With permission from Ali Ikram . Please write to him about this review at ali@indolink.com
Read more of his excellent reviews on Indolink

Mushir-Riaz's 'Virasat' is superlative, intelligent entertainment. I cannot find any other words to describe the newest film of Anil Kapoor. If some of his fans were disgruntled at the tiny role he had in this year's earlier hit 'Judaai', look no further, this film is for you. If 'Judaai' was pure fun and boggle meant for the masses, 'Virasat' makes you actually think in your seat and be entertained simultaneously.

Priyadarshan, who was responsible for the superlative 'Gardish' and overpraised 'Kaala Paani', directs this Hindi remake of Kamal Hassan's Tamil 'Thevar Magan'. (Don't ask for any comparisons because I have not seen the original.) It is important that Indian film-makers are beginning to remake films of other languages rather than dubbing the originals. (I don't know why some people complain that even authorized remakes of films are a form of plagiarism. Watching some of the dubbed scenes in 'Sapnay' is about as painful as shooting a bullet into your foot.) Having said that 'Virasat' is a remake, let me first of all commend Mr. Kamal Hassan for writing the story. This genius of a man is not only a superlative actor, but a great writer also. Similarly, the dialogue is crisp and filled with wonderful, yet simple similes. And of course the scenes are pure brilliance. Individuals who argue that Indian films are not intelligent ought to try and pick up on the very wittily underscored symbolism in the scenes of this film.

The story of the film is set in a village broken up by the brothers of the head Thakur Khandaan. The elder, Raja Thakur (Amrish Puri) is an uneducated but benevolent man who has sent one of his two sons (Anil Kapoor) to study in London so that he may come back and educate the constantly feuding villagers. The film starts with Shakti (Anil) returning home, but not with the intention of staying long. He does not want to fulfill his father's dream, but instead dreams of opening a chain of fast food restaurants throughout India's metropolises. Along to keep our foreign-returned hero company is his NRI girlfriend Anita (Pooja Batra). Oh well, Raja Saab does not force his desires upon his son and even agrees to let him live life as he wishes; quite a liberal attitude for the highly stereotyped father figure we're accustomed to in Hindi films. Anita returns to London after her short village tour and visit with her soon to be father-in-law. Shakti promises to join her in a few days. Unfortunately, Raja saab's younger brother keeps the village so engrossed in feuding that Shakti inevitably becomes concerned with the plight of the villagers and stays behind. Shakti's intial repulsion with the "animal-like" behaviour of the villagers is replaced with the desire to help the down-trodden and uneducated. However, what happens next? Is Shakti sucked into the war himself and does he become a cannibal also? Or is he able to rise above the complications in his life and teach the village to stop their fighting? I don't want to give out the rest of the numerous plot developments, but believe me when I say that they are very enjoyable. Not once will the intelligent viewer look at his/her watch waiting for a scene to end.

All the performances in the film are majestic. Anil Kapoor adds another notch on his belt of unforgettable performances. Here is an actor who intelligently underplays his characters so that they are hardly ever unnecessarily loud or exhibitionistic; Shakti is very life-like. Tabu (don't ask where she fits into the film because it is a very interesting role), recovering from 1996's National Award for 'Maachis', proves why she is considered such an amazing actress. Give this girl even a small role, and you'll still remember her after the film. Amrish Puri is amazing in his role as usual. No offence to fans of Anil, Shahrukh, Aamir, etc., but frankly Amrish steals the thunder away from any other actor when he is in the same scenes with them. Pooja Batra does a very commendable job in her first film, but you may be interested to note that she seems to be a better actress post-interval because it is Padmini Kolhapure doing the dubbing for her. (Did I mention that the scenes between Anil-Tabu-Pooja are amazing. Very interesting interplay between the characters and the complete opposite of 'Judaai' folks.) Priyadarshan, as mentioned earlier, handles the film very ably. If there was one small complaint I had about the film, it was the unnecessary portrayal of the evil half of the Thakur Khandaan with caricatures that are either fat, dark, mentally retarded twins or a partially paralyzed man. Hinting that obesity, physical ailment or mental retardation lead to evilness is both mean and a fallacy.

The remaining technical aspects of the film are just as great. The cinematography is simply perfect. Actually, the film made me want to get up and go visit an Indian "gaon", but we all know that what we see in films is not always the same in real life. And the songs and dances are also great, though not integral to the film. (Yes, yes, I know they are inspired from other sources.) I am very happy to say that the large mass of filmgoers in India were intelligent enough to make Kamal Hassan's Tamil original 'Thevar Magan' a superhit. 'Virasat' is a movie for those of you who crave intelligent, mature, Indian cinema, with a tiny bit of spice (i.e. cinematic liberties) thrown in. However, if you don't go to see this film, and it flops, please don't complain next time you are subjected to more inanities like 'Koyla' and 'Mrityudaata' in the future. I am not lying when I say that 'Virasat' is to-date, the best film of 1997.....ali@indolink.com

I have recently seen the film 'Virassat' starring Anil Kapoor and Tabu. This film was particularly well made and I enjoyed the film. I could relate to the dilemma faced by the character in doing what he wanted to do after studying in the UK or abiding by the wishes of his father. The ending of the film was abit lame, but the bulk of the film portrayed an interesting and at times compelling plot (a rare occurance in Indian films). The new girl in the film definately needs to take acting lessons but the other actors in the film were good.

I also had the misfortune of watching 'Koyla', the film gives the word trash a new meaning. What I want to know is what the hype concerning the film was about?? The makers of Indian films seem to grow more perverted with each film they make. It seems to me that they should stop trying to copy the west and come up with decent Indian movies. The only saving grace of 'Koyla' was some of its songs, the rest of the film was simply not worth watching....Shazia Khan

I really enjoyed this movie. A refreshing change from the usual cops and robbers and drug barons . Story of two Thakur families in I think Northern UP -who are sworn enemies - it isnt explained why - not that many people know how these things start.
I dont know what women see in Anil Kapoor , I really dont , but once again he has two women after him -was there ever a movie he made without his bushy moustache ? Pooja Batra is heart stoppingly beautiful , lovely long legs , taller even than Tabu . Maybe she needs a bit more flesh - maybe half a stone - it is noticeable that Anil doesnt hug her too tightly - afraid of cracking a few ribs ! (just kidding ! ) .
She is a very very fine actress , dont be fooled by the bimbo sweet looks in the first half -she even uses for the first time in an Indian movie and gets away with it -the f word -Why the f... she says and the censor has left it in . The producers are no fools -they know that it is erotic when a pretty woman uses such language.
The fights are very well choreographed . Anil's Lathi fight with the whole village is superb , although in one scene somebody accidently gets his head chopped off -but they get some good shots with the blood pumping from the neck. The music is very good , I couldnt spot any tunes that Anu has lifted. The children's song when they are massaging their Grandpa's feet is very beautiful and should not have been cut off.
The main kami is not enough comedy slapstick -very essential in a 3 hr movie to break the tension. The relatively unhappy ending is risking it a bit at the box office . Overall a good movie nevertheless with many many plus points.....Mo

Virasaat marks a welcome return to the roots for Anil Kapoor. The man who gave us films like Woh Saat Din, Saaheb, Meri Jung, Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Eeshwar, and the unforgettable Lamhe - is back with Viraasat. And boy - is he back with a vengeance!!
His performance in Viraasat is very powerful. His characterization of a young brash foreign-returned son of some Bade Thakur in some old village starts out kinda shaky - but his transformation into the thakur's role brings out an Anil Kapoor that has been absent since Lamhe. His confrontation scene with Milind Gunaji where he warns him not to arouse the animal within him .... comes real close in emotion to the scene in Lamhe where he slaps the thakur three times and asks the munimji to give him ten lakh rupees.
A lot of credit for Anil Kapoor's performance has to go to the director - Priyadarshan. The man is incredible. He has such a remarkable sense of colors. His picturization of songs takes the viewer right into the mood that the song is trying to portray. For example, the song "Dhol Bajne laga" creates such a festive atmosphere - the way the camera runs right into the dancers - rather than trying to capture it from the outside. You feel as if you are standing right in the middle of all the festivities. Such involvement from the camera is also seen at other more critical points in the movie. The manipulation of frame-by-frame movement is brilliant. The use of colors in stark contrast is also very pleasing. By placing very contrasting bright and solid colors, he manages to give a unique look to the movie in each frame.
Apart from the technical brilliance, Priyadarshan also brings out performances from his artistes at an above par level. I already talked about Anil Kapoor and his performance - but Tabu and Amrish Puri excel in their respective roles as well. Amrish Puri is brilliant as always. His character is a little similar to the character he played in Ghatak - but nevertheless his facial expressions very beautifully capture his thoughts - whether they be of hatred in front of the panchayat, or of adoration in front of his grandchildren, or of hopeless love in front of his son, or of total anger in front of his younger brother's son.
Tabu glorifies her role yet again after Maachis. Though there are similarities between Gehna in Viraasat and her characters in Maachis and Saazae-Kaala Paani (which incidently was also directed by Priyadarshan), she manages to portray a sense of innocence to Gehna which was unaware in her other mentioned films. Her naiveness brings with it a freshness that is uncommon for an actress in a hindi movie. Her character lives beyond all the glamour of Bollywood - beyond all the fancy dresses - and the fancy make-up - and yet it manages to impress the viewer with its' simplicity.
Pooja Batra was a single weakpoint in an otherwise great production. Her acting prowess needs a little work - to say the least. However, in spite of her the movie makes a huge impact on the viewer - with powerful performances, good plot, great technical filmmaking, plus some good music. The movie is a remake of a Tamil film - which I haven't seen - so I will refrain from any comparisons. A definite must-see. Especially for Anil Kapoor fans - who are longing for the Lamhe charisma. - devashish saxena

Here is what Pakistani and Indian film and music proudcers should be going for - since one DVD can replace four vcds the cost is going to be much less. Full report on http://cybertheater.com/News_Views/DVD_1/dvd_report1.html

The King is Dead, Long Live the New King!
Greg: DVD picture quality simply blows away laserdisc! There, I've said it. I never expected to be saying this so soon, but I can't deny what is so obviously apparent in the controlled conditions of my own home theater. For about two weeks I've been making comparisons between the Sony DVD player and my Pioneer Elite CLD-97 laserdisc player.
I optimally adjusted individual sets of video signal parameters for each player and assigned them to separate inputs of a precision calibrated 32" Sony XBR^2, the most analytical of consumer monitors. By synchronizing the laserdisc and the DVD with a selected time delay offset, I did instant same scene A/B re-play comparisons between players. I made the same DVD vs LD comparisons on an 89" wide screen using a top-grade Runco IDP980 ULTRA Front Projector, driven by a Faroudja VP250 Line Doubler (also a QD Technology QD-7000 Line Doubler).
With either the direct view monitor or the front projector, it was no contest at all, the DVD delivered a fatal blow to laserdisc supremacy.

Bill: Blown Away is an understatement!

       Features:
                  Dolby Surround Sound compatibility.
                  8 languages, 32 subtitle languages.
                  Multiple camera angles. (up to 9 different angles, if
encoded).
                  Parental Control.
                  Slow-motion.
                  Freeze-frame.
                  Ergonimic Infared Remote Control.
                  Bright fluorescent display.
                  1 composite video output.
                  1 S-Video Output.
                  1 AC-3 Digital Audio Output.
                  1 Pair Analog Audio Output.
                  Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz.
                  Signal to Noise Ratio:96db.
                  Disc Diameter: 5 inches.
                  Disc Thickness: 1.2mm.
                  Running Time (Movies): approx. 133 min./side.
                  Image Compression: MPEG-2 digital image compression.

At Best Buy store, I saw 4-5 movies and some National Geo. (African Safari) movies. Movies were $ 24.98 and Safari DVDs were $19.98. On Demo a small part of Golden Eye was there and Picture Quality, Sound Repro was excellent.
If they add some copy restriction feature on DVD Player/DISK (VHS tapes), DVD is going to pick up the market very quckly, otherwise Holywood would not like them.(They cannot make more money). I tried to run DVDs on a computer having MPEG file Player, but could not run it. DVD comes in a MPEG-2 format, and if your computer has DVD-CD-ROM(cost is $499.99), you can play it on your computer. (It is clear that spending 500 bucks on DVD player is more advisable than adding DVD-CD-ROM on a computer.)

Thanks cheers.. Kamlesh Nanavati.

Refusing to watch movies on videotape because of the awful print quality I had to wait until Asianet screened Mother India. What an extraordinarily powerful film !
Nargis was just outstanding , starting off as a young bride and then an old woman and believable in both roles. Sunil Dutt whom she later married in real life is great as Birju and the young kid who played him as a child -what talent ! -does anybody know what happened to him? The anguish of a husband who cannot feed his family and beats his wife almost makes one jumps out of the seat. One really has to see the movie in context -it sounds too awful otherwise.
I think one must not underestimate the influence these movies have. The evils of money lending and illiteracy are graphically illustrated and may have contibuted to the laws made against money lending. And Bollywood educates the people as well as entertaining them at the same time. Watching these movies is like going into a time machine . What joy to see the village life in the 50s , the songs and music of the time. A must see...Mo

There is an article on Mother India in one of the recent Filmfare mags (www.filmfare.com). The author is overcritical of some aspects of the film, especially the music, which IMO is one of Naushad's best compositions. MI is actually a re-make of one of Mehboob's earlier films, Aurat, and was the last film Nargis starred in.
The director, Mehboob Khan, was well known for his leftist views and Mother India reflects certain aspects of Mehboob's political ideology. I thoroughly agree. The portrayal of village life in films like MI and Gunga Jumna seems to have a feel of authenticity. It is one aspect of Indian culture that has been lost in modern day cinema. There is so much diversity out there if only filmmakers made an effort to look for it, rather than turn out the same trash...Faez Kaiser