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Awara (1951) v Shree 420 (1955)


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Awara v Shree 420  

4 members have voted

  1. 1. Which is the better film?

  2. 2. Which is your favorite film?


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  • Poll closes on 07/01/2024 at 01:00 AM

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2 minutes ago, zen said:

 

Those films need no thrashing :lol: 

 

sometimes, trashing a trashy film that is self-evidently trashy can be very entertaining. the ending of KKHH from the 90s, where everyone is weeping enough to fill the pacific ocean, is incredibly hilarious.

 

before someone else gets offended, I will add that I still have a soft spot for these films

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30 minutes ago, zen said:

 

We are talking about masala films here (also there is no trapping a rich girl if you have actually seen the film recently) ... I have not even thrashed Pyaasa yet, which I think I should :hmmm:

What was the purpose of your pyaasa post? It was flippant. 

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19 minutes ago, Vijy said:

sometimes, trashing a trashy film that is self-evidently trashy can be very entertaining. the ending of KKHH from the 90s, where everyone is weeping enough to fill the pacific ocean, is incredibly hilarious.

 

before someone else gets offended, I will add that I still have a soft spot for these films

Soye huye nagin ko jaga diya tune. That “someone” will be like:

 

tumblr_p5nidxNtyE1ubte5io1_400.gif

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17 minutes ago, Vijy said:

sometimes, trashing a trashy film that is self-evidently trashy can be very entertaining. the ending of KKHH from the 90s, where everyone is weeping enough to fill the pacific ocean, is incredibly hilarious.

 

before someone else gets offended, I will add that I still have a soft spot for these films

 

A plus, if one can say that, for these 90a films is that they do not attempt to be anything different. They meet their target market's expectations 

 

When it comes to films like Pyaasa is that they are seen as (or maybe even marketed as) relatively different from regular masala entertainers even though they follow the standard Bollywood structure.  When it comes to RK, he understood what the large part of the audiences wanted. He blended arty elements with masala to fine tune the Bollywood style of masala films. A section maybe like Guru Dutt's films are better because he tired to steer away from the masala elements in some of his films and if so those films should be judged accordingly ... If you look at a masala films, its elements include a combination of comedy, tragedy, romance, thrills/action/mystery, songs, etc., where the weightage of elements depends on a film's focus.  

 

Let's look at Pyaasa fleetingly. It has Guru Dutt, a relatively uncharismatic actor, as the lead, therefore, the film automatically needs to make up a lot in other areas. From a 2022 perspective, where people have access to films from across the globe, how different is this different Bollywood film. 

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1 hour ago, coffee_rules said:

What was the purpose of your pyaasa post? It was flippant. 

 

To provide my casual take on it ... Pyaasa was not even on my radar but it appears as if it may be a strong candidate for an "actual thrashing" :dontknow:

Edited by zen
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14 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

I thought you want to see a movie to enjoy its excellences 


With Pyaasa, I was not satisfied from what I recall :(( 

 

As someone who likes to write including poetry at times, I also had an inclination to like it. 
 

 

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On 6/8/2022 at 9:23 PM, Vijy said:

Greater film - Awara

Fav film - Awara

 

it is an easy choice for me, because I find both personal and cinematic reasons to like awara more

I thought RK over did the whole 'woe is me' act to death in Awaara. Its gets very repetitive and honestly I find RK a very limited actor. Also Awaara like most RK movies had a social message, mainly leaning towards socialism. That mixed with the general nature vs nurture theme makes for a very dull viewing.

Shree 420 is lighter. RK doesn't take himself as seriously. Definitely a fun watch.

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On 6/9/2022 at 12:01 AM, zen said:


With Pyaasa, I was not satisfied from what I recall :(( 

 

As someone who likes to write including poetry at times, I also had an inclination to like it. 
 

 

Say whaaaaat?

 

Sahir had some of his best filmi poetry/lyrics in this movie.

 

How can you not like "yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai?" ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z6Lr0JYAro

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15 hours ago, Mariyam said:

I thought RK over did the whole 'woe is me' act to death in Awaara. Its gets very repetitive and honestly I find RK a very limited actor. Also Awaara like most RK movies had a social message, mainly leaning towards socialism. That mixed with the general nature vs nurture theme makes for a very dull viewing.

Shree 420 is lighter. RK doesn't take himself as seriously. Definitely a fun watch.

yes, it is rather over indulgent at times, but I am willing to be indulgent toward it for other cinematic/personal reasons. it was a landmark film in many ways; helped put Ind on the map for many countries that were not exposed to Ind cinema before

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5 hours ago, Mariyam said:

Say whaaaaat?

 

Sahir had some of his best filmi poetry/lyrics in this movie.

 

How can you not like "yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai?" ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z6Lr0JYAro

 

The film does have some nice poetry ... Coincidentally, a key issue that I have with the film is captured by the song you posted -> The poet is the rare good character in the film. In a way the film is about connecting various bad characters through the poet:

 

  • The siblings (the interactions are similar to those b/w a cruel saas & innocent bahu, which used to be a theme in many films), who do not even inform the poet on a death in the family  
  • The mohla publisher who puts the poems in the bin (but changes his tune later on)
  • The guys at the restaurants
  • The college lover who ditched the poet for money but now wants to betray her husband for him
  • Talking about the college lover's husband, he is, as expected, mean and opportunistic 
  • The poet has a close friend, who too betrays him by not recognizing him 
  • Finally, a large part of the society which gives the poet the opportunity to sing the song you posted 

 

Besides the poet, the good characters include the helpless mom and the streetwalker, who is supposed to be badchalan, along with a character here & there like Johnny Walker's, whose song "sar tera chakraye" appears to be directed towards audiences suggesting that he is out there to give them relief if they suffer from headaches due to the film where the lead character bursts into a sad song at the drop of a hat! 

 

Among Guru Dutt's produced films, I do like films such as "Chaudhvin ka Chand", which too has that nice title song with good lyrics!

 

 

Edited by zen
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49 minutes ago, zen said:

 

The film does have some nice poetry ... Coincidentally, a key issue that I have with the film is captured by the song you posted -> The poet is the rare good character in the film. In a way the film is about connecting various bad characters through the poet:

 

  • The siblings (the interactions are similar to those b/w a cruel saas & innocent bahu, which used to be a theme in many films), who do not even inform the poet on a death in the family  
  • The mohla publisher who puts the poems in the bin (but changes his tune later on)
  • The guys at the restaurants
  • The college lover who ditched the poet for money but now wants to betray her husband for him
  • Talking about the college lover's husband, he is, as expected, mean and opportunistic 
  • The poet has a close friend, who too betrays him by not recognizing him 
  • Finally, a large part of the society which gives the poet the opportunity to sing the song you posted 

 

Besides the poet, the good characters include the helpless mom and the streetwalker, who is supposed to be badchalan, along with a character here & there like Johnny Walker's, whose song "sar tera chakraye" appears to be directed towards audiences suggesting that he is out there to give them relief if they suffer from headaches due to the film where the lead character bursts into a sad song at the drop of a hat! 

 

Among Guru Dutt's produced films, I do like films such as "Chaudhvin ka Chand", which too has that nice title song with good lyrics!

 

 

My fav of Guru-ji's produced (not directed) films is Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam; stunning cinematography, great songs, interesting plot, fine acting performances, and so on

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one positive that was not mentioned for shree 420 in my opinion is nadira's acting performance. nadira was a compelling presence on screen during most of her "vamp" roles; she harnessed her so-called exotic (baghad jew) looks to good effect.

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24 minutes ago, Vijy said:

My fav of Guru-ji's produced (not directed) films is Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam; stunning cinematography, great songs, interesting plot, fine acting performances, and so on


The Bengali zamindaari culture in colonial Kolkata is portrayed nicely too 

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On 6/18/2022 at 8:11 PM, zen said:


The Bengali zamindaari culture in colonial Kolkata is portrayed nicely too 

indeed, a pretty aunthetic portrayal (with some cinematic liberties) based on some ex-zamindari families I know

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