Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong (1971, India)

The actor Mehmood already had a string of film credits by 1971, and this film was an attempt to trade on his past work; it's a fairly poor example of Indian cinema. The theme is that an upmarket confidence trickster Ramesh (played by I S Johar) has been operating for some time; we see that he pretends to be a wealthy prince looking for an older wife. Preferably this should be a widow who has inherited a fortune from her husband. Mehmood's character Mahesh decides to play him at his own game, and when he learns that he will be reviewing possible brides in another town, Mahesh goes there and poses as a wealthy widow and is immediately selected as the next "bride". Mahesh has brought some fake priests with him, so the wedding can take place immediately; and soon after Mahesh gives the man a drugged drink; when he comes to, Mahesh has left with all his jewellery and other valuables.

The next sequence is in a jeweller's shop. We see him alone, praying for divine assistance in tricking a wealthy customer who is shortly expected. But the customer apparently comes early -- it is Ramesh this time, posing as a wealthy Arab sheik; he has brought his four wives -- obviously dressed as women -- with him, and they want every piece of jewellery in the shop. The crooked jeweller is overjoyed, but he is induced to smoke one of the sheik's cigarettes, and this makes him unconscious,. When he comes to, the sheik and his wives and all of his stock have disappeared.

In a third scene the two men appear simultaneously trying to diddle a wealthy American out of her money. When they get in one another's way and neither gets anything, they agree to work together and divide the spoils.

Several successful and unsuccessful tricks follow, but eventually they decide they need to go to Hong Kong for their work. But they have no passports; how to get on the plane? Well, when an invalid is wheeled in by a nurse, the solution is obvious, and soon they emerge with Mehmood as the nurse and Ramesh as the invalid.

After various adventures in Hong Kong they find themselves in jail with several other Indian prisoners. A tunnel is being built, and apparently they end up in the women's prison, althoug this is not made clear. But a woman prison officer comes into the cell where they are all waiting and tells them she is very strict. She inspects all of them and inevitably Mahesh fails to pass muster. "My god," she exclaims,"it is a man".

The whole thing is played for cheap laughs; I don't think the film really succeeded at all.

HF December 2007

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