Sometimes in life you come across a movie that just leaves you so completely dumbfounded that any attempt to try and rationalize it into a coherent set of words is just impossible. This movie, Purana Mandir, by the Ramsay Brothers, is most certainly one of those films. One seriously has to wonder what sort of mind-altering substances were being imbibed during the making of this movie. The plot is simple enough; two hundred years ago, the King of Bijapur, Raja Harimansingh's daughter is killed by the devil demon Saamri. His army hunts down Saamri, and as punishment for his evil deeds, his head is to be separated from his body so that he may never sin again. But before the sentence is carried out, Saamri curses Harimansingh's bloodline; every female heir will die during childbirth. Two centuries later, the last descendant of Harimansingh now lives in the city, but is no less rich and influential. Nor has the curse been alleviated. When his beautiful daughter Suman begins to fall in love with the handsome pauper Sanjay, he attempts to forcibly separate the pair lest Saamri's curse take his daughter. Determined not to allow the curse to come between their love, Sanjay and Suman set out on a road trip to Bijapur with their friends, the mustachioed Anand, and his girlfriend. They soon arrive at the old palace of the Singh family, and things take a turn for the worse.... Despite the plot being reminiscent of many great horror movies, Purana Mandir is anything but ordinary. In true Bollywood style, the film jumps from action to romantic melodrama to slapstick comedy to musical to outright terror. Near the beginning, Sanjay and Anand fight off a gang of thugs dressed all in red leisure suits, halfway through, the movie descends into a parody of Sholay without any warning or reason, and there are plentiful close-ups of mammaries. At three hours, Purana Mandir is mind-melting to say the least, but it is also just so invigoratingly entertaining and absurd that one just gets lost in it. This is an experience one must have firsthand.
Comments
Post a Comment