Movie Review

Chandi Sona was actor Sanjay Khan's debut production and directorial venture. The movie was devised as a thrilling treasure hunt and was shot in exotic locations of Mauritius and in the underwater caves of Jeita Grotto around Beirut in Lebanon. Paired opposite Parveen Babi, Chandi Sona starts off as a drama involving Mayur and Rita who eke out a living as stage performers. Pretty soon, in order to make it rich and marry, Mayur chances upon information regarding a hidden treasure in the Jeita Grotto caves. The rest of the movie follows on his adventures in roping a team of criminals in the treasure hunt. Iftekhar and Premnath, along with Kamini Kaushal, Achala Sachdev and Piloo Wadia feature as the eccentric inhabitants of the unmentioned location (basically a mix of Mauritius and Lebanon) of the treasure.

The movie was launched with great fanfare and featured an ambitious canvas. Sanjay Khan as a director (and actor) fails to deliver to the vision and the movie ends up as a shoddy mess featuring some memorable locations and a fabulous soundtrack. The movie itself underperformed at the box office and ranked 18th at the box office in 1977. Reported made on a budget of Rs. 66 lacs, the movie managed to rake in only Rs. 7.5 lacs in its first week. The supposed lifetime collection of the movie stands at Rs. 1.95 crores.