Monika’s Pensieve

{FILM DIARY}

Duplicate (India, 1998)

Seen: Saturday, 12th September 2009 (DVD, repeat viewing)
Runtime: 158′
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Sonali Bendre, Farida Jalal, Kajol (cameo)
Production House: Dharma Productions
Plot: Bablu is a very sweet guy who works as a cook and Manu is an evil and perverted gangster. The problem is that they both look the same…

Trailer

Impressions In Short
90s Bollywood at its best - cheesy, corny and totally shameless about it ;)

More About the Film
Something that strikes me about it every time I see it is how absolutely packed with sex it is! I mean on the one hand it totally abides by all the old-fashioned Bollywood boundaries of what you can show and what you cannot, which means it should be rather mild by Western standards… only it’s not ;) I mean just check out this song (it’s a comedic sequence - the evil boy gets the good girl and the good boy ends up with the evil girl). No where does it cross the unspoken rules of 90s Bollywood decency and yet it is quite simply naughty ;) And the scissors scene at the beginning of the film totally gets me every time. I seriously think that’s Shahrukh’s most erotic scene ever *grin* (and he doesn’t even take any of his clothes off!).
Sex aside, it’s a really hilarious movie. It’s comedy almost the whole way through and it gets to total absurdity. I naturally adore Shahrukh’s evil incarnation in the film, but I love Sonali Bendre in it too. I haven’t found a good way to explain why exactly I have a thing for Sonali Bendre, but lets just say she’s cheap and vulgar in a really cute way *grin*

Recommended?
I think you have to have a taste for B movies - if you’re only into high brow stuff then you’d be better off leaving this off your watchlist. The trailer should give you a good indication of what kind of humour and standard it is *grin* If you think the trailer looks fun then you’re probably going to enjoy the film.
It’s a definite must for anybody who enjoys Shahrukh in his evil mode *grin*