Five exceptional duds !. Review on Five Bollywood movies that deserved to be hits

It is said that a good film may fail to deliver if post-production activities are not carried out properly. On the contrary, a mediocre film may turn out to be a money-spinner if promoted aggressively. I present forward a few films which I feel deserved to be hits but did not be so. Sorry, as most of them are new ones, as I don’t know (and haven’t seen) many of the old classics.

SWADES: I assume that most of the members at MS will agree with me on this one. Besides being a well-made and well-researched film by Ashutosh Gowariker, it bought to the fore the very essence of our country and problems citizen face at the grassroot level. We often hear that India is good for nothing but unless one person takes the initiative to do something, can anything ever happen? The same was depicted in SWADES in the most realistic and touching manner. It boasted of a great storyline, brilliant performances and a soul-stirring music. A must for every Indian!

Why it flopped? Because of the promos of the film which gave the impression that the film would be a dull one based on villages. The main positive aspects of the film were not at all highlighted in the film. Instead, the makers chose to promote songs mainly. Even the talkie promos were too short to leave any impact. Moreover, Rehman’s music was not given enough time to grow. The fact that Ashutosh was coming back after his Oscar-nominated LAGAAN was not at all noticable. Wish he had taken care about the film’s publicity!

THE LEGEND OF BHAGAT SINGH: Well, what do I say about this legend in the true sense? A masterpiece by all standards. Bhagat Singh, alongwith Sukhdev and Rajguru, gave their lives for the sake of the country at such a tender age. Who can forget the emotion-soaked Mera rang de basanti chola where the matyrs happily go to the place where they are to be hanged. Bhagat Singh kisses the gallow just before his execution. Who can forget the national award winning performance by Ajay Devgan of the same? Why only him, everything in the movie stood out. Raj Kumar Santoshi proved yet again that we can always count on him.

Why it flopped? A simple answer - Because of as many as four films being made on the freedom fighter simultaneously. Also, TLOBS released on the same day as another biggie of the same genre - 23RD MARCH 1931 SHAHEED, starring Bobby Deol in the lead. I personally feel that TLOBS would have done much better [and may even have turned out to be a hit!] if released without any opposition, or released more than atleast two months before the release of other Bhagat Singh films. Why, the others were not even half as exciting as this one. Didn’t it stand a chance to carve a niche for itself and correctly bring to the picture the life of the great freedom fighter as it was?

EK HASINA THI: Coming from the stable camp of RGV, EK HASINA THI had all the makings of a success. It challenged male authority and proved that women, if determined, can cross any hurdles, and nobody can stop her. Urmila [seen in an extraordinary performance, that merited all the awards, but unfortunately, she didn’t get one], who was scared of even rats, when determined to teach Saif [again, a knockout performance in a negative role as the shrewd Karan] a lesson, does extraordinary things that the old Urmila couldn’t even dream of! The climax of the film - the way she punishes the guilty, was a cut above the rest and would catch everyone by surprise for sure!

Why it flopped? The promotion of the film was not up to the mark. Agreed, a RGV film always has excellent promotional activities, but EHT was released barely after a month the trailers of the film were shown. Also, the quality of the trailers did not give an insight into what the film was. Nevertheless, it did get it’s share of critical acclaim and it did get noticed for a short period.

YUVA: Many of you may not agree with this one but personally, I think this was a great movie. Yes, it was a bit slow paced and it did have flaws as well, but overall, the treatment of the film was such that it wouldn’t let you get bored and walk out of the auditorium. All the performances were top-notch. Even the ladies had more to do than just being glam dolls. Rani, Kareena and Esha proved that the heroines can shine out in a male-dominated flick given a good role, notwithstanding the length.

Why it flopped? Just no idea! The movie was not a brilliant one in any case, but didn’t deserve to be put down as it was. Maybe the punch associated with Mani Ratnam films was missing this time around. However, overall, the film, though not as good as Ratnam’s previous work, was good enough to merit atleast an above average status. A few people were disappointed as the film was episodic in nature, but didn’t the script demand that?

FIDA: By far, the most underrated film of last year. It had everything going for it - excellent music [Anu Malik], great starcast [lovebirds Shahid-Kareena alongwith Fardeen Khan], commendable director [Ken Ghosh, whose ISHQ VISHK was a breezy success] and a fine storyline [with a proper presentation too]. The on-screen chemistry between Shahid and Kareena was electrifying. The start of the movie is a bit slow, no doubt, but after Fardeen’s introduction, there’s no looking back! Fast-paced and natural, the film defied the stereotype and it shone in the film. Fardeen and Kareena’s life in the second half was engrossing too. The finale was genuinely hatke.

Why it flopped? Maybe due to a week earlier’s release - a crap by the name KYUN... HO GAYA NA [starring another lovebirds Vivek-Ash]. People thought that both looked almost the same and FIDA may be a bad one too. Though this is a bad justification for this film’s failure, I guess this was the reason. Moreover, people didn’t like Kareena to stay with Fardeen, and didn’t approve when they both killed each other in the end. All said and done, a good effort gone unnoticed!

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Apart from these films that didn’t do well at the box-office, there are some others too like:

Haasil: A well-made film on college politics got only critical acclaim.

Ehsaas: An emotionally touching father-son story that sank without a trace.

King Of Bollywood: A great comedy with a great performance by Om Puri.

Khakee: A gripping movie based on police force achieved only an average status.

Maqbool: A somewhat slow-paced, but brilliant movie based on Shakespeare’s MACBETH.

What do you think of the choices guys? Do leave a comment and your opinion on the same.

© Aliasgar Poonawala, 2005