Pratiggya (1975) :
Brief Review -
A pathbreaking use of slapstick comedy in an action-packed revenge drama. You might have seen a slapstick comic flavour in an action-packed film with Dabangg (2010), a story that is led by a cop and has a revenge theory completing its climax. Now what if I told you that Dharmendra's Pratiggya did it 35 years before Chulbul Pandey's mass hysteria? To be more precise, a couple of old Hollywood westerns have done that, and I know many wouldn't be aware of it, especially in India. The film begins with Dharmendra murmuring his own hit song, "Tera picha na chodunga soniye," from Jugnu (1973), starring him and Hema only. You might remember "Ek ek ko chun chun ke marunga" from "Sholay" (1975), but it's here in Pratigya too. You might remember Asrani's role in Sholay, as he portrays a childishly funny cop. Say, Pratiggya has a full gang of them, including the leading hero. I don't remember if any cop action film starring a Bollywood superstar has used comedy before, and even if it has, the comical banter and intentional jokes driven by accurate situations and slapstick humour in Pratiggya are far superior to any such film till date. "Mein Jatt Yamla" has to be one of the most celebrated songs of Dharmendra, and interestingly, it comes out for Hema Ji's character. Lata Di's voice and Hema Ji's beauty have made even "Pardesi Aaya Des Mein" look so beautiful. Ajit plays a reckless villain, and Dharmendra is the dashing hero yet again, but I personally think that this film should be remembered for his comic timing. Hema Malini's got some dashing scenes too, which was unexpected but looked so fantastic. The predictable climax has to be the only flaw here; otherwise, the rest of the film packs a solid punch of a ground-level mass blockbuster. Guha's rural touch makes it so easy to understand because the comedy then sticks to its basic form, unlike verbally confusing Chupke Chupke (1975).
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
