Khoon Bhari Mang completed three decades on 12th August. A movie that established Rakesh Roshan's image as a director who had command on his stories and could deliver hits. This movie proved that his first outing as a director was no fluke.
Khoon Bhari Maang is one of the hits that were part of the glorious second innings that Rekha was playing which had other hits like Phool Bane Angarey and Insaaf Ki Awaaz. However for the sheer quality of its technical brilliance and a screenplay that never really loses its focus this movie was probably the best thing that Rekha did post Silsila.
Shatrughan Sinha played a brief cameo in this one probably as a favour to good friend Rakesh Roshan but then this movie and probably ones like Sherni also proved one point about Sinha which has till date largely gone unnoticed that he was that rare male star of the 70s and 80s who was never really scared about doing brief appearances and letting the heroine take some or more than his limelight.
Khoon Bhari Maang was however dominated by the ruthless,slimy casanova Sanjay played by Kabir Bedi. Bedi returned to bollywood with this movie after a long absence due to his assignments in Hollyood. Probably he could not have asked for a better return as Roshan gave him a role which was probably one of the best written villain roles in the 1980s. Sanjay Verma did not have the high drama of a Mogambo or a Shakaal but this manipulative cold blooded man who does not shy away from pushing a woman to crocodiles and a helpless old servant to his death could make your spine shiver with cold fear. It was in fact this battle of the powerful slimy Sanjay and the helpess trusting Arti played by Rekha that turned Khoon Bhari Mang into the classic watchable fare of the underdog vs a more powerful nemesis.
KBM was not just a racy thriller Rakesh Roshan was in super story telling touch in this one and therefore it had moments where you could cry unabashedly with what unfolded on the screen. My most favourite are two of these one where when her own children do not recognise Arti the pet dog does and breaks chain to come and greet her. The second one when the young daughter forgets her line while singing a song that Arti herself sings, struck by the fact that she cannot help the daughter because that will reveal her identity the son walks in at the right time to rescue his struck sister. KBM moves in a way that with every passing frame you get connected with the family of Arti.
KBM also had some very well written characters. Like Satyajit as the mute servant this was his only role of some meat after playing Sunny Deol's mechanic buddy in Arjun. The other character was the one played by the superstar of soundless cinema Jairaj as the man who rescues Arti from near death. KBM moved like an engrossing bestseller on screen and was in some ways a bit ahead of its times too where a widow chooses to remarry to actually give her kids and herself not just redemption in life. In fact the movie had some brave lines which said that besides just being a mother Arti was entitled to her share of selfishness too.
The movie has a very well written climax within the limitations of Masala cinema of the 1980s and the point where Arti ruthlessly kills the man who had betrayed her trust in the most cruel manner is given the same way back to hell is the highlight of the movie and absolutely the way this story could have ended.
Sure with time some parts of the movie might look dated to you but the fact that this movie after three decades is still worth watching speaks volumes about Rakesh Roshan's content creating skill.
Khoon Bhari Maang is one of the hits that were part of the glorious second innings that Rekha was playing which had other hits like Phool Bane Angarey and Insaaf Ki Awaaz. However for the sheer quality of its technical brilliance and a screenplay that never really loses its focus this movie was probably the best thing that Rekha did post Silsila.
Shatrughan Sinha played a brief cameo in this one probably as a favour to good friend Rakesh Roshan but then this movie and probably ones like Sherni also proved one point about Sinha which has till date largely gone unnoticed that he was that rare male star of the 70s and 80s who was never really scared about doing brief appearances and letting the heroine take some or more than his limelight.
Khoon Bhari Maang was however dominated by the ruthless,slimy casanova Sanjay played by Kabir Bedi. Bedi returned to bollywood with this movie after a long absence due to his assignments in Hollyood. Probably he could not have asked for a better return as Roshan gave him a role which was probably one of the best written villain roles in the 1980s. Sanjay Verma did not have the high drama of a Mogambo or a Shakaal but this manipulative cold blooded man who does not shy away from pushing a woman to crocodiles and a helpless old servant to his death could make your spine shiver with cold fear. It was in fact this battle of the powerful slimy Sanjay and the helpess trusting Arti played by Rekha that turned Khoon Bhari Mang into the classic watchable fare of the underdog vs a more powerful nemesis.
KBM was not just a racy thriller Rakesh Roshan was in super story telling touch in this one and therefore it had moments where you could cry unabashedly with what unfolded on the screen. My most favourite are two of these one where when her own children do not recognise Arti the pet dog does and breaks chain to come and greet her. The second one when the young daughter forgets her line while singing a song that Arti herself sings, struck by the fact that she cannot help the daughter because that will reveal her identity the son walks in at the right time to rescue his struck sister. KBM moves in a way that with every passing frame you get connected with the family of Arti.
KBM also had some very well written characters. Like Satyajit as the mute servant this was his only role of some meat after playing Sunny Deol's mechanic buddy in Arjun. The other character was the one played by the superstar of soundless cinema Jairaj as the man who rescues Arti from near death. KBM moved like an engrossing bestseller on screen and was in some ways a bit ahead of its times too where a widow chooses to remarry to actually give her kids and herself not just redemption in life. In fact the movie had some brave lines which said that besides just being a mother Arti was entitled to her share of selfishness too.
The movie has a very well written climax within the limitations of Masala cinema of the 1980s and the point where Arti ruthlessly kills the man who had betrayed her trust in the most cruel manner is given the same way back to hell is the highlight of the movie and absolutely the way this story could have ended.
Sure with time some parts of the movie might look dated to you but the fact that this movie after three decades is still worth watching speaks volumes about Rakesh Roshan's content creating skill.
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