Jaan Se Pyara (Anand, 1992)

No Subtitles Sunday 3

Firstly, a note on No Subtitles Sunday. I haven’t done one for a while – initially, the first couple happened because through cruel twists of fate, dvds I had ordered with the full expectation of working subtitles arrived and… "multi-language subtitles" turned out to be a total lie. Or in the case of Raqeeb, maybe I just accidentally and retardedly ordered a subtitle-free copy. WHATEVER.

Anyway. Accidental subtitles issues are a thing of the past, and No Subtitles Sundays are probably going to become slightly more frequent, now that I have started purposely ordering films that proudly come with no language aid for non-Hindi speakers like me. SIGH. I don’t think I have actually MENTIONED it explicitly here before, but canny readers may have picked up on the fact that I’m…kind of a Govinda fan.

‘Kind of’ being a MASSIVE understatement.

And so, pretty near the start of the year, I sort of unofficially started the quest to own…everything. The full Govinda catalogue. This kind of became slightly more of an obsession, as you can probably imagine, around Chi Chi Week, and has not been discouraged at all by coming into contact with likeminded individuals. (I do realize it’s kind of ironic that my blog is named after Shahrukh Khan and I barely ever mention the man but, yes well, let’s not get into that now).

Anyway, the longwinded point I am getting to is: there are a bunch of Chi Chi films that are difficult to find copies of AT ALL. So rabid fans learn to adapt, and take what they can get. Which are dvds with no subtitles, or in many cases, VCDs.

You really didn’t need to know any of that, did you?

Jaan Se Pyara (Anand, 1992)

So this is my third full attempt at viewing and comprehending a Hindi film without subtitles and without prior knowledge or research of the plot.  What I am discovering, I think, is that action/thrillers like this and Raqeeb (still the best one I have seen sans subs) are MUCH easier to follow than something like Bhagam Bhag which, as predominantly a comedy, relies too much on comprehension of the dialogue.

ANYWAY: I ADORED THIS FILM! 

Govinda plays Jai, a policeman who is easygoing and charming, EXCEPT when it comes to two things: crime (obviously) and his retarded brother, Sunder, who is referred to throughout as ‘jaan se pyara’. My Hindi is not great but I think that means…Love’s darling? Or something like that? EDIT: Ha! Told you my Hindi was terrible! Jaan se pyara means "dearer than life" apparently - which makes a whole lot more sense in terms of the plot of this film. Thanks Filmi Geek for pointing it out!

Govinda in uniform = Bonus No. 1

Awesomely, Govinda also plays Sunder. In a fat suit and a Spock wig. If that sounds cracked out, AMAZINGLY, it isn’t. Sunder is one of the sweetest, least cloying characterizations of a mentally challenged person I have seen. He’s adorable. You like him instantly, because he is childlike, just like Jai says in response to everyone who calls Sunder ‘pagal’ (crazy). The film also doesn’t shy away from the reality of just how frustrating living with an eternal child can be – Sunder’s playfulness and naivety grate on his family’s nerves, get him into trouble, and he can be a pain in the ass. It’s not all “awww look at the adorable retard”. Although, even when he’s clearly being annoying, he is still hilarious and SO ADORABLE. Oh, and heartbreaking, actually.

I can't help but wonder if Krrish kind of took the piss, a bit, with the whole Bournvita thing?

Please note:  DOUBLE ROLES ARE MY FAVOURITE THING EVER in Bollywood films, no hyperbole, and honestly, HONESTLY. I know I’m probably like, far from the voice of objectivity on the subject, but you guys: Chi Chi’s such a good actor. By the end of the film, it’s like I was fully sucked in to almost thinking two different people were playing Sunder and Jai, he was that good at characterizing the two different roles.

Anyway, when Jai is not at home looking after Sunder, his jaan se pyara, he is on some kind of crusade against a  big business tycoon called Jagtap Singh.

He says "Business tycoon", I say "PIMP". 

Jagtap Singh is clearly evil because he is dressed like a pimp, with an orange streak in his hair and a big blinging necklace of his own first initial – but I’m not sure what the big war between him and Jai is all about. It didn’t really matter though, it was enough for me that he was clearly The Baddie because:

-         he might be selling sensitive information to foreign powers? Chi Chi had lots of impassioned speeches where he made this face:

I like when Govinda gets mad. 

and talked about “information”, “dushman” (enemy) and “desh” (country). I could be TOTALLY wrong about this, but whatever Jagtap was doing, it was bad enough that when a journo wrote about it, it got him KILLED for his trouble.

-         he certainly talks about large quantities of money AN AWFUL LOT

-         pretty much all of his Hindi sentences end with English phrases like “SON OF A BITCH!” or “YOU BLOODY BASTARD!” but in a hilarious way that kind of obviously makes no sense, even though I couldn’t understand most of what he says anyway

-         he definitely has corrupt cops working for him, PLUS he murders people and plants bombs in hospitals and schools for blind people as cheap blackmail tactics. SHAME ON YOU JAGTAP. SO CHEAP and MURDEROUS.

Luckily Jai can sniff a bomb out with his MAD SKILLZ and disarm it like WHOA.

Just like he disarms the LAYDEEZ.

SWOON ATTACK. Arre, mera dil!

So anyway, the main thrust of the plot is that Jai is waging this war against Jagtap that spirals out of control, to the point that Jai resigns from his beloved police force because he fears for the safety of his family. But YOU KNOW THAT JAGTAP IS A BADMAASH and through a series of convoluted events (that maybe I missed the subtleties of a little because, you know, language barrier) HE COMES AFTER JAI ANYWAY.

But they find out he has a retarded brother, and you just KNOW that Sunder will be the ace the baddies use to get what they want from Jai. Cue dramatic SHOCKING CLIMAX. Dun dun duuuuuuun!

Highlights and Random Observations:

Inexplicably, the stylist on this film chose to give Govinda an ELVIS WIG to wear as Inspector Jai, despite the film being set in the early 90s. I actually have nothing to say about this AT ALL, except, OH MY GOD. When I was little, Elvis Presley was my first ever crush. To combine Elvis and Chi Chi is like…IT’S LIKE DREAMTABULOUS.

Favourite swoony retro styling.

Hands up who wants to frolic through sprinklers with Chi Chi?

Or feed the ducks?!

The part that made me laugh the hardest – and the best cracktastic excuse for a song ever – was when the bad guys were frantically trying to call Jai (I think because he had their briefcase or something). His mum answered the phone and is obviously like “No, Jai can’t come to the phone right now”. Bad guy henchman is all like “What?! What is he doing?!” CUT TO:

Duh. OBVIOUSLY he can’t talk to you because he is DANCING ON THE ROOF.

Is it just me or does Jagtap’s broad look totally like Piggy Chops?

GOVINDA IN DISGUISE! I didn’t dare to dream that it would happen in this film (it seemed too serious) BUT LOOK! FAKE EYEBROWS AND ALL! 

 I really cannot even begin to explain how much I love when Govinda disguises himself in films. I really don't know why or what it's about but OH THE JOY.

You have no idea how this fills my heart with joy. 


AND AN ORANGE MESH VEST! AND CRAZY EYES!

 So. Much. Of Happiness.

Oh my god. I am BREATHLESS WITH EXCITEMENT.