Out Of Hibernation

So my hibernation mode is over now. Exams do make you give up on a lot of things. Food, sleep, living, writing. Sigh. Its almost been a month since the last post and I must admit, the editor seemed a bit unfamiliar when I opened it after such a long hiatus.

But I’m back. With a lot of songs. And more movies. Have spent an entire day in front of the TV watching Lamhe, Veer Zaara, Chandni, and Silsila back to back! God Bless Yash Chopra’s soul. That man is partly responsible for what my definition of romance is. Switzerland, sarson ke khet, chiffon sarees... I’d love to do that someday! Until then, let me go and earn that kinda money to make it to Switzerland (and Italy's still on the list too).

Closing Thoughts

The body heals itself. The mind doesn't.

English Vinglish

Aaaaand Sridevi is back! How I LOVE that woman. I saw this trailer a few days ago and kept grinning all day long. And she’s still as gorgeous as ever (long live Botox).

The film looks good too. I don’t know if it’ll be as good as this trailer, I don’t know if it’ll set cash registers ringing, I don’t know how the critics will rate it. But honestly, I don’t care! I am gonna go see it just for Her. Coz I know she won’t be bad J

P.S: Sridevi and chiffon sarees have always been synonymous. So seeing her in cottons almost seemed a bit weird at first! But she more than made up for it by dancing in the snow. (Check video at 2:27 for that!)

Movie Recommendation - Koshish

Cast: Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bachchan, Dina Pathak, Asrani.

Release Year: 1972.

Director: Gulzar.

Movie for this week is Koshish – a superlative story on love, life, courage and hope. This was Gulzar’s second movie as a director, and the first one I’d seen when I was about 8 or 9. I remember being completely bowled over by the performances.  

A realistic tale of a deaf and mute couple, Haricharan and Aarti, played flawlessly by Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan. The story spans a period of 20 years of their life. Their love story is touching and has its own moments, like the one where Haricharan proposes to Aarti and she declines, or their wedding night. The couple’s first born passes away when it walks out of the house on a rainy night. But happiness creeps in again when Aarti gives birth to a ‘normal’ boy. A scene to watch out here is when they discover that their son is not deaf; Hari breaks a pot while Aarti whistles on! I have a little problem with the ending of this film. I find it a bit conventional. (But then again, I always have one or the other problem with almost every film!) Apart from that, the movie is exceptional. Especially since it does not contain the usual melodrama that you would expect from a movie that revolves around two deaf and mute people.

It amazes me how Jaya Bachchan can slip into any role with such ease. The effort just doesn’t show. And Sanjeev Kumar! He is always at his best in a Gulzar film. The film’s soundtrack comprises of two very forgettable songs, but they can be ignored; all thanks to a powerful story.

No matter what or how much I write here, it will not do justice to what I feel for this film. Yes, I know I’m partial to Gulzar, but all said and done; Koshish is a film that you must watch and not read about!

Song Of The Week

I’d almost posted Halkat Jawaani here. The song has been playing day in and day out in the head. The Hindi film industry has suddenly woken up to all-things-Maharashtrian, and the outcome is cheesy item numbers such as this, or Mala Jau De, or what was that song from Joker? Never mind. But one thing I can’t figure out, why Halkat? If you want to curse your jawaani, there are many more effective slang words in Marathi. How about Bavlat Jawaani? It may not be as racy as Halkat, but it suits the song.

Coming back to the post, what managed to get Halkat Jawaani out of the system was Phir Le Aaya Dil from Barfi. There are two versions to this song and both are equally good. But it is Rekha Bhardwaj’s rendition that I just can’t stop listening to. The lady probably dips her voice in chocolate before singing. Pritam’s music is beautifully subtle and cleverly highlights Swanand Kirkire’s lyrics. Barfi’s soundtrack also comprises of other impressive compositions like Kyuu, and Aashiyaan.

* Kismat ko hai yen manzur kya keeje

Milte rahe hum badastoor kya keeje

Dil keh raha hai

Usse musalsal kar bhi aao

Woh jo ruki si raah baaki hai

Wohjo ruki si chaah baaki hai *

Song: Phir Le Aaya Dil

Film: Barfi

Music: Pritam

Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire

Vocals: Rekha Bhardwaj

Qui Vengo, Italia

Thanks to Masterchef, my Italian holiday is planned. I have researched on where to go, what to see, what to do and what not to do! Why, I even have somebody for company :)

Now, all that we need is some money! Will have to wait till that happens. *Sigh*.

Getting Him Home

Its that time of the year again,

When idol stalls are put up,

When modaks are made

When a silent thought is interrupted

By the rhythm of a dhol that plays far away.

Its that time of the year again,

When loudspeakers blare,

When traffic barely moves

When money is extorted

In the name of religion.

Its that time of the year again,

When the God comes home.

When he is welcomed with fervour

When he stays, sees,

And chooses not to stay long.

Its that time of the year again,

When we bid him adieu,

With a smile on the face,

And a pit in the stomach.

The Make-Up Letter

[For all those who do not know, this is a sequel to this letter.]

Dear Chocolate,

You must be surprised to hear from me again. Especially after what happened between us. But the truth is, I have missed you. A lot, that too. And I wouldn’t have known about it if I’d not seen you at the store the other day.

Yes, I was at fault. I was the one who strayed. But then, you know how volatile I can be. This Coffee guy was a serious crush. Thanks to my project deadlines, we started seeing each other often. Whether it was a dull morning or some late night programming, he’d always be there, helping me to push through the day (or night). But it was only after I left you for him that I realized how terrible he is. My zombie-like eyes would agree to that. I’ve been deprived of sleep for the past couple of months. I still remember how you used to put me to sleep, and I miss that.

I tried moving on, met a couple of snacks, even fast foods, but none of them were as comforting or as delicious as you are. I thought of calling out to you, but my pride (and my diet) forbade me from doing so. But I don’t care about them anymore. I have become conscious of the fact that you and I belong together. Even though you add to my weight woes, I want you back. a li’l exercise on my part, and we’d both be happy this time.

I hope you find it in you to take me back.

Yours (Now) Faithfully,

Ankita.

Song Of The Week

No matter how bad the day may have been, give me a Gulzar poem/song at the end of it and I’m happy. Song of the week is Aapki Aankhon Mein Kuch from Ghar. Did a lot of you just go ‘awww’ over that? Yes, the song is every bit aww-worthy!

This song defines romance for me. It amazes me how Pancham’s music and Gulzar’s words are always a perfect match. Like ‘made for each other’ type! Add to that Kishore Kumar’s voice and I’d call it wholesome goodness!

* Lab hile toh mogre ke

Phool khilte hai kahin

Aapki aankhon mein kya

Saahil bhi milte hai kahin *

Song: Aapki Aankhon Mein Kuch

Film: Ghar

Music: R.D.Burman

Lyrics: Gulzar

Vocals: Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar.

The Cute Kid

Kids can be so cute,

When they are not throwing tantrums.

Or screaming their lungs out. 

When they are not wailing.

Or even talking.

When they play on their own.

And keep you out of their fights.

When they don't ask you questions.

And share a bar of chocolate.

When they can tie shoelaces.

And don't ask you to.

Yes, kids can be cute.

And I'm a big liar.

The Masala Factor?

I saw Rowdy Rathore. Probably, all my bad stars were at work that day. Everybody around me seemed to enjoy the film while I kept on ranting about how shitty it is. Anyhow, it got me thinking on how such films can cross the 100-crore mark when they don’t have even one scene that seems sensible. You either see Akshay Kumar leeching at the heroine, or hitting goons mercilessly; that of course when he is not at his silly antics or saying idiotic lines like ‘Don’t angry me’ (wow).

Now don’t try and tell me its a masala story. In that case, I’d prefer seeing some action movie from the 70’s. The dialogues are a lot funnier, if not more sensible than our Rowdy here. Here are some of my favourites:

- Police ne chaaro taraf se tumhe gher liya hai. (Some cool police that is!)

- Aaiye doctor sahib, main aapko bahar tak chhod deta hoon. (Yeah, our poor li’l doctor cannot find his own way)

-  Thehro! Yeh shaadi nahi ho sakti (Oh Shit)

- Inhe davaa ki nahi duaa ki zaroorat hai (Now whoever invented that is pure genius)

- Maa, mujhe naukri mil gayi Maa! (Saying Maa twice is absolutely necessary)

- Main tumhaare bacche ki maa bannewali hoon. (Epic)

Ek Gulzar Din

Today is Gulzar Saheb’s birthday. If it were in my hands, this day would’ve been declared a national holiday long ago. Khaiir. Even if that is not happening, I have other plans for the day! All that I have done since morning is read his poems from Raat Pashmine Kii, or listen to that wonderful ‘ILoveGulzar’ playlist I created yesterday! And I still have to eat that chocolate cake. Hmm.

Thank You Gulzar Saheb. For giving us films like Ijaazat, Mausam, Angoor, Aandhi, Namkeen, Parichay, Koshish, Masoom, Guddi. And songs that always light up my face; songs that my children will grow up on! (Their first nursery rhyme would probably be Lakdi Ki Kaathi or Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai!) J

Gulzar Mania

Itne logon me keh do iin aankhon ko, 

Itna ooncha, aise na bola karen...

Log mera naam jaan jaate hain.

Song Of The Week

I haven’t forgotten that it’s a Monday today. Song of the week is Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo. Now there are many versions of this song. The original one by Farida Khannum, another by Asha Bhosle, not to mention the innumerable trashy remixes. The former one is very ghazal-ish, mehfil-ish (Of course. Raag Yaman Kalyan never fails). The latter version is also quite similar, only the instruments used are modern. Or lets say that it is a digitized version of the original!

But the one I’m going to post here today is a beautiful recreation of the original. Music by Shankar Tucker is very east-meets-west while vocals by Rohini Ravada are a feast to the ears. I’d once heard it on the radio while driving and though I’d only heard the last few lines, it’d stuck with me due to her sheer singing prowess. And I didn’t know who it was! But after relentless searching, I finally found it on Youtube last week! If I were to sing this song, I would have sung it exactly like this. My voice is not as good, but the style would have been similar J

P.S: Listen intently to how she sings ‘tumhe’ in the antara. Makes my heart melt!

* Tum hi socho zara kyun na roke tumhe

Jaan jaati hai jab uthke jaate ho tum

Tumko apni kasam jaan-e-jaan,

Baat itni meri maan lo *

Song: Aaj Jaane Ki Zid

Music: Shankar Tucker

Lyrics: Fayyaz Hashmi

Vocals: Rohini Ravada (OST: Farida Khannum)

Apologies To My Neglected Child!

Its been over two weeks since my last post. This blog has quite received the step-motherly treatment and I owe an explanation.

 Real life had raised its ugly head and dragged me out of my virtual life. The past two weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. From attraction to anger, and spooked to remorse; been there, done that. Its funny how something from your past can haunt you. Something that you always thought you’d overcome and moved on. Turns out, it ain’t that easy. Getting it out of your system is a tough thing to do. But I’ve done that before. And I don’t see a reason why I won’t be able to do it now. Only this time, I’ll have to work out some dream interpretation theory. It’ll take time, but I’ll be okay J

Apart from that, everything is good. And btw! Its Sridevi’s budday today! Happy Birthday sweetheart! You’re the reason I’d ever want to get into six yards of yellow chiffon and dance in the rain! (Or wait. Maybe blue chiffon). No matter how annoying and aggravating saris are, I see myself doing that someday. Thank You for giving us Lamhe, Chandni, Chaalbaaz, Gumrah, Sadma, Mr. India, and even Judai and Nagina!

Don't get high on this Cocktail

Okay, I know I didn’t post any movie yesterday. But today, I’ll tell you about a movie that you shouldn’t watch – Cocktail. I saw it the other day and by the end of it, I’d pulled out most of my hair. I’m glad that atleast I didn’t waste my money watching it at a theatre (Piracy zindabad!).

The movie consists of three characters:

1.       Good Girl (Meera/Diana Penty) – You know she’s good coz she doesn’t drink and prays regularly. (That’s what the film says)

2.       Bad Girl (Veronica/Deepika Padukone) – She’s the bad one coz she parties, gets drunk. (The film says this as well. And also tries to tell you why she’s so. Troubled childhood and all)

3.       Loser boy (Gautam/Saif Ali Khan) – One look at him and you know he’s a jerk. (Now, I’m saying this!)

Good girl is married to bad boy (Randeep Hooda) who takes all her money and throws her out on the street. Bad girl invites good girl to stay over in her house. A few days later, loser boy also joins them in the house. Loser boy and bad girl hook up. To take the story from here, Loser boy’s Punjabi mummy (Dimple Kapadia) enters the picture along with his cute uncle (Boman Irani). Oh! Did I mention the story is set in London? Don’t ask me why. It wouldn’t have made any difference if it were set here. But looks like they had a lot of money to splurge.

Coming back to the story, Punjabi mummy is haath dho ke picche after loser boy to get married. Loser boy panics and tells her that he loves the good girl. An excellent choice since mummy would never approve of the bad girl. So loser boy and good girl pretend to be in love and nautanki karte karte, end up falling in love (Blah). But surprise surprise! Bad girl also falls for loser boy (Seriously?). Good girl being the good girl is willing to step aside. And bad girl is also willing to change into sati-savitri for the mummy. So now what does loser boy do? Of course he marries the good girl (It’s a Hindi film, duh!). And they all live happily ever after.

Moral of the story: To get married, you have to be a good girl. Even if its loser boy who doesn’t deserve you at all, YOU have to be a good girl. Drinking and partying is a no-no. Wearing short dresses is a taboo. You may be willing to turn into sati savitri but it’d be too late by then.

Ms. Winfrey's Desi Yatra

A few years ago, Shabana Azmi had stated in one of her interviews that Americans are ignorant. After watching Oprah’s Next Chapter: India on TLC, I couldn’t have agreed more with Azmi’s statement. For them, India still remains the land of snake charmers. Look at any Hollywood movie on India – right from City Of Joy to Slumdog Millionaire, they just don’t seem to get past the slums here.

Ms. Winfrey was no exception. At the very beginning of the episode, she went to one of Mumbai’s slums with Gregory David Roberts (yeah, the Shantaram guy). There she met a family of five who lived in a hundred square feet area and asked them idiotic questions like how can five of them live in such a small, dingy place, if they were ‘happy and satisfied’, which made the family’s patriarch shed a few tears. She was astonished to see that there was no shower in the bathroom and even more, on learning how their clothes fit into one small shelf. I noticed a mammoth LCD TV in the house, which I suppose Ms. Winfrey chose to ignore so as not to tamper with the emotional quotient of the show.

Next up, she visited a (rich) joint family (where she made a complete fool of herself). She remarked how Indian women have to live with their mother-in-law and their extended families all their life. And the ultimate line came when she was served food (in a silver thali) – “I hear some people in India STILL eat with their hands”. (Ahem. Okay. So how do they eat pizzas, tacos, and nachos in your country Ms. Winfrey?)

In the next episode, Ms.Winfrey plans on visiting the Taj Mahal. How typical for a foreigner (Or even Indians. C’mon! What’s the big deal with that place? Its just an oversized white tomb. Khaiir, chodo). And as much as I want not to see it, I know I’ll end up watching it (!) in the hope that she would probably have to say something more sensible this time.

Song Of The Week

Nothing like a good song from Aandhi to unwind after a long day. Song for the week is Is Mod Se Jaate Hain. Now if I start raving and ranting about Aandhi’s music, I won’t stop really stop! Its really difficult for me to keep this post short, but I’ll try my best.

Aandhi was about a husband and wife who meet after 9 years of separation. The song is used in a flashback in the film. As a kid, I could not make anything out of the song. It was only that I saw the film (and grew up a bit) that I could comprehend it. The best part of the song is the alaap at the beginning. Lata Mangeshkar’s honey dipped voice churning out the perfect sur (and look at Suchitra Sen! As beautiful as ever). R.D.Burman excels at it once again. And Gulzar. What do I say? There was and there’ll never be another one like him.

After the song was composed, Gulzar looked at Pancham who was deep in thoughts. Suddenly, he asked Gulzar, “What is ‘Nasheman’?” He thought it referred to some place where the road leads to. Even when the song was being shot, Sanjeev Kumar had the same question! So for all those who didn’t know, nasheman means ghosla or a nest.

* Aandhi ki tarah udkar ek raah guzarti hai

Sharmaati hui koi kadmon se utarti hai

Inn reshmi rahon mein ik raah to woh hogi

Tum tak jo pahunchti hai, is mod se jaate hain *

Song: Is Mod Se Jaate Hain

Film: Aandhi

Music: R.D.Burman

Lyrics: Gulzar

Vocals: Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar

Movie Recommendation - Anand

Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Deo, Seema Deo, Sumita Sanyal, Johnny Walker.

Release Year: 1971.

Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Movie for the week is Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s multiple award-winning Anand. Not because Rajesh Khanna passed away. This was anyway going to be this week’s movie coz it’s the only one I’ve seen since last Friday. At the outset, let me warn you that this is not one of my favourites. I usually love Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films. This one, I like. But given a choice between Anand and Mili (another Hrishida classic), I’d choose the latter. The story is vaguely similar. Only a terminally-ill Rajesh Khanna is replaced by Jaya Bachchan, which makes it a far more endearing watch.

Dr. Bhaskar Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) is a no-nonsense physician with a melancholic approach to life. Dr. Prakash (Ramesh Deo), his senior introduces him to Anand Sehgal (Rajesh Khanna), a jovial, terminally-ill patient, who doesn’t have a lot of time to live. Anand decides to stay with Bhaskar instead of the hospital. The story revolves on how Anand spreads happiness in the lives of the people around him, including Bhaskar, who learns to appreciate life in all its colours.

Rajesh Khanna as Anand is apt. He plays the jolly, ever-energetic (and sometimes over the top) character to perfection. A similar version of the character has been played by Khanna (albeit a lot better) in Bawarchi as well. However, the best part of the movie is Amitabh Bachchan. Its so heartening to see him play a lanky Bhaskar. More over the angry young man, I love to see him in such roles. Characters that he played in Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies are so real and affable than the ones in his masala films. 

A review of Anand cannot be complete without its music. Salil Chaudhary’s elevating compositions accompanied by powerful lyrics by Yogesh and Gulzar resulted in chartbusters like Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli,  Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye, Maine Tere Liye Hi Saat Rang Ke Sapne and Na Jiyaa Lage Na.

How much you’ll love this movie depends on how much you can relate to Anand’s character. Although a one-time-watch wouldn’t be a waste for sure.

RIP Rajesh Khanna

Growing up in a house where your parents are diehard Rajesh Khanna fans, watching his movies was always a compulsion, whenever they were aired on TV. My mom would tell me how girls were crazy about him. My dad would tell me how he bunked school to watch his movies. As a kid, I was bored of them. But as I grew up, I fell in love with the characters he played; and more or less, the actor who played them. It was then that I understood why the man had such a huge fan following, why he was the country’s first ‘Superstar’.

As I came home today, I saw my mom glued to the television. I also know my dad would be sitting in his office, heartbroken. That when he comes home, he’d probably want to watch Anand or Amar Prem. That the first thing he’ll do when he gets into the car is play a Rajesh Khanna song. Why only him? I’m sure that there are millions around the world who’ll do that today. There is a huge list playing in my head as well. Kora Kaagaz, Zindagi Ek Safar, Pyar Diwana Hota Hai, Chingaari Koi Bhadke and many more. He is responsible for immortalizing some of Kishore Kumar’s finest songs.

May your soul rest in peace Mr. Khanna. And Thank You. For Amar Prem, Bawarchi, Aradhana, Anand, Haathi Mere Saathi, Safar, and many more.