Film Reviews - Golden Oldies - Waqt And Mera Saaya

Both Waqt (65) and Mera Saaya (66) were categorized in the Suspense Thriller-Musical genre and had the waif like hit heroine of the 60’s Sadhana crooning ever popular songs. While her Jhumka gira re number from Mera saya had the audience fling rupee notes onto the screen, her tight Churidar kurtas in Waqt set a much imitated fashion trend. While Waqt told the story of three brothers separated in childhood unite dramatically (how else!) late in life, Mera Saaya had a head scratching puzzle woven into its’ theme.

Waqt –Director-Yash Chopra, Producer - BR Chopra, Music Director-Ravi, Starring - Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Sadhana, Sharmila Tagore, Balraj Sahni and Shashi Kapoor

In Waqt, hardly has the late great Balraj Sahni serenaded his middle-aged wife, the blushing Achla Sachdev, the mother of his three sons with Ae meri Zohra Zabi when a terrible earthquake dispels the family and sends them helter-skelter.

While the two handsome sons, Raj (Raj Kumar) and Ravi (Sunil Dutt) sing romantic songs, dance, play pool and badminton, race sports car, the third good looking one Shashi Kapoor, very fetchingly one may add, wallows in self pity and self loathing even when he is loved ferociously by a young and bubbly Sharmila Tagore who happens to be the daughter of the couple that had adopted Vijay. Raaj and Vijay are both quite smitten by the svelte society belle Meena (Sadhana). Raj Kumar as the suave thief Raja is all old world charm and as cool as a tall glass of iced tea but Meena falls hard for the fun loving fast talker lawyer Vijay. Sunil Dutt irritates sometimes with his jabber but is cute once he sets his face to portray anger and dejection.

There are diamond necklaces, pool table conversations, swimming pool shenanigans and in the end a murder which gets pinned on Raja. Raja, by now is aware that Vijay is his brother and as a kind but startlingly brave gesture hires his inexperienced bro to defend him in court. High drama ensues with the mother, father and three sons embracing in court after the innocent has been freed and the guilty punished. My only peeve…Raja doesn’t get the girl!

All the songs are enchanting, this film may be old but it is so much more fun to watch than most of the fare dished out by Bollywood in recent times.

Mera Saaya – Director-Raj Khosla, Producer – Premji, Music- Madan Mohan, Starring – Sunil Dutt and Sadhana.

Mera Saaya (66) had Sadhana and Sunil Dutt in the lead again. Thakur Rakesh Singh (Sunil Dutt) is grieving the death of his beautiful wife Geetha (Sadhana) when he is informed by the police that a woman who looks like his wife also claims to hold that title. He refuses to believe the story as his wife had died in his arms the day he returned home after a year abroad.

While confronted she pleads, cajoles but is unable to convince him that she is the real deal. She is recognized by all around her as Raina, a cruel and murderous gangster’s moll. In court, Raina/Geetha acts as her own counsel and tries to prove to Thakur Rakesh Singh that she is indeed the woman who he was so besotted with.

A few flashbacks punctuated with some of the best songs ever made in Bollywood follow before the climax reveals the truth. All loose ends are tied up neatly and one is left to marvel at the director Raj Khosla’s skill for making the film so eminently watchable.