“ ZAMEER” a comprehensive CASE-STUDY of a most mediocre film but a bumper box office collection

“ ZAMEER” a comprehensive CASE-STUDY of a most mediocre film but a bumper box office collection

 Thy name was “ ZAMEER ”  The film was all about a FILTHY RICH MAN , stud  farm owner  Shammi Kapoor who had a personal enmity with a dacoit  Madan Puri in the film and whose son was whisked by Madan Puri to kill him but that smile of the baby changed his heart and he brought the baby up as an Dacoit the role played by Vinod Khanna

It is a film where a SPENT-FORCE in terms of a VEGA-BOND and it’s role that was played by Amitabh Bachchan who actually comes in to LOOT the FILTHY-RICH man Shammi Kapoor and then the circumstances forces him to change his mind

This was a film where the LOVE between the two- a HORSE and the hero ie, Badal the character played by Amitabh Bachchan is beautifully potrayed and played especially by Amitabh that it simply has no words to explain

It is a film where ONLY “ TWO ” Dialogues by Amitabh, one- PAAN KA THELA SAMAJH KAR RAKH LIYA HAI KYA and the other to his horse – KYON BAY , LADKI DEKHNAY CHALTAH HAI KYA made the film to run like anything in the box office though the film  ought to be a FLOP movie without anything in it

It was a film for the two songs out of the three clippings that I have put here the last two which were the HEART-THROB of the people of that era of the seventies and finally

 A DIALOUGUE OF THE FILM- IS DESH KAY WAZEERAY ALAM KOH HAMARA SALUTE THOKNA  a kind of a THROW of the dialogue while  muttering these words that made one to ACCEPT that Amitabh was made to be on a DIFFERENT PLANE and PLAIN  altogether   

That is what the film was all about

Released in 1975 on March 17^th  

A CASE STUDY OF A VERY MEDIOCRE FILM TASTING EXTRA-ORDINARY SUCCES>>>>> and that was the "USP"..... of this very ordinary-cum- a flop film otherwise  and that is the film “ ZAMEER ” for you ..

This FILM, though a MEDIOCRE one, a film like “Zameer” held its own despite a poor plot, average performances from some of the big names in the industry and a mediocre musical score. However the film scored at the BOX OFFICE, and it was due to the THREE songs picturised on Amitabh

. Critics were dumbfounded with the success of this movie which had a predictable course, once again the fans mocking at those who sat in judgment when assessing the merits of a movie.

The film had Amitabh, Vinod Khanna, Shammi Kapoor and Saira Banu as the lead actors but it was the unheralded Madan Puri who came up with the most convincing portrayal of a dacoit who also becomes a doting father. The role hardly gave Madan Puri the scope to dominate but the frames he figured in belonged to him.

The plot was hardly impressive. A small time thug Badal (Amitabh) is roped in as a long-lost son of a stud farm owner Maharaj Singh (Shammi Kapoor).

The mother, Rukmini (Indrani Mukherjee), and the father, obviously unaware of the scheming servant Ram Singh (Ramesh Deo). Badal loses little time in making an impression on Maharaj Singh. Badal meanwhile develops a liking for Sunita (Saira Banu) but they are torn apart when she learns that he is in fact the son of Maharaj Singh. Badal knows he is not the brother but keeps the secret to himself.

Circumstances bring Badal in confrontation with Suraj (Vinod), who has been brought up by the dacoit as his son.

On learning the truth, Badal takes up the responsibility of restoring Suraj to his family but not after the usual drama. A confession from the dacoit brings the curtain down with everyone smiling happily.

Saira Banu :: STILLING IMPACT

 Amitabh and Saira Banu were certainly an odd pair with the latter appearing too senior, but the impact effect and the STILLS that Saira generated while opposing and pairing Amitabh and the way she did it was simply superb. The picturising were of the highest quality when both appeared together in the scene.

Dialouges : OH !! and OOFF !!! Amitabh, simply belonging to the other “PLAIN”

There was little in the movie to remember. The dialogues were ordinary and less said about the acting the better. However in certain scenes Amitabh was simply superb, and in some emotional scenes with Vinod Khanna, and Saira Banu, he REALLY proved certain points as to what the EMOTIONS means in ONE’S LIFE.

His LOVE AFFAIR – a KIND OF ITS ONE with his horse and some of the dialouges with the horse- a TREMENDOUS ONE which he says to the horse- KYON, LADKEE DEKHNAY CHALEGA, and the way the horse stands on his two feet’s and "NEIGHS to which he says- BUS BUS BAY BRAMHACHAARI, MAI TOH APNI BAAT KEH RAHA THAA", the claps and the reverberation which I heard in the talkies, UOOUUFS, it was simply IRRESTIBLE. The way he delivered those words and the way he looked at the horse, to deliver those words in terms of dialouges were absolutely unparalled.

Amitabh had another PIECE of a diamond stud in terms of a dialogue in this film.The Jailor says him- Tumharay achchay vartaav kay wajah say tumhay is jail say bahut pehlay chhod( leave) diya jaata hai. He comes to the Jailer and hears it from the Jailor.He then utters the dialougues- SAHAB IS DESH KAY WAJIRAY ALAM KOH MERA SALAM THOKHNA . And salutes the jailor.The way he speaks those dialouges and the way he acts while saluting and speaking the dialouges- again IRRESTIBLE and UNPARRALLED.

Everyone, with the exception of Madan Puri, just about went through the motions. Shammi Kapoor was very different as the garrulous stud farm owner.

Of the songs, a couple did appeal but Sapan Chakravarty lacked the consistency to churn out hits. Kishore Kumar’s peppy TUM BHI CHALO , HUM BHI CHALEY and NEVER TO FORGET, “PHOOLON KAY DERAY HAIN, SAYEIN GHANERIEN HAIN, JHOOM RAHI HAI HAWAEIN, did find a place on the popularity chart though.

It was certainly not among the best films of Amitabh Bachchan. Or even Vinod Khanna. Yet, it is listed a hit. It is because of the songs , the FIRST three one which are as under-:

1). Jindagi Hasnay Ganay Kay liye Hai, Pal doh Pal

2). Phoolo Kay Darey Hai, Sayeh Ghaneray Hai, Jhoom Rahi Hai Hawayein

3). Tum Bhi Chalo Hum Bhi Chaley, Chatee Rahay Zindagi

Saira- Amitabh :: Those moments of the acts in that song , simply “ OSTENTATIOUS ”

This again was a song which is also a duet picturised on Amitabh and Saira Banu, and Amitabh picks her up in the horse during the song. I BELIEVE I HAD NOT SEEN SUCH A GLAMOUROUS PAIR -ON A HORSE RIDIND AND COMPOSING THE SONG. Saira in this song was I think in her BEAUTIFUL BEST. The way she is picked by Amitabh to put her on the back of the horse, the lift that Amitabh performs to pick her from the sand/earth to the horse, I think so NO WORDS to describe those acts, That is the USP of this film and that was the reason why people FLOCKED so much in number to see this movie.It was an UNMATCHED BEAUTIFUL GLAMOURUS

 SAIRA in this song.

The song number three was the CENTRE PIECE of the movie but the song number two that is mentioned here also has its own share of credit. THE YOUDLING BY KISHOREDA before the song when it starts, the way Kishoreda THROWS the voice to open in the song and the way he stretches the words in the end of the line in the songs, to complete the lines of the song, ..... EXCEPTIONAL, and what made the song so very glorious is the way Amitabh walks across the GHEHOO KA KHET while playing the guitar ….. that walk of Amitabh and no sooner that the song ends when he meets Saira in the picnic party and the way Saira peeps into the eye, of Amitabh, remarkable scenes of emotion in terms of acting both by Sairaji and Amit Bhai.

I saw the movie as many as eight times from 1975 to 1990. The first occasion I saw this movie was during the month of May 1975 at Gwalior when I was only 16 years of age

FOURTY FIVE years has passed by and the MEMOIRS still remains AFRESH in my mind about this movie as the release date has completed FOURTY-FIVE years.

Between the era of 1975 to 1983, that SAIRA'S PEEP INTO THE EYES HAD BECOME A HABIT, A STYLE OF ITS OWN, OF THE GIRLS/LADIES ........ peeping into their male counterpart if at all if they needed to peep into each other's eye...... That was the HIGHLIGHT of all the USP in this film

A very ordinary film thus became a VERY HIT film of that time and it was beacuse of some emotional scenes and the ACTS performed on them......

Genre: Drama

Keywords: Zameer, Amitabh Bachchan, Shammi Kapoor, Saira Banu,  Indrani Mukherjee Madan Puri, and Madan Puri …..yes

NOT TO FORGET- “ KISHOREDA ” whose voice made this NO MOVIE AT ALL A RUNAWAY SUCCESS AT THE BOX-OFFICE IN TERMS OF A MOVIE……  !!  ??  !!

Rgds

Shyamal Bhattacharjee