Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro....25 years later!!

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro..summing it in one line I will say "remarkably simple,simply remarkable".Released on 12 August 83,it completed 25 years a couple of months back.Taking some time out of my,anyhow,not so busy schedule to pen down some of my thoughts about what went on to create this masterpiece.A classic,which not only entertains,but also enlightens.I wont comment much about the plot so even those who havent seen the movie are most welcome to go through my take on the movie.I do hope some of them get encouraged to watch it...as the saying goes(again it doesnt,I just made it up) "there are two kind of people in this world,one who have seen Jaane bhi do yaaro...one who havent".

Any movie may be said to be composed of two aspects,the strong points,and the weak points.But at times you come across works where you get to notice just one of them.Lets dicuss some of the
factors which make this movie wonderful,and I leave the negatives to people who were not
intelligent enough to appreciate its brilliance at some occasions.Here we go...

STAR CAST:Probably the best star cast ever assembled,the movie has some of the best character artists.Apart from Naseeruddin Shah and Om puri,all others were fresh faces then.Starcast includes acting stalwarts like Pankaj Kapoor and Ravi baswani,ably supported by fine actors like Satish shah(who brilliantly played a corpse in the movie),Satish Kaushik,Rajesh Puri,Neena gupta,Bhakti barve.Only other movie I can think of being compared to it in terms of starcast is "ek ruka hua faisla".The reason why I rate the cast so highly is that it isnt a combo of biggest stars,but the biggest actors.This ensured that all performances were top class.Ravi Baswani won the best comedian award for the moviewhile Om Puri's comic skils were discovered for the first time in this movie.

STORY:I would like to lay emphasis on the fact that the movie has a brilliant storyline,being presented as a satire(or a farce).There is no forced laughter,in fact the movie actually has some very emotional moments and some serious questions being raised on the social framework.Some of the scenes have dry humour which may not make you laugh but you cant admire the beauty of sarcasm in it(wo gutter ke liye jeeye aur gutter ke liye mar gaye).Many scenes depicting the character sketch of Tarneja fall under this category.

CLIMAX: Personally I consider it as the best climax ever among bollywood comedies.The mahabharat scene is beautifully scripted,excellently enacted and very well developed on the screen.The parody is awesome(watch out for a young Vidhu Vinod Chopra playing Dushasan).The twists and turns keep adding to the fun element.The chase sequence earlier is also damn hillarious.Be it the characters falling on the roller skates or jumping from the first floor,its so much enjoyable.In fact one gets the impression that its very much the inspiration behind all Priyadarshan comedies.The more you pay attention to the scene,the more you can appreciate its beauty.Do not miss out on Satish Kaushik's comment: "Sir laash bhaag rahi hai"The ending of the movie is also a very touching moment,and you are left with a strong after effect.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: The movie was made on a small budget(of less than 9 lakhs).Some of the better products of Film Institute Pune got their act together and made a
masterpiece out of this small budget.People involved in making and presenting this movie are
some of the talented people from the world of Indian cinema,and thus the movie showcases high
technical brilliance in most aspects.The more one gets to know about the movie the more one can appreciate its class.Kundan Shah's name deserves a special mention as he was the brain behind this movie.

The movie didnt work at box office when it released,but 25 years since its release it has
gradually acquired a cult status(similar to the fate of Kundan Shah's other brilliant work Kabhi
Haan Kabhi Naa)"thoda khao thoda feko" and some lines during Mahabharat Parody are dialogues of eternal value...often regarded as the "baap of all comedies",though in my opinion,its not just a comedy movie,in fact its not just a movie,its a heritage that we can all be proud about.I salute everyone involved in gifting this immortal gem.If you havent seen it,you are yet to have one of the wonderful experiences of your life.Give it a shot :)