English Babu Desi Mem
Director: Praveen Nischol
Music: Nikhil-Vijay
Year: 1996
Running Time: 160 minutes
It started in Bombay. Similar in theme and
content to the 1960 American film, It Started in Naples, which starred
Clark Gable and Sophia Loren, this film too successfully mixes elements
of drama, comedy and romance to create an enjoyable film whose outcome
never really seems in doubt. Of course Sophia didn’t have to dance up a
tropical storm like Sonali Bendre does here (though it certainly would
have been great fun watching Ms. Loren do so!) and Clark Gable didn’t have
to take on various ruffians in a whirlwind of kicks, as does Shahrukh Khan.
Though Shahrukh in an early role for him brings
some easy charm to his broad role, the weight of the film rests squarely
on the slender shoulders of Sonali. She scorches the night skyline with
a series of leggy and sensual dances that jump start your pulse, while
at the same time she manages to capture both the innocent and the harder
edge of her character in the narrative. Her character may feel a bit unrealistic
– nurturing traditional mother in the daytime, sizzling cabaret dancer
at night – but the emotional range that this disparity allows and that
Sonali eats up like a midnight snack is the heart of the film.
Shahrukh is a proper English gentleman – fifth
generation Englishman to be precise – not an Indian as he points out snootily
- so much so that one expects him to break out in Gilbert and Sullivan
rather than Hindi tunes. A business problem drags him reluctantly to India
where he discovers through Saeed Jaffrey that he has a nephew in India.
Apparently his brother (also played by Shahrukh) had years before escaped
from an arranged marriage in England and fled to India where he fell in
love, married and had a child before both he and his wife died in an accident.
The boy (Sunny Singh) was then brought up by his aunt (who was eight years
old at the time!) who earned money for them both by dancing on the streets
for spare change.
Now all grown up into Sonali, she is the star
attraction at the local beer bar in her small town. No ordinary beer bar
is this though – nightly shows go on that would put Broadway to shame with
it’s huge cast, resplendent sets and intricate ensemble dance numbers.
The fact that the cast seems to greatly outnumber the patrons or that they
in fact seem to outnumber the population of the small town is not something
to dwell on – just enjoy the music. Sonali’s initial attempt to pass herself
off as a princess with a sari that "accidentally" keeps slipping to show
her cleavage collapses when Shahrukh wanders into her workplace to quench
his thirst and comes face to face with her during a particularly steamy
number.
Instead of dropping to his knees and declaring
his love like any normal man would do, he instead assumes she is lacking
in moral character and decides to take legal action to take the boy back
to England and give him his deserved status in life. Of course in reality
Sonali is as virginal as the Alaska wilderness (well before pipelines anyway)
and she fights to keep her son and her honor. On top of this there is a
sub-plot about some villain desiring to have Sonali – but this part feels
badly out of place and adds unneeded action and melodrama to an otherwise
touching film. Sonali's hip movments are all the action this film needs.
The musical numbers are really the best part of
this film. Among the eight songs performed six of them are excellent with
Sonali taking the stage in lovely fashion for four cabaret type numbers
that are great fun and wonderfully choreographed. My favorite has to be
the fifth song – “Come on Baby” in which Sonali begins in red top hat,
then switches to a growling Sheena of the Jungle look and then eases into
being an Arab harem fashion plate - all while singing:
Love me Honey Honey
Love me Sweet
Kiss me Honey Honey
Kiss me Sweet
They just don’t write lyrics like that any
more.
My rating for this film: 7.0
Song
1
Song
2
