Dhund (Fog)
Director: B.R. Chopra
Music: Ravi; Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Year: 1973
Running Time: 2 hours 4 minutes
A man's car breaks down in the night fog
and he walks into a secluded house to get help where he discovers a dead
body (Danny Denzongpa) and the luscious Zeenat Aman in a corner with a gun
in her hand and a plea of guilt on her lips. Like any man would do in the
circumstances, he (Navin Nischol) helps her concoct a story that throws the
police suspicions off of her and on to an imaginary man in a dark overcoat.
So begins this rather enjoyable murder mystery that slowly winds its convoluted
way to the truth. Suspense movies of this sort are a rarity in Bollywood –
a few that come to mind are Caravan, Teesri Manzil and Gumnaam – all quite
good. Dhund doesn’t quite match up to those, as it isn’t as crisp as it should
be and certainly doesn't exactly keep you on the edge of your seat, but it
actually does a better job of keeping you guessing till the end. In fact,
at the conclusion the film asks the audience not to tell anyone how it all
ends and I will certainly not do so!
One might wonder why Navin is so willing to help Zeenat cover her tracks,
but one look at Zeenat in her blue bare midriff sari makes it all very understandable.
Zeenat can do no wrong as far as I am concerned and she occupies the screen
with an alluring dusky sensuality that just sizzles and glows. Zeenat hit
the Indian screens in the early seventies and took them by storm – a highly
unconventional Bollywood heroine with her Westernized dress and attitudes
and her willingness to exude a heated if still understated sexuality. Till
she came along Heroines were generally very traditional – good girls who
obeyed their parents and kept sex in a drawer only to be opened after marriage.
Zeenat shattered this with her second film Hare Rama Hare Krishna in which
she plays a free spirit into free love and cheap available hashish. Her father
was a well-known writer and she spent her education overseas – thus gaining
an accented Hindi speaking style – she came back to model and became Ms.
Asia. From here she entered film but after her debut (Hulchul) bombed she
almost left the industry to move to Germany, but Dev Anand convinced her
to do HRHK and this made her a huge star.
The police begin their investigation based on the false clues that Navin
and Zeenat have given – there are many suspects as flashbacks detail that
the dead man (Danny Denzongpa) was Zeenat’s husband – an embittered cripple
that enjoyed mentally torturing everyone around him – a step-mother, his
wife, a servant and a lunatic son from a previous marriage – and he has the
annoying habit of shooting at practically anything that moves with an ever
present pistol - and so the suspects are plentiful. Of course if this wasn't
enough, his use of dead animals as the mainstay of his interior decor would
be enough to condemn this fellow to a gunshot in the stomach.
Underneath all this lies the unspoken intimation that the husband was also
not able to perform sexually and Zeenat looks to be a woman in need of a
lot of love. Using the false leads, the police finally land their suspicions
on a young lawyer and aspiring politician (Sanjay Khan) who had become close
to Zeenat and appears to have both motive and opportunity. Both Zeenat and
Navin watch the net close in on Sanjay – coolly attired in horn rimmed glasses
and a series of spiffy suits - including a Nehru jacket – and wonder what
they should do.
There are really only three songs in the film – another is sung over the
opening and closing credits – but all three are quite good. Two of them are
item numbers – one performed by a courtesan in the town brothel, the other
a terrific female dancing duo act in a nightclub that shows some intricate
footwork and co-ordination. In particular I love one part of their act when
the two of them trade these lyrics in staccato fashion:
Yes, I’m chained
But, I’ve eyes like darts
Yes, I’m svelte
But, my colours are fiery
Yes, there are embers in my eyes
But, my breath is as hot as lightening
Yes, the kohl in my eyes looks like a taut bow
But, it’s to shoot arrows at foes
And every step I dance
Is a punishment for my enemy
Unfortunately, Zeenat is in only one of
the songs – a lovely ballad that she sings while playing the piano. Zeenat
was not one of the great dancers from that period – certainly better at modern
songs than traditional songs – but she usually looks very glamorous in her
dance numbers and really looks as if she has “embers in her eyes” as she
sashays her hips to the rhythm of the music.
Sanjay Khan by the way is the younger brother
of Feroz Khan. Though he had a solid career, he never had the success that
his older brother did in film but has become a very successful producer in
television and is the father in law of Hrithik Roshan. His son Zayed is attempting
to break into film presently. Sanjay is also responsible for introducing
Bob Christo into Indian films and even today Christo manages one of Sanjay’s
resorts!
My rating for this film: 7.0