Review of Qurbani

Introduction

The film was a huge success at the box-office as at the time of its first cinema release it offered audiences a high production value film, and a bold plot. The film even touched upon taboo subjects like sex and violence subconsciously which certainly made the male audiences happy. But what made it delightful viewing was the acting and drama from the cast and of course that irresistible song `Aap jaise Koi` which to this day is immensely popular with its numerous remixes.

The song was composed by Biddu, who still composes enjoyable Indian pop songs with the likes of Indian pop idols Alisha & Sonu Nigam. The song `Aap Jaise Koi` started a change in songs for Hindi cinema and disco pop was introduced for the 1980`s. But the film also had other beautiful songs, composed by Kalyanji Anandji, that many have forgotten. With its scenic cinematography in Technovision and decent editing by Feroz Khan, this film had a beautiful impact on the big screen that influenced other directors and still does to this day.

If the film had a bad point it would be the actor/comedian Jagdeep, who I never liked as I found him too loud and his comedy timing was off course. Here in this film he interrupts the pacing of the film and when viewing the film in the year 2000, his performances seems too embarrassing for me to view. The comic talent in this film goes to actor Amjad Khan as the bumbling inspector.

Still you can always fast forward those scenes and enjoy the rest of the film which has become an Indian cult classic...

Video

The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which is compressed within a widescreen frame of 2.10:1. This gives the picture a near vertical stretch, making the actors look thinner then usual. It can look strange at first but as the film progressed I didn`t find it too strange.

At least the picture is presented in its original aspect ratio and therefore suffers no loss of frames, displaying cinematographer Kamal Bose`s work. It would have been nice if it was anamorphically enhanced for us widescreen television owners though.

The film as stated on the back of the box, was not authored from the original negative, as this was not available. A big film like this would have its negative stored in an Indian lab, or would be with the rights holder, so the decision not to wait until they could find the original film negative seems to me like they`re trying to make a quick buck.

EROS should have waited to use the original 35mm negative print to improve on the DVD picture quality. It does own rights to this film and should ask for access to the original 35mm print.

The transfer quality is average displaying some sharp images that impressed and helped enhance some of the detail during a few of the scenes. The colour fidelity was also quite vivid and bold and at times some colour bleed was present. However the feel of the colours doesn`t have a film like quality, it`s more like VHS.

The contrast and dark levels were weak during many scenes. Shimmering is nearly non-existent while the picture transfer contains small signs of grain and artefacting, which prove not to be too disruptive.

What upset me most about this video transfer was the amount of wear and tear that can be seen. It is so extreme that it totally disrupted my viewing. Certain scenes are cut due to the jumping cause by wear and tear. It`s a shame that an average DVD transfer is spoilt by the poor source used. Film dirt gets completely beyond control during the last sequence in the film ranging from green fungus to the picture being ripped in half!

The wear and tear on the source used can also be heard on this DVD.

Audio

Due to the age and damage of the source print used, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mono soundtrack has plenty of hiss, noise and crackle. The film being 5.1 mono doesn`t help get rid of this distortion but enhances it as it can be heard on all speakers. If the sound was presented in 1ch or 2ch mono then most of the sound distortion could have been hidden.

Features

English Subtitles are optional but are not 16x9 friendly, which means those with widescreen televisions beware, as you won`t be able to see the subtitles. Menus are dull and there are no other extras on this disc.

Conclusion

This could have been a great DVD if it were not for the amount of wear and tear on the picture and sound and I feel that EROS should find another source and re-do this film for DVD. When compared to other EROS titles this one isn`t that bad, and I would only recommend purchasing if its available on sale, or if you`re a massive fan of this film.