Amitabh Bachchan rose to stardom in the early Seventies playing a series of angry young men, virtuous heroes fighting a lonely, doomed battle against societal injustice and a corrupt system. Young Amitabh wasn't always angry, though; his character in Zameer (1975) is downright jolly at times, a charming rogue with a heart of gold fighting his own con gone wrong, along with the occasional bandit.
Millionaire Maharaj Singh (Shammi Kapoor) loves horses and guns, but he really really loves his wife Rukmini (Indrani Mukherjee) and their three year old son Chimpoo (Master Chimpoo.) It's hard to find really competent staff, so when a group of bandits attack his stud farm, he's forced to defend it himself. And he does, shooting and killing one of the bandits in the process.
Unfortunately, the bandit he killed was the son of bandit leader Maan Singh (Madan Puri), who takes his revenge by kidnapping little Chimpoo. Maharaj and Rukmini spend the next twenty years grieving; the film indicates the passage of time with a montage of untouched birthday cakes. At this point, Rukmini has serious heart problems, and Maharaj has stepped back from the business in order to care for her.
And the film cuts to Badal (Bachchan), who has just been released from prison. Badal is bright, charming, and deeply cynical. He claims that he'll do anything for money, but almost the first thing he does onscreen is steal from the rich and give to the poor. Badal has a definite talent with guns and horses, and he is definitely not Chimpoo, because he doesn't have Chimpoo's birthmark.
However, he's good enough for Ram Singh (Ramesh Deo), a disgruntled former employee of Maharaj's. Ram Singh hatches a scheme to pass Badal off as Chimpoo, then when the family's "long lost son" gets his hands on the family fortune, they can split the cash. Badal doesn't have anything better to do, so he agrees. The first step is to tattoo Badal with a copy of Chimpoo's birthmark.
Along the way, Badal meets a group of college students, and immediately falls for Smita (Sairu Banu.) She's pretty taken with his singing and wild-horse-taming skills as well, but Badal has a job to do, so he makes his way to the stud farm. He gets a job, and after some finagling manages to "accidentally" reveal his fake birthmark to Maharaj. He is quickly recognized as the long lost son and heir.
But there's a problem. Actually, two problems. After spending time with Rukmini and Maharaj, Badal realizes how deeply wounded they are by the loss of their son, and how cruel this particular con really is. And it turns out that Maharaj and Rukmini have a daughter as well - Smita. Badal has a new and loving family, but he's lying to them, and he can't leave without breaking their hearts, and can't pursue the woman he loves because everybody thinks she's his sister. He's trapped in his own con, and the only way out is to find the real Chimpoo.
While Bachchan's character is clearly the protagonist here, it's actually Shammi Kapoor who gets top billing. And he probably deserves it, too; while Badal's character arc is pretty straightforward, Kapoor acts the hell out of his part as Generic Dad, infusing the character with a profound vulnerability. This is silly escapism rather than cutting social drama, but the performances lend the movie a certain weight.
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