Cast: Sunil Dutt, Sadhna, Feroz Khan, Achala Sachdev, Ramesh Deo, Sidhu, Helen, Rajindernath Released on 24th March 1974. Geetaa Mera Naam...
Cast: Sunil Dutt, Sadhna, Feroz Khan, Achala Sachdev, Ramesh Deo, Sidhu, Helen, Rajindernath
Released on 24th March 1974. Geetaa Mera Naam was producer RK Nayyar’s conception of a super hit (as mentioned in the opening credits). The film which turned 50 this year was conceptualized as a comeback vehicle for Sadhana who also directed the film, but after its release, the film became a huge comeback film for Sunil Dutt who was going through a very lean period then. So good was Dutt Saab, playing the anti-hero role to perfection, that he overshadowed both Sadhana (in a double role) and Feroz Khan with his towering presence and booming dialogue delivery.
The film has a usual RK Narayan story where a mother of four is separated from her three children in a mela. Dacoits run riot in the mela and pick up the elder sibling Suraj. A twin daughter is also lost along with another son. Many years later Suraj becomes a dreaded smuggler Johny who made wax statues out of his betrayers in his gang. He is aided closely by his friend Raja (a dashing Feroz Khan). One daughter Kavita (Sadhana) is a school teacher for orphans and the other Geeta (Sadhana in the titular role) is a street-smart thief who stays with her mother. The other son Chander (Ramesh Deo) becomes a police officer. Raja falls in love with Geetaa and inducts her into Johny’s gang. At one point Geetaa gives it back to Johny by saying ‘Agar Johny tera naam hai… toh Geetaa Mera Naam hai’. However, after lots of fights, action, songs, train robbery & a swimming pool scene (featuring Khan & Sadhana) the bhai-behen-bhai-maa are all united in the end, but Johny does prayashchit by saying ‘Jo jaan lena jaante hai unhe jaan dene ka andaz bhi aana chahiye’ and turns into wax statue in his lair showcase.
The film had a nearly 35-minute climax which completely belonged to Sunil Dutt. You simply couldn’t take your eyes off his panther-like strides and good looks.
Dutt looked deadly, Khan handsome but Sadhana had lost her charm by then. The music by Laxmi-Pyare had the emotional chartbuster ‘Lahoo ko lahoo pukarega’ which brings a lump to your throat in the climax. The other Rafi song ‘Mohabbat yeh mohabbat’ picturized on Feroz Khan is pleasing. The Lata number ‘Aji suniye zara dekhiye na’ and the Asha number ‘mujhe maar daalo mein’ were both lilting and immensely popular.
On the whole, the film is a fast-paced typical masala potboiler that became a jubilee hit when released 50 years ago. It’s a full-on time-pass entertainer despite having its share of flaws.
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