Mehbooba was released in 2008, but director Afzal Khan began filming in 1999. There are a lot of reasons why the filming took so long to finally be released which you can read about HERE.
The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles. Set on a huge canvas and shot across three continents, America, Europe and Asia, with four different countries as the story’s backdrop, with New York, Budapest, Austria, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Mumbai as the key locations, the film boasts of lavish settings and locales, expensive sets. (source) Also check out the film’s official website for more on the story.
Come with me for a quick review of what I enjoyed from the film. Fancy NRI New York City based businessman Sharvan Dhariwal (Sanjay Dutt) meets Varsha (Manisha Koirala) and they enjoy a balloon filled party.
The film has some huge dance numbers, like Kuch Kar Lo with playback singer Sonu Nigam
Varsha finds Mr. Shravan Dhariwal much too arrogant for her traditional Indian ways and he takes things too far at a fancy balloon filled New Year’s party.
Varsha warns him, and then winds up for a tight slap to the face.
Look at the aftermath of the slap: one sad bollywood balloon, Sanjay, I mean Mr. Shravan Dhariwal, left alone with his feelings of regret, a cigarette, and a half empty bottle of Johnny Walker, black label, since he is a business tycoon afterall. Even business tycoons have it bad sometimes. I almost feel sorry for him, dekh:
Don’t feel too sorry for him because he’s got an evil plan brewing. While sitting there he decides he will win over this Varsha woman in order to take his revenge. He now has a vendetta! He begins to formulate his nefarious plan the next day on his yacht, complete with the requisite blond gori extra (to represent low moral values, hai na?), a bottle of Johnny Walker, and a phone that reveals that even thought the film was released in 2008, this scene must have been shot in 1999. ( Addition to this post: It should be noted that along with the Johnny Walker, Samir the oenophile was able to identify Champagne, wine, orange juice, Perrier and Heineken in front of the gori. Perhaps this is used to emphasis the evil decadence of America and what it can do to an innocent NRI tycoon-industrialist-hotelier-investor.)
Evidently Mr. Shravan Dhariwal ki plan works because he gets Varsha Merha all dancey, wiggley, and happy here in the Tu Meri Mehbooba number with playback singer Udit Narayan:
Spoiler alert: Varsha Mehra does what is normally done after making the 7 nuptial rounds, if you know what I mean. Mr. Shravan Dhariwal tricked her into a night of love all because of that slap he suffered from Varsha at the party, and then on top of all that HE goes on to slap HER! As we say here in the USA, payback is a mother%$#@&*!
Well you can’t just slap Sanjay Mr. Shravan Dhariwal at a lavish, balloon filled party in front of hundreds of his peers without some payback! In case those stills weren’t enough, take a look at what happens!
She was tricked by that player, but I say to Varsha, don’t hate the playa, hate the game.
Like lots of girls do, Varsha heads over to Budapest with her broken dil. She’s de-flowered afterall, so devalued in her own mind, but she meets a nice fellow, Karan (Ajay Devgan) who understands and loves her tarnished image.
Karan wants to take Varsha home to India to introduce her to his family so they can get married. Karan arrives to India before her and his brother also returns to India from New York and is delighted to see him. Karan spends a lot of time with Shravan. They party with dancing girls and drink Johnny Walker.
And they spend more time drinking Johnny Walker.
They even hang out in the hot tub together which some might find a bit homoerotic, but they’re brothers, you know how brothers take hot bubble baths together, right? They take baths together and caress each others faces, right?
Despite all these good times, Karan notices that Shravan is very melancholy and spends lots of time playing the piano and drinking Johnny Walker.
Varsha arrives and she soon finds Karan’s rich, bahut rich, but little does she know he’s got a brother who is that same man who she had the intimate encounter with in New York. In fact, she never even catches a glimpse of him until her marriage to Karan is already taking place.
Karan does eventually figure it all out and goes pagal and swings from a chandelier, did you know about THAT chandelier Shweta?
How does Mehbooba end? Does Varsha marry Karan? Or does she marry his brother, Mr. Shravan Dhariwal? You know I can’t even remember since it’s been a while since I’ve seen the film, so even if I wanted to tell you I couldn’t. I do recall that they didn’t even ask Varsha what she wanted and I’m not sure that she should choose either if they didn’t even check with her. As usual, please let me know what you thought of this film, I’d love to hear from you.
I always snobbed this film but looks like it has enough melodrama that would tickle my fancy, i’ll report back when i watch
bollywoodeewana-ji,
As usual bhai, I took the frosting off the cake, i.e. I took the best, most tasty parts of the film to show you. I want you to sign a release form to show you understand I will not take responsibility for your reactions after watching the entire film. 😉 I will promise that it delivers an adequate amount of melodrama.
Will now add “chandeliers” to the already impressive list of “bollywoodisms” to lookout for. Would Tarzan go green with envy watching such acrobatics ?
Both Gordon Gekko & Donald Trump would certainly go green with envy at the “work habits” of this NRI New York business tycoon.
This oenophile is pleased to note the additions to his liquor cabinet, able to identify Champagne, wine, orange juice, Perrier and I believe a bottle of Heineken. Is this a sign of Globalization in Bollywood, or just an attempt to emphasize “low moral values” ?
As always highly entertained by your reviews, keep em’ coming.
Samir-ji,
Yes, deep in your heart you already knew about the chandeliers, and perhaps too the large, elaborate central staircases too. (I was APPALLED when I finally reached the mother land last year that I hardly saw any such staircases like the movies had promised!) You know a business tycoon post would be fun, maybe you should do one. There is usually one in every film. I took note of your liquor cabinet observations and even altered the post to reflect these. Thanks! I really am now extra curious about that bottle to the right and behind the Johnny Walker, first I thought it was E&J brandy, but after looking up the bottle, I see that can’t be it since E&J has a burgundy cap. Don’t even get me started on what that bottle may be near the champagne and the chardonnay (YES! I’m going to commit that it’s chardonnay) Thanks for your kind words and for stopping in. I added you to my blogroll. Cheers!
I’ve seen this during my online movie browsing often but never thought twice about it. Interesting about the length it took to get finished. I can’t even imagine having the perseverance to see something through that takes 9 years. Wonder how much Johnny Walker paid for placement advertising!
Shell-ji,
That’s exactly what I was thinking too, and something caused me to get it, must have read something, plus I like all the actors a lot. Ahh, the beauty of the WWW, exposing us to these films and giving us a platform to discuss them, thought this is a bit like one found under a rock, with some dirt and bugs and worms on it. 🙂 And you make me think that perhaps I should get Johnny Walker to sponsor ME! I’ll be RICH!!!!! Thanks for stopping in to comment.
I….
um…..
I mean!!!
*facepalm*
Amrita-ji,
Yes indeed. I believe that all this slapping could perhaps be an example of the dishoom? Thanks for your visit yaar.
Oh, how did I miss this? This looks like something right up my alley. If I remember, I’ll have to try to find it online.
lapetitediva-ji,
Good idea, here’s a link:
http://www.bharatmovies.com/hindi/video/Mehbooba_2008.htm
there are quite a few others too. Let me know what you think after watching. 🙂
Oh this one was truly truly awful- at least it bought that lovely blue chandelier to us – thanks Sitaji- stolen it!
shweta-ji,
Ah ha! To have that reaction I know you actually have seen it. 🙂 It’s sort of like I picked out all the best parts and posted them, so if someone wants to save time and not see the whole movie, they can simply read this post. Like you say, at least it brought that beautiful blue chandelier to light. Thanks for checking in. 🙂
Even if it had been released in 1999, it was too 90s to have been well-received. All the wind machines, melodrama, etc. could not distract me from the fact that it was a bad, bad film.
Even Sanju Baba and Ajay could not help it.
memsaab-ji,
🙂 Exactly. This was definitely a I’ll watch the movie so you don’t have to and a watch at your own risk to write up. It was very weird to watch since there was such a time warp to it, kept thinking it wasn’t released too long ago, but how could it look so even 80’s more than 90s, let alone recently. Very off putting, and not in a good way. It was only my love of playing Where’s the Johnny Walker ? and the slap driven plot that held my attention.
Interesting – how come across this DVD quite often in my local desi DVD shop and I keep skipping it – never inclined to borrow it. I guess my intuition was working well saying “avoid yaar”. You deserve marks for watching this and sharing your views.
Anonymous-ji,
🙂 Good job on the “avoid yaar” intuition. Thanks for giving me marks for watching. Even the weirdest movies are worth my time, since I set my standards quite low. Perhaps you can steal it from the store. Now that would be a story. “Why is Anonymous-ji in the Central Jail, yaar? “Oh, they stole a copy of Mehbooba from the store.” 🙂
Which would make for a nice new bollywood movie with Anonymous coming out of “Central Jail” with “Main uska khoon pee jaonga”! – LOL
Much as I love Ajay Devgan and Manisha Koirala and a big budget multi-location extravaganza, I don’t think I’ll be renting this one. It won’t be half as entertaining as your post, Sitaji!
The funny thing about most of these gori extras is that they never look all that glamorous. This one in particular looks like she has just finished her finals at a good university and has a sensible job in the city lined up. In fact, she might well be competition for the wealthy industrialist, but not in bed! I think she’d been drinking the orange juice, while Sanjay got sloshed on the Johnny Walker. He needs to watch his back!
Joss-ji,
Thanks for your nice words, but I do think you wold enjoy it in all its fine tackiness. Good point on the gori extra! LOL You’ve got her pegged exactly. Can’t these directors correctly filter their gorii? Is the white skin and blonde hair enough? They often look confused, wayward, and German. I think we could get a job in casting more scene specific gorii. Hey Bollywood, give Joss or me a call, and we’ll get the job done.
Oh dear, it appears from your notes on the end to this film that ALL the hard work Madhuri did in the last few minutes of Saajan went to waste! 😥
But then, all the potential for melodrama! And the background score that I can almost hear already, LOL. Good cast, maybe I’ll consider checking it out.
Cheers!
theBollywoodFan-ji,
Nawab, Ah Saajan, had almost forgotten that one. Ah, what a bahut sensitive soul Sanjay played in that one. I command you to see this, just for the experience. For me when it got unbearable, I’d be rewarded with a glimpse of a balloon, a bottle of Johnny Walker or a balloon. Check it out yaar and report back. 🙂
Love your cute obsession for balloons 🙂 Makes me wanna screen cap them just for you 🙂
Not sure if I would want to see this. Back in the days when I adored Manisha more maybe….
Nicki-ji,
Thanks. Speaking of balloons, check out the ones bollywooddeewaana captures in his great post here:
http://bollywooddeewana.blogspot.com/2009/11/loafer-1973.html
Oh dear, that hot tub picture is really freaking me out. Because of them being brothers, I mean. Yikes.
Ajay and Manisha would be a good match in the intensity department, I would think. It’s too bad they were wasted in such a film.
ajnabi-ji,
The hot tub scene was perplexing, even when viewed with cultural relativism and the understand that they were drunk..but still. 🙂 You are correct about the intensity. I still think you’d enjoy this even for a laugh, or save your time and go on to better time pass. Thanks for stopping in yaar.
Sitaji, you have done it again! You have seen an old, hokey, melodramatic, 10 yrs in the making, lame pikture. You have reviewed it for your loyal readership so we don’t have to! Yay! Thank you for your self-sacrificing ways 😀
pitu-ji
choti behen, you know I’m not self naamed Siti-ji for nuthin’. 🙂 Like Sita, I have been banished to the forest for years, and in my particular case, to watch all types of Bollywood films. My suffering is for your benefit, for the benefit of the world, and when I emerge, I too will undergo trial by aag, I mean fire, and despite watching Mehbooba, I will emerge in a pure and glowing form! Thanks to you for understanding this sacrifice!
ROFLMAO!! *wipes tears from eyes*
Now how did I happen to miss this? Sorry to come late to this slap-happy party. This film is definitely one of the “trial by fire” sorts. Yay! Sita-ji, you have emerged triumphant. But you really mustnt exact revenge from your readers by leaving us in suspense over the end. Come on… GIVE! Does Manisha give tight slaps to both brothers (who spend the rest of their lives in a bath tub) and go off with Shah Rukh? Does she decide to have a swayamvar – Rakhi Sawant style – and choose the guy who has maximum capacity to take tight slaps? Does she decide to open a chandelier-cum-balloon boutique and display new and novel wedding-wear in it, every day of her life? TELL ALL…
bollyviewer-ji,
I think you will have to get around to this one for its hideous beauty. In fact I WILL NOT reveal the ending so that you will see it. Wait, I couldn’t reveal it, because I forgot it already.
*SPOILER ALERT* I think I remember that she stays with Ajay’s character and that the rich industrialist maybe dies, since I have vague recollection of a funeral pyre, but I could be remembering another filum. I have a friend who is about to watch it, so I’ll be sure to ask for the ending. How funny that I forgot already, so distracted I was by the balloonery and Johnnie Walkery, and slapery that I forgot the plot! LOL @ “Does she decide to have a swayamvar – Rakhi Sawant style – and choose the guy who has maximum capacity to take tight slaps?” Thanks for stopping by dost. 🙂
The hot bath tub scene looks good.
But couldn’t they have got some better bath gels. The ones on the side look so cheap. Even I have better ones! 😉
And then the pink plastic ‘mugs’! *argh* Looks as if the yhave come from a cheap toilet in Ramgarh!
harvey-ji,
THANK YOU for noticing that bathroom stuff. I too was really bothered by the pink plastic mugs which I shall refer to as you know whats. I thought they should have had fancier toiletry accouterments indeed. And the products do not seem fancy enough for men from such a fine-casted family. To ring true, we as viewers needed a more upscale bathroom! Wouldn’t Mr. Shravan Dhariwal, who is a rich, international business tycoon, and his brother, who were reared in a huge palace somewhere in Rajasthan, have access to fancier things? Yes! Again, thanks for noticing all this too. The devil is the details. Looks like we could find work as set designers of distinction. Oh Bollywood! 😉