Movie Review: Shaan - A Look Back

It was inevitable of course that five years after the mega-success of Sholay (Bollywood's tribute to the spaghetti western) the powers that be would get together and attempt to do the same tribute for 007. The result was Shaan which took over three years to make, brought back many of the same people that made Sholay and was one of the costliest films of its time (barely making back its original budget).

The movie itself is just one breathless sequence of events that combines romance, buddy flicks, great songs, implausible plotlines and of course the thing that no Bond picture would be complete without - a signature villain. Seeing Kulbushan Karbhanda now cannot be done without picturing Mike Myers' famous Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. In his debut film, Karbhanda handled the role perfectly and proved to be more than just a caricature in his alligator infested lair. Amitabh is his usual uber cool hero - fans of AB 2.0 should watch this film to see what made his dad such a star. This film also stars Shashi Kapoor (brother of Raj and Shammi) and my favorite heroine from the 80's, the angelic Parveen Babi.

Try to make this movie today and you can just imagine the pitch... "Ummm - I need the biggest actor of the day, an unlimited budget, great songs, melodrama, side-splitting comedy, action sequences never attempted before in Indian cinema - and oh, did I mention the lead actor will have to wrestle an alligator in the final sequence?"

Yes, this movie (like all great Bollywood masala films) is like many movies rolled into one - but with all cylinders firing. The end result is inspired madness that will keep you entertained until the final reel. At times the editing and plot development will challenge logic but the film has so much energy and enthusiasm you just won't care.

R.D. Burman, universally regarded as one of the true legends of Indian cinema inheriting his talent from another legend, his father S.D. Burman, provided the music for this movie. Two songs are memorable from the movie with the first being "Janu Meri Jaan". The song unfolds in a scene in which our two heroes have to get our two heroines back after being caught in a lie. The setting? Try a double decker bus then a two seater bicycle followed immediately by a machine gun shootout. The second song is "Yumma Yumma" which takes place in Dr. Evil's, I mean Shakaal's lair. It is one of the few R.D. Burman songs to be vocalized by the composer himself, something that he did far too rarely.