If you have a sense of humor, you will adore this movie. It's like "Beach Party" meets Hitchcock-like thriller...which is an hilarious juxtaposition, but somehow, in a twisted way, it works!However, don't expect a lot of suspense or high drama...for a murder mystery plot, this movie is incredibly light-hearted and dare I say, wholesome. (except for the excessive drinking)The real quality in this movie is from some of the snarky dialogue (which I suspect in part was poorly translated for the English subtitles and should probably be re-done) and most of all the wonderfully fun musical sequences...which all have a nice quality of their own. For a movie that seems to be an exhausting 2 1/2 hour movie however seems to succeed in not having much of a lull in activity and keeps itself remotely interesting throughout. There are obvious flaws however with this movie, probably due to constraints forced upon those making it...look for some bad camera work and editing, and a print that time has not been kind to and desperately needs to be restored. (However the spots on the print tend to add to the campy experience) But for all the sum of it's parts, this movie is incredibly entertaining, appropriate for family and memorably fun. ****Note****Going on a tangent here, I thought that the best character in this movie was played by Helen (Miss Kitty) and I wonder why she seems to be rather underrated? She seems to be an excellent dancer and vocalist (if in fact that is her voice that I hear) and much more natural beyond the rest of the cast and still does not get star status...what is up with this?

Hailing from Bollywood, Gumnaam is a true classic. No, my friends, not because of grand acting or good lighting, but how utterly horrible it is makes me laugh so hard. I watched this last Thanksgiving with most of my family, and some of us were rolling on the ground in laughter. It's like the "Plan 9" of India. Beware, fellow film buffs, and witness the most entertaining cinema piece to come out of India EVER!

Okay, we turn on the TV to watch GUMNAAM. We see a bunch of people who all helped a murder take place get marooned on an island. And then we here "Gumnaam hai koi, badnaam hai koi..." (that is, this really creepy and well-written song). But what follows for the next two hours really blows it.GUMNAAM is an Indian-made blatant copy of Agatha Christie's classic whodunit "And Then There Were None" aka "Ten Little Indians." Anybody who has read the novel will find this film pretty disappointing.I found GUMNAAM to be hopelessly unrealistic. Why is nobody suspicious when they find out that the butler knows their names? Why does everybody just sit down to eat as if they own the place?Without giving too much away, I'd just like to say that the motive for the killer is unbelievably weak. And no explanation is ever given as to why "he" chose to stalk his "victims."Furthermore, what the heck is Mehmood, a comedy actor, doing in GUMNAAM, a killer thriller? What is the point of all those songs? Why are people relaxing and tanning on the beach and swimming and eating fancy meals and FINDING ROMANCE as if they are on vacation? Aren't they afraid of death? Or is it more important to live life in style than to just live.Where is the whole "I'm-scared-out-of-my-wits-of-death-so-I'll-do-something-incredibly-dumb" part? These people are doing stuff that is extremely dumb, but without the fear. The fact that they might not be alive tomorrow to swim or tan or eat does not occur to any of the characters.If you can, try to find a copy of the soundtrack, because the song "Gumnaam Hai Koi" is very well-written, well-worded, and has creepy background music. Also, the song "Hum Kale Hai To Kya Hua?" aka "Khayalon Mein" is very good, though completely out-of-place.Overall, GUMNAAM is a big disappointment for anybody looking for a thriller, a murder mystery, or even a good comedy. Well, it might work as a comedy. MIGHT.

Basically an adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians," this film is highlighted by one of the greatest, most euphoric rock 'n' roll dance sequences ever, which was featured in the opening credits of Terry Zwigoff's excellent "Ghost World."Of course nothing can be taken seriously here, as the characters get murdered one by one, they still find the time to have a beach party and stage elaborate musical numbers. There are some terrific musical fantasy numbers, but of course the "Jan Pehechaan Ho" scene featured in "Ghost World" is by far the best.