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

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

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 Cinema of India, 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, ...

period of

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

. 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 National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

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 ''Tamas'' ("Darkness"/'Ignorance") and the television screenplay adaptation of the same name, a powerful and passio ...

) 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 ...

), 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 was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...

and

Satish Shah Satish Ravilal Shah 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'' (2003), '' ...

), while

Rohini Hattangadi Rohini Hattangadi (''née'' Oak; born 11 April 1951) is an Indian actress, known for her work in Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Gujarati films, and Marathi soap operas and theatre. She has won two Filmfare Awards, one ...

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!
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Cast

as Advocate Malkani *

as Mohan Joshi *

as Joshi's wife *

Deepti Naval Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-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 'close to ...

as joshi's D-I-L *

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 w ...

as Advocate *

Pankaj Kapur Pankaj Kapur (born 29 May 1954) is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. Recipient of a Filmfare Award and three National Film Awards, his most acclaimed film roles include that of Inspector P.K. in '' Raakh'' ...

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

as Advocate *

Salim Ghouse Salim 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 in Ch ...

as Promoter 2 * Anjali Paigankar 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