Customer Reviews

Mahal

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this film. I want to give it more stars (and it deserves more), but the Eros International DVD has several problems.

I bought this in hope of replacing my Music India disc. Music India's Mahal has subtitles that are often ungrammatical and appear incomplete. I assume the subtitles are preexisting on the print they transfered to DVD. I don't think this is Music India's own work (if it is, they should fix it).

But this is nothing compared to the problems with the Eros International disc. The print Eros used for their DVD transfer is of substantially inferior quality. FIrst of all, the beautiful and haunting, "Aayega Aanewala," the song that introduces Kamini to Shankar, is severely edited, most likely due to film damage. Shankar's friend, Shrinath, arranges for him to be "distracted" by two women and in that scene there is a conversation before the musical number. That conversation is missing. Right after that scene, Shankar returns to the mansion where he searches for Kamini and while he does so, he falls down the stairs. In the Eros version you see him with injuries to his face, but there is no explanation of how they happened (the tumble down the stairs is missing). The dance to test the woman accused of adultery cuts off before the end. One image that I find particularly lovely and haunting right near the end of the film is gone, but I won't name it, as that would serve as a spoiler. Eros may have worked with this print because it had no subtitling and they could provide their own, which is admittedly much better than that provided by the Music India DVD. However, the video quality is so much poorer and the audio also sounds degraded. I don't recommend purchasing the Eros International DVD. Instead, if you can stand the subtitling problem on the Music India DVD (released July 8, 2008), go with that one because the film is, so far as I can see, complete and in much better condition.

MAHAL is a ghost story and the first ever HORROR film (and quite possibly the best) from India. It is a suspenseful ride filled with NIGHTMARISH elements. Mahal follows a man named Shankar as he moves into a mansion

HAUNTED by the woman the former mansion owner was having a affair with.

The more Shankar obsesses over her spirit the less control he has over his mind. A must own for HORROR fanatics of all decades and themes.

SPECIAL NOTE: This was the first ever movie in film history to deal with reincarnation and most of the movie was shot in doors to give a SPOOKY feel. Like most movies from India this to has a song in the middle and was a major hit for the time the song is called Aayeaa aanewala(India was not the only one for I remember a song in the 40's HORROR movie FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN)still one of the top grossing and respected movie in India which just goes to show HORROR films have a audience the world over

MAHAL is a ghost story and the first ever HORROR film (and quite possibly the best) from India. It is a suspenseful ride filled with NIGHTMARISH elements. Mahal follows a man named Shankar as he moves into a mansion

HAUNTED by the woman the former mansion owner was having a affair with.

The more Shankar obsesses over her spirit the less control he has over his mind. A must own for HORROR fanatics of all decades and themes.

I love this film. I want to give it more stars (and it deserves more), but the Eros International DVD has several problems.

I bought this in hope of replacing my Music India disc. Music India's Mahal has subtitles that are often ungrammatical and appear incomplete. I assume the subtitles are preexisting on the print they transfered to DVD. I don't think this is Music India's own work (if it is, they should fix it).

But this is nothing compared to the problems with the Eros International disc. The print Eros used for their DVD transfer is of substantially inferior quality. FIrst of all, the beautiful and haunting, "Aayega Aanewala," the song that introduces Kamini to Shankar, is severely edited, most likely due to film damage. Shankar's friend, Shrinath, arranges for him to be "distracted" by two women and in that scene there is a conversation before the musical number. That conversation is missing. Right after that scene, Shankar returns to the mansion where he searches for Kamini and while he does so, he falls down the stairs. In the Eros version you see him with injuries to his face, but there is no explanation of how they happened (the tumble down the stairs is missing). The dance to test the woman accused of adultery cuts off before the end. One image that I find particularly lovely and haunting right near the end of the film is gone, but I won't name it, as that would serve as a spoiler. Eros may have worked with this print because it had no subtitling and they could provide their own, which is admittedly much better than that provided by the Music India DVD. However, the video quality is so much poorer and the audio also sounds degraded. I don't recommend purchasing the Eros International DVD. Instead, if you can stand the subtitling problem on the Music India DVD (released July 8, 2008), go with that one because the film is, so far as I can see, complete and in much better condition.

Music India released this disc in July 2008 and this is the best print of this film I've seen and the most complete. It runs rings around the Eros International DVD (although the Eros disc has superior subtitling). The subtitles are timed more accurately on this disc than on the Bollywood Films DVD that came out some time ago.

For now I give this DVD four stars. If Music India or any other company ever restores this film, gives it the Criterion treatment, so that the print is as close to pristine as possible, and provides a scholarly commentary, I'll give it five stars. I know that's asking a lot. But this film deserves to be restored. There may already be such a project in the works. I hope someone is taking on this challenge.