Desi Galaxy

Last night I saw Mr. India once again. I have seen this movie many times before. I loved it when I was a child and I love it now as a grown up person.

What is so special about this movie? I guess its the formula, no not the formula to become invisible but the formula to mix the Western Super Hero Movies formula into Hindi Masala while preserving all the fun with extra spices and hotness. So many other people in Bollywood tried their hands on the recipe but it never worked out like it did in Shekhar Kapur’s Mr. India.

Mr. India’s character is a typical Western average-guy-turned-into-super-hero character. What Shekhar did brilliantly is that he replaces Western with “Aam Hindustani” he used the phrase repeatedly so that the audience can make a connection with the character of Mr. India.

During the entire movie Anil Kapoor wore the same coat, hat and shoes. He looks very ordinary, innocent and nice. Western superheroes such as Superman, Spiderman look the same (when they are not in costumes).

Mr. India has a gadget. he doesn’t change costumes like superman or spiderman, neither he takes off his clothes to become invisible (as it happens in some western movies like memories of an invisible man). Shekhar knew that costume or heavy emphasizes on super heroism would make Indian audience uncomfortable. So Mr. India remains the same with or without gadget.

Arun Verma lives in a big but ordinary, ancient and not so well kept house. The orphan children in his house are dressed just like they should be, wearing ordinary clothes.

Choreography was one of the strongest aspect of the movie. The song, ‘Kaate nahi Kat tay‘ is one of the most amazingly well choregraphed songs in the history of Indian cinema, but other songs specially Kartay hain hum Pyar Mr. India say and the Medley where children ask Seema to return their football are great. The children perform not like a dancing troup but just like children. Sri Devi makes it all more fun with her facial expressions.

Mogambo the villain in the movie, has a very typical role but unlike western villains who want to take over the world Mogambo just wants to take over the India and make Indian people his personal slaves. Remember the movie was made in 1987 at that time India was not into the whole globalization thing and people of India specially the vast rural population was unaware of global issues. So Shehkar did the right thing to make Mogambo a little less ambitious. Amrish Puri has made Mogambo immortal and the most loved filmi Villian.