Starcast :- Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Reena Roy, Rishi Kapoor, Kim, Pran, Shakti Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Jeevan, Amjad...
Starcast :- Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini,
Shatrughan Sinha, Reena Roy, Rishi Kapoor, Kim, Pran, Shakti Kapoor, Prem Chopra,
Jeevan, Amjad Khan, Kader Khan, Anees Bazmee and Amrish Puri
Direction :- Manmohan Desai
Music :- Laxmikant Pyarelal
Back in the early '80s, when Bollywood was all
about grand gestures, impossible coincidences, and heroes who could dance their
way out of any mess, Manmohan Desai dropped Naseeb like a glitter bomb.
Released on May 1,1981, this three-hour beast isn't just a movie—it's a full-blown
carnival ride through destiny, betrayal, revenge, and enough star power to
light up half of Mumbai. Every time I watch it, I end up glued to the screen,
laughing, cheering, and occasionally wondering how anyone greenlit something this
gloriously over-the-top. But that's the magic of Desai: he didn't make films,
he threw parties on celluloid.
The story kicks off with a simple lottery ticket
that flips lives upside down. Four struggling buddies—a waiter (Pran), a tonga
driver (Kader Khan), a band player (Jagdish Raj), and a photographer (Amjad Khan)—pool their meagre rupees to buy it
after a drunk customer hands it over to settle a bill. When it hits the
jackpot, greed kicks in hard. Two of them murder one friend and frame the
fourth, Pran's character Namdev. An earthquake adds to the chaos, separating
families and setting up decades of tangled fates. Fast-forward, and we meet the
next generation: Amitabh Bachchan as Johnny (aka John Jani Janardan), the
honest waiter son seeking justice, Shatrughan Sinha as his intense and loyal
pal, Rishi Kapoor as the younger brother bringing in the charm, and the
women—Hema Malini, Reena Roy, and Kim—adding romance, fire, and glamour.
What follows is classic Desai territory:
lost-and-found tropes on steroids, mistaken identities, heartfelt sacrifices,
and villains who twirl their mustaches with villainous glee (hello, Prem
Chopra, Shakti Kapoor and Amrish Puri). The plot is deliberately
bonkers—earthquakes, international chases, rotating hotel towers that double as
death traps, even a "mawa cake" fight that feels like it wandered in
from a slapstick comedy. Logic? Optional. Emotional logic? Amped up to eleven.
By the end, destiny (naseeb) ties every loose thread in the most satisfying,
crowd-pleasing way possible. It's not subtle, but who needs subtle when you can
have Amitabh delivering one-liners while boxing and bashing up bad guys?
The cast is a dream. Big B owns every frame as the
cool, brooding yet playful Johnny. His waiter act at the fancy hotel owned by
the very men who ruined his family is pure gold—quiet dignity mixed with
simmering anger. Hema Malini sparkles as the bubbly love interest; their
chemistry crackles, especially in that flower-basket entry for "Mere
Naseeb Mein Tu Hai Ke Nahi." Shatrughan Sinha brings raw intensity as the
rich friend, Rishi Kapoor adds youthful energy as the younger brother and some
solid dance moves, and Reena Roy holds her own with quiet strength. The
veterans—Pran, Amjad Khan, Kader Khan (who also wrote the dialogues),
Jeevan—elevate every scene they're in. It's a true multi-starrer where no one
feels wasted, even if some roles are more cameo than meaty.
And the songs? Laxmikant-Pyarelal delivered a
soundtrack which are still popular for a reason. "Mere Naseeb Mein"
is pure romantic magic—Lata's voice soaring while Hema and Amitabh glance amid
the life size flower bouquet . "John Jani Janardan" is the ultimate
showstopper: Amitabh in a dancing avatar, introducing himself in triple names
(a nod to unity across faiths), while half of Bollywood pops up in cameos—Raj
Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, Shammi Kapoor everyone!
It's meta, self-indulgent, and ridiculously fun. "Chal Mere Bhai"
with Amitabh and Rishi is brotherly banter at its bounciest, and "Rang
Jamake Jayenge" brings the celebratory energy. These tracks aren't just
fillers; they drive the mood, give the stars their moments, and make you want
to get up and dance in your living room.
What makes Naseeb special, even today, is how
unapologetically it embraces the masala formula. Desai wasn't trying to win
awards—he was giving the masses an escape haven packed with action, emotion,
comedy, romance, and spectacle. The sets are lavish (that spinning hotel tower
sequence is still jaw-dropping), the fights are punchy, and the underlying
message about fate, friendship, and karma hits home without preaching. Sure,
the logic stretches thinner than a rubber band at times, and the runtime tests
your patience, but that's part of the charm. It's like devouring a plate of
street chaat—messy, spicy, addictive, and impossible to stop halfway.
Watching it now, Naseeb feels like a time capsule
of when Bollywood believed bigger was always better. In an era of slick,
realistic dramas, revisiting this feels refreshing. It's not perfect, but it's
pure joy. If you're in the mood for a film that celebrates cinema
itself—complete with nods to Desai's own hits and a cast that screams
"golden era"—queue it up. Just don't expect restraint. Expect
fireworks, fate doing summersaults, and that warm glow when the good guys
finally win against all odds.
Manmohan Desai knew exactly what the audience
wanted: three hours of forgetting the vagaries of life. Naseeb delivers that
in spades. Blockbuster? Absolutely. Timeless entertainer? You bet. If destiny
brought you to this review —watch the damn movie.
By Ayushmaan Mitra
No comments