What's not to love about this movie? It has everything - drama, romance, foreign baddies in a fake golf tournament, lots of suspense, a gorgeous Rakhee, two gorgeous Rakhees, a (to borrow Memsaab's adjective) dreamy Dharmendra, windswept love letters, Kishore Kumar's voice, tears, unrequited love, men of science in a massive lab, a pretty amazing 'formoola', laughter, beautiful music, oodles of sexiness (you have to see 'Mile Do Badan'), cute children, Madan Puri in a crazy wig... need I go on? I adored it. 'Blackmail' is a lovely film, and a total delight for any Dharmendra fan... and even if you're not huge on Dharmendra, you'll love it if you love good Hindi films from the 70s.
I'm not doing a proper review of this movie, as I think Memsaab's excellent review says everything I might have said (and better than I could possibly have said it), so here are some of my favourite screencaps from 'Blackmail' (for your viewing pleasure, but also so I can come back here and stare at them the next time I need cheering up ;-))....
12 comments:
Wow Raakhee looks so angelic here, she's always been one of my faves and its such a pity she only played female lead roles for a decade, this has been on my to watch list for a long time and i'll get it when i finish watching all the ones i have at home
Great to have you back.........xx
O Blackmail is worth a much longer wait! Its the best romantic-thriller-action romp EVER. Not to mention Pal pal dil ke paas and Mile do badan with the best combo of eye-candy, dreamy romance and lovely vocals. Mmmm... I need to rewatch this film (for the nth time) again!
Speaking of Dharmendra thrillers, have you watched Aankhen yet?
Hey DG, thanks for commenting :) I've been so busy (school work blah snore meh) I didn't really have much time for movies or blogging and now I feel so out of the loop that I can't get myself to come back to it. At least the blogging part, I still watch the movies when I can!
Yay!!!! I am so glad you FINALLY got it!!! This might actually be my favorite Hindi film of all time...I can just watch it endlessly. So much of gorgeousness! :-D
One of the best ever! Echo above comments on Pal pal dil ke paas and Mile do badan--wonderful picturization, chemistry (oof!), and, of course, the music. Great to have you back after the long hiatus by the way :-)
A 'farmaish' (request). Could you please review Rajput (1982), also directed by Goldie (Vijay Anand) with Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Hema and Vinod Khanna? Thanks.
@bollywooddeewana: Yes, Raakhee is so gorgeous in Blackmail. Really good performance as well - you really come to love and empathise with her character... she's not one of my favourites, but I really loved her in this. I'm doing the same as you, wading through dvds I already have before getting any new ones (and getting new ones is a bit of an ordeal for me - it takes ages to receive them usually - so I am taking the time to draw up a nice comprehensive list of must-haves). So many movies, so little time! Thanks for the welcome - and great job with your blog!
@bollyviewer: After reading your description of 'Blackmail' above, I can't wait to rewatch it -- tonight! Alas, I haven't yet been able to get my Dharam-seeking paws on Aankhen. I'm working on it though!
@Maja: I can totally relate... I think this is just my third post this year, and I did only a handful of posts last year as well... it's kinda hard to get back into it once you stop. I'm so glad you still keep up with the movies though - and even if you're not able to return to regular Bollyblogging, I hope you give us some more pleasant surprise posts now and then in the future!
@memsaab: That should really be the tagline for 'Blackmail' - 'so much of gorgeousness'! It would be worth watching just for the gorgeous 'Pal pal dil ke paas', but there is SO MUCH goodness besides... I am so glad I got this - thanks again for recommending it.
@Suhan: Before reading your comment, I had never heard of 'Rajput', but I've done a little research on it now and hopefully should get it soon... will definitely review it when I do!
My little sister loaned all of her Bollywood movies -- about five -- to a college-aged male friend. When he brought them back, he said his favorite was Blackmail. We were both rather surprised by this, but it is really a good movie. Now I want to rewatch it too.
Mmm, one of my favourite films - I can't remember how many times I've seen it. Though I've always wondered how long it actually took to make the film. There are some scenes where the costumes, the hairdos and even their faces look from a different, earlier (late 60's?) era - for instance, when she goes to meet Dharmendra at the factory and he shows her around. Most of the film, though, is definitely 70's.
Whatever. Still great eye candy and oh so romantic. And who can forget Pal pal dil ke pass...? Lovely song.
@Cindy: I love this film. I think I will re-watch it plenty of times... I'm glad your sister's friend enjoyed it!
@dustedoff: I agree with you - Dharmendra's face in particular looks a little older in some parts than in others.... 'Pal pal dil ke paas' is wonderful, so beautifully sung and picturised... sigh....
Bravo! A blog dedicated to Dharmendra, the 10/10 man, and a review on Black Mail- a film by one of the greatest (though a little underrated) directors. Agree- 'Mile do badan' reflects the ingenuity that Vijay Anand had got. Even 'Asha O Asha' so beautifully captures the 'unrest' of a 'changing heart' (I find such themes depressing but a heart changing for Dharmendra- well, that's understandable!)
So good to know that there are other huge fans of Dharmendra too- bigger than myself lol! BTW, have you seen Satyakaam by Hrishikesh Mukherji? If you have, you'll agree that Dharmendra definitely was one of the finest actors (or he always had the potential, which was anyways overshadowed by his awesome looks and a GREAT body). In this one, he played the honest man with such ease- there has always been so much of honesty in his eyes! One of my best-favorite films! Would love to read your review on the same!
Cheers and thanks for this blog on Dharmendra, the ten-out-of-ten man!
Oh, you already have a post on Satyakaam...! :) Thanks again.....
Blah: Thanks so much for your comment, one of my favourite things ever about keeping this blog (although I've neglected it quite a bit recently) is hearing from other Dharmendra fans... I love your description of him as the 10/10 man! So apt! I totally agree that he is underrated because of his looks, but I'm glad there are people like you that really appreciate what a great actor he is. 'Satyakam' is a fascinating film and Dharam was so brilliant in it... he totally embodied the character. Must watch it again soon! Thanks again for stopping by.
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