''Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' () is a 1984

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

art film, made by

Saeed Akhtar Mirza Saeed Akhtar Mirza (born 30 June 1943) is an Indian screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of notable parallel films such as ''Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' (1984), '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980), '' ...

, based on his own story, during the

Parallel Cinema Parallel cinema, or New Indian Cinema, is a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema. Inspired by Italian Neorealism, Parallel Cinema ...

period of

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

. The film is a comic satire on a judicial system, where cases drag on for decades, where plaintiffs either die or lose hope and money, while the corrupt run scot free, thanks to their nexus with corrupt lawyers. It won the 1984

National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare The National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

Plot

An elderly couple, Mohan Joshi (

Bhisham Sahni Bhisham Sahni (8 August 1915 – 11 July 2003) was an Indian writer, playwright in Hindi and an actor, most famous for his novel and television screenplay '' Tamas'' ("Darkness, Ignorance"), a powerful and passionate account of the Partition of ...

) and his wife (

Dina Pathak Dina Pathak (née Gandhi; 4 March 1922 – 11 October 2002) was an Indian actress and director of Gujarati theatre and also a film actor. She was an activist and President of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW). A doyenne of Hindi a ...

), sues their landlord ( Amjad Khan) for not maintaining their 'collapsing' apartment building. For this, they hire two cunning lawyers (

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

and

Satish Shah Satish Shah (born 25 June 1951) is an Indian actor. He is best known for his comic roles in films like ''Jaane bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983), ''Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi'' (1984), ''Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' (2004), ''Main Hoon Na'' (2004), ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (200 ...

), while

Rohini Hattangadi Rohini Hattangadi (''née'' Oak; born 11 April 1955) is an Indian actress, known for her work in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, and Gujarati films, and Marathi soap operas and theatre. She has won two Filmfare Awards, one National Film ...

is the opposition lawyer. The court case drags on for years and the lawyers milk the old couple dry, while they become rich. Back home in the society, the old couple is ridiculed for fighting the landlord, but they fight on nevertheless. In the end, when the judge comes to check the condition of the chawl, the landlord's men prop up the place, thus convincing the judge that all is well. Finally, Joshi gathers all his strength and pulls down the temporary supports put up by the men causing the building to collapse on himself.Synopsis: Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
/ref>

Cast

as Advocate Malkani *

as Mohan Joshi *

as Joshi's wife *

Deepti Naval Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-born American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'clos ...

Mohan Gokhale Mohan Gokhale (7 November 1953 – 29 April 1999) was an Indian film, television and theater actor who has worked in art films such as '' Sparsh'', ''Bhavni Bhavai'' and ''Mirch Masala''. His father was a senior journalist and Editor of the wee ...

as Advocate *

Pankaj Kapur Pankaj Kapur (born 29 May 1954) is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. He has appeared in several television serials and films. He is the recipient of several awards, including a Filmfare Award and three Nat ...

as Promoter 1 * Amjad Khan as Kundan Kapadia, landlord *

as Advocate *

Salim Ghouse Salim Ahmad Ghouse (10 January 1952 – 28 April 2022) was an Indian film, television and theatre actor, theatre director, and martial artist. He has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English films. Early life Salim Ghouse was born ...

as Promoter 2 *

Anjali Paigankar Anjali Paigankar is a Hindi and Marathi film actress. A graduate of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Anjali appeared in ''Murder at Monkey Hill'', Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s diploma film as a final year student there in 1976. ...

as Joshi's Son's girlfriend

Location

''Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' was shot at Kamithapura, Bapty Road, and Duncan Road (Two Tanks/Do Tanki) at Mumbai's middle-class Hindu Muslim locality.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0087736 1984 films 1980s Hindi-language films Indian satirical films Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award winners Films about landlords Films directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza Indian courtroom films Indian legal drama films