It was a busy year for Hindi cinema. Stalwarts of the industry were engaged in a healthy competition. The year, 1975, saw some hits, some flops, but the range of movies gave the audience a rich choice. There was “Sholay”, which picked up pace after initially struggling to attract viewers. That it became a landmark movie is another story. That it did not receive any awards despite the mindboggling accolades from all quarters is also another story.
The ‘70s was a critical phase in Indian cinema. Filmmakers were willing to innovate and experiment with subjects hitherto untouched. The stress was on variety. There was space for romantic stories, tragedies, thrillers and the off-beat stuff. The mantle was being passed on to the young generation with stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor and many more looking to reap the best.
For Amitabh, the challenge emerged from within. He was game to play the hero and the villain. It was a brave decision for him to play the negative role in a couple of films. Vinod Khanna did not stick to a pattern. They came together to give some fine hits like “Khoon Paseena”, “Hera Pheri”, “Amar Akbar Anthony”, “Parvarish”, “Muqaddar Ka Sikandar”. The audience lapped it all, including “Jai Santoshi Maa”, a religious offering made with a small budget but it filled up the coffers of the producers with amazing returns.
In the year that saw “Deewar”, “Sholay”, “Dharmatma”, “Julie”, “Khel Khel Mein”, “Aandhi”, “Choti Si Baat”, “Mausam”, “Nishant”, all excelling at the box office, a film like “Zameer” held its own despite a poor plot, average performances from some of the big names in the industry and a mediocre musical score. Critics were dumbfounded with the success of this movie which had a predictable course, once again the fans mocking at those who sat in judgment when assessing the merits of a movie.
The film had Amitabh, Vinod Khanna, Shammi Kapoor and Saira Banu as the lead actors but it was the unheralded Madan Puri who came up with the most convincing portrayal of a dacoit who also becomes a doting father. The role hardly gave Madan Puri the scope to dominate but the frames he figured in belonged to him.
The plot was hardly impressive. A small time thug Badal (Amitabh) is roped in as a long-lost son of a stud farm owner Maharaj Singh (Shammi Kapoor).
The mother, Rukmini (Indrani Mukherjee), and the father, obviously unaware of the scheming servant Ram Singh (Ramesh Deo). Badal loses little time in making an impression on Maharaj Singh. Badal meanwhile develops a liking for Sunita (Saira Banu) but they are torn apart when she learns that he is in fact the son of Maharaj Singh. Badal knows he is not the brother but keeps the secret to himself.
Circumstances bring Badal in confrontation with Suraj (Vinod), who has been brought up by the dacoit as his son.
On learning the truth, Badal takes up the responsibility of restoring Suraj to his family but not after the usual drama. A confession from the dacoit brings the curtain down with everyone smiling happily. Amitabh and Saira Banu were certainly an odd pair with the latter appearing too senior.
There was little in the movie to remember. The dialogues were ordinary and less said about the acting the better. Everyone, with the exception of Madan Puri, just about went through the motions. Shammi Kapoor was disappointing as the garrulous stud farm owner.
Of the songs, a couple did appeal but Sapan Chakravarty lacked the consistency to churn out hits. Kishore Kumar’s peppy “Phoolon Ke Dere Hain” did find a place on the popularity chart though.
It was certainly not among the best films of Amitabh Bachchan. Or even Vinod Khanna. Yet, it is listed a hit.
Genre : Drama
