Bemisal (1982) User Reviews

Amitabh with a difference

[silvan-desouza · 6/10 · 9 February 2014]

In the year 1982 Amitabh had 6 releases among which some were mass appealing films like Namak Halaal, Desh Premee,Khuddaar and SPS while some were sort of serious films like Shakti, Bemisaal. Bemisaal was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee with whom he worked earlier in Anand, Namak Haraam, Mili, Chupke Chupke, Alaap and Jurmana. Bemisaal also has Amitabh in a dual role(3rd time that year) after SPS and Desh Premee. The film is a remake of Uttam Kumar's Bengali classic Ami Se O Shakha (1975). BEMISAAL is a departure from Amitabh's usual films. It starts off just like Namak Haraam, Anand(characters are shown in their later age and then flashback) and what for first seems like a love triangle changes into a psychological drama where AB has some inner demons, his revenge angle with Ruby Dutt is also well conceived, At times we are left perplexed by his behaviour which changes throughout but that also makes this film challenging and perhaps was not understood by audiences in 1982. The film has several subplots and at times does take time to understand, the end is superb too The film is well handled by Hrishikesh Mukherjee Music by RD Burman is again a highlight just like their earlier collaborations(Mostly hit songs) Ae Ri Pawan by Lata is simply outstanding, while Ek Roz by Kishore Kumar is fab, Khafa Hun again by Kishore is superb(Kishore was the voice for Big B in 70s and 80s), Yeh Kashmir Hai by Kishore, Suresh Wadkar and Lata is superb too

Amitabh Bachchan is superb in a role that is a departure from his usual kinda roles, he is awesome as Sudhir and also as Adhir(though only 1 scene). His expressions are simply fab Vinod Mehra plays his role well, In the same year he paired with Big B again in Khudaar and the role is somewhat similar. Raakhee is good in her role Om Shivpuri is good in a brief role, Aruna Irani leaves a mark, Deven Verma is funny in his role while Sheetal as Ruby Dutt is good rest are okay.

Experimental Cinema

[IPyaarCinema · 6/10 · 13 August 2021]

Review By Kamal K

Awesome movie...I don't know why it flopped then..probably too many sub plots which are not well knit with each other..and masses could not relate to a different Amitabh Bachhan...who was the tallest(no pun intended) actor walking in India then..but super acting by Big B... and great music by Pancham da.

Highly underrated and beautiful movie

[nadkarnisumeet · 8/10 · 5 March 2023]

Bemisal review :

By the '80s, the angry young man tag was so synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan that the audience was unwilling to see him in any meek and mild avatar. As a result, some of his good films like Jurmana (1979), Silsila (1981) and Bemisal (1982) underperformed at the box office. In fact, Bemisal directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, had Bachchan in one of his best and highly underrated performance ever.

Based on Hrishi da's own Bengali movie Ami Se O Sakha (1975), Bemisaal was a poignant tale of a triangle between Bachchan, Rakhee and Vinod Mehra. As an orphan raised by Mehra's father, Amitabh not only sacrifices his love for Rakhee and gets her married to Vinod Mehra but eventually even takes the blame for an illegal abortion committed by Mehra.

R. D. Burman's scintillating music score complimented the scenic Kashmir locales beautifully. 'Yeh Kashmir hai' song became a chartbuster and it is still in my songlist. Another song which I love is 'Ek roz main tadapkar' picturised on Amitabh and Sheetal who got the chance of a lifetime to be his heroine though her role had negative shades.

Bemisal completed a silver jubilee at Mumbai's Opera House but was still called a box office flop as it didn't perform to Bachchan's high standards. The film is a must watch for his fans who will certainly enjoy seeing him in an emotional dual role.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Not as good as other Hrishikesh Mukherjee masterpieces.

[akanshima · 6/10 · 20 April 2008]

Sudhir Roy (Amitabh Bachchan) is son of a poor teacher.After his father's death and his elder brother Adhir Roy going insane (Amitabh Bachchan in dual role) he is sheltered and brought up by the magistrate Mr. Chaturvedi whose son Prashant (Vinod Mehra) gives him good company as a friend.Together they become doctors.After Mr. Chaturvedi's death Prashant opens a nursing home.To earn money fast he performs an illegal operation which leads him to police.There Sudhir helps hims and disowns himself of the debts he and his father have owed him throughout life.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Bemisal is an average film, with average performances by it's actors, an average music and a not so average direction.Although with Amitabh in lead this film failed to impress me as a viewer and certainly it is not as good a film as his other masterpieces such as Chupke Chupke, Golmaal or Naram Garam

An excellent experiment by Mr. Mukherjee on the human psyche

[sidatresearch · 9/10 · 31 August 2006]

No movie captures the great Amitabh as an angry yet soulful young man better than Bemisaal. Although uniquely done for its time of release, when such blockbusters as Shakit, Khuddar, Mahaan, and Pukar hit the screen with quite a punch, Bemisaal is set to give the audience an intimate look at the very soul of Amitabh's portrayed anger. Playing a double role as both the insane older brother and the younger pediatrician, Amitabh performs fabulously in this tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and vendetta. Some of the monologues, that establish the backdrop of his character, are so well performed that one realizes that bone-crackling punches and booming voices are not the only means to express a character's inner rage. In fact, a much more emphatic appreciation is achieved through fine changes in tone and pace that enable dialogs alone to bring Amitabh's inner turmoil to bear. Of course, Lata's lilting rendition of "Ae Ri Pavan" coupled with Kishore's pain-infused performance of "Kaffa Hoon" bring to a nice finish a piece of art by Mr. Mukherjee. If you are looking for action, this is clearly NOT the movie for you. However, if you want to truly experience the rage that Amitabh has portrayed in so many different facets, you want to watch Bemisaal.

A nice experiment by Mr Mukherjee

[aryaprakashnarayan · 10/10 · 8 May 2021]

Although uniquely done for its time of release, when such blockbusters as Shakit, Khuddar, Mahaan, and Pukar hit the screen with quite a punch, Bemisaal is set to give the audience an intimate look at the very soul of Amitabh's portrayed anger. Playing a double role as both the insane older brother and the younger pediatrician, Amitabh performs fabulously in this tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and vendetta. Some of the monologues, that establish the backdrop of his character, are so well performed that one realizes that bone-crackling punches and booming voices are not the only means to express a character's inner rage. In fact, a much more emphatic appreciation is achieved through fine changes in tone and pace that enable dialogs alone to bring Amitabh's inner turmoil to bear. Of course, Lata's lilting rendition of "Ae Ri Pavan" coupled with Kishore's pain-infused performance of "Kaffa Hoon" bring to a nice finish a piece of art by Mr. Mukherjee. If you are looking for action, this is clearly NOT the movie for you. However, if you want to truly experience the rage that Amitabh has portrayed in so many different facets, you want to watch Bemisaal.

Could have been better

[abhishek122 · 5/10 · 15 May 2016]

I watched this movie today and would like to say that i was disappointed. The movie could have been better with a much tighter screenplay. The story is very haphazard and as a viewer i felt like a child lost in a big party. Acting was OK, cinematography was good, music was excellent but the story left a lot to be desired.

Amitabhs double role made no sense and did not add anything to the story. In fact, it diverted the story from its main topic that of how in the hope of trying to make quick buck you can lose your humanity and sense. The movie needed to delve deeper in the inner conflict faced by Vinod Mehra, Big B and Rakhee but it does not dig deeper into the main theme which would have made the movie much more gripping and thought provoking. The theme chosen by Hrishida was good but cant say the same about the execution. I think the stardom of Big B forced the makers to modify the original story and add extra Big B scenes which, in my opinion, just killed the real theme they wanted to explore.

The biggest disappointment is the movie comes from my fav director Hrishi da but is no where near the class of movies like Anand, Bawarchi, Namak Haraam, Golmaal etc.

Bemisaal : Amitabh in an unconventional role

[mukesh_bhatia_in · 8/10 · 15 June 2016]

Bemisaal is a 1982 movie directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The movie is quite different in comparison to previous movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Movie has a complex story which tries to cover too many plots which i guess was bit unnecessary.One must watch this movie for 2 reasons. 1. Excellent acting by Amitabh Bachhan 2. Melodious songs of R.D Burman sung by Kishore Kumar and lataji. I enjoyed the main character of Amitabh and relationship of Rakhee and Amitabh Bachhan which probably never presented in any movie.Dialogues between Amitabh and Rakhee are awesome.

Major reason of failure of this movie at box office could be the complicated story line and no action. as it was expected in all Amitabh movies in that era.

A confusing piece of work

[akramjeet-1 · 5/10 · 28 March 2006]

The year was 1982 and Amitabh was enjoying a blitz of super hits which catered for the masses. In the midst of all them is a film called Bemisal. Amitabh was not into parallel cinema and I think Bemisal was his little foray info it. The result is a confusing love triangle, peppered with self-sacrifice, lust and insanity. Amitabh looks uncomfortable and sullen in his role as a doctor grappling with his emotions for his best friend's wife. Vinod Mehra is his usual one dimensional diminutive self. This was one actor who knew how to play the underdog loser with such aplomb. Then there is Rakhee who plays the clueless wife who thinks Amitabh's affection for her is like a sister. Her character could have been developed much more but she tends to disappear once Amitabh switches his attention to Sheetal, the whip wielding seductress. Watch it if you must but I would rather spend the time watching satte pe satta, mahaan or suhaag. Amitabh at least looked comfortable doing those regular roles tailor made for him.

name suggests the quality of movie

[roopamkhare · 9/10 · 28 February 2004]

the movie is also bemisaal like its name. actually it is the story of the movie which makes it different from all other movies. this was a great year for amitabh with hits like "satte pe satta", "shakti" and "namak halal". bemisaal was not a big hit but of course critically acclaimed and it had two of the most finest gazals of that era. performance wise amitabh is unmatchable. it might not be one of the best movies of hrishikesh mukherjee but ofcourse it is a masterpiece vinod mehra has done justice to his role and so has rakhi. i rate this movie as 8.5/10.

Exceptional movie

[meetsinghnavin · 10/10 · 9 April 2022]

This is different movie unlike other commercial movies. Story is the real sole with good direction by Hrishikesh mukharjee. All actors performed well, music exceptional.

Film promotes wrong facts also acting was not that great.

[keerthisriv · 1/10 · 16 March 2022]

There is a scene in the movie where Amitab says Kashmir is discovered by Mughals. This is totally wrong. Mughals invaded India just few centuries ago. Kashmir is mentioned in all our Itihas and scriptures. People have been living in Kashmir from thousands of years. This is a movie with propaganda scripted scene to whitewash people.

Acting was not great either by cast.