Kohram (1999) User Reviews

Saved by actors

[silvan-desouza · 5/10 · 13 May 2009]

Mehul Kumar is a pathetic filmmaker, he always relied on actor's to save his films be it TIRANGAA or KRANTIVEER then he gave duds like MRITHYUDATTA

The film is terrible and just the same filmy nonsense, This film came 10 years back when Amitabh was trying to make a comeback and in this film he suitably played his age, he didn't try too hard like in HINDUSTAN KI KASAM or other films those days

Nana Patekar also for once plays a comic flamboyant role

The film also has side fiddle roles by Mukul Dev and others who fill the bill

The film is a typical Indian film with lot of stupid comedy.etc

Direction by Mehul Kumar is okay at places Music is okay

Amitabh does his part well though he looked too wrinkled yet it suits the role Nana too seems to be having a ball Mukul Dev is bad while Ayesha Jhukla is okay Tabu is good too as the cop Danny is typical

Bachchan aur Nana ki takkar!

[nadkarnisumeet · 6/10 · 14 August 2022]

Kohram review :

Director Mehul Kumar had already announced Aey Watan Tere Liye with Amitabh Bachchan even before their Mrityudaata (1997) released. However post its debacle, Mehul Kumar shelved Aey Watan Tere Liye which had Dimple Kapadia, Arshad Warsi and Karisma Kapoor in key roles. He then reworked on the same script and thus, was born Kohram where Amitabh Bachchan and Nana Patekar worked together for the first time.

The plot revolving around an ex army man (Bachchan) trying to assassinate the super corrupt Home minister (Danny) disguising himself as a commoner with investigating officer Nana on his trail offered nothing new in terms of content except for the superbly executed confrontation scenes between Amitabh and Nana Patekar and the climax which offered a unique solution to tackle the corrupt politicians.

Kohram gave the much older Nana Patekar a chance to groove with the lovely Tabu playing a corrupt cop who falls for Patekar's Bengali moshai character. Their naughty romance was quite liked by the audience at Geeta Cinema, Worli where I saw the film in its first week. The patrons were cheering loudly as Tabu literally pulls an awkward Nana in to her bath tub. "Paagal hua deewana hua" song follows with Nana dancing in a hilarious manner!!

While the focus was on Amitabh Bachchan- Nana Patekar takkar, Mehul Kumar couldn't do justice to the other seasoned stars like Jackie Shroff, Jaya Pradha and Ayesha Jhulka who came and went in a blink. Particularly, Jaggu Dada was severely shortchanged in the movie. I wanted to see more of Ayesha as well but the film offered no scope to her beyond a dance number with Mukul Dev.

With all its pros and cons, Kohram was a decent one time watch and a timepass fare which became special only as it starred the two great legends together for the first and last time!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Forthright, Downright, and Outright Nonsense !

[elshikh4 · 13 December 2009]

On 4/8/1999, I was having all the hopes in the world. The commercial title of it in Egypt stood for (The Explosion). The broad poster of it looked splendid while being hanging over the video store's door. However, the idea of old, returning, Bachchan apart was more interesting. And after (Mrityudaata), (Bade Miyan Chote Miyan), and (Sooryavansham) I said to myself: "Hey, the man sure had enough, and here's the time to one of the old times fares". So I rented the movie, and the only explosion I had was the explosion of my rage!

As for the songs, save "Baba Nanak Dukhiyan", the song at the place of worship, and "Hum Hain Banaras Ke Bhaiya", the song of the wedding, all the rest is forgettable, not to mention so forced; like the song at the nightclub with characters that we won't see later!

As for the action, save the intro assassination sequence; which's a masterpiece, and too good to be in this movie--there is nothing special. Or rather there is nothing!

As for the comedy, save couple of moments for Bachchan as Dada, it's worthless. Let alone that Nana Patekar's disguise as feeble-minded journalist seemed unbearable sometimes!

Speaking about comedy, when it comes to make laughs, nothing can ever compete with this plot. It's utterly ridiculous, with holes that can hold the entire Indian nation!

Simply How the fugitive Col. Balbir Singh Sodi became Dada Bhai or this village's good old chieftain in no time?! How the government just forgave him so easily at the end, bringing him back to his rank and his job, while he's a murderer?? It's as if by the time of shooting the end, they forgot wholly what the start was! And How goofy the ending scene sounded with perfectly fabricated satirical message! These "Hows" are many and provoking, however the biggest one of them all is How Bachchan worked with director Mehul Kumar after the historical flop of (Mrityudaata) 2 years earlier???

For the money?, being there?, the courtesy? Whatever the reason was; this is one clear idiot movie. We weren't used to see the big B in small-time movies like this, so how about suffering this condition for a whole decade already; from the late 1980s to the late 1990s! I was shocked that he did such an embarrassment to himself, and in this very critical phase of his career as well. But not to worry, because (Mohabbatein) is one year ahead, and - while being not a great movie itself - it would be Bachchan's long-lost hit, to be saved by the bell!

..Now I notice that the arrival of (Kohram) to Egypt's video stores in the same year of its production was a bad omen that I didn't see at the moment. They wanted to make money, any money, by it from the poor middle-eastern fans of Bachchan. But a fan of him or not, (Kohram) is an insult to you more than an entertainment.

It said in its end that some politicians do wrong and get away with it, well.. and some movie-makers too!