Griftaar (1979)
Cast: Afzal Ahmed, Mustafa Qureshi, Najma, Ishrat Chaudhary, Adeeb
Director: Haider Chaudhary
Music: Wajahat Attre
Synopsis: Film within a film with loads of in-jokes along the way. A formulaic comedy caper.
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

Afzal Ahmed is film star Mr. Johnny, who has teamed up with a hugely talented director, Shahzad, to shoot a highly controversial film based on a current underworld Kingpin. When the Kingpin hears about the film’s shooting, he is enraged and commands his goons to stop it using whatever deadly means they feel are necessary.

One day, Mr. Johnny and Shahzad have a friendly argument about his role in the film, and Johnny visits him at home to try to sort the matter out. In mid-discussion, one of the Kingpin’s deadly assassins’ stabs Shahzad with a well-directed dagger thrown from outside the window. Mr. Johnny is caught “red-handed” by Shahzad’s wife as he removes the blade from his dead friend’s body. Johnny runs for cover and is abducted by some goons belonging to the most dreaded villain, Jagga Dakoo. However, fate is kind to Johnny as the wildly eccentric Jagga Dakoo is a devoted fan of Mr. Johnny’s and vows to help him clear his name. The somewhat comic Jagga and Mr. Johnny team up to turn the tables on the Kingpin (Adeeb). After that, the film follows in the form of a comedy caper. Our two main characters must disguise themselves repeatedly to avoid the police and infiltrate and destroy the Kingpin’s gang.

It’s all rather imbecilic nonsense, with Mustafa Qureshi turning in another OTT larger-than-life performance as Jagga, and winning most public appreciation with his zany antics and his “get up”, including wild hairstyle. Afzal Ahmed, as Mr. Johnny, enjoys a rare romantic lead role but doesn’t have the physical presence that a “hero” requires, even if he acts better than most in Lollywood. Najma as a crime reporter, looks like a parrot dressed up to the hilt, as she is and dressed in a horrendous, synthetic bell bottom pants and shirt suits—indeed a sight for sore eyes— ‘70s kitsch at its most deliciously tacky.

Ishrat Chaudhary provides some much-needed oomph through her fiery dialogues and dances and tucks into a rare lead role that came her way. The music is weak, with not a single song that stays in the memory bank, and the dances lack the energy or raw vitality of those from the Akram Khan productions. The sleaze factor, sadly, is at a bare minimum despite Ms Chaudhary’s presence in a significant role. Giriftar is a mediocre and unmemorable piece of piffle. Mustafa Qureshi strives hard to save the day, but even his performance is far from vintage Qureshi.

Overall, it is a very disappointing film in general and specifically for the lack of oomph or sleaze-power! This film has little to recommend except one classic scene where Najma’s earnest brother is tortured so that he prints fake money for the Kingpin Adeeb. He resists heroically despite being brutally thrashed from morning till night, given electric shocks, having his nails removed, and so on. Finally, Adeeb threatens to remove his pants, at which point the thus far heroic brother caves in and starts to print counterfeit cash like never before. Death is preferable to the shame of having his pants removed.

The mind boggles, as it does after watching most Lollywood films!