Elaan (1971)

[Not to be confused with the incomparably worse Elaan of 2005 starring Rahul Khanna, Mithun, and a bunch of other people I'd rather not watch, previously reviewed here .] Shetty: "Fun as Mithun is, I'm a more menacing opponent, don't you think?" Vinod K: "Yeah, our Elaan is sure better than Rahul's. Shame. They sure don't make 'em like used to." Helen: "I'll drink to that." Elaan may be the most fantastic and under-appreciated movie of 1971. It's exactly the kind of film I live in fear of running out of someday: loony, exuberant, stylish, exciting, and fun. It might not exactly count as masala because, despite a murdered father and a burgeoning (and convincing) love story, it doesn't have much heart. It also lacks any notable moral stance or philosophical lesson. It has most of the other trappings, though, particularly the sparkly, elaborate, eye-scarring, and science-defying ones. Whatever it is, it's del