1942: A Love Story

Plot synopsis:
The film is set in 1942, when the British Raj was declining. It was a time when many Indians were either working for the British or rallying in underground meetings and protests against them. In this atmosphere, Naren Singh (Anil Kapoor) falls in love with Rajeshwari "Rajjo" Pathak (Manisha Koirala). Their romance is shown developing in spite of the political and social unrest at the time.
Naren's father, Diwan Hari Singh (Manohar Singh), is a loyal British employee, while Rajjo's father Raghuvir Pathak (Anupam Kher) is a revolutionary fighting against British rule. When Naren asks Raghuvir for Rajjo's hand in marriage, Raghuvir becomes livid. Naren declares that he is willing to sacrifice everything for Rajjo, and convinces Raghuvir of his love for her. Pathak relents and tells Naren to talk to his father. When Naren does so, Hari Singh is angry that his son has chosen Rajjo, the daughter of a revolutionary, but pretends that he will do anything for Naren's happiness.
Hari Singh tricks Naren into revealing Pathak's secret location, and leaks the information to the British authorities. Soon, police barge into Pathak's hideaway and try to kill him, only to find him waiting to light a bomb. He kills them all, dying with them. Rajjo, who was out at that time, realizes what has happened and runs away. She is taken into refuge by Shubhankar (Jackie Shroff), a compatriot of Pathak who has learned of his death. Under Shubhankar's tutelage, Rajjo follows her father's revolutionary path. Meanwhile, Naren is angry with his father for being used as a pawn in the ambush and killing of Pathak and driving Rajjo away. Promising to make up with Rajjo and help her cause, he pledges to become a protester or a revolutionary, opposing his own father.
Naren severs all ties with his father and stands up against British rule, in particular General Douglas, in front of the city. He is convicted and sentenced to hang for attempted murder. Moved by Naren's actions, Rajjo tells Shubhankar about him. Shubhankar saves Naren from being hanged and the two finish off Hari Singh and many of the British loyalists. They are helped by Major Bisht (Danny Dengzongpa), who has a change of heart after having tragically witnessed the killing of his daughter Chanda, a revolutionary, by the gunshots of British loyalists upon General Douglas' orders. With the loyalists dead, Shubhankar hangs General Douglas by the same noose that was intended for Naren. Shubhankar, Rajjo and Naren, together with Major Bisht and the citizens are shown at the end of the movie saluting the Indian flag, being hoisted by Shubhankar.

Tags: violence, avant garde, cruelty

Review:
An absolute masterpiece.
"1942 A Love story" is a portray of a beautiful love story with the backdrop of the Indian struggle for freedom.The plot is still the same of a love story but unlike other Bollywood movies the villains are not the parents but the political turmoil of 1942.Vidhu Vinod who was just three movie old when he made this movie teams up with the genius Sanjay Leela Bhansali ( screenplay) to deliver a movie which is definitely the best of 93.With an impressive star cast of Anil Kapoor, Prem , Jackie Shroff,Danny, Ashish Vidyarthi and Anupam Kher this one could have never gone wrong.The story runs on two parallel lines one is the love story between Rajjo(Manisha Koirala) and Narender(Anil Kapoor).
The other story is about the assassination of general Douglas.THe music of the movie is absolutely amazing R.D.Burman delivers yet another masterpiece which was unfortunately his last.
Manisha Koirala fits so well in the role of an innocent and beautiful young girl.THe introductory scene of Manisha Koirala is absolutely amazing."Ek Ladki KO " and Kuch Na Kaho are one of the best pasteurized songs.
Kuch Na Kaho gets you into the moment so well.THe on screen kiss if definitely one of the best on the Indian screen.Javed Akhtar wrote the songs that are just a brilliant example of superb poetry.THe songs are a part of the story and since they are so good you don't get irritated when they pop up unlike other Hindi movies.The story takes a sharp turn just before the interval after the death of Anupam Kher when Manisha Koirala is rescued by Jackie Shroff and the conditions forces Anil Kapoor to jump into the struggle of Indian independence.performance wise Jackie steals the show delivering the role of a young and self driven freedom fighter he is able to portray the emotions and feelings to picture perfect.BUt that does not undermines the performances of other actors.I give this movie a 9 out of 10 a must watch for people who believe that Indian cinema is not dead yet and there are great film- makers who will deliver the best when ever they could.
Lavish filmmaking.
Blending musical poetry with epic spectacle, "1942: A Love Story" stands as a definitive work of Indian filmmaking.
As the film follows a pair of lovers through the Indian uprising against imperialist Britain, traditional Indian song is used to juxtapose the harsh realities of an oppressed people.
Though the film is grand in size, the fact that a small core of characters inhabits the plot makes for an easily understood picture, even while reading subtitles as I did."1942" celebrates the people of India and their struggle for independence.
When compared to traditional American films dealing with political revolt, this film wins over in heart.
When compared to traditional American musicals of the 1950s and 60s, "1942" displays a deeper social conscience and a more solid grasp on narrative storytelling.
Above all, "1942" provides entertainment with a rich cultural tapestry..
A romantic film and a great choice for my first Bollywood hit!.
As an ABCD (An American Born Confused Desi) I wanted to make my first Bollywood hit a memorable one...and that this movie was!While keeping to a simple plot and common theme of love in a war-torn country, the struggles are just and portrayed more seriously than other "love during war" films...I won't give away the terrific ending, but I will tell you that it is a happy one, and though it is common for Hindi films to have a happy ending, a love story with a happy ending never gets old, does it not?The only thing non ABCD'ers will find odd/curious is the fact that the movie frequently took a "break" for the characters to lip-sync a song about how they felt.
I liked it, but for the first five seconds I was like, "Why are we having a music video in the middle of the movie??"Overall I give this movie 5 stars out of 4.
Is it because I love any Bollywood film?
Is it because I'm an ABCD?
Is it because I'm a hopeless romantic?
I don't know, but I highly recommend you see 1942: A Love Story!.
An iconic love story......
Just like the title suggests, the film has two sides, 1942, a historic period and a love story.
1942, represents the time period when the Indians revolutionized against the British rulers for the freedom of the country, popularly know as "Quit India" movement.
Many patriots sacrificed their lives during the freedom fight of the '40s.
Under this backdrop, a beautiful love story has been weaved under a fabulous music of music maestro RD Burman.
It was his last movie for which he won the coveted Filmfare awards for the best music director.The film remains commendable for three strong reasons.
The first is obviously RD Burman's memorable music, which was unfortunately his last masterpiece.
The songs like "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To" or "Kuch Na Kaho.." remains the modern day classics.
The songs get blended well with the beauty perpetuated through the superb cinematography.
The lights and colors of the sets and the costumes all have a right touch for depicting the period.
And the third nice aspect of the film remains the performances.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra recasts Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff from his "Parinda" and they look good enough in their roles.
Manisha Koirala adds beauty to the film and looks innocent.
In the small roles, Raghuvir Yadav, Anupam Kher, Pran, Danny, Sushma Seth all play their roles perfect.
Although the film saw some criticism and wasn't a very big success in the box office, the film is an iconic love story from '90s which has been made with an optimum care for which the film appears technically flawless.Rating: 3 stars out of 4.
Sensationalist drama.
Not much substance..
1942: A Love Story, stays unfaithful to its name.
Its neither a love story, nor does it contain the factual underpinnings surrounding the events of 1942.
But I digress.
If those were the only two shortcomings (albeit major) of the movie, it would be bearable.
Reality, however, sets in.
After watching this sensationalist and inane film, I must confess: I've had more fun watching grass grow on my lawn.
And my lawn is dead.The film attempts to draw you in to its hero, Narendra Singh (played by Anil Kapoor), the son of a wealthy lord of the era, Diwan Hari Singh, who also happens to be an obtuse sycophant of the British Raj. True to fashion of Hindi cinema, there is (predictably) the anti-Raj, aka the freedom fighters.
The daughter of one of these fighters, Rajeshwari (played by Manisha Koirala), catches the eye of Narendra, and he is smitten by her beauty.
He immediately falls in love and begins his pursuit of her.
Mind you, all of this happens in the first five minutes, and it only deteriorates from there.The hero's propensity to bring calamities to those around him is befuddling (I affectionately started calling him Forrest Gump).
In an attempt to portray the yearning and desire he has for his love, the film misses connecting with the audience.
Instead, it portrays him as a bumbling idiot who, in a blind frenzied search for a girl he has met for only five minutes, has no hesitation in breaking promises (he states that he will not reveal the identity of the freedom fighters, yet immediately afterwords reveals their identities to his mother) and wreaking havoc (numerous times he foolishly pursues Narendra, only to further expose her identity) on those around him.Furthermore, much like the hero, the other characters in the film lack dimension and also fail to connect with the audience.
In a desperate attempt to draw the film together and make some coherent sense of the madness, sensationalism is thrown into the mixture.
And not just any sensationalism, but "Jai Hind" at that.
What better way to prey on the emotions of a stupefied audience than to bring in a revered chant of the freedom fighters of the era.
The sum of its tattered pieces do not add up to a congruous and solid movie.
The plot line is unbelievably predictable, and the acting sub par, sans for Manisha Koirala, who churns out a half-decent tear during the final scene.
Sadly, the audience won't shed a drop when this waste of celluloid hits the can.
In reality, this movie is more akin to the tripe you find at the butcher's block in Albertsons.So, should you watch this film?
If for some reason there is an extra three hours in your life that is expendable, by all means, go for it.
But if you're looking for a movie that has coherency and can grip its audience, you'd be better off looking out your window and at the lawn..
Fiction yet good and wonderful music.
VVC made several great films like PARINDA(1989) In 1942 Love Story he reunites with Jackie, Anil, Anupam Kher and brings yet another good film The film is completely a fiction and holds no true story of real independence struggle(as far as my knowledge) People looking out for historical accuracy should not watch the film The film was in news as it was the last film music maestro RD Burman composed music for.
The film was released after his death.
Though Ghatak and Gang delayed films with Burman's music released much later in 1996 and 2000 respectively.
The film starts with hanging of Anil Kapoor and then is told in flashback where during the chaos of struggle of independence Anil and Manisha fall in love.
The first half focuses more on the love story with songs breaking in every 10 minutes, All the brilliant songs are in the first half the subplot of Anupam Kher is superbly handled and also the track of Anil's father and Danny's subplot too.
The story takes off at interval after Jackie enters the frame and then the focus is on nationalism and patriotism.
The film manages to hold your attention and make you feel for the viewers though it's a bit melodramatic yet the handling is brilliant The ending also isn't realistic yet it works with the patriotism element VVC does a great job, his expertise shows in drama and crowd scenes too Music by RD Burman is classic, every song is brilliant and most are still known of, Ek Ladki, Kuch Naa Kaho, Rim Jhim, Pyaar Hua Chupke se every song is a classic, Rut Na Jaana is also memorable Yeh Safar by Sivaji Chattopadhyaya is superb too their placements is too quick especially in first half thoughAmongst performances The film has a wide range of actors Anil Kapoor does a great job as usual playing the romantic lover to the patriotic hero, he does a great job Jackie Shroff comes in the second half but does a superb job too again in a VVC film he always stole the show Manisha Koirala looks beautiful and acts brilliantly, a far cry from her previous days and later recent days.
Amongst rest Sushma Seth is usual, Manohar Singh is terrific Danny is admirable in his role, Anupam Kher excels in his role as usual Pramod Moutho(for once the good guy) does a great job too Raghuvir Yadav is superb too Brian Glover is theatrical in his stereotypical bad British guy role.
Chandni as Chanda is goodThe film was an average at the box office but yet it's remembered especially for it's music.
What a joke.
My first thought watching the movie : Is anil Kapoor the hero or the best villain for this movie.
Can't believe the hype this 1994 movie received.
Music is really good but every 15 mins in the movie there is a song.
Pre interval it's all about boy meets girl falls in love pursues her.
Post interval all hell breaks loose ie Bollywood being typical Bollywood .
Can't believe the parents and kids dynamic portrayed in the movieOne major who suddenly wants to do the *right thing* and the public which is running away turns around because somehow they heard him yell "jai hind" but alas is useless for the climax .
The special needs person in the movie is more useful to the plot and it's success than this major.
So the hero was able to save himself from capital punishment because his hands weren't tied but Douglas couldn't ?
Argh!!!
I am all up for a good independence movie , makes me emotional and full of pride , this movie stirs it for all of three out of ten stars for me.
Rest I am laughing or smacking my head thanks to whoever wrote the character of anil Kapoor .
As for rajjo's character (Manisha Koirala ) she looks beautiful but so dumb , the girl lives her whole life being ignorant of her brother and dad's actions .
Falls in love with anil Kapoor and then her dad doesn't approve so heartbroken she decides to also turn into a participant as a revolutionary.
But does absolutely nothing , nothing other than crying .
Her love is real?
Her love is for her dad?
Her love is for the country or she just wants to be whatever the men in her life need from her ?
The acting is pretty good , the star cast obviously makes the movie that much more exciting to watch but wish they had actually tried to be make a smart movie.
Since it's been 14 years since the release no one will be wasting movie to watch this silliness just your precious time .