Film Impressions

ESSAY: Chetna And The Awakening That Wasn't

A TALE OF TWO B.R.’S

The poster of B.R. Ishara’s Chetna (1970) advertised the filmmaker’s intent upfront. Debutant Anil Dhawan, standing at a distance was framed between Rehana Sultan’s bare legs. The director was enticing audiences but also being cheeky about the Adult certification granted to his breakthrough film. Interestingly, another B.R.—the more conventional Chopra—made Insaaf Ka Tarazu exactly a decade later in which a rape victim (Zeenat Aman) was shown grovelling between the perpetrator’s (Raj Babbar) legs.

REVIEW: Besharam

LIVES UP TO ITS NAME

I get it. Abhinav Singh Kashyap’s Besharam has been designed to expand Ranbir Kapoor’s mass base. And in the process take a few pot-shots at the ageing movie gods he hopes to dethrone. So he’s doing just the things middle-aged boys of the 100 cr. club have gotten away with for years and years.