Cast: Utpal Dutt, Amol Palekar, Dina Pathak, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Verma, David, Manju Singh, Yunus Parvez Forty-five years ago Golmaal w...
Cast: Utpal Dutt, Amol Palekar, Dina Pathak, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Verma, David, Manju Singh, Yunus Parvez
Forty-five years ago Golmaal was released on April 20 in theatres to great response. The Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed classic had the audience guffawing at the comic antics of the stellar star cast led by Utpal Dutt, Dina Pathak, and Amol Palekar then and even now as the film never fails to entertain no matter how many times you see this cult comedy.
Amol Palekar plays Ramprasad
Sharma a CA and singer who is searching for a job. On the advice of his uncle
Kedar (David), he bags a job with Bhavani Shankar’s (Utpal Dutt) firm after he turns
up for the interview dressed in traditional Indian attire, with a mustache professing
no love for sports, all necessary attributes for a gentleman according to
Bhavani. He is hired at once.
As luck would have it he is spotted
by Bhavani at a hockey match clean-shaven and in modern attire. When confronted
Ramprasad tells Bhavani that it was his twin brother Lakshmanprasad aka Lucky,
a singer, who was at the match. Bhavani now wants Lucky to teach music to his
daughter Urmila (Bindiya). Thus begins Ramprasad’s double life, as himself and
as Lakshman and he goes deeper and deeper into his web of lies. Matters turn
worse when impressed by Ramprasad’s simplicity and diligence Bhavani wants him
to marry Urmila who by now is in love with Lakshman.
Yunus Parvez played Bade Babu (head clerk) in Bhavani's firm Urmila Traders. His habit of plucking his nose hair every morning was simply hilarious. Once when Ramprasad tells him that he has finished the work given to him by Bhavani Shankar in the evening by coming early to work in the morning, Bade Babu quips ‘Beta, aaj ka kaam kal kar, kal ka kaam parson, itni bhi kya jaldi hai yaaron, jab jeena hai barson’. Dina Pathak's 'twin' act too was out of this world!
The music composed by RD Burman
included gems like “Aanewala pal jaane wala hai”, “Ek din sapne main dein dekha
sapna”, “Ek baar kahun gar maano tum” and “Golmaal hai bhai sab Golmaal hai”.
The last number featured in the Akshay Kumar-Suneil Shetty-Paresh Rawal comedy “Hera
Pheri”.
The film inspired several remakes in various languages, the most prominent being Rohit Shetty’s “Bol Bachchan” starring Ajay Devgun, Abhishek Bachchan, and Asin in 2012. Interestingly both films had cameos by Amitabh Bachchan. While in Golmaal he appears in a scene where Amol Palekar goes with Deven Verma to try out kurta pajamas, in Bol Bachchan he is in the promotional music video. A host of film stars including Zeenat Aman, Rekha, Hema Malini too featured in guest appearances. The hilarious cameos by Om Prakash (as a police officer) and Keshto Mukherjee (as a drunkard) are unforgettable.
Almost the entire film was shot
by Hrishikesh Mukherjee in and around his Bandra bungalow in a 40-day schedule.
Rekha was the original choice for Urmila’s role which finally went to Bindiya
as Mukherjee felt Rekha’s talents would be wasted in the film. Dharmendra too
had signed the film in 1975 but later opted out.
A film meant for repeat viewing, again and again.
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