Mera Gaon Mera Desh

Raj Khosla's "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" is righty seen as a precursor to the Bollywood mega-western, "Sholay." In many ways, it's a better movie: less jokey and with a better soundtrack. The story is classic Bolly hokum: a petty criminal (Dharmendra) redeems himself in a village terrorized by bandits. In the process, he falls off the wagon (briefly), falls in love with the village beauty (Asha Parekh), and saves the day. The surprise in 1971 was the way in which Khosla framed the story. One of India's best directors was clearly been inspired By Sergio Leone's great westerns. Right from the opening credits, we get empty, foreboding alleys and Morricone-like strums. This is western as high melodrama, masala style. It works. Vinod Khanna is excellent as the leader of the dacoits. In the first half of the movie, Dharmendra and Parekh make a wonderful pair, as they did so many times before. They had such ease together. The stunner is Laxmi Chhaya, who dances an astonishing three of the film's six well-deserved hit songs. She steals the show - right down to the final number, the stunning "Mar Diya Jai." The puzzle is that Khosla did not give this to Asha Parekh, who somehow goes missing in the second half of the movie. Having her picturize this last song would have been truly stunning: a seeming switch of sympathies and her restoration as the heroine of this movie. Instead, she assumes an uncomfortably passive role tied up to a pole while Chhaya dances circles around her. Seven years later, Khosla would make up for this odd mistake by giving Parekh one of her best roles, in "Main Tulsi Teri Angan Ki."

Must movie and vedeo quality is good

This dvd mera gaon Mera Desh is not full movie

Not original dvd is copy. Be aware.

The main song 'tujhe maar diya jai' has been deleted.