SCREEN, BOMBAY - 23 JAN, 1981
The title of S.K.Films Enterprises ‘Hum Paanch’, based on Kannada director Puttanna Kanagal’s ‘Paduvaraahalli Pandavaru,’ has an obvious connection with the story of the five Pandavas in India’s great epic, the Mahabharata. Two characters in the film bear the names of two of the five Pandavas in the epic – Arjun and Bheem. The name of the all-important character in the Mahabharata, (Lord) Krishna, is also the name of the film’s key character who is instrumental in bringing five oppressed persons together to wage a battle against tyranny and evil. Barring these superficial features, there is no resemblance between producer Surinder Kapoor’s ‘Hum Paanch’ and the Vyas-written epic, the Mahabharata, except in a few dialogues which are meant to convey a part of the philosophy propounded in the Geeta.

The main characters in the film look neither representative of the starkly earthy present nor genuinely resemble mythological prototypes in the Mahabharata. The fault is not of the artistes who have enacted these characters but of the writers and the director who have not been able to lend credence to the tale or present on the screen a believably effective amalgam of the earthy present and the mythological past.
In ‘Hum Paanch’, the forces of evil and tyranny are epitomized in the person of the wealthy zamindar, Thakur Veer Prasad Singh (Amrish Puri) and his crafty aide Lala Nayansukh Prasad Shrivstav (Kanhaiyalal). The Thakur has turned his younger brother Krishna (Sanjeev Kumar) into a drunkard so that he, the Thakur, can enjoy the entire property unhindered. The Thakur has had no compunction bringing about the downfall of his own sister (Geeta Siddhartha) and has sent her son Arjun (Raj Babbaar) away from the village.

The Thakur has turned his best friend into a gambler and forced him to sever ties with his son Suraj (Naseeruddin Shah). The Thakur has also lured Sundariya (Shabana Azmi) into a mock marriage but has abandoned her the moment he knew she was pregnant, Unable to stand the shock, Sundariya loses her mind and her two brothers (Uday Chandra and Gulshan Grover) seethe with impotent rage. The Thakur has also mercilessly whipped his most loyal servant Bheem (Mithun Chakraborty), who has asked for a lilttle quantity of gold in order to marry Lajia (Deepti Naval) with whom he is in love. Bheem leaves the servicdes of the Thakur, swearing revenge, while the Thakur turns his lecherous eyes on Lajia.

FALSE PROMISES
In conjunction with his son Vijay (Roopesh Kumar) and Vijay’s sweetheart Nishi (Aruna Irani), the Thakur manages to swindle the villagers of their ornaments and cash on the basis of false promises.
Only the drunkard Krishna has kept count of his elder brother’s crimes. When they total a century, Krishna asks the five (Bheem, Arjun, Suraj, and two brothers of Sundariya), whom he has united, to strike. Good triumphs over evil and the tyrannical Thakur and his henchmen are ultimately humbled.

Sanjeev Kumar as Krishna, the father figure in the narration, is handicapped because of a weakly written role. Most of the time he is seen drinking, wandering around aimlessly and singing. Naseeruddin Shah, as Suraj, has some good lines to deliver, which he does forcefully and effectively. Mithun Chakraborty as Bheem, and Raj Babbar as Arjun are adequate. Shabana Azmi, as Sundariya, shines among the top artistes, and has essayed her part with understanding. So has character actor Kanhaiyalal, who, as Lala Nayansukh Prasad, runs away with acting honors in a role that fits him like a glove. He has some of the best lines of dialogue and he has made the most of them. The liberal use of the English Word ‘connection’ in his dialogue goes well with the audience, which is conversant with that language. It may prove to be a handicap, however, for spectators who are not conversant with English. Amrish Puri, who enacts the tyrannical Thakur, has striven hard to live the part. Other artistes pass the bill.

The dialogues penned by Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza are quite forceful and to the point and lend effectivity to the story which is not very convincing as it is unfolded on the screen.

Shot mostly outdoors, the photography and other technical aspects of the film have polish and finesse. The musical score of Laxmikant and Pyarelal, in song compositions, has a pleasant lilt in keeping with the situations in which the songs are placed.