Satte Pe Satta

Directed by: Raj N. Sippy

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Shakti Kapoor, Sarika, Ranjeeta Kaur

Released: 1982

Verdict: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

I first learned about the existence of Satte Pe Satta last year when a new remake of it was announced and at the time I was anything but happy about it, but quite a lot has changed since then and now I´m awaiting the film with optimism. The 1982 film starring a popular couple Amitabh-Hema was originally also a remake – of American film „Seven Brides for Seven Brothers“, and though a pleasant film, there was a lot left to be desired, which the new version may eventually draw its strength from. But before the first take of the new movie (that is going to have Sanjay Dutt and Karishma Kapoor in the lead roles) is even taken, let´s have a closer look at the classic.

Somewhere in India there is a solitary farm run by seven brothers, who definitely do not lack love for each other, but do lack basic human manners. They are dirty, unshaven, lazy, uneducated, simple..... and do not care. If not for the eldest brother Ravi (Amitabh Bachchan), who at least lacks the laziness if not other of the trades mentioned, and acts a bit like a slave driver to his siblings, else they would probably just rot on their unkempt cots. One day Ravi by a rather embarrassing mistake meets Indu (Hema Malini), a neat and clean hospital nurse, intelligent, strong willed, basically everything other people in his life (read his family) are not. He falls for her, but doesn´t leave a favourable impression on her and it takes quite a lot of courting and convincing before Indu too finds some love for him in her heart. That however without any knowledge about his family situation. 

What do you mean "use a Gillete"?

Indu is quite shocked by her six brothers-in-law, and no wonder considering one of them is Shakti Kapoor and they move about in next to nothing but some brightly colourful underwear. In the end however it´s them who get the bigger shock, when she decides to „civilize“ them.... Hema Malini is someone I am usually a bit wary about on screen, thought it´s true I´ve not seen that many of her films as yet, and I liked her as feisty Indu, except her dialogue delivery is not the best and her voice modulation neither. She is a good match for Amitabh (who is of course great) and Indu is really that one phenomenon which keeps the basic plot tight and entertaining. Her quest to make her brothers-in-law normal people who dress and wash and don´t eat with their hands was hilarious. However as the movie goes on the focus shifts to the six brothers and their little romances as well as some rather unnecessary masala plot involving an Amitabh´s duplicate and money plotting, Indu makes a quiet exit and so does most of the humour.

Indu being made to believe the guy she loves actually has a normal family.

I understand that Satte Pe Satta is one of most favourite Amitabh Bachchan movies, and no wonder, it definitely provides entertainment (by which I do not mean to say the film is brainless - „entertaining“ has become rather synonymous with „stupid“ in the past few years I feel) and delivers on most levels, yet it is definitely not a perfect film. The second half is weaker and at times on the verge of boring, resembling way too much the 80s action films that were pretty much all the same as if they have been printed by a copy machine. And somehow I don´t think I would believe that a guy, who threatened me with a knife, was only trying to help me. In the end all the brothers turn from animals to humans and all are rewarded with a nice girl to marry. The idylic family life on the farm can continue.

Some things are bound to happen if seven guys live together alone....

Yeh Nazdeekiyan

Directed by: Vinod Pande

Starring: Marc Zuber, Shabana Azmi, Parveen Babi

Released: 1982

Verdict: destroy every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed but enjoyable - good – great – amazing

Yeh Nazdeekiyan is not a very well known movie, which you can judge even from the fact I failed to look up a single decent sized poster for it. Everything else that came up were photos of Parveen Babi running on the beach in a bikini and a bottle of Coca Cola in her hand, which I can imagine is the only truly memorable moment. It is one of those movies that just happened to get in my way and since I can never say no to Shabana Azmi I decided to give it a shot.

The plot is build around a highly pathetic guy who likes to flirt with everything feminine in sight but in the end of the day he always faithfully returns to his own wife (the gorgeous Shabana Azmi). However passion gets the best/worst out of him the day the pretty, pretty Parveen Babi appears more naked than dressed, weaving herself around the chair and pretty much making love to the camera as she is trying to get a job in his new TV ad, because that is what he is – the guy supplying our small screens with promotional stuff. Perhaps nothing would have come out of the meeting, had it not been for Parveen´s persistance in trying to capture his attention – which very unromantically comes out of her being dared by her friends. In any case she gets drenched in the rain and yells at him a bit which ultimately does the trick and they spend a night together.

I don´t like empty beds.

Even though at first he tries to forget and behave as if nothing has happened, he succumb quite quickly when it comes to more meeting and more love-making full of passion – which is pretty much the only thing he is missing in his marriage. His libido switches off his brain for a while and what follows is an agonizing watch of him not even try to mend the relationship with his wife, just aimlessly lying in one bed or another (there were several very much adult scenes) and feeling sorry for himself. Soon after his wife leaves him he finds out that sex is probably not everything, and proves to be an idiot once more when he brushes off every attempt of his lover to make their life happy. Parveen´s character turns from wicked to highly naive, even stupid, but I guess falling in love does that to you.

Well, I guess I love you from her side is expected now?

Shabana is amazing as is her custom, and the only good thing about the movie really, since she doesn´t sit around crying begging or moping, she faces all and comes out victorious. By her victory I do not mean she gets the guy back in the end (though yes, she does), but because she refuses to be reduced to a weeping wife blackmailing her unfaithful husband to come back with her little child or personal grief. She never succumbs to clever (and less clever) tricks to lure him back, as usually is the custom in Bollywood films no matter if he cheated once or on every occasion possible. She has dignity. She is more than capable of picking up whatever she has left and start a new life, completely independent, even though heart broken. 

Moral of the film: you are in trouble if these are the words your husband uses to describe you.

Overall the pace of the film was slow and if you do not have a fetish for elderly guy lying without a purpose among sheets - also boring. That much said the movie has a feel of reality, with nothing over-dramatized or overdone.