Khamosh (Vinod Chopra, 1985)

[kaytee]

Very rarely we see good suspense movies in Bollywood. And if there is any good suspense movie that has been released the media comes out with the whole plot the next day of release. So it was great that I had never heard of this movie and knew who stars in it, it was just a recommendation from a friend.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a well known name now in India because of all the Bentley giveaways, the Munnabhai Series, and the other histrionics. But before he made it big he made this small story of a film unit going to Pahalgaon (a hill station) for shooting. There are secret love affairs among the crew members, rivalries among the stars, and sexual advances from the producers on the lead actresses. Then one night an actress is murdered or commits suicide, we don’t know? Hence starts the whodunit part of the movie which keeps you guessing till the very end whether this actress was killed or committed suicide. The movie uses the excellent location and star cast to its advantage and creates the mood for a great suspense film.

This is the only movie I can remember which tried Film Noir in Bollywood. The lighting used, the fog, the camera angels, the setting in a secluded place are all pointing towards Noir. The cinematography too should not go unnoticed especially a chase scene on foot which takes your breath away.
The movie has a huge star cast including Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Amol Palekar, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Pankaj Kapoor, Pavan Malhotra, etc. The performance are up to mark as a suspense movie does not demand a lot but with such a star cast you can hardly go wrong.
But it is the treatment and direction that excels and makes the movie watch able. The movie has striking resemblance to Gosford Park too had a similar plot line but no one can accuse Khamosh as it was released much earlier.
Another great watch.

[X.]

Another great recommendation, thanks.

[sandeep]

hey i didnt know about this one! will surely watch it now! Thanks KT

[shariqq]

Yes, another great recommendation. Brilliant film. I haven't seen it for over 10 years now, but I remember the excellence of Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah & Amol Palekar. I still recollect that as kids, my elder brother and I were always reminded of this movie's scenes on Full Moon nights (we discovered werewolf myths much later).

VVC is still quite a shoulder above contemporary directors of today, but her has only made films of diminishing quality with time. This was his feature commercial release, and his best work, IMHO, to date.

[shariqq]

...and if I recollect rightly (correct me if I am wrong), even though being a Bollywood movie set IN Bollywood, this movie has no songs.

[kaytee]

Thats true no songs.

[fizz]

I saw this film - 15 years ago on TV...much too early in my youth to form any critical opinion about it. All I remember is that it was dark and creepy for me, but i never forgot individuals scenes from it and to this day I have a desire to pick it up and give it a watch.

[kaytee]

I have the original VCD for this, if anyone wants to have a look, drop me a pm.

[X.]

Silent (Khamosh)
(Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 1985)


We all told her to use sleeping pills instead of rope. She didn't listen. And now we're supposed to cut her down? Bitch.

The problem with most Bollywood films is tone. "Khamosh," Vidhu Vinod Chopra's daring attempt to adapt the Hollywood whodunit in an Indian setting is, unfortunately, no exception. The lame dialogue and overwhelming hokiness (every character basically shouts his dialogue, they all act as if they're stark raving mad!) almost manages to undo the film's greatest accomplishment: mood. Chopra busts out the noir rulebook here: sharp angles, handheld cinematography, color filters and dark rainy nights are just some of the aesthetic choices on prominent display. It does work and lends "Khamosh" a gritty feel.

Let's talk about the plot which, although done before, is a bit clever. A film crew is shooting a murder mystery in a sleepy town; the story of their film involves the mystery surrounding a murderd woman. The story of our film "Khamosh" kicks off when the actress playing the character supposed to be murdered in the movie within this movie (get it?) is actually murdered herself! Since this is supposed to be noir, a shrewd Marlowe-type detective (Naseerudin Shah) quickly arrives on the scene to dig deeper. Shah plays his character with quiet intensity; it's an understated performance, and a welcome change from all the barking dialogue flying about from the other characters. Before the actress' murder, Chopra had immediately set up the suspects by implicating everyone in the crew: every one of them had a beef with the dead girl. (That's Motive multipied by 1000.) Chopra who wrote and directed "Khamosh" keeps the big secret a secret till the very end. No clues are given, making the fun one-sided -- it's irritating when all the doors of logic are slammed shut on the audience's face. As Shah's character connects the dots in his investigation, the film slowly starts to eliminate each suspect until the real killer is finally unmasked. By that time, we're barely interested anymore.

"Khamosh" is well-made. It's also supposed to be unconventional, by Bollywood standards: there are no songs; it is an ensemble film set in and around one hotel. There are even some successful attempts at satire when Chopra pokes fun at the Indian movie industry -- the film crew in the story comprises a producer who is a depraved money-pinching scrooge while the director is hardly human; all he wants is to finish his movie (in one hilarious scene he goads the bald movie villain to really go after the underage actress playing the rape victim, then rolls the camera conveniently forgetting to say CUT!). Plus, almost all the actors in "Khamosh" use their real names which adds to the glib irony.

"Khamosh" is a pastiche of Western filmmaking and genre conventions, and may be that's really the problem. Hitchcock's "Psycho" plays prominently on a TV screen in one scene...the film also has clear influences of Lynch's "Twin Peaks" and some obvious borrowing of Godard's stylistic graces from "Alphaville." The mere fact that "Khamosh" is different from standard Bollywood fare may be enough for staunch supporters of this industry. But for the rest of us, it's all been done (much better) before.

[kaytee]

AK thats a great review. But I dont see a rating from you. I assume you enjoyed it but didnt really enjoy it. If that makes any sense. Well atleast I got you to see it .

Now get watching Shatranj Ke Khilari.

[X.]

I've abandoned attaching ratings to reviews (here) in an attempt to make the actual piece more meaningful. Ratings are arbitary, I use them on main site half-heartedly. But don't let this affect the rest of you; by all means continue to use ratings here if you like.

Looking forward to Ray's "The Chess Players" and then onto Shariq's recommendation, "Shaheb Bibi Aur Ghulam."

[kaytee]

I should be coming back packed with some great Nasseruddin Shah movies. I have sent a list across to one of the dealers and he might hook me up with some classics.

[shariqq]

Kaytee: Over 2 years now, but did you get Goutam Ghose's Paar?

[kaytee]

Kaytee: Over 2 years now, but did you get Goutam Ghose's Paar?

Nope couldn't get hold of that but managed to get Katha,
Junoon, Mandi and Ek Pal. Let me know if you need any.

[shariqq]

Wow, good movies!

Junoon is crammed with brilliance, a movie that my mum had to sit me down to explain after I first saw it. Did you know Shyam Benegal was inspired by the the Mahabharata for it?

I've got that and Mandi.

Katha is fantastic movie too - especially the goggle-swiveling Farookh Sheikh. For the kind of roles he had played until then, his character in Katha was such a departure.

I don't remember Ek Pal at all though. I'd like to borrow that...