100 Days (1991) User Reviews

A Psychic's Seven Notes in Nero.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 25 August 2011]

Since watching Umberto Lenzi's 1974 Giallo film Spasmo,I have been franticly searching up and down the internet,attempting to find out if there has ever been a Bollywood Giallo, (or to give it another name: "Bollyallo!")which I could pick up,to introduce my friend to the genre.

After having spent the first six months of the year,falling to track down any Giallo based Bollywood film,I reluctantly excepted that I had hit a dead end in my long search Shortly after giving up on the search,I began to read up about a film by Lucio Fulchi called The Psychic (aka:The Seven Notes in Nero).As I got near to the bottom of the page,I almost ended up jumping out of my chair,when I noticed on the page,the it said that a 1991 Bollywood film had been made,"inspired" by the film, called 100 Days.With my interest in seeing the Italian Giallo film genre,being blended into a Bollywood film (!!) reaching fever pitch,I decided that I had to get hold of the film right away.

The plot:

During a game of tennis,college student Devi suddenly, gets hit with a chilling vision of a woman being brutally murdered.Talking to her sister, Rama the next day,Devi is told that she must have had a bad daydream,and that she should try and "chill out" more.

Later on that night,just as Rama is getting ready for bed,a person dressed in a long black coat,with black gloves appears from out of nowhere, (although someone else seems to have expected the person appearance,due to them standing outside Rama's bedroom)and stabs Rama to death.

Wanting to hide the dead body,the murderer decides to keep Rama's body hidden in a disused mansion,behind a re-built wall,for it to never be discovered.

Five years later:

Having never completely gotten over the visions that she had of her own sister being killed,the family of Devi feel the it is time that they help Devi to "move on",by her getting married to a wealthy businessman called Kumar Ram Kumar.

Although Devi's first reaction is one of total disgust,at the "slimey" Kumar,both of them eventually warm to each other (which is partly helped by Devi breaking one of Kumar's house windows!.)To celebrate his new marriage,Kumar announces to his wife that he has brought an old mansion,where they can spend the rest of their married life in bliss.

Soon after the couples arrival at the mansion,Devi's "visions" come back with a kick,with her constantly seeing the image of a woman drowning.Walking around the house,Devi feels a chill in the air,when she gets close to a very out-of-place wall.Feeling that something important is behind,she tears the wall down,and discovers a skeleton,that is wearing a necklace which her "missing" sister Rama used to wear,When the police arrive at the scene,a cop gives Devi the dreadful news,that due to how little there is left of the corpse,they have hardly any chance at all to verify the body.

Hearing this,Devi decides that she is going to take the biggest risk of her life,by trying to stop the visions from becoming a reality,and to at last find the person that killed her sister.

View on the film:

Although Bollywood now seems to have gotten rid of the idea of being "inspired" by other films,to instead just "photo copy" them,with some films, (such as a "remake" of Man On Fire from a few years a go,which used the exact same dialogue and scenes for the whole film,with the only difference being that the actors are not speaking in English!.)

Thankfully here,screenwriters Bhushan Banmail and Devjyoti Roy have chosen to go down the "inspired" route,which means that whilst the outline of Fulchi's brilliant film is very see able,this film still has enough of its own things to make it stand on its own.For the screenplay Banmail and Roy do very well at mostly making a "backwards" Bollywood,with the "wedding bliss" that was used for the ending of most Bollywoood films at the time,actually being the moment where Devi's life starts to sink into the abyss.

Looking at Partho Ghosh's (who since this film,has changed from making pretty good "inspired" by films,to instead making absolutely terrible "photo copy" films)efficient directing,it always seems that he has the most interest in the Giallo elements of the film,whilst reluctantly including quite a few "Bollywood Romance" moments.For the fantastic Giallo moments,Ghosh's gives the film an excellent foggy/raining look,and having the mysterious killer blending perfectly into the environment.

Due to the film having several ladies in leading roles,Ghosh's unexpectedly shows a very strong influence of Dario Argento's supernatural horror Suspiria, with all of the girls having a stunning ,slightly edgy "fairy tale" look,and also wearing some night cloths,which are very eyebrow raising,especially since the film was made during the early,"wholesome" 90's of Indian cinema.

Final view on the film:

A pretty confused,but always interesting "Bolly Giallo",with a creative script,solid directing and great performances,from the sadly over-looked cast members.

A Good Thriller

[Hussain-AL-Naseer · 7/10 · 29 April 2020]

If you're looking for a good Psychological Thriller hindi movie then you should watch 100 days. Film revolves around Devi, a woman who get some visions from the future (something we've seen in Final Destination series) searching for her missing sister, she tracks the clues to identify the murderer. The film is the adaptation of Hollywood's 1977 The Psychic. Direction and background score of the movie makes sure that you get thriller experience right from its start as you'll see mystery building up as film progresses. Movie is entertaining along with Madhuri's leading performance supported well by the Javed Jaffery

Madhuri Dixit Having Extra-Sensory Perception ?

[jmathur_swayamprabha · 7/10 · 20 October 2010]

I am writing a review of this two decades old movie simply because I am a mystery fan. This is the only suspense thriller acted by the screen goddess of bollywood, Madhuri Dixit. It was released in 1991 and due to my fancy for mysteries, I did not waste much time in heading towards the theatre with my friend Sanjay Laddha in Kolkata (then Calcutta). It's a murder mystery on the theme of extra-sensory perception or ESP.

I do believe that there is actually something like premonition or extra-sensory perception as I have experienced it to a very small level in my own life (seeing future events in dreams or imagination). And that's why the reason of my belief that actually certain persons might be having such a quality at some higher level too. However our bollywood filmwallas are always ready to exaggerate anything to the dizzy heights for the sake of their cinematic liberty to present the intended story. So this movie presents premonition or ESP in an unbelievably exaggerated form.

The person possessing this quality in the movie is none else than Madhuri Dixit. She is studying in a college in boarding and her elder sister, Munmun Sen and her uncle, Ajeet Vachchhani are living away. Javed Jafferey and Sabeeha are her college mates and Javed loves her in his heart. While playing Tennis with Sabeeha, she suddenly gets the ESP of the murder of a woman. Later on the same scene comes before her eyes with the face of the victim also visible. And she is Munmun Sen. However she is still not able to see the face of the murderer (able to see only his back). But the murder actually takes place, however the dead body of Munmun Sen is not found.

Some years later, Madhuri comes into contact with Jackie Shroff and love blossoms between them culminating into eventual marriage. Jackie wins the court case of the ownership of a house and when he is out of town for some work, Madhuri moves to that house to clean it and bring it into a worth-living shape for the purpose of their residence. However there she sees many things already perceived by her in the visions coming upon her because of her ESP. And further, the vision of a woman's murder starts coming upon her, courtesy her ESP only. She decides to save the life of that woman and seeks help of her old mate, Javed Jafferey in her bid for this noble cause. After a lot of chill and thrill, the murder mystery gets resolved.

Actually the name of the movie is Sau Din and it appears in the credits also (written as such on the posters too when the movie had got released) but in English, it is mentioned as100 Days. I don't know whether the plot is original or plagiarized from some Hollywood movie. But the thing is that the screenplay has been excellently written. Had the writers and the directors avoided the temptation of some songs and hero-heroine romance, the movie would have been very crisp and thoroughly engrossing. However despite these regular bollywood formulae including college life pranks and some comedy (by Laxmikant Berde), the movie more or less keeps its focus on the real plot only and that's why it's so interesting. The editor could have made it shorter by 15-20 minutes and at least one song could have been avoided. All the same, the heartbeat-increasing thrills and the breathtaking suspense keep the viewers glued to the screen without any diversion.

The needle of suspicion points towards at least three characters and it's not easy to guess the murderer. I had tried to guess in the interval while watching it in theatre but my guess failed. It's a highly admirable murder mystery, no doubt. For this the director Partho Ghosh deserves a pat on his back.

The songs composed by Ramlaxman are good. Especially the song of college boys and girls - Gabbar Singh Ye Kehkar Gaya and the duet of Lata and S.P. Balasubrahmanium - Sun Beliya Shukriya Meherbaani are praiseworthy.

Technically the movie is good. Production value is high. The narrative grips the viewer from the very first scene and the curiosity factor remains alive till the very end of the movie. Many scenes are simply spine-chilling (if seen in theatre).

Performances are praiseworthy. Dancing queen and extremely beautiful Madhuri has carried this movie on her shoulders alone though she has got able support from others. This is the only movie in which the dancing and action talent of Javed Jafferey has got ample footage. He is awesome and so is the ever-in his-controls, Jackie Shroff. Laxmikant Berde has generated good laughters.

100 Days (or Sau Din) is a very good suspense-thriller with the mystery remaining unresolved till the very climax. Good narrative, good performances, good music, good comedy. A perfect entertainment spanning more than two and half hours, full of suspense, thrill and chill. Strongly recommended for all in general and mystery fans in particular.

Good remake of Lucio Fulci's The Psychic

[matt-282 · 9 June 2004]

Spoiler alert As a fan of major studio production movies from India, 'Bollywood' as called, I found this to be a great, almost exact remake of the classic 1977 Italian 'giallo' thriller Seven notes in Black directed by Lucio Fulci.

The premise is the basically the same; a young clairvoyant woman has a vision of a murder and of the victim being walled up in an old house. Years later, she batters down the wall and finds the skeletal remains. She, with the help of a parapsychologist friend, try to solve the mystery of who the victim is and if the killer is still out there. The first hour more or less drags along with the woman, Deva, being introduced and meeting her future husband and after a nice courtship, they get married. Only during the second half does the movie really take off with the discovery of the body.

In the similarities between the Fulci film and this are many, with few differences. In the Fulci movie the heroine has her fragmented disjointed visions while driving through a road tunnel, here she has the visions while swimming in her backyard swimming pool. The yellow French cigarette burning in the ashtray in the Fulci film is replaced here by a light cigar. The magazine with a photo a young woman on the cover (the murder victim) is replaced by a photo of a racehorse. Also the incriminating letter detailing who the killer in The Psychic, is replaced here by a videotape with the English title: '100 Days' showing the killing. But basically the plotlines are all the same with the climatic chase, the murders, and even the now memorable wristwatch the heroine wears midway through the film which makes a loud beeping sound on the hour which gives away her hiding place as the killer is chasing her, and reveals her location when she's incapitated. In the Lucio Fulci film, the watch instead plays a haunting tune rather than a loud beeping.

In addition to the long dramatic opening hour, also added was an extended version of the climax which brings on a more upbeat ending. A fan of international films, I found this to be quite enjoying, not just for Indian citizens, but any fans of mystery-horror-thrillers regardless of their country of origin.

Fans of Lucio Fulci who have seen The Psychic, check this one out.

The Psychic

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 9 August 2023]

100 Days is a remake of the 1984 Indian Tamil-language mystery film Nooravathu Naal, which was also remade in 1986 as the Malayalam language movie Aayiram Kannukal.

Yet all of these movies at their heart are based on another film, the 1977 Lucio Fulci film Sette note in nero or as we know it in America, The Psychic.

Devi (Madhuri Dixit) is dealing with panic attacks and visions of accidents that have yet to occur, like her sister Rama (Moon Moon Sen) being murdered. She tries to work with her friends Sudha Mathur (Sabeeha) and Sunil (Javed Jaffrey) to deal with these portents, which come true when her sister is murdered and buried inside the wall of a mansion.

Five years later, Devi falls in love with millionaire Ram Kumar (Jackie Shroff). Sunil, who was secretly in love with her sister. They get married and move into his family mansion, the very same place that has her sister's bones hidden inside, leading to Devi's visions coming back. She finds the wall and tears it down, finding a skeleton with a similar necklace that she shared with Rama. Yet the cops, led by The Inspector (Shivaji Satam), refuse to believe her.

The visions don't stop. Devi sees a murder, a magazine named Priya with a horse on its cover and a video cassette with the title 100 Days. She also starts looking into her sister's life. It turns out that she was working on her thesis about the sculptures and temples of India, yet many of the things she had been studying have been stolen and replaced with forgeries, a crime that cost Jagmohan (Jai Kalgutkar) and Parvati (Neelam Mehra) their jobs. And now, the murders in her visions are of Parvati.

Parvati knew who killed Rama because he videotaped the murder, which he's using for blackmail, which causes her to be killed by Jagmohan while carrying the evidence on tape, which is labeled 100 Days. She sees the cover of Priya with a horse on it and starts to see visions of herself hurt and staring into a broken mirror. And that's when she tries to share the videotape, which she found hidden after the murder, with her husband.

On the tape, Rama is confronting Ram. Devi learns that the future father of her child - yes, she's pregnant - comes from a family destroyed by gambling and he rebuilt their wealth through crime, working alongside Jagmohan and Parvati to smuggle the artifacts that Rama was studying. On the night that she confronted him, Jagmohan shot and killed her, framing Ram.

Near instantly, Jagmohan attacks Ram, stabbing him, and then brutalizes Devi before burying her in the same wall that once held her sister. Luckily, she has a watch that plays a song that her friend Sunil is able to hear. He fights Jagmohan while the police arrive and they save our heroine, who watches as her husband is arrested.

Directed by Partho Ghosh and written by Bhushan Banmali and Devjyoti Roy, this is a movie that makes me wonder. What would Fulci think? Would he be amused by the five musical numbers? And how wonderful is it that while Fulci once saw himself as someone who would be forgotten, his films have now been remade more than once in a country quite different than Italy.

A 100 days hit!!

[nadkarnisumeet · 10/10 · 30 May 2021]

100 Days review :

One of the most chilling thrillers of '90s; 100 Days also brought two dancing sensations - Madhuri Dixit and Javed Jaffrey - together in the spectacularly picturised 'De De Dil Le Le Dil' song. Watching both dance together was itself worth the ticket price..

The bonus came in form of a unique plot involving premonition which Madhuri gets about her elder sis Moon Moon Sen (looking sexy as ever). After her sisters mysterious disappearance, Madhuri meets our hero Jackie Shroff and he woos her to marriage. Bechaara Javed ends up being a dost only!!

The plot thickens when Madhuri starts visualizing the murder clues in her premonitions and dost Javed helps her unravel the raaz behind it. 100 Days was Partho Ghosh's first release as a director (His supposed debut film Mera Damaad (1986) got a limited release in 1995) and his taut and racy execution was much appreciated.

Originally, Neelam and Javed Jaffery were to play the leads but later the script went to Jackie Dada with some changes and he came on board with Madhuri as the main lead while Javed Jaffrey played the supporting role.

Ram Laxman's music was the film's highlight with 'Sun Beliya', 'Gabbar Singh' and of course 'De De Dil' becoming chartbusters.

Madhuri looked absolutely gorgeous in the film and this is one of her underrated performances. Jackie Dada was earnest as always. So was Javed. Laxmikant Berde provided the laughter quotient and his wedding gift ploy was truly lol worthy. Jai Kalgutkar impressed as the bald baddie.

100 Days released at Metro Cinema, Mumbai where it ran for a couple of weeks before shifting to Naaz Cinema where it celebrated its 100 days. :) I had seen the film on its first Saturday at Badal Bijlee Cinema, Matunga where it ran Housefull for multiple weeks. An unmissable film, in case you have not seen it yet!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Great traditional Bollywood thriller

[BrandtSponseller · 8/10 · 25 April 2005]

Devi (Madhuri Dixit) is a "precog", or precognizant--she gets visions of some events before they occur. Near the beginning of the film she receives a vision of her sister, Rama (Sabeeha), being killed, so she desperately tries to stop what she believes is inevitable. Before she can take action, her sister disappears. We move five years into the future. After accidentally ending up at the wrong wedding, Ram Kumar (Jackie Shroff) sees Devi and falls in love. He buys the bungalow next to Devi's and courts her. Soon after, Devi begins receiving another vision of a woman being murdered--only this time she doesn't know the identity of the victim. Can she find out who the woman is before it is too late?

For a film that is occasionally very schizophrenic, 100 Days holds together extremely well, even seeming tightly focused overall. The disparate elements come by way of the typical range of genres in a Bollywood film. For example, in the middle of the opening thriller material, all of a sudden director Parto Ghosh breaks out into goofy musical number, complete with faux-action/adventure/crime elements interspersed with pie throwing and a fashion display that's right out of a Kajagoogoo video--in other words, heavy 1980s style ala leg warmers, big hair, skinny ties and so on. Then for much of the first hour or so, 100 Days becomes more of a light romantic comedy. The thriller material returns stronger in the second half, although the musical numbers still tend to lighten the mood more than they ideally should.

The tone of the film, then, is a strong contrast to some of the work of other Indian horror/thriller directors such as Ram Gopal Varma, who has famously forgone musical numbers in films such as Raat (1992), as has Guddu Dhanoa in films such as Hawa (2003). But Ghosh manages to tie everything together so that the romantic elements, musical numbers and comic relief (especially in characters such as Balam, played by Laxmikrant Berde) not only provide a balance for the more intense material, but seem integral to the film--100 Days wouldn't be quite as good as it is in absence of any of its varied moods. Heck, Ghosh even makes repeated footage seem as if it's necessary rather than just being padding.

And of course these different elements help set 100 Days apart from its precursor on the horror/thriller end, Lucio Fulci's Sette note in nero (1977), which also has elements of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Black Cat" (originally published in 1843). Ghosh also adds a number of interesting, recurring motifs, such as the pervasive conch shells, the statues/taxidermy specimens and the water symbolism, which helps bring to mind later films with a relation to "The Black Cat", such as Byeong-ki Ahn's Phone (2002).

The performances throughout are very good. Of course it's primarily up to Dixit to help tie all of the threads together, but she receives a lot of help from Shroff, Berde, Javed Jaffrey as Devi's friend Sunil, and Jay Kalgutar as Jagmohan. At first I was lamenting Berde's relative absence later in the film, but as he's strictly comic relief, this was necessary. By the end, Ghosh is only concerned with increasing a roller coaster-like intensity, which he does effectively. Rather than continuing comic relief, he adds other elements to the overarching thriller atmosphere, such as a big action scene set in a junkyard that showcases some impressive stunts.

Anyone who is a fan of the average Bollywood film and who also likes western thrillers should enjoy 100 Days.

A really well balanced and intelligent thriller

[waqarayub28 · 10/10 · 26 July 2006]

100 Days is such kind of a thriller that completely satisfied the appetite of the viewer who wants to see an intelligent thriller. the premonition or extra sensory perception issue dealt with utmost sensitivity, care and presented with logics supported by the psychologists comments in the movie that the viewer completely believes in the subject and in real it is also true. Not only thrilling but also the love angels and portions are screen played very beautifully. The images that MADHURI sees with open eyes gives a very engaging and very interesting touch to the film. The proceedings of the goings on is superb and nobody can judge the KILLER till end. Performance wise Madhuri as usual gets the maximum scope and acted her part with par excellence. JAckie shroff acted well as the hero of the film while side actors like neelam, sabiha and moon moon sen are likable. Special mention for the music. The background sound while Madhuri watches the images is really spooky and gives a deep and mysterious feeling. A must watch and really great thriller for all the movie buffs.

One of the best during its time ... or any time!

[anthony_fernandes80 · 10/10 · 6 December 2012]

I am going to rate this movie very high mainly because it delivered what it promised. It was one of the best thrillers/murder mysteries that released in the 1990s (probably even till date, though now it may appear dated in terms of costumes and gadgets etc). Partho Ghosh hasn't always made good films, but this one is easily his best. The film is inspired (just like his other hit, coming a close second to this one, Agnisaakshi) but let's give him credit for making a really good, strong thriller.

I remember how I had shut my eyes, at the age of 10, while watching some of the scenes in this film. It was truly fascinating. One of the key strengths of the film was its background music that added to the mystery.

Madhuri Dixit was another highpoint of this film. She was brilliantly cast as Devi and did complete justice to her role. That's why she is what she is today. I'm a huge Dixit fan, so won't go on about her, lest i sound prejudiced. Moon Moon sen in a small role was alright. Neelam Mehera did a decent job and so did Sabeeha.

Of the men, Jackie Shroff had to settle for a less meaty role when compared to his lead heroine, but he was good. Jay Kalghuta, who was introduced in this film as Jagmohan, not only looked menacing and terrifying but enacted his role convincingly as well. A good debut that sadly did not get too many roles post this film. Laxmikant Berde as Baalam provided the laughs (may seem over the top when viewed today, but did tickle back then). And lastly Javed Jaffery was well cast as Sunil. It was a pleasure to see Madhuri and Javed shake a leg in the popular song De De Dil.

Although Dixit and Shroff had appeared in films like Parinda, Raam Lakhan, Tridev, Uttar Dakshin and Vardi before this one(not sure if I missed any), this is probably the only film, where they romanced one another, that emerged successful.

Raam Laxman's music was not chart busting, which was required for a suspense film. But the songs are melodious especially Sun Beliya, which stood out.

Partho Ghosh managed to maintain the suspense till the end. No cheap thrills, just good old suspense and drama. Brilliant stuff.It wasn't like those films that had a new twist in the plot after every 15 minutes, thus introducing a new dimension to the story. It had a concrete plot to follow, with layers unfolding.

Overall, 100 days is one of the best thrillers I have seen in Indian cinema or any cinema. Copied or not, this film is a great watch even today.

Amazing Thriller from Bollywood

[Li_85 · 8/10 · 11 June 2006]

100 Days is a Amazing Great Thriller from Bollywood. Slightly borrowed from Hollywood movie Eyes of Laura Mars, 100 Days Impresses the viewers. Madhuri Dixit is the main character in this movie. Looking sexy as usual, Madhuri delivers a Great performance. Jackie Shroff Plays the Actor of the movie with some negative shades. I remember when i saw this when it came out new. I was about 6 years old then, the movie scared me a little. For those who have not seen this movie, do not get fooled by the unusual title. The movie is called 100 days for a reason. Madhuri has many Scary premonitions in this movie, which turn real. This is a Bollywood Delight. If you fancy seeing a spooky Bollywood thriller, this is for you.