Gunda, Loha, Phoolan Haseena Ramkali. Caught at a late night show of Kanti Shah’s Angoor at Shimla’s Rivoli cinema. That Rivoli, I suppose, could well be in Delhi’s Cannaught Place. Kanti Shah's Last B-Grade Movie that qualifies as So Bad It's Good. Dharmendra + Bashirbhai Babar Dialogues + All Gunda Villains(Lamboo Aata, Chutiya, Batla, Bachubhai Bhigona, Lucky Chickna, etc.) + Numerous Rapes and Murders + Kiran Kumar. Must Watch this movie alongside Veer, Rangbaaz, Loha.
Written by Kevin Lobo | Updated: March 22, 2015 8:56:08 am
Kanti Shah makes no bones about his work.Kanti Shah’s residence is bare — devoid of life-sized portraits and film posters meant to remind visitors that they were in the presence of a star. Seated on a cushioned armchair, Shah is wearing a body hugging T-shirt and tiny boxers that leave little to the imagination.
From this throne, the undisputed king of sleaze in Hindi cinema makes no bones about his work. “It’s not like a rabid dog bit us and we were forced to have sex. I don’t see why I can’t make films around it,” says Shah who has always used titillation to bring in audiences in droves.
With over 60 flicks in half the number of years to his credit, Shah’s filmography includes cult hits such as Loha, Gunda, Kanti Shah Ke Angoor, among others. His films have starred Mithun Chakraborty, Dharmendra, Mandakini and the choicest character actors from Bollywood. But the popularity of his low budget films have little to do with the stars. Technically, his films are horrendous — scenes jump through time and locations, cameras zoom in and out of bosoms and faces. But when the dialogue-baazi begins, you can’t help yourself.
Sample this: In Gunda, Mithun, before chopping off Harish Patel’s head says, “Aaj ke baad tujhe koi bhi Ibu Hatela nahin, [saab] Ibu Katela kahega.” Or, in Loha, just before Deepak Shirke is killed, he has an existential crisis and says, “Ab main bina petrol ki gaadi aur bina nashe ki taadi hoon. Maarde mujhe…”
Shah doesn’t work with a script. He prefers telling the actors their lines on the fly. Shah already has a script ready for our interview — he knows the questions that will be asked, and has prepared answers for them; his responses ring true. When talking about the stranglehold A-list stars have over the industry, he remarks nonchalently: “Star hai toh film banani nahin padti, ban jati hai.”
Shah doesn’t work with a script. He prefers telling the actors their lines on the fly. Shah already has a script ready for our interview — he knows the questions that will be asked, and has prepared answers for them; his responses ring true. When talking about the stranglehold A-list stars have over the industry, he remarks nonchalently: “Star hai toh film banani nahin padti, ban jati hai.”
His next film due for release in May is called Main Sunny Leone Banna Chahati Hoon. Shah describes the first scene: “Sunny paani se nikalti hain. High-speed shot hain, camera zoom karti hain — top-wop, bikini-wikini, boobs-woobs.” The plot revolves around a girl called Sunny from Goa who wants to become a star in Bollywood but is seduced by the porn industry in Bangkok instead. “Today, eight-year-old kids and 60-year-old people know who Sunny Leone is. It becomes easier for business and for publicity,” he says.
Loha Kanti Shah Patel
Shah began his career as a production assistant working with BR Chopra. His first film, Maar Dhaad, had nothing to do with sex other than the fact that Mandakini was coming fresh off the success of Ram Teri Ganga Maili. For his next venture, Ganga Jamuna Ki Lalkaar, he took matters in his own hands, directing and producing the film. It was a time when rape scenes sold tickets in Bollywood, and Shah used the trope, too. “When I went to Calcutta to a theatre, all the shop owners and rickshaw drivers around the theatre would abandon their jobs and watch the film only for the duration of that scene,” says Shah, who has since peppered his movies with shots of heavy bosom-ed women and a mandatory sex scene.
![Loha Loha](/uploads/1/1/0/3/110347121/782793754.jpg)
The director took a break from filmmaking for three years when the industry went digital. “I want to see my films release in a multiplex, but it looks difficult even for mid-sized films nowadays. It is a problem being branded. I might be talented, but people can’t see beyond my earlier work.” Today, Shah edits, directs, writes his movies and markets his films. He is confident about delivering a hit film within a month. “Film bahut mushkil kaam hai. Film banate banate, aadmi bhookha mar jaata hai, bachche mar jaate hain.”
Loha Kanti Shah Alam
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Loha Kanti Shah Delhi
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