Golmaal review.. old (Golmaal) is gold..??

Almost all of us are safe in our houses due to the ongoing Corona crisis and are finding novel ways to pass our leisure in the comfort of our homes. Many are opting for movies, plays, serials, old and new!

One such masterpiece is the old Golmaal. Even 41 years after its release, it manages to amuse you, and no wonder such works of art are labelled evergreen!! Many a times, even serious movies seem comical after a period of 20-30 years. However, this one has maintained its charm! Those were the days when a long lad called Amitabh Bachchan had mesmerized the silver screen with his angry young man characters. And then came along this sheepish, thin moustached, old fashioned and mythologically named character Ramprasad Sharma, who attempted to generate some light hearted situational comedy. This is the story of how he is forced to create a hypothetical twin brother to keep his job, and the comical incidents that ensue.

This movie nicely captures what most of the girls\’ fathers of the times would have wanted in their respective sons-in-law. Amol Palekar effortlessly transforms into the boy next door who somewhat fakes his mannerisms to keep his job. Bindiya Goswami ( Urmila ), his love interest complements him well. Utpal Dutt (Urmila\’s father), a protective father and a principled, strict but kind at heart boss is fun to watch. However, at times, his over the top acting fails to impress you. Dina Pathak as the unwilling at first, fake but loving mother to the brother sister duo does well. Shubha Khote (Urmila\’s maternal aunt), Deven Varma (Ramprasad\’s friend), David (Ramprasad\’s uncle), Manju Singh (Ram\’s sister), Omprakash ( Police officer) form the supporting cast. Hrishikesh Mukherjee who had given classics like Anand, Guddi, Chupke Chupke, Abhimaan before Golmaal, comes up with another nicely crafted movie. Barring nominal scenes, the movie managed to appeal and will continue to appeal audiences across generations. Amitabh, Rekha, Lataji, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Aruna Irani all have momentary guest appearances. Of course, this was because of the stature of Hrishikesh Da. And we all thought, this trend was set by Karan Johar!! Sachin Bhowmick and Rahi Masoom Raza literally keep you spell bound with their dialogue writing skills. Pancham Da has composed the iconic music for Golmaal, which has been reused in the movie Hera Pheri. Go and ask your parents and they will tell you Aanewala Pal and Golmaal hai bhai sab Golmaal hai are still fresh in their minds.

No wonder this film proved to the highest grosser of the year inspite of being pitched against films like The great gambler, Mr. Natwarlal, Baato Baato Mein and Noori. Such was the charm of the film that it was remade in Tamil, Kannada, Malyalam and Sinhalese in the coming years. In today\’s era, when slapstick, double meaning pun laden, sex oriented comedy is ruling the box office, this one will definitely remain in your hearts for a long time!