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ITP
Classic
Hitlar (1986)
*ing: Mustafa Qureshi, Sultan Rahi and Anjuman
Directed by Idrees Khan |
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The
film starts with the intriguing premise that Hitler in fact never
died buried in the bunkers in Berlin but unknown to all he managed
to escape and started a family somewhere in the Punjabi heartland.
He fled in the nick of time as the Allies closed in and landed up
in a newly independent nation of Pakistan where he altered his moustache
and blended with the plebs despite the rather strange Germanic-Punjabi
accent. He also changed his name from Hitler to Hitlar in case some
canny Nazi hunter might catch whiff of his scent. According to the
director Idrees Khan not only were the Jews of the world after his
blood for the Holocaust but it was also Hitlar and not the United
States who had destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a fact that was brilliantly
covered up by his cohorts such as Josef Goebbels, who rumour has it
changed his name to Malik Saab and also lived to a happy life anonymously
somewhere in Gujrat. Incidentally even though the movie's poster claims
the title of the film is HITLER, the title sequence very clearly shows
that the film is in fact called HITLAR.
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The
film shows Hitlar Jr. - the son the world never knew about - dispatching
his goons to ravage the local villagers and terrify them into submission.
In order to finance his insatiable appetite for the very best wigs
and fashions he must obtain large quantities of cash and so Hitlar
sends his henchmen on errands murdering prominent businessmen and
relieving them of their cash. One day one of the villagers, upright
and incredibly handsome young Sultan witnesses the goons attack and
murder an industrialist in broad daylight. This experience shatters
Sultan's idyllic apathy and under the tutelage of his mentor Aman,
the town sage, he promises to battle against the forces of injustice
and brutality. Sounds prophetically like some of the events of recent
days with students and professors raising their voice against tyranny
and oppression.
One night Sultan is attacked by a pack of men in bear suits and he
is saved from certain death by gnawing by the timely intervention
of Rustam Khan, a Dakoo Sardar who looks like a cross between Tarzan
and Divine but seems to mean well and lo and behold, it later turns
out that this Trannie Tarzan is indeed Sultan's long lost father,
but Sultan doesn't find that out till much later on. Rustam meanwhile
protects Sultan from Hitlar's goons and throws down the gauntlet challenging
Hitlar to the ultimate showdown. Meanwhile Sultan vows to seek justice
for the murder that he witnessed but that path soon brings him into
conflict with the most dreaded force on earth; the son of Hitlar.
We learn that Hitlar Jr (Hitler's son from a buxom Punjabi village
belle) lives with mummy and yearns for revenge in his father's name
who he refers to as "Master".
During a flashback we learn that poor Hitlar turned to a life of vice
and crime when his family were brutalized and tortured by the local
mafia and were helpless to do anything about it. In a dark stormy
night of intrigue and murder, a young Hitlar watched helplessly as
the mafia men hack his uncle to death (Chaudhary Himmler?) right in
front of his eyes. He swears then and there that he will dedicate
his life to exacting his own twisted form of justice in the land and
also that he will crown his mother Queen as she is the rightful heir
to Hitler's lost empire.
The film is so utterly OTT that it's actually fairly amusing. Mustafa
Qureshi turns in a fantastic performance in the title role. His screen
presence and dialogue delivery are brilliant and his costumes and
hairstyles breathtaking. If ever there was an adversary worthy of
doing battle with the great Sultan Rahi, it is Mustafa Qureshi. Right
from the days of Maula Jat it was evident that when you put Qureshi
and Rahi together, the sparks just won't stop flying.
The chemistry between the two actors is electric and this trio (including
Anjuman) virtually ruled the Punjabi film scene for a decade and a
half or so with absolutely no competition. There was a time when 80
per cent of films being produced had the three ingredients Rahi, Anjuman
and Qureshi in them with the behind the screens ingredient of Madame
Noor Jehan - a combination that almost always spelt success. This
film succeeds in providing a thoroughly good giggle, firstly at the
insanity of the plot that starts with the German A-bombing on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki and secondly at the amazing antics of Mustafa Qureshi
who totally steals the show from under Sultan Rahi's nose. Anjuman
has little to do and just shows up whenever the director feels a song
and a bit of desi bump and grind is required. Unfortunately the songs
aren't that hot and just manage to slow the film down from its otherwise
feverish pace.
The Queen of Emotions Bahar is in top form again as the fearless mother
of Rahi and she has shaped her eyebrows quite expertly for maximum
dramatic and emotional impact. A seasoned veteran and one of the powerhouse
performers of the industry, Bahar turns in yet another memorable performance.
She is in a class of her own among the oldies and has been for ages
now. Sultan Rahi exudes "charm" and a raw charisma, if one
could call it that and plays his role with gusto. Firdous, ex siren
of the '60's and early '70's and forever remembered as the woman stole
Madame Noor Jehan's husband Ejaz away from her, is well cast as Hitler's
mother and the woman Adolf wed when he fled to the Punjab. She delivers
a potent performance though never quite matching the intensity of
the amazing Bahar Begum.
Mustafa Qureshi walks away with top honours along with the director
Idrees Khan whose narrative has a gritty, kinetic edge to it, and
there is a freaked out kind of trash art style to proceedings. Special
praise is due to the people in charge of the wardrobe and the costumes,
especially the range of superlative wigs… none of which ever
fit! Highly recommended! HITLAR (1986) is available on VCD from any
discerning pirate video shop in Pakistan.
- Omar Khan
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