4/5 This One's Strange Even for Bollywood, But in a Good Way
  by Jess Bluejay
I was really looking forward to this movie b/c I hadn't seen a Bollywood film about a superhero. Mr. India isn't born a superhero. He is an ordinary Indian who happens to come into the possession of a bracelet that can make him invisible. When he's not invisible, he's Arun (Anil Kapoor), a poor man who takes care of a flock of cute little orphans. Being of superhero caliber, he will of course do anything for these sweet helpless creatures, who all happen to be good breakdancers. The movie came out in 1987 and I guess breakdancing captured the imagination of India. Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" also dates the film. It plays in the background at a fancy restaurant where some villains dine. I wonder if high class restaurants really played Janet Jackson songs. Anyway, before Arun discovers the bracelet that will make him Mr. India, he meets a journalist named Seema (Sridevi). She agrees to rent a room in his house before she realizes there are like a dozen children running around and singing all the time. One of the first songs begins when Seema takes the children's football (soccer ball) away from them. The whole song consists of the children pleading with her to give them their football back. Despite her vexation, Seema eventually falls for the herd of orphans. What melts her icy career-girl heart? When Arun's grocer refuses to give him food on credit (due to an alliance with a supervillain named Mogambo), the orphans begin to starve. Seema is unwilling to trade the lives of the orphans for some peace and quiet so she feeds them a ton of junk food and immediately falls in love with them.

I mentioned the villainous Mogambo. He lives in some kind of crazy palace-compound with a bunch of mindless followers who greet each other with cries of, "Hail Mogambo!" Early in the film, Mogambo proves how loyal his followers are by asking three of them to jump into a pool of acid located beneath the floor. Without hesitation, they jump into the acid. Mogambo is always talking about taking over India. He wants to be the king. Mogambo is a very bad man. He's played by Amrish Puri, who also played the heart-eating dude from the culturally-sensitive Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Speaking of cultural sensitivity, the showstopping musical number in Mr. India features a troupe of backup dancers all dressed in blackface. The scene showcases an excellent high-energy song called "Hawa Hawaii" sung by Seema who is posing as a showgirl for some reason. The plots in most (older) Bollywood films are so convoluted that though one keeps up with all the twists and turns during the film, she (read: me) is hard-pressed to recall them. This is part of their appeal. The sensory overload one experiences is thrilling and leaves one feeling punch-drunk. It also seems to be an effective strategy for diverting the audience away from plot holes. Seema and her dancing boys go through several costume changes throughout the song which contributes to the intoxication. Before donning the aforementioned blackface, the boys are dressed in glam makeup and skintight pantsuits and then in grass skirts and pasty-style nipple paints. Seema is eventually discovered to be an imposter. Arun, in possession of his bracelet, becomes Mr. India and saves her. Lois Lane style, she falls in love with Mr. India and shuns Arun.

I'll briefly mention two more scenes. The first takes place in a gambling hall. For no apparent reason, Seema is dressed as Charlie Chaplin. The scene is filled with slapstick comedy and allows the actress to show off her comedic skills. This is a rarity in Bollywood. There's a lot of comedy in Bollywood, but it's not very often that a woman gets to be funny. Sridevi does an excellent job and has tons of goofy sex appeal. The other scene I want to mention is the love scene. Seema and an invisible Mr. India profess their love for each other in song. You probably have heard that kissing is not allowed in Bollywood films. It seems that if people know one thing about Bollywood, it's that kissing isn't allowed. I'm not sure if that's still true or if it ever was an explicit ban (and I'm pretty sure I've seen at least one onscreen kiss), but Mr. India is no exception to the rule. Though I'm all for free speech, I must admit that censorship does breed creativity. (Just watch any movie from Iran). In this scene, Seema attempts to relieve her sexual tension by literally rolling around in some hay and seductively chewing on some straw. Really.

I won't give anything else away. It's a big winner: the music is fantastic, the story's insane, and it indulges in the irresistible fantasy that there's a such thing as an "ordinary Indian" and that he could triumph over the rich, powerful, and evil.