny Tuhi Meri Manzil
( Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil Legaye Dil
Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil )-2

Here Now Here Now, Everybody Put Your Hands Up In The Air Now
Here Now Here Now Everybody Put Your Hands Up In The Air
Yeh Dil Topehle Aisa Nahin Tha
Kisne Behkaya Aisa Sapna Dikhaya Kyun
Yeh Aankhein Meri Dekhe Ussi Ko
Soche Bina Hi Usse Apna Banaya Kyun
Jeena To Marne Se Ab Hai Kahi Mushkil
Khudko Jo Khoya To Woh Hogaya Haasil
( Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil Legaye Dil
Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil )-2

Here Now Here Now, Everybody Put Your Hands Up In The Air Now
Here Now Here Now Everybody Put Your Hands Up In The Air
Kisne Kisiko Haske Bulaya
Baatein Banake Koi Jadooo Sa Chalaya Tha
Bas Dekha Dekhi Dil Se Hui Thi
Duniya Bhulake Koi Aaise Dil Pe Chaya Tha
Kiske Bin Kya Hoga Yeh Kh Sake Na Dil
Khudko Yeh Samjhana Ab Ho Gaya Mushkil
( Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil Legaye Dil
Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil )-2

Uski Aankhon Mein Baatein, Baaton Mein Jadoo
Jadoo Mein Kho Gaye Hum Hogaye Beqabu
I Looked At You, You Looked At Me,Aur Hogayi Mushkil
And You Became My Destiny Tuhi Meri Manzil
Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil Legaye Dil
Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil
(dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil Legaye Dil
Dus Bahane Karke Legaye Dil) - 2

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Deedar De

Hain Ishq Toh
Ishq Toh - 2
Hain Ishq Toh Ishq Toh Gale Se Laga Le - 2
Ek Jhalak Ko Ankh Taras Gayi - 3
Aa Saamne Aur Tham Le Teri Aamanat Yaar Main
Deedar De
Deedar De Deedar De Deedar Le Deedar De - 2
Hain Ishq Toh Ishq Toh Gale Se Laga Le

(Abhi Koi Armaan Rang Na Laya
Abhi Koi Dil Ko Chal Nahi Paya) - 2
Abhi Koi Aankhon Mein Sapna Nahi Hain
Abhi Koi Jadooo Chal Nahi Paaya
Tu Pyar Ki Yeh Kashtiyan Kar De Jara Ve Paar Re
Deedar De
Deedar De Deedar De Deedar Le Deedar De - 4

(Abhi Koi Dil Main Jashn Hua Hain
Abhi Koi Taza Zakhm Mila Hain) - 2
Abhi Khamoshi Bhi Khamosh Si Hain
Ke Koi Mujhko Soch Raha Hain
Bechainiya, Betaabiyan Karne Lagi Singar Ve
Deedar De
Deedar De Deedar De Deedar Le Deedar De - 4
Hain Ishq Toh Ishq Toh Gale Se Laga Le - 2
Ek Jhalak Ko Ankh Taras Gayi - 3
Aa Saamne Aur Tham Le Teri Aamanat Yaar Main
Deedar De
Eedar De Deedar De Deedar Le Deedar De – 2

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Chham Se

dil kutch kehta hain
lab kutch kehtey hain
behke behke se hum hote hain
jo kehna chahe
woh keh bhi jaye
aaise lamhe toh
kam hote hain
pyar mein koi nayi baat nahi
yeh aaisa jo ho jaye
dhunde nigaahein jab har pal usko
apna dil kho jaye
aankhon mein kyon chehra uska thodasa dhundhlaye re
cham se woh aa jaye cham se aa jaye
cham se woh aa jaye man pe cha jaye
cham se woh aa jaye cham se aa jaye

mausam ka har andaz bhi
teri adaa ban gaya
chahat ka yeh ehsaas bhi
teri wafa ban gaya
tera chehra aankhon mein
tera pehra khwaabo mein
kabhi dil ki raaho mein
yeh hota hain ho jaaye de
cham se woh aa jaye cham se aa jaye
cham se woh aa jaye man pe cha jaye
cham se woh aa jaye cham se aa jaye

jaayegi jab tu deke judaai bhi
tanha si hogi dilki tanhai bhi
ehsaas tere dil ka aankhon semeri chalka
betaab hoke jab uski hi yaad mein dil ghabraye re
cham se

dil kutch kehta hain
lab kutch kehtey hain
behke behke se hum hote hain
jo kehna chahe
woh keh bhi jaye
aaise lamhe toh
kam hote hain
pyar mein koi nayi baat nahi
yeh aaisa jo ho jaye
dhunde nigaahein jab har pal usko
apna dil kho jaye
aankhon mein kyon chehra uska thodasa dhundhlaye re
cham se woh aa jaye cham se aa jaye
cham se woh aa jaye man pe cha jaye

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Hindi Movie - Dhoom 2 (2006): More action, and equal success

Dhoom 2 was released in 2006, as a much awaited sequel after the success of Dhoom (2004). The movie was directed by Sanjay Gadhvi (who had earlier directed Tere Liye (2000), Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (2002), and Dhoom (2004)), and after the success of Dhoom, he was the natural choice for shooting this movie as well. The movie had a tough initial act to catch, since the original Dhoom had fast paced action in terms of bike action, as well as the glamour quotient. So, in Dhoom 2, they had to improve on both the glam as well as on the action scenes - so you had Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu as the hot female leads along with Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and Uday Chopra; the action was also accelerated with cliff shots, landing on a train, and numerous other action sequences.

The movie was also a bit controversial since a kiss scene between Aishwarya and Hrithik was removed, since Aishwarya was becoming a part of the Bachchan household. Besides this however, there were some specialties in the movie, with more focus on the dashing villain, Hrithik rather than on Abhishek (there was speculation on why Abhishek settled for a much lower role). The movie had some great songs by Pritam, with lyrics by Sameer.

Dhoom 2 (2006) with Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu as the hot female leads along with Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and Uday Chopra


The movie follows the same track as the earlier Dhoom, with the police inspector chasing a thief who seems to disappear into thin air, and keeps on cocking a snook at the police. In this movie, the thief is played by a Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan) as he is in the habit of leaving a 'A' symbol after each robbery. There is a great action scene where he steals a beautiful English crown by sky diving onto a train that is in the Namibian desert. As usual, he is pursued by ACP Jai Dixit, who is accompanied by his Sub Inspector Ali Akbar (Uday Chopra), and by his former classmate ACP Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu).
And then there is the entry of Sunheri (Aishwarya Rai), who wants to get close to Mr. A as his fan, but who is actually working for the police. Mr. A trains her, and takes her along for another robbery in Brazil, but there Hrithik discovers that Sunheri is working against him, and threatens her. She is in love with him by that time, and ends up turning over to his side. In the end, even though their robbery is a success, they are not able to escape, and in a daring cliff confrontation, there is a staged death of Mr. A. In the end, they show Mr. A and Sunheri together in a restaurant, where ACP Jai also walks in.

Videos of songs from the Movie, Dhoom 2

Crazy Kiya Rai (Aishwarya is hot) (sung by Sunidhi Chauhan)



Dil Laga Na (Sung by Sukhbir, Soham Chakraborty, Jolly Mukherjee, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Suzanne D'Mello)



My name is Ali (Sung by Sonu Nigam, Bipasha Basu)



Touch me (Sung by K K, Alisha Chinoy)



Dhoom again (Sung by Vishal Dadlani, Dominique Cerejo)



Kiss between Hrithik and Aishwarya Rai in Dhoom 2 (censored later)






Lyrics of songs from the movie:

Crazy Kiya Re

chori chori kiyaa re, dil ye dil liyaa re - 2
jaadu se jaadu kiyaa……kiyaa re
jaagi soyi rahoon, khoyi khoyi rahoon,
uski yaadon mein, uske khwaabon mein
jhoome jiyaa re………crazy kiyaa re

naa usko pataa, naa uski khataa
main uspe mar gayi, zaraa usko bataa,
dheere dheere ikraar mein,
kabhi kabhi intezaar mein ,
uske hi pyaar mein………jhoome jiyaa re…crazy kiyaa re

main yahaan bhi gayi, main wahaan bhi gayi,
sochaa pal pal use, main jahaan bhi gayi
din ho yaa raat ho
woh mere saath ho
jab uski baat ho…jhoome jiyaa re……crazy kiyaa re

chori chori kiyaa re, dil ye dil liyaa re - 2
jaadu se jaadu kiyaa……kiyaa re
jaagi soyi rahoon, khoyi khoyi rahoon,
uski yaadon mein, uske khwaabon mein
jhoome jiyaa re………crazy kiyaa re

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My Name is Ali

Tu tururu… tar up tu…
Tura tura barap tu… taruptu…
Excuse me to please
Tu tururu… tar up tu…
Tura tura barap tu… taruptu…

My name is ali
Sun zara manchali
Dil chura ke mera
Tu kahaan chali
Excuse me to please
Mujhe neend ab na aaye
Meri jaan chali na jaaye
Tune dil mein to machadi khalbali
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please

Tu tururu… tar up tu…
Tura tura barap tu… taruptu…

Bandda
What?
Main seedha saadha
Says who?
Mujhe nahin pata
Ae dilruba
Yeh ho raha hai kya
Jaadu tera jab chaaye
Pagal yeh mujko banaaye
Kaisi aag mere seeney mein jail
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please

Tu tururu… tar up tu…
Tura tura barap tu… taruptu…

Tu hai
Yes
Meri tammanna
Cool
Main tere pyar mein
Khumaar mein
Sanam yun kho gaya
Teri har ada behkaaye
Kaise yeh dil samjhaaye
Sari raat bekarari mein dhali
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please

My name is ali
Sun zara manchali
Dil chura ke mera
Tu kahaan chali
Excuse me to please
Mujhe neend ab na aaye
Meri jaan chali na jaaye
Tune dil mein to machadi khalbali
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please
Excuse me to please

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Dil Laga Naa

(dil lagaa
all I want to do it what
dil jalaa
i wanna dhoom dhoom dhoom what) - 2

(dil lagaa naa dil jala se dil jala jaayegaa
ishq kar naa ishq hi tujhe tadpaayegaa) - 2
koi ye maane naa koi ye jaane naa
maine toh jaanaa hai ishq leta hai jaan
(dhoom dhoom just take my life
dhoom dhoom just break my heart
dhoom dhoom just tear apart) - 2
aa lele tu meri jaan

yeh ishq hai rab ki duaa
yeh ishq to sabko huaa
yeh junoon hai nashaa hai
sukoon hai mazaa hai
diloon ki sadaa hai
yeh tu jaan le
oh yeh love hai forever
yeh love choote never
yeh love for you dilbar
meri maan le

koi ye maane naa koi ye jaane naa
maine toh jaanaa hai ishq leta hai jaan
dhoom dhoom just take my life
dhoom dhoom just break my heart
dhoom dhoom just tear apart
aa lele tu meri jaan

kisko pataa yeh pal naa ho jo aaj hai kal naa ho
oh yeh love takes you higher yeh love hai desire
yeh love to hai fire yeh love takes you far
yeh jalaa de, mita de vafaa de, dagaa de yeh hai ek sazaa
koi ye maane naa koi ye jaane naa
maine toh jaanaa hai ishq leta hai jaan
dhoom dhoom just take my life
dhoom dhoom just break my heart
dhoom dhoom just tear apart aa lele tu meri jaan

dil lagaaa dil jalaa - 2

(dil lagaa naa dil jala se dil jala jaayegaa
ishq kar naa ishq hi tujhe tadpaayegaa) - 2
koi ye maane naa koi ye jaane naa
maine toh jaanaa hai ishq leta hai jaan
(dhoom dhoom just take my life
dhoom dhoom just break my heart
dhoom dhoom just tear apart) - 2
aa lele tu meri jaan

-----------

Touch Me

teekhi teekhi teri akhiyaan,
chhooke chhooke behkati hai,
dekh dekh naa yun mujhko,
hosh hosh le jaati hai,
deewaanaa dil kahin kho jaaye naa,
humse khafa koi ho jaye naa
touch me don’t touch me don’t touch me soniyaa - 2

chhod chhod meri raahon ko,
taubaa taubaa dar lagtaa hai,
aisi vaisi teri baaton se,
ishq vishk saa jagtaa hai,
deewaanaa dil kahin kho jaaye naa,
humse khataa koi ho jaaye naa
touch me don’t touch me don’t touch me soniyaa - 2

roke naa ruke, mere yeh kadam
tute naa kahin, jaanaa har kasam
rehne de zaraa, thodaa paas laa
paagalpan kare mann hai manchalaa
deewaanaa dil kahin kho jaaye na,
humse khafaa koi ho jaaye naa
touch me don’t touch me don’t touch me soniyaa - 2

naa main hosh mein, naa tu hosh mein
behke naa kahin dono josh mein
sine mein kahin sholaa saa jale
yaaraa ishq pe kiskaa bas chale
deewaanaa dil kahin kho jaaye naa,
humse khataa koi ho jaaye naa
touch me don’t touch me don’t touch me soniyaa - 2

teekhi teekhi teri akhiyaan,
chhooke chhooke behkati hai,
dekh dekh naa yun mujhko,
hosh hosh le jaati hai,
chhod chhod meri raahon ko,
taubaa taubaa dar lagtaa hai,
aisi vaisi teri baaton se,
ishq vishk saa jagtaa hai,
deewaanaa dil kahin kho jaaye na,
humse khataa koi ho jaaye naa
touch me don’t touch me don’t touch me soniyaa

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Classic English Movie: West Side Story (1961)

There are many movies that have been adapted from screenplays or from books, and West Side Story is one of the most successful of the lot. The movie was adapted from a running screenplay of the same name, which was adapted from a very famous piece of work by Shakespeare called 'Romeo and Juliet'. The movie credits the direction by 2 people - Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Jerome Robbins was the first director, and he was also the director of the stage version, as well as being responsible for planning and directing all music and dance sequences in the film, as well as all the fight scenes. However, when around 60% of the movie had been shot, the producer of the movie (Robert Wise) felt that the costs had not been in check, and Robbins was fired. In the end, when the movie earned 10 Oscars (out of a total of 11 Academy Awards nominations), Robbins got a special award.

Poster for West Side Story, movie released in 1961 that won 10 Oscars

The concept of 'Romeo and Juliet' is an extremely old concept, valid in different cultures and across geographies. The theory that a girl and boy from 2 rival clans meet, fall in love, and fall victim to the enmity between their clans (and getting killed due to this rivalry) is something that finds mention in a lot of different cultures. This movie is also based on the same concept, with the clans being modified to be 2 different gangs set in New York in the 1950's. These are 2 rival gangs called the American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks (and these are composed of members from different racial backgrounds), fighting for supremacy over the New York neighborhoods in which they operate.
The romantic duo are Tony (Richard Beymer), who is a former member of the Jets gang (and also its co-founder), and Maria (Natalie Wood), who is the sister of Bernardo (George Chakiris), the head of the rival Puerto Rican immigrants gang, the Sharks. These 2 meet at a dance, to which Tony has gone to convey a message about a challenger between the 2 gangs, something that would decide the rivalry once and for all.
The movie is a musical, so there are several song and dances about the tension in the gangs as they proceed to a final rumble (the challenge) between them, along with the excitement in the life of Tony and Maria as their love increases. The story climaxes when Maria requests Tony to stop the rumble, and Tony is subject to ridicule from the gang members when he tries to stop them. His attempts are met with scorn, and the Jets head Riff cannot stand to see this ridicule of his close friend and starts fighting with Bernardo. In this tussle, Bernardo kills Riff, and Tony kills Bernardo in revenge. At this point, the police arrive and the gang members disperse.
Maria is informed by another gang member Chino (Jose DeVega) about the fight and about Tony killing her brother. When Tony arrives, Maria is very angry, but Tony manages to convince her by detailing what happened at the fight, and by offering to surrender to the police. However, the story happens in tragedy when Tony and Maria are about to meet, Chino comes in and shoots Tony. It is in this tragedy that the gangs unite, when member of both gangs carry Tony's body.

Academy awards:

Wins:

Academy Award for Best Picture – Robert Wise, producer
Academy Award for Directing – Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – George Chakiris
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – Rita Moreno
Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Set Decoration, Color) – Victor A. Gangelin and Boris Leven
Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) – Daniel L. Fapp
Academy Award for Costume Design (Color) – Irene Sharaff
Academy Award for Film Editing – Thomas Stanford
Academy Award for Original Music Score of a Musical Picture – Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Irwin Kostal, and Sid Ramin
Academy Award for Sound – Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD), and Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

Nominations

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Ernest Lehman

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Damini (1993): Honesty requires a lot of courage

Damini was a movie released in 1993, styled as the movie made about a courageous woman. At that time, it was common knowledge that Rajkumar Santoshi was extremely enamored of Meenakshi Seshadri, and this movie was a show of his dedication. It was a woman oriented film, a role that Meenakshi Seshadri had literally never got in her career; and the movie turned out to be a great movie. The movie starred, besides, Meenakshi, Rishi Kapoor (as her husband who is stuck in the moral land where he has to choose between his wife and his family), Sunny Deol (as the drunkard lawyer who is impressed by Damini and recovers to fight for her), Amrish Puri (as the lawyer fighting against Damini) and Kulbhushan Kharbanda (as her father-in-law who turns against her when she starts her fight for justice).
The movie had some great music by Nadeem Shravan and was produced by the combination of Aly Morani, Karim Morani and Bunty Soorma. The movie also earned Sunny Deol an award for his performance as Best Actor (Filmafare and National Award) in a supporting role. And of course, some of the dialogs in the movie that were spoken by Sunny Deol enhanced his reputation as a he-man; sample these:

* "Yeh Dhai kilo ka haath jab kisi pe padta hai na aadmi uthta nai uth jata hai.."
* "Tum kabhi chidiyaghar gaye ho pinjare mein band sher pe bache bhi mungfalian faenkte hai khuli zameen par sher ka saamna karoge to mard hone ki galatfahmi door ho jayegi "
* "tareeqh per thareeqh ..tareeqh per tareeqh..tareeqh per tareeqh..milti hai to sirf tareeqh"
* "judge order order kahta rahega aur tum pitte rahoge"

The movie is about the love between Rishi Kapoor (who is the son of a wealthy family), and Damini (Meenakshi) who is from a much poorer family. Rishi sees Meenakshi giving a performance, and falls in love with her. He woos her, and finally marries her, even though his family is not happy with his choice. Things are fine, till the day of Holi when Damini sees the maid Urmi being raped on the terrace by the younger son of the family along with friends. She is shocked, and eventually decides to reveal the truth, even though it would mean jail for her brother-in-law and disgrace for the family.
Rishi Kapoor is morally struck by this, since his family cannot understand why Damini would do this, and put pressure on him to get his wife to withdraw her testimony. However, Damini is not willing to withdraw, and the family (along with the lawyer Amrish Puri) get her declared as insane and committed to an asylum. In danger over there, Damini runs away and runs into a drunk and out of work lawyer, Sunny Deol, who saves her from the hoodlums who are chasing her. He is impressed by her story, and decides to fight her case, leading to several confrontations with Amrish Puri. In the end, Rishi Kapoor supports her in court, and several of the family members are convicted for the rape and for trying to subvert justice, along with Amrish Puri.

Videos of songs from the movie:

Damini - Tandava Dance



Dialog - Taarikh pe taarikh



Dialog - between Sunny and Amrish (Dhai kilo ka Haath; Judge order order karta rahega)



Jabse Tumko Dekha Hain Sanam



Gawah Hain Chand Taare






Lyrics from the movie Damini:

Bin Saajan Jhoola Jhuloon (Sung by Sadhana Sargam Kumar Sanu)

--FEMALE-- Aa aa aa aa, aa aa aa - 2 (Bin saajan jhoola jhuloon Main vaada kaise bhooloon) -
2 Jee karta hai yeh mera main udke gagan ko chhoo loon
--MALE-- (Main pankh lagaake
aaya Saawan ka mausam laaya) - 2 Pyaar mere maine tujhe apne dil mein basaaya --FEMALE-- Bin
saajan jhoola jhuloon Main vaada kaise bhooloon (Harpal tere pyaar ko tarse mera dil Door mere
aankhon se hai sapnon ki manzil) - 2 Itne akeli hoon main, yaadon ki saheli hoon main Ab to ek
paheli hoon main, aaja
--MALE-- (Main pankh lagaake aaya Saawan ka mausam laaya) - 2 Pyaar
mere maine tujhe apne dil mein basaaya
--FEMALE-- Bin saajan jhoola jhuloon Main vaada kaise
bhooloon Jee karta hai yeh mera main udke gagan ko chhoo loon
--MALE-- Main pankh lagaake
aaya Saawan ka mausam laaya Pyaar mere maine tujhe apne dil mein basaaya
--FEMALE-- Bin saajan
jhoola jhuloon Main vaada kaise bhooloon
--MALE-- Tadpe kitne saal tak, aur na ab tadpa Kehti
hai yeh dooriyaan, seene se lag jaa
--FEMALE-- Tera rasta dekhte rehte the yeh nain Tu na jaane
saajna kaise kate din re
--MALE-- Ho, phoolon pe jawaani aayi, rut kya suhaani aayi Nayi
zindagaani laayi, na jaa
--FEMALE-- (Bin saajan jhoola jhuloon Main vaada kaise bhooloon) -
2 Jee karta hai yeh mera main udke gagan ko chhoo loon
--MALE-- Main pankh lagaake aaya Saawan
ka mausam laaya Pyaar mere maine tujhe apne dil mein basaaya
--FEMALE-- Bin saajan jhoola
jhuloon Main vaada kaise bhooloon Jee karta hai yeh mera main udke gagan ko chhoo
loon
--MALE-- Main pankh lagaake aaya Saawan ka mausam laaya Pyaar mere maine tujhe apne dil
mein basaaya

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Jabse Tumko Dekha Hai Sanam Lyrics

jab se tum ko dekhaa hain sanam kyaa kahe kitane hain bechain
jab se tum ko chaahaa hain sanam kyaa kahe kitane hain bechain

pahalee najar mein kiyaa ayesaa jaadoo, naa hosh hai, naa hain dil pe mere kaaboo
ye soch ke ghabaraoo, aashik naa ban jaaoo
jab se tum ko maangaa hain sanam nind hain naa muze kahee chain

toone churaalee meree nind saaree, kitanee sataaye muze bekaraaree
teree yaad jo aatee hai, koee dard jagaatee hai
jab se tum ko paayaa hain sanam dekhoo sapane din rain

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