Joshilaay (1989) User Reviews

A good fun movie for hardcore cowboy'ish people

[vicky-bahl · 7/10 · 1 May 2008]

The movie has a good story line and Sunny Deol performs well with Anil Kapoor. It is a bit stretched but the dust, horses, guns, and villages are worth watching. The plot is quite good and the movie has a Jaanbaaz sort of a feel. The dacoits are back with a bang and the old blues of horses and guns make me feel good. Overall, you wont say that you wasted time or it wasn't worth it. It can be a good weekend watch if you are interested in 1980's Indian cinema. You cannot compare it with any Hollywood movie but Shekhar Kapur does a good job in bringing the reality of Indian villages to life, and what does it feel like to stay there with dacoits all over the place.

Considering it is a 1989 movie, I'll give it a 7/10.

Not a bad movie after all...

[debasish3011 · 5/10 · 27 June 2013]

Joshilaay is a movie with a Western feel, complete with trigger-happy bandits, smokin' pistols and gunfire and a plot that borrows heavily from John Wayne-Clint Eastwood movies. But before you sit to watch it, be prepared for some annoyingly loud background music that'll pierce your ears during the climactic scenes. However, considering that the film was released way back in 1989, most of its melodramatic excesses are somewhat forgivable. After all you just can't ignore a movie like Joshilaay (and many others such as Khote Sikkey, Kala Sona, Chunaoti, Jagir etc). These movies gave Indian audience the typical 'desi' mix of Bollywood and Western flicks. Joshilaay on its part is particularly memorable for its cinematography, scenes shot in the arid landscapes of Ladakh, the composed acting of Anil Kapoor (usually known for his loud acting) and of course the dreaded bandit JOGI THAKUR. The actor who played the role deserves to be placed in the same ranks as the late Amjad Khan or Amrish Puri. It's rather sad that we remember Gabbar Singh, Mogambo and Mola Ram, but if someone asks 'Remember Jogi Thakur?' the curt response would be "Jogi who?" Overall, Joshilaay is an underrated film that deserves recognition from today's viewers. But let me also warn you... the movie prints are in bad condition. Sometimes the screen turns dark during daytime scenes and you might think there's a solar eclipse going on every now and then. No proper restoration was done for the prints and it's evident that the director himself lost interest in restoring the film maybe because it was a massive flop upon release. Whatever, the solar eclipse phenomenon is in some way countered by Sridevi's flashing jewelry. As you watch Sridevi you seriously wonder how a poor Banjaran girl whose father runs a small traveling theater troupe can afford such expensive jewelry. As for the songs in the film, the only memorable one is the title song sung with amazing manliness by the late Kishore Kumar. The other three songs in the film are too loud, absurd and unnecessary.

"You are Drama,I am Circus".

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 14 January 2013]

Taking a look round online to find a Dacoit (bandit) Curry Western that a friend could enjoy over the holiday season.I was shocked to discover a near-forgotten late 80's Curry Western that starred future Slumdog Millionaire and Mission Impossible 4 star Anil Kapoor,and Bollywood "Action king" Sunny Deol,that led me to getting set to saddle up,and setting off for the Curry western sunset.

The plot:

Being bailed from jail by his travelling circus manager,Dara notices,that a new poster has been put up on the police station's wall,offering a sum for anyone who can capture a recently escaped from prison Dacoit Yogi Thakur.With Thakur having been the person who mysteriously dropped the young Dara off at the travelling circus,Dara begins to quickly make plans on how he can at last come face to face with Yogi,so that he can find out what happened to his parents.

As Dara begins searching round for Thakur,he quickly finds out that he is the only person who wants to capture Yogi alive,with an outlaw called Karan closely following Dara's footsteps,in the hope of killing Yogi on sight,due to Thakur having murdered his mum and dad right in front of his young eyes.

View on the film:

Taking a look at the back of the DVD cover,I started to fear that I was about to see a movie that was going to be very tangled up,due to the films problems at the director's chair (with original director Shekhar Kapor being replaced by Sibte Hassan Rizvi half way into filming.)Whilst the production troubles may have lead to elements in the script being simplified (such as the way that Dara and Thakur's paths meet),the directors impressively never allow the behind the scenes problems to pour onto whats taking place on screen.

With the film avoiding any unnecessary detours,Kapor and Rizvi use the simplistic outline to deliver a refreshingly straight forward rough and wild Curry Western,with the movie using chilling flashbacks that are covered by the creeping sounds of a football rattle that could easily belong in any Horror film,to allow the viewer in feeling the wait on Dara's (played by a sharp Sunny Deol) shoulders on the years he has waited to get revenge for the death of his parents.

Along with the revenge aspect of the story,Kapor and Rizvi show a keen eye in staging tough shootouts and hard hitting bar room brawls,with the blood pouring out of all of the people who have been killed by Yogi Thakur, (played with a real bite by Rajesh Vivek) creating a harsh atmosphere where Dara and Thakur's blood could burst across the screen at any moment.