Teesri Manzil (1966)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is probably Shammi Kapoor's best performances after JUNGLEE(1961Its quiet different to see him in the role of a framed musician with an eye for the ladies He has like three bad girls who love him A young woman fell in love for Shammi and committed suicide but the girls sister thinks her sister was seduced and jilted which is why she wants revengeThe movie is a Hithcock-influenced romance with a small murder mystery thrown inThe movie has fantastic song stand outs like O Hasina Zulfonwali Jaane Jahan and Tumne Mujhe DekhaShammi Kapoor stands out in his role Asha Parekh is the spunky revenge seeking sister Premnath is convincing Helen's role is small but effective Prem Chopra is average Rashid Khan is scary with his stare the rest are okay

shammi kapoor is perhaps the worst actor in Indian history. he's a guy you just can't take seriously. his silly eye rolls and one-liners are cringe-worthy, ensuring that the viewer NEVER takes this guy seriously. he seems like the kind of guy you'd want to punch in the face two minutes after meeting him, he's THAT annoying....i must protest this film being called a 'thriller', since there are really no thrills on offer, rather a tired, straight-forward whodunit, masquerading as something hitchcockian, but failing miserably. by the time the mystery is revealed, you already knew the solution two hours earlier and have stuck around for reasons other than wanting to know how it ends....like many other Indian films of this era, the point was to fill it up with as many random songs and one-liners as possible to disguise its lack of plot. silly bollywood clichés abound throughout the entire thing and there's really no story here at all, other than the typical 'girl likes boy but plays hard to get' plot that is used in just about every bollywood film ever made.'teesri manzil' is an exercise in style over substance, which is the reason why it was such a big hit and so influential. it's all dressing, no substance. flashy, colourful clothes, sets and music are used, announcing India's entry into the mod scene. this movie is a showcase for that and nothing more. it simultaneously tries to be a comedy, drama, thriller, musical and romance and as a result, ends up failing at all of these... sadly, as is so common in the story of Indian film, it was popular, so its style became endlessly imitated, recycled, regurgitated and consumed again by hopelessly trend-following indians, so at least vijay anand can take credit for something with this failure....

Teesri manzil is above all an entertainer. The film stars Shammi Kapoor, Asha Parikh, and the evergreen Helen. A woman is thrown off a roof and killed. Her sister Sunita (Asha Parikh) is heartbroken, knows of her association with a night club singer (Shammi Kapoor - called Anil Kumar Sona "Rocky" LOL!!) and thinks he is behind the killing. The only clue is a coat button that the dead woman was clutching in her hand. Shammi Kappor is at his goofiest best, the suave drummer Rocky who is a babe magnet. His courting Asha Parikh on a train is hilarious. She does not know he is Rocky and he does his best to preserve this state of misinformation. In the meantime strange waiters, men with cigars, other sinister looking people lurk about in the hotel where Rocky performs. There is also a women's hockey team led by a rather large Manorama that is stalking Rocky. Laxmi Chayya is the best friend - this is a film from the 60s where having a best friend (or several of them) was a must! Rocky makes use of Prince Kunwer (Prem Nath) to preserve the secret of his identity so he can woo Sunita, much to the chagrin of her almost fiancée Prem Chopra. Rocky is being pursued by Ruby (Helen) and her machinations cause his identity to be revealed at a most inopportune moment. Who is the real murderer? Why is Rocky now a target? These secrets are hidden in a most ingenious way and revealed at the 11th hour.A Nasir Hussain production and story, this one was directed by Vijay Anand. The mystery was sustained well and the story engaging. Yes there were some flaws - too many characters were introduced too late in the film. Some of the cloak and dagger behavior was never explained. But the overall entertainment quotient was very high and the film enjoyable.A word about Shammi - he was handsome, goofy, vulnerable and great in the action sequences. Asha had a huge rear end, but was cute and could dance well - even in the jiggling Aaja Aaja number! Helen was a beauty, but strangely enough her dance skills were underutilized. Prem Chopra was the perfect slimy guy and Prem Nath suave.A must see film for the fun, the suspense and the outstanding music (RD Burman) - O Haseena Zulfon wali, O mere Sona re Sona re, Deewana mujh sa nahin, Aaja Aaja main hoon pyar Tera, Tumne Mujhe Dekha ho kar meherbaan and Dekhiye Sahibon.

This is a perfect example of Indian pop cinema from the 1960's reflecting the relentless encroachment of Western style music and beat generation dancing - however R. D. Burman composed some good tunes for this, perfectly showcasing the talents that were Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi.A woman is murdered and her old friend played by Shammi Kapoor feels obliged to help track down the culprit. As it goes it's done pretty well, but of course the music is the thing! Although I liked his older brother Raj and along with this one some of his other films too I could never understand Shammi's over-expressive style of acting or his appeal (not being a woman maybe) - imho he almost ruined some of the songs here with his mugging and jerky movements. But of course, Shammi once seen never forgotten! Favourite bit: O Mere Sona - I used to wind on and play the vid just for this just to marvel in the incredible dexterity of Asha's vocals in the asking of Shammi's forgiveness; it's much easier with the DVD! The only copy I've ever seen has a rather fluid colour, occasionally lending an unintentionally surreal atmosphere at times but not detracting from the enjoyment.It's an inconsequential treat much better than Viva Las Vegas, but clocking in at nearly 3 hours means patience, patience I think ultimately rewarded.