Jan 07, 2009 08:14 PM
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(Updated Jan 18, 2009 09:28 AM)
Dish: Prem Rog
Ingredients: Take a social concept.... anything..hmm.. haan..widow remarriage as a theme of the movie. Add Rishi Kapoor, the bollywood heartthrob of early eighties. Add an innocent but beautiful face Padmini Kolhapure for khatta meetha effect. Mix their chemistry with songs from Laxmikant Pyarelal. Fry it with from Rajindernath, Sushma Seth dialogues. Ok, for an element of violent (read dishum dishum) spice include the maar peet by Thakurs like RazaaMuraad, Kulbhushan Kharbanda. Add a bucket of tears from laachaar and besahaara Nanda and Tanuja and your perfect movie is ready to be watched. Ok, thank God, we have the basic ingredient of sending a social message a reason to watch the movie. PERFECT!!! The dish tastes good.
Released in 1982, Prem Rog is a romantic movie starring Rishi Kapoor as Devdhar, Padmini Kolhapure as Rama, Vijendra Ghatge Narendra Pratap Singh and Shammi Kapoor as Bade Raja thakur. The remaining cast does not have a significant role.
Devdhar, a young poor orphan is helped by Thakur (Shammi Kapoor) for higher studies. He falls in love with his childhood friend and thakur's daughter Rama. He is hesitant to admit his love for her and by the time he gathers courage to do so, she is married off to a rich and handsome thakur - Narendra Pratap. Heartbroken, he leaves for the city. And as the fate plans, Rama is widowed on the third day of marriage and returns to her parents home. Tanuja her understanding jethani (sister-in-law) does not let her shave of her hair as it is the custom with the widows and decides to take care of her as an elder sister. Unfortunately, her husband played by Raza Murad oogles at Rama and rapes her. The jethani upset with this, sends her back to her parents' place. It is at this point of time,our Hero re-appears and on discovering the pathetic life led by a widow decides to re-build her life and even goes to the extent of announcing everyone to marry her. Little does he realize that it isn't easy to convince the Thakurs who frown upon widow remarriage.
I feel sorry for Rishi Kapoor, he has done full justice to this pretty pathetic movie and is the saving grace. Padmini Kohlapure, though loud and irritating has tried to do justice with an innocent girl turning into a matured widow who is following the rules of widowhood and learns is to being diplomatic. None of the other characters were worth mentioning as their roles are not strong or convincing enough. None of the songs are enjoyable.
Raj Kapoor may come out with new concepts, yet he never shys away from bringing loud glamour to any subject or story he chooses. Or else, how can one explain the colourful choli clad women including the heroine in a conservative house of Thakurs. Shammi Kapoor is shown as a reformer and someone who does not believe in following traditions and customs when it comes to giving judgement to others. But when it comes to his own home he gives "beti..mein kya karun, mein bebas hoon" look.
If you are Raj Kapoor fan and do not mind fooling yourself the way I fool myself by appreciating every movie of Shah Rukh Khan irrespective of his acting, you can watch this. In fact, this one is in a disguise of a social theme. Afterall, Raj Kapoor has won national award for this movie...still hard to believe, and so has Padmini Kohlapure. I think, such movies should have more sensitivity and shoul be convincing enough and not half-baked as this.
my two pence thoughts- I am summing up in two words "AVOID IT."
