Koyla - 1997

Story

'Koyla', like last year's 'Khilona', is an adaptation of the English film 'Revenge'. This version is the story of a young woman (Madhuri) who is tricked into marriage with an old geezer (Amrish Puri), but falls in love with his mute slave (Shahrukh). The couple must escape the clutches of the bad man and his evil brother, but is caught in a 'Trimurti' reminiscent run through the jungle. She is put in a 'tawaif's kotha', but remains a sati savitri for the hero. (I think because of 'Prem Granth' flopped Rakesh feels that ONLY our heroine can't be raped by any of the villains, lest the audience rejects her as a decent woman.) In the meanwhile, the hero is brought back to life after plunging off a cliff and landing in a tree, by the good old magic-weavers who reside in the woods. Shahrukh also miraculously regains his voice and discovers that must also take revenge against his master for killing his parents when he was small. So he rescues his lady love and kills off the baddies.

The story is not great, but the film does have a great look. The cinematography and dances sequences are a visual treat, and they, along with certain scenes and the performances, lift the film above the banal.