What happens when two masters of populist, allegorical, entertaining screenwriting and a gifted, creative, intellectual director put their heads together with the goal of creating a film that is over-the-top even compared to the most outrageous masala Hindi films have to offer? Mr. India is what happens. Screenwriters Salim-Javed and director Shekhar Kapur, with some intrepid help from a terrific cast, pulled out every stop in this all-out goofy entertainer. It's self-conscious, it's ridiculous, and it's riotous fun - but there's a patriotic moral, too.
Arun Verma (Anil Kapoor) is a musician with a cheerful disposition who looks after a houseful of adorable orphans. When his natural charm ceases to satisfy the shopkeepers and landlords from whom he wrangles rice and credit, he sets out to find himself a paying guest to supplement his income. He rents a room to a persnickety, child-hating reporter named Seema (Sridevi) and they proceed to get on one another's nerves. Soon Arun learns that his father, a scientist who died when Arun was a small boy, had been killed by some goons intent on stealing an invisibility formula the scientist had devised. Now the goons are back, at the behest of their despotic boss, Mogambo (Amrish Puri), and they want not only the invisibility formula but all of India to boot. Arun learns of the terrorist tactics of Mogambo's thugs, who use such nefarious tools as tainted food supplies and explosive-rigged toys to sow the seeds of fear in the populace, and he decides to use the invisibility formula to mete out justice against Mogambo's army of evildoers, transforming himself into Mr. India, the invisible avenger of the people.
The best parts of Mr. India are the moments that are crafted with no purpose other than to showcase the stars' first-class shtick. In one delightful sequence, for example, Sridevi launches into an extended Charlie Chaplin impression that highlights her talent for adorable physical comedy; in others, she flings her dangerous curves across the screen in both a comical dance sequence and a passionate one. Amrish Puri is at his bug-eyed, scene-chewingest best in every one of Mogambo's scenes, preening and strutting and ingeiously crafting a seemingly limitless number of ways to utter the villain's signature phrase, "Mogambo khush hua." ("Mogambo is pleased.") These elements are brazenly, unabashedly entertaining in the manner in which Hindi films are particularly excellent; it is art without artifice. Even the big-hearted sweetness Anil Kapoor shows nurturing his passel of adorable orphans is calculated more to win the hearts of the audience than to support the story.
But for all its wanton crowd-pleasing, Mr. India is still a Salim-Javed film, and so the masala can be expected to be served up with an edge and with a generous side helping of social message. The former manifests in Salim-Javed's willingness to kill even some of their most loveable characters; the latter in Arun Verma's declaration, as the invisible force called Mr. India, of the power of the "aam hindustani," the ordinary Indian. The film's central message that larger-than-life forces of bloodshed and terror - represented by the larger-than-life Mogambo - can be stopped by the invisible yet undeniable power of the compassionate Indian citizen who looks out for the interests of his compatriots. Mogambo's critical error is to presume that Arun Verma loves his own life more than he loves his country; Arun's patriotism and his love for every citizen of India, is Mogambo's downfall. That's a heavy message indeed, that the commitment of the aam hindustani can defeat the devil himself; Mr. India works by lightening the load, delivering it in an outlandish and fun package.
Mr. India was my (long overdue) first Sridevi film, and for the record I absolutely can see what all the fuss is about. The three segments mentioned above - the Charlie Chaplin scene, the fantastic comedy number "Hawa Hawai," and the sensual song "Kaate nahin kate yeh din yeh raat" together represent a very nice sampling of her abilities. She is adorable and precise, thrillingly sexy and at the same time uproariously funny. It is Sridevi's misfortune that she reigned during a particularly bleak period of Hindi films, but I am nevertheless eager for more of her.
Yes, there were many many truly dreadful films and dire music around at the time.
I haven't seen the film but it sounded like Shammi Kapoor's hit BRAHMCHARI and Kishore Kumar's MR. X IN BOMBAY with a large portion of modern terrorism thrown in to boot.
Posted by: bawa | June 06, 2008 at 06:12 AM
bawa - I have not seen either of those films but when I was watching *Mr. India* my viewing companion (Greta, of MemsaabStory) interjected a few times "this is just like in *Brahmachari*..."
Posted by: carla | June 06, 2008 at 09:41 AM
That is so true- Sri's Chaplin scene is v entertaining- what I am rather surprised by is that I prefer it to all the Chaplin-esque stuff done by Raj Kapoor. I like the guy who plays her boss as well- idiotically hilarious :)
Posted by: Shweta | June 06, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Ah glad to see your review of this up :-) Sridevi's "dangerous curves" is so PERFECT!
Chandni (1989) is another good Sridevi film by Yash Chopra; Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna co-star.
Posted by: Greta | June 06, 2008 at 12:58 PM
'Chaalbaaz' would be my recommendation.
Posted by: Amit | June 06, 2008 at 04:39 PM
Yeah, you're back!!!
I just saw my first Sridevi movie the other week: can't remember the title, but it was late 80s/early 90s, with Sanjay Dutt, Anupam Kher and Rahul Roy. It was FABULOUS. Sridevi is inadvertently Rahul's drug mule, and she's thrown into prison in Hong Kong after they find bags of coke in her jewelry case. It's so Miami Vice, I loved it!
Posted by: the ppcc | June 08, 2008 at 05:14 AM
Whee, I am happy to be back! Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I will definitely see more Sridevi soon. *Chaalbaaz* almost made the cut the last time I bought movies, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's the next Sridevi film I see.
Posted by: carla | June 09, 2008 at 06:05 PM
loved this movie...! :D :D
Posted by: harry | June 10, 2008 at 02:43 AM
Hi Carla
Good to see you back with reviews. A very good review of Mr India!
Sridevi is a very talented actress. Please watch Munraam Pirai in tamil which was remade into hindi as Sadma. The tamil version is really good with some very good acting from Sridevi and Kamal Hasan.
Lamhe is another good movie of hers.
cheers
Meera
Posted by: Meera | June 10, 2008 at 11:27 PM
Having recently discovered your blog, I am making my way through your categories: really interesting!
Naach-gaana is such an apt description, and made me think back to V. Shantaram dancing movies?
Navrang, Geet Gaya Pathron Ne, Jal Bin Machhli...., are ones I especially remember: he ran through the whole range of Indian dances my dance teacher loved to put up in school: multiplied 9 or 19 times of course. So you had the matki dance (not with one but 8 matkis), the thali dance, the male-female Holi dance, etc. etc. Jal bin macchli for instance, was mostly rubbish, but that "fish out of water" title song dance was incredible.
Anyone else remember them?
Holi dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf_j9_Hg-hI
Matki dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVS6IAjwnMk
Cannot find the Jal Bin Machhli video, except for some inferior remixes.
Posted by: bawa | June 11, 2008 at 02:22 AM
"Jal bin macchli for instance, was mostly rubbish, but that "fish out of water" title song dance was incredible.
Anyone else remember them?"
The dance I remember fram that one, besides the title track, was the snake/peacock one - fascinating!
Posted by: maxqnz | June 11, 2008 at 04:36 AM
I just picked up *Jai bin machhli* - I've been dying to see a V. Shantaram film just for the experience, even if it is "mostly rubbish"! :D
Thanks for your comments bawa - I am delighted to have you reading and commenting, and since you've let me know a little about yourself (I believe you said you were a teenage girl in India in the 1970s?) I have questions I am dying to ask you...
Meera: thanks, it's good to be back. :) I always appreciate your recommendations! I just picked up *Chaalbaaz* so that will probably be the next Sridevi movie to crop up here...
Posted by: carla | June 13, 2008 at 08:55 PM
Hi Carla
I haven't heard good things about Chalbaaz. I haven't seen it though. I think it was a flop.
Chandini was a bit hit for Sridevi a yash chopra movie famous for its songs and of course songs picturised in Switzerland!
cheers
Meera
Posted by: | June 16, 2008 at 11:38 PM
Alas, Meera, *Chaalbaaz* is what I have, flop or not; unlike you, I have heard good things about it, as it's been mentioned to me nearly every time I've raised the question of what Sridevi films to look out for. But thanks for the note about *Chandini*, I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.
Posted by: carla | June 17, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Glad you liked Mr. India. As I said on Memsaab's blog, this was one of my favorite movies as a 1980s kid, and Mogambo truly became a household name in South Asia. My favorite Sridevi movies also include two others in which she starred opposite Anil Kapoor: Lamhe (noted above), and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. The latter did not do too well at the box office, but I remember liking the glitz and glamor at the time (it was in the early 1990s), and most of all, Sridevi at her expressive best.
Cheers.
Posted by: theBollywoodFan | June 22, 2008 at 11:28 PM
WHO Has played the role of small little girl, that cute one, in mr india...any clue!!!!
Posted by: Nikhil | August 11, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Hi Carla,
I am a die hard Sridevi fan .Agree with you, she could have done wonders in late 90's and now that we have some sensible stuff coming. I would suggest you Lamhe (also suggested earlier)a cult classic by Yash Chopra. Sridevi won Intl Academy, Sunday Observer and Filmfare best actress Award for this movie. Another is Malyalam movie Devaragam for which she won Toronto film festival best actress award.Don't miss Chaalbaaz.Sridevi as usual was brilliant. Chandni is also good. Mundram Pirai(Tamil) for which she was nominated for national award is a must watch. Sridevi never got media support or I would rather say media hype because of her poor PR, but you need just one movie to judge as to where does she stand. A correction Meera, Chaalbaaz was one of the biggest hits of the year and won Sridevi her 1st filmfare best actress award.
Posted by: Shruty | February 22, 2009 at 08:09 AM
Yes, awesome fun flick in spite of an overdose of spices.
Posted by: Kaushik Chatterji | June 01, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Again, very nice and considerate review. I never miss to stop by here after having seen another Indian film.
Posted by: henrik | February 22, 2010 at 07:50 AM
Chaalbaz btw was one of the BIGGEST HITS of that year!
And it was a very small budget movie yet wonders were made out of it!
Sridevi's song Na Jaane Kahaan se Ayi hai .. was a big hit at the time!
Posted by: Samay | June 09, 2010 at 03:22 PM