Mehbooba

Some great music and well acted. I first saw this haunting movie in India when I was 10 years old, and enjoy it just as much, if not more now in my late 30s, for understanding more Hindi! OK, Rajesh Khanna's star was probably on the wane at this time, but he still delivers a strong performance, as does Hema, Prem Chopra et al. So what if Rajesh Khanna was overweight? The world isn't made up exclusively of thin people. What matters is that he conveys the feelings of the Romantic hero (Suraj) like no one else. There's always depth to his performance. Hema looks beautiful and her dances are pure art. Prem Chopra is perhaps more of a pantomime baddie, but still gives an enjoyable performance, and the often unsung Asrani also delivers another amusing cameo in his role as Suraj's manager. If there is one criticism of this film, it is that the lip-synching to the music is not up to the standard it should be - something that the director should have sorted out. RD Burman's music is truly excellent, though.