Mr. India

Arun is a permanently broke violinist who houses orphaned children. Seema, a journalist, moves in as his tenant. Meanwhile a crime lord called Mogambo is planning to take over the country. Arun finds a bracelet left by his father: whoever wears it becomes invisible, though visible under red light. The subject is not superheroics but poverty. Arun first uses invisibility to feed his children; the heroism comes later, and the rent stays the real issue throughout. The form is mainstream Indian cinema of the eighties: song, comedy, action and melodrama in the same film. The invisibility effects were ambitious for Indian cinema at the time and were achieved largely with optical tricks. Mogambo became the role that defined Amrish Puri's career, and the character's short line announcing his satisfaction is still in everyday use in India. Sridevi's Charlie Chaplin routine, performed while her character is in disguise, is remembered as a piece in its own right. Shekhar Kapur directs, from a screenplay by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, among the last they wrote together. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Indian popular cinema and eighties fantasy. Who it is not for: anyone impatient about length; the film runs close to three hours and the pace drops in stretches.