This could have been great; a Bollywood-Soviet Union production, of a fantasy, with all star cast, and a big budget which was amongst the highest at the time, done by 2 directors; the Indian Shashi Kapoor and the Soviet Gennadi Vasilyev. Though, the outcome is something between terrible, and average at best!
Despite the old Arabic backgrounds, or the fantasy element, this is an Indian masala of which was so popular between the late 1970s and the early 1990s. Otherwise, it roots part of the masala's historical basis, which is the Arabian folk stories. But anyway, while the script built the basis right, it led the story in a way that had many plot holes, lousy moments, and - yes - incomprehensible matters!
To instance: the king regain his memory so easily; actually all what happened that the title character told him: "You're the king", and BOOPH, he remembered what he had forgotten during 20 years! How that king transformed into magical healer was never explained (the more provocative question should be; how he didn't heal himself?!). A crab monster shows up suddenly to rescue the good leads in the nick of time, OK, who's that crab? Who sent him? How come he knows the leads? (Was he a fan of the Indian cinema?!).
Speaking of which, the special effects were mostly what I meant by terrible in the start. You won't believe their cheapness until you watch the movie. The back projections, the flaying carpet, the monster crab all were poor, shoddy and a bit embarrassing. However, Piece De Resistance has to be the huge, Godzilla-like, devil of the end; it seemed like a burned small toy that terrorizes only by its low level!
According to that script, nothing was really demanded from the performance's side. Just look handsome and charming while the romantic scenes, energetic and heroic while the action ones, and sad and misty while the melodramatic ones. Nevertheless, nothing made me sad and misty more than seeing Amitabh Bachchan in this. He was only there, doing the simple required simply. Sure I felt him less enthusiastic. Not for being 49 year old only, but also because he worked in it gratis, as a favor to his longtime collaborator and friend Shashi Kapoor. Well, that was the movie's top melodrama for me!
Furthermore, I don't know why to waste a load of talent and charisma such as Amrish Puri? They thought, extremely stupidly, that he would be both "very evil" and "memorable" by standing in front of the camera, and repeating like an idiot: "Shaitan zindabad!" or "Long Live the Devil!" for like 20 times (it was more than half of his dialogue!). I believe the aim was to recreate a catchphrase a la "Mogambo khush hua" or "Mogambo is pleased" said by Puri himself in Mr. India, four years earlier. But apparently, the most famous lines in movie history come unintentionally, this round they represented the intentional way, and how failed and unbearably boring it turned out to be. Another line was so-hateful-it's-laughable when the mother actually "threatens" god after the climactic fencing and the injury of her son!
The electronic music score was generally annoying and degraded. Some of the directing was primitive and odd (misusing the lens at Rishi Kapoor sequence in the palace was a clear example). The action was like most of the movie itself; naïve. And although the lead's Zorro mask was, as I read, being sold at every corner in India at the time, I have to scream my heart out; it was cheeeeeeeeeesy. It's hard to believe that Bachchan saw anything while wearing it!
On the positive side, the cast did well; the lovely Dimple Kapadia as the love interest, the chubby Rishi Kapoor as the funny sidekick, and the heartwarming Ariadna Shengelaya as the soppy mother. I loved most of the songs, especially "Ya Ali Ya Ali" by Sudesh Bhosle: an instant classic in my book. Some of the huge sets and the flashy customs dazzled me (I said "some" since the city's miniatures rather infuriated me!). Unlike the rest of the special effects, the tricks of minimizing some of the characters were very well-done. And the editing managed to make a lively pace without one atom of bore.
Knowing that Ajooba means in Hindi, as well as Arabic; miracle, I must say Ajooba is no Ajooba. But thanks to the story's formula, the A-list stars, the different atmosphere, the songs.. it holds its own and somewhat works. It's a fantasy from Bollywood of 1991. If you know and happens to love the concomitants of that, then it's for you. If you don't, then this is some entertainment with B and C-grade stuff!
Despite the old Arabic backgrounds, or the fantasy element, this is an Indian masala of which was so popular between the late 1970s and the early 1990s. Otherwise, it roots part of the masala's historical basis, which is the Arabian folk stories. But anyway, while the script built the basis right, it led the story in a way that had many plot holes, lousy moments, and - yes - incomprehensible matters!
To instance: the king regain his memory so easily; actually all what happened that the title character told him: "You're the king", and BOOPH, he remembered what he had forgotten during 20 years! How that king transformed into magical healer was never explained (the more provocative question should be; how he didn't heal himself?!). A crab monster shows up suddenly to rescue the good leads in the nick of time, OK, who's that crab? Who sent him? How come he knows the leads? (Was he a fan of the Indian cinema?!).
Speaking of which, the special effects were mostly what I meant by terrible in the start. You won't believe their cheapness until you watch the movie. The back projections, the flaying carpet, the monster crab all were poor, shoddy and a bit embarrassing. However, Piece De Resistance has to be the huge, Godzilla-like, devil of the end; it seemed like a burned small toy that terrorizes only by its low level!
According to that script, nothing was really demanded from the performance's side. Just look handsome and charming while the romantic scenes, energetic and heroic while the action ones, and sad and misty while the melodramatic ones. Nevertheless, nothing made me sad and misty more than seeing Amitabh Bachchan in this. He was only there, doing the simple required simply. Sure I felt him less enthusiastic. Not for being 49 year old only, but also because he worked in it gratis, as a favor to his longtime collaborator and friend Shashi Kapoor. Well, that was the movie's top melodrama for me!
Furthermore, I don't know why to waste a load of talent and charisma such as Amrish Puri? They thought, extremely stupidly, that he would be both "very evil" and "memorable" by standing in front of the camera, and repeating like an idiot: "Shaitan zindabad!" or "Long Live the Devil!" for like 20 times (it was more than half of his dialogue!). I believe the aim was to recreate a catchphrase a la "Mogambo khush hua" or "Mogambo is pleased" said by Puri himself in Mr. India, four years earlier. But apparently, the most famous lines in movie history come unintentionally, this round they represented the intentional way, and how failed and unbearably boring it turned out to be. Another line was so-hateful-it's-laughable when the mother actually "threatens" god after the climactic fencing and the injury of her son!
The electronic music score was generally annoying and degraded. Some of the directing was primitive and odd (misusing the lens at Rishi Kapoor sequence in the palace was a clear example). The action was like most of the movie itself; naïve. And although the lead's Zorro mask was, as I read, being sold at every corner in India at the time, I have to scream my heart out; it was cheeeeeeeeeesy. It's hard to believe that Bachchan saw anything while wearing it!
On the positive side, the cast did well; the lovely Dimple Kapadia as the love interest, the chubby Rishi Kapoor as the funny sidekick, and the heartwarming Ariadna Shengelaya as the soppy mother. I loved most of the songs, especially "Ya Ali Ya Ali" by Sudesh Bhosle: an instant classic in my book. Some of the huge sets and the flashy customs dazzled me (I said "some" since the city's miniatures rather infuriated me!). Unlike the rest of the special effects, the tricks of minimizing some of the characters were very well-done. And the editing managed to make a lively pace without one atom of bore.
Knowing that Ajooba means in Hindi, as well as Arabic; miracle, I must say Ajooba is no Ajooba. But thanks to the story's formula, the A-list stars, the different atmosphere, the songs.. it holds its own and somewhat works. It's a fantasy from Bollywood of 1991. If you know and happens to love the concomitants of that, then it's for you. If you don't, then this is some entertainment with B and C-grade stuff!