Blackmail 1973

first movie i watched online and ended up watching it in a span of three days.. the streaming speed, and the memory limit made sure i couldn't watch it all in one go. but Dharmendra's acting and Vijay Anand's direction kept me hooked.

i literally bumped into this movie. i was watching the song "chori chori hum gori se pyar karenge" on youtube, my spanish friend "sarita" had just watched it and we were gossiping about it. and in the suggestions window, there was a song "mile mile do badan". i went to that link and then from there i found out that the evergreen hit "pal pal dil ke paas" is from the same movie, named "Blackmail". the old movies buff that i am, i hadnt seen this movie, so decided to check it out. another one of my word pulling stories there.

so this movie interestingly has only one review comment on the whole of the internet, and which is why i am attempting one here. i found it quite well-made, ably supported by masters of acting Dharmendra, Rakhee, Shatrughan Sinha, Madan Puri and Iftekaar. the editing is crisp and every scene adds to the story, credit to which would definitely go to Vijay Anand. While this movie may not be counted mong his masterpieces Guide, Teesri Manzil and Jewel Thief, the engaging pace and depth of linkages between each scene is evident here as well.

Let me quote a few examples. the relationship between Shatrughan Sinha and Rakhee is conveyed through a song which is light hearted, has them both jumping around and uses the lyrics "sharbati aankhen" from the previous scene. showing that somehow the depth is lacking. whereas, the same between dharmendra and rakhee is shown through "pal pal dil ke paas", a song which i can't praise enough. the lyrics are deep, the location is romantic and the pace slow to leave the lingering effect. no wonder it is a classic. then the way the story progresses, does justice to the 145 min duration of the movie. there is a lot of attention to detail as well, how shatrughan sinha times his revelation to rakhee with the entry of dharmendra, (which turns the movie around), the way rakhee's father is involved and yet unaware of the true story (so that he cannot be held guilty) and more. then there are the short but deep lessons on trust, understanding, loyalty, friendship and responsibility conveyed throughout the storyline.

the film also has its bollywood glitches, the action and chase sequences, dharmendra beating up the whole world, a man shot in the neck still alive to say the one last important line, but i can overlook all that to still say that the movie was quite a make.

check it out for yourself if this intrigues you!