shravan

There has been only three Hindi movies till date which can be categorized as pure Western and Yateem is one of them with Sholay and Dacait being the other two. Released in 1988, Yateem was much ahead of its time and narrated a story which would find few takers in even 2008 i.e. a son and a step-mother relation. Like JP Dutta's other films, cinematography is top notch and could be adjudged as his finest in terms of shot takings. Sunny has given a performance of his life time, which's as good as Ghayal. The Salim Chisti Dargah at Fatehpur Sikri is shot so beautifully, it stays in your mind much after the movie and the Qawalli is brilliant. On the acting front, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Danny, Amrish Puri, Sujata Mehta light up the movie screen when ever they come. For me Yateem is one of the best movies I've ever seen and still watch the re-runs on television when ever I get a chance. Sad, JP Dutta doesn't make these kind of movies now a days but Yateem rocks!!

I must admit that 'Hathyar' is JP Dutta's finest film till date and a highly underrated movie of our times. From the opening scene where a kid plays with a gun till the end when he remembers his father stopping him from doing so, it's a sheer delight. Hathyar, when released in 1989, was much ahead of its time and this was a major reason of its failing at the box-office. It's also Sanjay Dutt's best performance till date and I rate it above Vastav, which was too obvious. The camera work by JP Dutta loyalist, Ishwar Bidri, was awesome, whether showing the barren lands of UP to the concrete jungle of Mumbai. The scene where Sanjay Dutts shoots a member of the opposite gang at the Bandra swamp is sheer magic. Beside Sanjay Dutt, Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Paresh Rawal gave commendable performances. If released today, Hathyar surely would have loved by the movie goers. For me it's a must watch.