Seeta aur Geeta (1972)

Star Power: Hema Malini (in a double role), Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar

Overall Rating: 6 out of 7 chilies

Music: 5 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: 5 out of 7 chilies

Synopsis:

When a rich man and his pregnant wife are stranded, they stay the night in the village cottage of another couple. The wife gives birth to a girl and they leave in the morning, but unbenownst to them, she actually gave birth to twins and the village wife stole one of her daughters to raise as her own. Many years later, the girls, called Seeta and Geeta (both played by Hema Malini), have grown up, each unaware of the other's existence. Seeta's rich parents have died and she lives under the thumb of her obnoxious aunt and uncle while trying to take care of her aging grandmother. Geeta, on the other hand, is a fiesty street performer working with a friend who lives nearby (Dharmendra). The trouble starts when Seeta runs away from home after nearly being raped and accused of stealing by her aunt's brother and the police bring home Geeta instead...

Comments:

A great classic Bollywood film and a stellar performance by Hema Malini, which won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. You can really believe she's two completely different people and you can root for both as they try to sort out the mistakes, each falling in love in the process. Dharmendra, a huge classic Bollywood star, (and later Hema Malini's husband) has a somewhat smaller role in this film, but both he and the other male lead, Sanjeev Kumar, come off as sweet and likeable. No real standout song for this film, in my opinion, but some fun active musical numbers, including one with some impressive balancing for Geeta's street performance and another on rollerskates down a mountain. An enjoyable romp with real 60s-70s style.