Film: "Bluff Master" (1963)

Starring: Shammi Kapoor, Saira Banu, Pran, Mohan Choti, Lalita Pawar,

Director/Screenplay: Manmohan Desai

Producer: Subhash Desai

Music: Kalyanji- Anandji, w/Additional Music: Laxmikant - Pyarela / Lyrics: Rajiner Krishan

Playback Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar..

Editor: Kamalakar

Art Director: Sudhendu Roy

 

1) - In a career that spanned over 30 years Manmohan Desai wrote, directed, or produced over 40 films and is ranked as one of the all time great film makers of Bollywood. It is often said of Desai that his film's story lines cared little for logic and that he was more concerned with bringing entertainment to the masses. This claim was and is a pretty fair assessment, however this secondary concern for logic was not from any lack of film making expertise on Desai's part. It was a stylistic device used by him to forward a more main concern for comedic or dramatic interaction within entertaining situations. Desai was what I would term, a 'situationist', he had an innate imagination and talent for putting his characters into situations that would make his audience laugh, cry, or cheer. Very often the situation was absurd or ironic and involved the use of disguises, mistaken identity, or (as became his trademark) the 'lost and found' story. Consequently in order to get his characters into these inspired situations very often logic was thrown to the wind. But Desai knew, that everybody knew, that his stories were not about logic, they were about the magic of imagination and what could be.

Desai's main "situation" his character's found themselves in was what has become known as the 'Lost and Found' story. This usually consisted of brother's separated at birth who grow up nurturing opposing ideologies (one rich, one poor, or one Hindu and the other Muslim) but because of destiny driven situations they are reunited and learn their true identities. The brother's reconcile their differences and usually bring order back to the community in the process. It is a conceit that anyone could identify with regardless of geographical borders, religious beliefs, age group, or any other type of dividing factor. This brings us to another theme inherit in the films of Manmohan Desai and that is the unity of Indians regardless of geographies, class, or religion. He is very much remembered as a film maker who put forth stories that asked his audience to look beyond social differences and instead at human commonalties .

 

2) "Bluff Master" [1963] is an 'entertainer' from Desai's early directorial period. It is not one of his lost and found stories (the most famous example of which would be his masterpiece, "Amar Akbar, Anthony".) but abounds with many of the situations and 'unifying' ideas that he was to become a master of. Two parts of "Bluff Master" really stand out in my mind. One is the 'chawl' housing complex that Shammi Kapoor lives in and the other is the 'holi' song that takes place during a festival on the streets.

In the story line Shammi Kapoor needs to make some money in order to buy Saira Banu a birthday present. There is a festival on that day where a 100 rupee note is hung from a basket high above the town square. The person to reach the basket wins the 100 rupee note. Shammi enlists everyone in the neighborhood to form a human pyramid that he climbs up to claim the dangling prize.

The whole situation of the scene has little logic as it is never explained why everyone would let Shammi be the one to grab the 100 rupee note. It would make more sense to have a slight man atop the human pyramid instead of the large Shammi Kapoor. The scene is beautiful and daring (considering the substantial heft of Shammi as he is balanced atop the human pyramid) that illustrates the rewards of community and communal effort towards a goal. It is an visually exciting situation and it is hard not to be engrossed. It is a classic Manmohan Desai situation.

 

 

 

3) Another memorable element of "Bluff Master" is the outstanding set design by the legendary art director Sudhendu Roy. Shammi lives in a 'chawl' housing complex where all the disparate members of this small community are like members of his second family. Everyone gets along with one another in the chawl and it is perfect little idyll that illustrates a classic Manmohan Desai universe of communal togetherness.

Sudhendu Roy was the Art Director for all of Bimpal Roy's films. His sets have an expressionistic stagy feel but are also have a naturalistic grace. Sudhendu Roy is remembered as one of the great technical 'behind the scene' creative genius' of Indian film. (Roy's daughter is Sharmistha Roy who is currently the premier Art Director in Bollywood. She created the sets for "Dil To Pagal Hai", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham", "DDLJ", and many other films.)

"Bluff Master" is an enjoyable film, especially if you are a fan of Manmohan Desai or Shammi Kapoor. It has many of the elements of what I would call the 'Desai cosmos', namely; situational drama and comedy, and the proposal of communal harmony. The film is one of his formative works in an oeuvre that would find its full expression in films like "Coolie" and "Amar Akbar Anthony".

Bollywood501 Photo Galleries of the stars of "Bluff Master" in still captures from the film:

Shammi Kapoor - Saira Banu