:
Manoj Kumar,
Nanda,
Mehmood
:
Raja Nawathe
see all cast/crew...
: 
: India, Bollywood
: 143 min.
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After a crash land the pilot Manoj Kumar and the other passengers, Nanda, Helen, Madan Puri, Pran, and Satyan Bose find themselves on a marooned island. After waiting for help they find a very deserted haveli but are surprised to meet a servant Mehmood who says that he was waiting for them. How did he know they were going to come? What follows atfer staying there is a nightmare. Each night there is a murder. The killer chooses his victim each night leaving the others groping in fear. They want to leave the place and go but where can they go? With no aid coming to their rescue they are trapped there and worse is that the killer is also there. Who is the killer? Is it one among them or is it some evil force? Watch the terrifying murder mystery Gumnaam.
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| A Bollywood musical that tries very hard to be Hollywood film noir -- bizarre but fun.
by beowabbit
January 23, 2006 - 6:58 PM PST
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The trailer that follows the movie on the DVD proclaims that it was "India's First Suspense Thriller", and that may well be. It's a somewhat serious 1960's thriller grafted onto traditional Bollywood, and to Western eyes the result is somewhat... odd. Fun, but odd. In many ways -- sets, costumes -- it has relatively high-budget Bollywood glitz. But things that don't fit into the traditional Bollywood model (like the fake blood in the murder scenes) are much more poorly done. There are ridiculously implausible moments as the characters alternate being terrorized by a killer in their midst with flirting, swimming, and generally acting like they're on vacation. This is a Bollywood musical that tries very hard to be Hollywood film noir. It's good at the Bollywood musical; not so good at the film noir. Still, if you can suspend disbelief, it's quite a lot of fun.
For an early-21st-century American, the fact that this movie was made in the 1960s gives it an extra dash of wierdness, especially during the opening scenes at a nightclub. The fashions and dancing are extremely 1960s, so on top of the cultural leap from the USA to India, there's the cultural leap from 2006 to 1965.
One thing I found annoying about the movie was that the (generally pretty good) songs were not subtitled, so any contribution they made to the plot was lost on me.
Still, if you like Bollywood, I'd definitely recommend this. And if you like 1960s murder mysteries, I'd definitely recommend it too, just as a bizarre almost-parody of the genre. |
| Surreal...even by Bollywood standards...
by okeanos
November 19, 2004 - 3:22 PM PST
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0 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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| You've probably seen this film's very unusual opening dance sequence at the beginning of "Ghost World". A few more over-the-top dance sequences enliven what is otherwise a very loosely constructed possibly haunted house "who done it" style mystery. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.21)
24 Votes
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| It's A Macabre World After All |
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| "Weird and Wonderful Cinema from around the world." You'll get no Bergmans, Fellenis or Godards here. Inspired by Mondo Macabro the book and DVD label by Pete Tombs here's a list of strange horror, cult and exploitation films from across the globe. |
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