Tropical Heat - an Ashok Amritraj production

[C Nagappa - behind the scenes]

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ADVANCE WARNING

This is a film review of a steamy thriller which has little, if any,
artistic value. If you don't like the words "sex", "erotic","steamy", etc.
hit 'n' now. Others, read on....
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Tropical Heat - Film Review
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Hi everyone! I chanced upon this brand new release at Blockbuster Video
(your very own home video store), when I noticed a picture of the Mysore
Palace on its jacket. "Tropical Heat" is a steamy thriller directed by Jag
Mundra and produced by Ashok Amritraj. At the outset let me forewarn you that
the title of the film is quite honest as to what you can expect, but then
there's more ...

The movie has an interesting plot - a rich Maharajah is "killed" in a
hunting accident. His European Maharani (played by Maryam D'Abo of James Bond-
"The Living Daylights" fame) flies to LA to collect isurance of $5 million
made in her name. The bank gets suspicious, so it sends Bravis, a private eye
(played by Rick Rossovich, a relatively unknown actor who resembles Ted Dansen
of the TV series "Cheers") to India to verify the authenticity of the claim
and that the papers submitted by the Maharani are not "Nigerian death jobs".
He visits the police and the coroner, Dr. Sundaram (played by Govind Rao of
BBC TV's "Malgudi Days" fame), for original copies of their reports which
hold out satisfactorily initially. Bravis then falls prey to the
Maharani's beauty and charm and begins an erotic affair with her. All's well
until the daughter of the Maharajah's mahout (played by a very voluptious
and sultry Asha Siewkumar) comes into the scene and tries to divert Bravis'
attention to the real truth about the Maharaja's "death" and her father's
disapperance.

Interesting so far, but the story line does not hold out too well.(If I tell
you any more than I have, I would spoil whatever mystery that is left in the
movie.) In fact, it wouldn't take one too long to figure that the real intent
of the plot is to provide ample opportunities for steamy sex scenes with
Bravis and the three leading female players - a sexy executive of the LA
insurance company who gets him the assignment, the Maharani, and the mahout's
daughter.

OK, this movie is no Merchant-Ivory production (remember Shashi Kapoor and
Greta Scacchi in "Heat and Dust"). What then, is the merit of this movie
for people like you and me? (After all, I am devoting some of my valuable
time and bandwidth to write this review). Is it the sex? Not really. (Even
though there's a very steamy sex scene with Russovich and Asha Siewkumar that
would put even "Basic Instinct" to shame. And hey, this is a 20 year old Indian
nymph to boot - whatever value *that* has!). Well, what is it then?

Let me tell you...

First, you will catch several glimpses of Bangalore, Mysore,
Bandipur and other scenic spots of Southern Karnataka. You will be treated
with a view of the Bangalore Palace and its grounds during monsoon, the
Mysore Palace lit up at night during Dussera celebrations, a nice shot of
Vidhana Soudha and the Bangalore High Court, not to mention shots of the
streets (with authentic traffic noise) and a decent amount of Kannada in the
background. There are scenic shots of Shivasamudram falls (albeit, as a
backdrop for a love scene), Bandipur sanctuary, and the very scenic and
luscious South-Canara countryside. All natural, no props. Then there's the
spectacular elephant procession and march pasts during the grand Dussera
celebrations of Mysore. You will also catch glimpses of MG Road with the
Spencer and Park Avenue buildings. And there's plenty of coverage of the
interior of the Holiday Inn (with glass elevator and all) - presumably, that's
where the cast stayed. In Madras, there's a romantic scene in the restaurant
atop Chola Sheraton.

Secondly, the movie is technically quite good with good quality camera work
(better than some of the films touted as "art" films). The leading actors and
actresses, with the exception of Asha Siewkumar, play their roles quite
realistically. If the plot had been written better, this could have well been
a good film.

Lastly, while the movie may be dubbed as trash by serious minded people,
it has "good" trash value. Being a low-budget film, the crew had to make do
with on-location shots with available light instead of using sets. That lends
a bit of authenticity as you catch typical characteristics of Bangalore.
For example, the scenes inside the police station would resemble exactly what
you would encounter in real life. For example, when the inspector (played
quite convicingly by Prakash Rai) orders tea for Bravis, it is served in
a small stainless steel tumbler by a skinny but smart constable wearing the
authentic, Karnataka "cowboy" police hat. For connoisseurs of women, you will
find Maryam D'Abo wearing her sari quite well - thus dispelling the popular
belief that only Indian women look good in them.

On a final note, please be warned to read the label on the tape. This is an
R-rated film. DO NOT watch it in front of minors!

All the best for the New Year!!

Chetan Nagappa