Chori Chori (1956)

It's springtime here in New Orleans with the perfect combination of perfect weather, scent of fragrant flowers in the air and a plethora of outdoor music festivals. Indeed, if you are ever going to make a visit to this battered but still beautiful city, the months of March & April are your best choice to do so. So what does all this have to do with 'Chori Chori'? Only that this gem of a movie (the final swan song of the legendary Raj Kapoor/Nargis pairing) contains a song that I have always considered to be the penultimate ode to spring, Panchhi Banoon. Just the idea of being as free (azad) as a bird (panchhi) while flying around the fields of rural India conjures up an image that one feels in the song even without seeing the video (below). Nargis, displaying both a rare comedic touch as well as her usual impeccable dramatic flair, does not disappoint in her interpretation of it.



Nargis arguably saves her best for last in her final film as Kapoor's love interest as the dizzy heiress on the lam from her father who has refused to allow her marriage to a dashing pilot. On her bus ride to reunite with her lover in Bangalore she runs into a struggling journalist (Raj Kapoor) and in return for assistance on her journey she promises him exclusive rights to her story. In this retelling of the classic Hollywood movie 'It Happened One Night' what happens next is fairly obvious. But the true joy lies in watching Raj & Nargis, who had already made several hit movies and whose off-screen relationship seemed to only add to their on-screen chemistry. Nargis did make one more appearance in an RK Film (at the end of 'Jagte Raho') but 'Chori Chori' sadly marked the end of a truly glorious era in Bollywood.




Shankar-Jaikashen were responsible for the majority of RK Films' unforgettable soundtracks. 'Chori Chori' represented the first time they were awarded the Filmfare Award for their efforts. This soundtrack also had the rare distinction of having Manna Dey provide background vocals for Raj Kapoor. Mukesh was responsible for the majority of Raj Kapoor's hit songs but had decided to try his hand at acting at the time 'Chori Chori' was being produced. The two selections for today are the aforementioned Panchhi Banoon and one of the most originally crafted duets ever filmed in Bollywood, Jahan Main Jaati Hoon (video below). The original LP photographs as well as downloadable songs can be found on the blog Parties, Sarees & Melodies.

Dus Kahaniyaan (2007)

The promo for this movie reads 'Six Visionary Directors, Ten Spectacular Stories, One Cinematic Journey' and for the most part is an accurate description. Producer Sanjay Gupta scored quite a coup getting together over 20 of Bollywood's best actors to star in this unconventional yet highly entertaining movie. The ten stories have no real thread connecting them but instead present themselves as mini-movies unto themselves. The very idea of making a ten minute movie when the routine in your industry is the three hour mark was just one of the many obstacles faced by the filmmakers. The resulting movie (clocking in at under two hours) is fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. Some of the stories are stronger than the others and are split pretty evenly with three quite outstanding, three being good and four just mediocre.



My personal favorites were 'The Rice Plate' starring Shabana Azmi & Naseeruddin Shah and 'Gubbare' starring Nana Patekar & Rohit Roy (the director of 'The Rice Plate'). 'The Rice Plate' has Shabanaji playing a South Indian Brahmin grandmother in Delhi who is trying to catch a train to visit her granddaughter. The fact that she is racist towards Muslims and forgets her wallet at home create the necessary pathos to create a clinic on acting with the equally comparable Shah. Shabana had a special Tamil language tutor on set to help her speak Hindi with the right accent. In 'Gubarre' we see Nanasaab playing a man going to visit his wife on a bus who on the way teaches a newlywed couple a poignant lesson about life. While he known for his dark roles, Patekar is just a joy to watch here as a man caught somewhere between sadness and joy.



The song above is from the story titled 'Pooranmasi' starring a Bollywood star of yesteryear Amrita Singh. It is also today's selection, Vichode Ne sung by Shafqat Ali Khan. You can find most of the films on youtube as the limit of 11 minutes on the site is enough to get most of the movies on there (alas, most are without subtitles).

Mughal-E-Azam (1960) - Part II

As alluded to in my previous post on 'Mughal-E-Azam' - the backstory of how this movie was made adds yet another layer to the richness and texture of the film itself. Director K. Asif was in pre-production for it in the early 1940's with Nargis cast as Anarkali but due to the events of the Partition the producer relocated to Pakistan and filming never began. Nargis' exit was supposedly hastened by Raj Kapoor due to the fact that he was very possessive of her personally & professionally and did not want to take the risk that she would 'click' with Dilip Kumar. The movie was easily the costliest Indian film ever made and the actors knew they were involved in a very special project. Prithvi Raj Kapoor (who starred in India's first talkie 'Alam Ara') made the role of Akbar his own and took several hours every day to prepare himself for filming. Dilip Kumar's Salim was not given any songs to sing in keeping with his princely role, quite a gamble given his enormous star appeal at the time. But even as the second choice to star as the maiden of the court, Madhubala quite simply stole the show as Anarkali.



After Partition, Indian movies continued to be shown in Pakistan but were banned following a war over Kashmir in 1965. The Pakistan film industry (or Lollywood) in Lahore tried to fill the void but will be the first to tell you that pirated Bollywood movies are more popular than Pakistani films. My friends from Pakistan tell me that they have never seen a Pakistani film for the most part and those who have say they are no match for their Bollywood counterparts. When Mughal-E-Azam was first made there were only a few scenes done in color and K. Asif was so taken aback by what he saw that he attempted to re-shoot the whole movie but his financiers refused to let him. His dream to put a colorized 'Mughal-E-Azam' on the silver screen was realized in 2006 and the movie became the first Indian film to be shown in Pakistan (legally) in over forty years.



Finally, no discussion of this classic would be complete without mentioning the unforgettable soundtrack by the late Naushad. The tale is still told today about how Naushad had composed a song specifically for Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan, a renowned classical singer of the day who considered singing for films an insult to the art itself. K. Asif boldly told him to name his price and the Ustad responded with an unheard of sum of 25,000 rupees for one song. Unheard of because the going price at that time for even established artists such as Rafi & Lata was 500 rupees per song. He was the voice for the Tansen (considered the father of Indian classical music) and the Ustad never sang for a movie again.

The two selections for today are both my favorite songs from the film. The first is Mohe Panghat Pe which was sung to celebrate the festival of Krishna's birth at the palace - and whose filming was attended by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (former Prime Minister of Pakistan & father of Benazir). The second is Tere Mehfil Mein that is a duet sung by Lata & the very underrated Shamshad Begum for the affections of Prince Salim. The piece of dialogue that follows the song is one of the most oft repeated lines in a movie full of them. Anarkali receives the stem of a rose as a prize from the prince while her competition receives the rose itself. Not to be outdone she gives salaam for the prize and says "Jahe naseeb. Kaanton ko murjhane ka khauf nahin." (I am fortunate to receive thorns because thorns never wither)." The videos of both songs can be found below...

The album can be downloaded at Parties, Sarees & Melodies. A great blog that lets you download songs from many classic Bollywood LP's with insightful writing about the songs themselves. Credit to Stella for the picture above as well.

Holi Hai

Today we will celebrate Holi here in New Orleans with friends, colored powders, good food and of course - Bollywood tunes. I hope to celebrate it one day in India - my relatives tell me it is much like what we see in the movies (without songs & music starting on cue of course:) Holi is a very popular holiday in Bollywood films and it's easy to see why as it is visually almost tailor made for the big screen.

The origins of Holi are in religion as are most Indian festivals. Hiranyakashipu (a demon king) was granted near immortality due to his penance to Vishnu. The terms of this were that he not be killed "during day or night, inside the home or outside, not on earth or on sky, neither by a man nor an animal, neither by astra nor by shastra". Consequently, he grew arrogant (as you would expect a demon king to become who was immortal) and demanded that people stop worshiping gods and start praying to him.

Despite this his own son, Prahlad, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to bow down to the king. After many attempts at killing him, the king ordered young Prahlad to sit on a funeral pyre on the lap of his aunt, Holika. She would be safe from the fire by virtue of her holy shawl. Prahlad readily accepted his father's orders and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as the shawl flew from Holika (who was burnt to death) to Prahlad who was saved unhurt. Thus bonfires are lit to symbolize the burning of Holika and the beginning of Holi. And the tradition of the colors (besides just being fun and symbolizing the triumph of good over evil)? There are various explanations but my favorite one comes from Krishna's celebration of Holi. According to legend, Krishna complained to his mother about how much darker he was than the much fairer Radha. Krishna's mother decided to apply colour to Radha's face as a way to appease him while still keeping Radha fair. Holi officially ushers in spring, the celebrated season of love in Bollywood & Hollywood as well.



Today's selection is arguably one of the most famous Holi songs in Bollywood history. The song is Rang Barse from 'Silsila' sung by Amitabh Bachchan himself. In 'Silsila' Jaya is shown initially enjoying herself but when she realizes that AB & Rekha are more than just friends - her pained look stays with you as well and changes the whole tone of the movie from that moment on. One of the most underrated actresses of our time, graceful yet powerful in every movie she has ever been in.

In the end though, maybe Holi is kind of a metaphor for life - for without color and song, life just isn't complete.

Mughal-E-Azam (1960) - Part I

The term 'classic' is thrown around alot these days in Bollywood but in the case of 'Mughal-E-Azam' - the sequel to the just released 'Jodhaa Akbar' - superlatives fall short when describing what this film has meant since it was released nearly fifty years ago. I refer to it as a sequel because the story is about the son of Emperor Akbar (played brilliantly by Prithviraj Kapoor) and his wife Queen Jodha - Prince Salim. Dilip Kumar stars as Salim and the luminous Madhubala gives a performance for the ages as a maid of the court, Anarkali. The dialogues & songs have been memorized over the years by many a film lover and the story of the making of this epic is just as memorable as the film itself. For an in depth review of the movie please visit our friend Carla over at Filmigeek.



Dilip Kumar & Madhubala's star-crossed love story onscreen was just as tragic and legendary as their offscreen one. Both Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar) and Mumtaz Jahan Begum (Madhubala) were originally from large Pathan Muslim families and were among the biggest film stars of their day. Madhubala was born on Valentine's day in 1933 and an astrologer predicted that she would bring great wealth and fame to her family. She was smitten with the dashing Dilipsaab at the tender age of seventeen and he with her. But her father, Ataullah Khan, forbade her to marry as the family was completely dependent on her income and he feared that her marriage would financially ruin them. Dilip never forgave her for breaking his heart and later testified against her in a court case involving a breach of contract for the movie 'Naya Daur'. This would have been the end of it had it not been for the fact that they had both already signed on for 'Mughal-E-Azam' months before and Madhubala (reeling from the bad publicity from the 'Naya Daur' fallout) was forced to go ahead with the shoot.



The actual filming lasted an incredible ten years and took both a physical and an emotional toll on all the principal players, especially the two leads who were said to be not even looking or speaking to one another except during the filming of their scenes together. This case of art imitating life only added to the pathos of their characters and tragic as it was - it helped the movie achieve the status of 'classic' like few films before or after. The selection for today is arguably the most famous song from the soundtrack, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya ("I have loved so what do I have to fear?") - see video below. The set for the song (Sheesh Mahal) was constructed from glass imported from Belgium and whose cost was as much as the budget of most films at that time. There were so many mirrors that needed lighting that the song was shot at night with stage lights that had to be borrowed from other films in production that were returned the next morning. It was one of the only colorized parts of the movie and many say that Madhubala gave her bravura performance in the song because she was in fact, singing the song to her father about her true love for Dilip Kumar. Next week, the historical significance of the movie and more about the making of the movie & soundtrack...

Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

Two years in the making and clocking in at nearly three and a half hours, 'Jodhaa Akbar' is quite an impressive piece of movie making. Unfortunately though, every film of this type will invariably be compared to the legendary 'Mughal-E-Azam' and will therefore never be considered on it's own merits. I liked this movie and would recommend to anyone interested in watching it to enjoy it's opulence on the big screen. Ashwariya looked ethereal (when does she not?) and her outfits & jewelry alone probably outweighed her by a fair amount. Hrithik is not an actor that I have ever been too impressed with but he did a fair job in his role as the Mughal emperor who tried to unite India by marrying a Hindu queen. I could not help imagining what Abhishek Bachchan would have done in the title role but again, comparisons of what this movie should be like need to be left at the entrance of theater. For some more thoughts about this movie please visit the websites of our friends Beth & Carla.



The songs in the movie are composed by the Shehenshah of modern day Bollywood, Allah Rakha Rahman. The whole comparison of 'Jodhaa Akbar' to 'Mughal-E-Azam' comes full circle when you remember that A.R. Rahman's birth name was Dileep Kumar. He converted to Islam after an imam offered prayers to heal his ailing sister when he was younger. In fact the selection for today Kwhaja Mera Khwaja is not only composed by A.R. Rahman but sung by him as well.

Chaudvin Ka Chand & Happy Anniversary :)

It's nice when your anniversary & Valentine's Day fall within a day of eachother so you can celebrate your special day without the greeting card industry dictating when you are supposed to do so. Yes, another year has gone by since the last time we did this and it has been another great one. The picture above is from a trip we took to Iceland last year - an absolutely amazing country that everyone should try to go to at some point. It was bitingly cold (go figure, it's Iceland!) and we were in front of a waterfall created by melting glaciers. A friend snapped this picture while proclaiming it would be our Christmas card - which it indeed turned out to be.

The selection for today is Chaudvin Ka Chand sung by Mohammed Rafi. It was the actual song that was played at our wedding as Nilong was carried to the 'mandap' (altar) by her 'mamas' (maternal uncles). See the song below in all it's romantic glory with Guru Dutt singing it to his new bride, Waheeda Rehman, on their wedding night. Considered one of the most romantic songs ever recorded, the lyrics are translated below as well.



Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho, Ya Aaftaab Ho
you are the moon of the 14th (arare beauty), or sunshine
Jo Bhi Ho Tum Khuda Ki Kasam, Lajawab Ho
whatever you are, I swear to God, you are incomparable

Zulfein Hain Jaise Kaandhe Pe Baadal Jhuke Hue
your hair is like clouds bent over your shoulders
Aankhen Hain Jaise Maey Ke Pyaale Bhare Hue
your eyes are like cups filled with wine
Masti Hai Jisme Pyaar Ki Tum, Woh Sharaab Ho
you are the alcohol which contains the intoxicant of love
Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho ...

Chehra Hai Jaise Jheel Mein Khilta Hua Kanwal
your face is like the lotus flower blooming in the lake
Ya Zindagi Ke Saaz Pe Chhedi *** Ghazal
or like the beautiful song written on the melodius instrument of life
Jaane Bahaar Tum Kisi Shaayar Ka Khwaab Ho
blossom of my life, you must be the dream of a poet
Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho ...

Hothon Pe Khelti Hain T*a*b*a*s*s*u*m Ki Bijliyaan
on your lips play a smile of electricity
Sajde Tumhari Raah Mein Karti Hain Kahkashaan
the celestial sphere bows in your path to salute you
Duniya-E-Husno-Ishq Ka Tum Hi Shabaab Ho
you are the end all in the world of beauty and love
Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho ...

Bawandar (2005)

The aptly named 'Bawandar' (Sandstorm) is the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a lower caste woman from Rajasthan whose honor is stolen first by men from her village and then symbolically by the legal system of her country and her fight for justice. Like India itself, the film is one of many contrasts. The beauty of the land versus the ugliness of it's people. The unwavering courage of one woman versus the cowardice of her attackers. The moral code that many Indians live by coexisting with laws that forbid the foundations upon which they are based. Those are the issues that 'Bawandar' grapples with and a spell-binding performance by the lead, Nandita Das, combined with the natural beauty of the 'Land of Kings' (or Rajasthan) make this a must see film that has won countless awards at film festivals worldwide.



The film opens with a scene depicting the age old (but now illegal) tradition of child marriage. It is shot with such rich detail and realism that one first feels that they are watching a documentary - which was the intent of the director, Jagmohan Mundhra. His goal was to capture the rich color of the land like a 'picture postcard' to contrast against the starkness & dark reality of the incident itself. He also made it clear to his financiers that if Nandita Das did not agree to star in the movie, he would not make it. After seeing this modern day Smita Patil in 'Fire' and 'Earth' he knew that she would not only be the face of the movie, but the heart and soul of it as well. It is interesting to note that the movie was shot on location and that many of the children who hung around the sets were already married & that some of the women watching were not allowed to stand near some of the upper caste men - a true case of life imitating art.



The soundtrack of the movie consisted of songs that were written by Rajasthani composers and consisted entirely of instruments and vocals native to that region. It was interesting to me as a speaker of Gujarati (my native state of Gujarat borders Rajasthan) that I needed the subtitles on this movie more than I thought I would. I am fluent in Hindi thanks to Bollywood but the Rajasthani language is an intoxicating combination of Hindi, Gujarati and something altogether different. The song for today is Ab To Jagna which is the centerpiece of the movie and makes an appearance several times, it is sung by Mahalaxmi Iyer.

Need a job?

Found this little ditty while surfing the net for a new phone - link. Apparently Hrithik & Yana are big enough stars to headline an international promotion from a multi-billion dollar corporation such as Sony - bahot khubh! It also drives home the point that Bollywood is getting more popular everyday (although I would have picked an actress with more gravitas than Yana Gupta). But this is a minor quibble and have posted a video starring the lovely Ms. Gupta below - the song is Mehbooba from 'Sholay' and sung by the maestro himself, R.D. Burman.

Chak De India

'Chak De India' was the next SRK movie I saw after 'Om Shanti Om' and in both of them I was immediately struck by something - wow, this guy can actually act if he lets himself do so. Don't get me wrong - I am not a SRK hater and in fact seek out his movies because his popularity gets quality films green lit (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mohabattein, Veer Zaara, etc). It's just that as his popularity grew he just coasted by in every movie playing his alter-ego Rahul and never really strayed far from the character that brought him so much fame & fortune. But the great ones eventually do so if they want to be remembered more than a one-trick pony. Like Dilip Kumar in 'Amar' & Amitabh Bachchan in 'Sholay' - they need to do more than just play themselves, save the day and end up with the girl at the end. SRK seems to have done this very thing with 'Chak De India' - an homage to the Hollywood movie 'A League of Their Own'.



SRK chooses to play the character quite differently than his counterpart Tom Hanks did. He plays a Muslim in this movie (something he rarely does) that loses a high profile field hockey match that in turn questions his allegiance to his own country. This is not some fake Bollywood made up stuff - it is something I have witnessed in India and was completely taken back by. To be told that you are not a patriot just because you are not Hindu and that you should go 'back to Pakistan' is still a sentiment that rears it's ugly head all too often. But this movie is about much more than that - it's also about girl power in a male-dominated society and how people from different parts of India can come together for a common cause. Sure, it's a sports movie so you know everything is going to work out in the end. But the sheer talent of the actors (SRK included), lack of any silly melodrama/slapstick comedy/love interest and mature exploration of controversial subject matter all combine to make this a top notch film. Keeping with the sports theme the movie had precious few songs but Maula Mere was the clear stand out and is sung by Salim-Sulaiman.

'Pyaasa' - 50 years on...

A movie that begins with a poet whose works are sold by his family for scrap who then follows a prostitute who is serenading him with his own poetry in attempt to woo him as a customer is not a typical way to start out a Bollywood movie. But then again a film that ended up on Time Magazine's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time and was just one of two Indian movies on that storied list cannot be considered typical by any definition. The tale of a brilliant poet, Vijay, who loses both his true love and family (but never his dignity) in an attempt to reach out to the world with his art is handled with both deft and brilliance. It is a stunning exploration of both the cruelty of the world as well as the gentleness found in places one least expects it. The movie ends with the runaway success of his poetry at a cost that ultimately becomes too much for him to bear.



Waheeda Rehman (in only her second movie) dazzles in every scene she is in and Dutt's use of light and framing of shots is well ahead of it's time - little wonder that 'The Times of London' christened him 'India's version of Orson Welles' when this movie first came out. Some of the acting is a little melodramatic as was custom of the day and if you don't understand Urdu the lack of subtitles during the songs & poetry recitals can be maddening. But those things will not take away from the richness of this movie which recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary, and as his admirers have often said - 'He did not make films, he made poetry.'



The song for today is 'Jane Kya Tunhe Kahi' which was sung by Guru Dutt's wife, Geeta Dutt. Though not as well known as other female playback singers of the day her style & voice were nonetheless hauntingly beautiful in a very unique way. S.D. Burman's music provides the perfect backdrop to the movie and all the songs are considered classics even today. The Dutts divorced shortly after the completion of this movie and although he is considered a visionary today - the eight movies he made were considered only modest successes. Depressed by his perceived failure and his constant pursuit of perfection which could never be reached, Guru Dutt committed suicide before his 40th birthday by ingesting a mixture of alcohol and sleeping pills. Geeta never recovered from their divorce or his death and drank herself to a slow death just a few years later. Below is the first song in the movie and Geeta Dutt's contribution to her husband's masterpiece, 'Pyaasa' - 50 years on...

Guide (1965) & 'K For Kishore'

So I really tried to get away from yet another post about a Kishore Kumar song but alas, it was not meant to be. It was a sign from above, literally, as we were watching Sony TV via satellite over the holidays. First we saw the Filmfare Awards from last year with SRK performing host duties all complete with the obligatory shot of Big B followed by a shot of Rekha immediately after. In between there was trivia aplenty about the Filmfare Awards themselves (the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscars). One of those tidbits was regarding the movie 'Guide' starring Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman which swept the awards of Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress & Best Screenplay.

This now legendary movie was shot simultaneously in both Hindi & English and was ahead of it's time in both story & technical aspects. Waheeda Rehman's advisers told her it would be 'career suicide' to play the controversial role for which she ultimately won both critical and commercial acclaim. It is deep & moving film - see it without the benefit knowing too much about the story and your time will be well rewarded. S.D. Burman provided the soundtrack for the film which is often considered the 3rd star of the movie but didn't win any awards for his efforts. The most famous song from the movie is just as fresh and amazing as the day it was released but again went home empty handed at the Filmfares. Which brings me to the other reason I wrote about Kishore today...



Immediately after the awards show we watched a new singing competition whose premiere was the biggest debut on Sony TV for an original series. It is called 'K for Kishore' and pits 20 contestants culled from throughout India in an effort to find that one singer that not only sounds like Kishore but emulates his spirit as well. The judges include Amit Kumar (Kishore's 1st son), Bappi Lahiri & the singer Sudesh Bhonsle. It was then that I realized that I was not alone in missing Kishoreda - that everyone from the 20 year old contestant who was born after Kishore's death to the 60 year old grandfather who learned to sing every Kishoreda song ever recorded and has his picture in his mandir - missed him as well and that he is still relevant now despite all the years since his passing. The song for today is 'Gaate Rahe' (a duet by Kishore & Lata) whose sweet melody, amazing picturisation, poetic lyrics and the strength of Kishore' voice as he holds those first few notes seemingly forever makes this one of my all time favorites and the perfect song to open the new year. Happy 2008 and thanks to everyone for all of your support and good wishes!

Aashiqui (1990) - the exile ends...

I graduated from college having missed the debut movies of the 3 Khans and not really paying much attention to what was coming out of Bollywood. Sure, I still had my collection of Bollywood dating from 1944-1987 but simply had no interest in the genre in a world without Kishore Kumar. My mom walked into my room one day in the summer of 1990 and handed me a tape of 'Aashiqui' and told me the soundtrack contained some songs that Kishoreda had recorded before he passed away. Skeptical about any ruse that may have been about, I put the tape in my stereo and upon hearing the songs two things came to my mind: 1. There is no way this was Kishore Kumar's voice 2. I actually like these songs. And just like that, for better or for worse I was back under Bollywood's spell and although I know there will never be another Kishore - I do credit this movie for keeping my love for Hindi film music alive. The movie won Filmfare Awards for Best Male Singer, Best Female Singer, Best Song & Best Musical Direction so it was apparent I wasn't the only one who was instantly smitten.



It launched the career of Kumar Sanu (whose bungalow in Bombay is reportedly called 'Aashiqui') who quickly became known in the industry as the 'voice of Kishore'. Ironically, Kishore Kumar's idol was the immortal K.L. Saigal (India's first playback superstar) and when he first came to Bombay he tried to match his voice to sound just like his. S.D. Burman, who was also a family friend, told Kishore that if he truly wanted to achieve greatness he had to develop his own style and not rely on just 'aping others'. Kumar Sanu is still singing here & there in Bollywood these days but unfortunately he didn't take the advice of his Kishore's mentor and could never again achieve his earlier success.



But he will be forever remembered for this soundtrack that is still considered a classic even now. The movie is your standard boy meets girl/boy loses girl/boy gets girl back starring two former models - Rahul Roy & Anu Agarwal - who couldn't really act but were easy enough on the eyes to where you really didn't care too much. The movie wasn't half bad but I don't know if I remember it that way because the eleven, yes eleven, songs were all just so darn good. The first selection for today is Mein Duniya Bhula, a duet by Kumar Sanu & Anuradha Paudwal (who had a lovely voice all her own) that I have always thought would make a great first dance at a wedding due to the sweeping music & romance filled lyrics. The second song is my personal favorite, Tu Meri Zindagi Hai. You can almost feel Kumar Sanu channeling Kishoreda in the song that is so wonderfully sweet & heartbreakingly sad all at the same time. Anuradha has only one line in it but I still get goosebumps when she sings it. The songs were written with Kishore Kumar in mind but in this case second best wasn't really all that bad, in fact it was very good indeed.

Tribute to Kishore Kumar - Final Chapter (80's)

I had a big send off planned for this final post - a trip back through memory lane when Kishore owned Bollywood and his songs alone could guarantee the opening of a movie regardless of the actor in the starring role (including playback on both Anil Kapoor's & Sanjay Dutt's first films). Every music composer wanted to work with him and he did some of his best work near the end of his career. I listen to his songs much the same way a classical music fan listens to the symphony - never tiring of every intonation his voice makes nor of listening to the songs I have heard 100 times. His voice soothes me like no other and would be my first choice if I had to pick a 'desert island soundtrack' meaning a collection of records that would accompany me should I be marooned like Tom Hanks in 'Cast Away'.



He was larger than life and his career spanned almost four decades in Bollywood as a singer, actor, director, producer & music composer. But his first love was singing and he will always be remembered for that. I have fond memories of a concert I attended that he gave at Sanmukhanand Hall in Bombay in 1983. Our seats were on the 7th row (two rows behind Ashok Kumar) in the sold out arena. Kishore came out and entertained the crowd single-handedly well past midnight for over 4 hours and left the audience breathless. So here we are two decades after his passing and despite my self-imposed exile from Hindi Cinema in the three years following his death - I still love Bollywood. And judging from what I see - Bollywood's love for Kishore continues to this day. His songs have been in 2 major movies this year - 'Om Shanti Om' & 'The Darjeeling Limited' and if you Google his name you will get 159,000 hits - exactly 55,000 more than the the #1 singer in Bollywood today, Sonu Nigam.



I racked my brain trying to come up with that one song that would be the defining moment in Kishore's career in the 80's and just couldn't do it. His popularity during that time was unprecedented as he was the last remaining member of the 'Big Three' with Mukesh & Rafi being the two others. So the song for today is none other than the song I started this tribute with - a live recording of the haunting Aa Chalke Tujhe from the movie 'Door Gagan Ki Chaon Mein' - a movie in which Kishore acted, sang, directed, produced & composed the music for as well. And the video for today is by the only Hollywood actor that Kishore provided playback duties for (fast forward to the 6:30 mark for the song)... somehow I think Kishore would have approved & just proves to me that I am not the only one who misses him.

Kishore Kumar Tribute Pt. 4 (The late 70's)

Amitabh Bachchan & Kishore Kumar - one cannot really imagine the voice of Amitabh as anyone else. They went together better as well as Dev Anand/Kishore & can only compare to Rajesh Khanna/Kishore as THE voice that pops into your mind when you think about a particular actor. So well suited was Kishore's voice for Amitji that I actually remembering have spirited discussions (well as spirited as a 13 year old boy can get) with friends who insisted that it was Amitabh singing his own songs way before he began to do so. And I personally am not sure if I would have been as big of an Amitabh fan if some other singer had done his playback singing. I can count on one hand the movies in which Kishore did not provide playback for an Amitabh movie during the 70's & 80's - an amazing run where one's popularity just fueled the other's that resulted in both of them reaching unprecedented success in Bollywood. Kishore deliberately sang one octave deeper when he sang for AB & slightly changed his pitch when he sang for other actors - just another piece of the genius that is my favorite singer of all time.



The first song for today is from one the earliest movies that Kishore was used as playback for Amitabh in 'Bombay to Goa' - the exuberant energy of this song is just so infectious and usually results in random dancing with a big smile on your face - Dekha Na Hai Re. The second song is from the other actor who raises a similar question - would Rajesh Khanna be as popular without Kishoreda as a playback singer? Probably - but there is no denying that they both helped eachother much the same way as the aforementioned duo did. One of the sweetest love songs that Kishore ever sang from the movie 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' starring Rajesh & Tanuja (Kajol's mom!) - O Mere Dil Ki Chen. Check out the video below...

ॐ Shanti ॐ (२००७)

Taking a break from my tribute to Kishore Kumar for one reason & one reason only - 'Om Shanti Om' marks the first time SRK has ever had the honor of Kishore Kumar providing playback for one of his songs. The moment comes early in this - first half great/second half not so much - retelling of 'Karz', the 1977 Rishi Kapoor starrer whose hit song provided the title for the movie. A proper review of the movie is much better done by my friends Beth & Carla on their respective websites but that doesn't mean I don't want to discuss the movie. It just means that the story was the least important part of this movie as far as I was concerned. But as a fan of Bollywood my entire life the movie just kept a big grin on my face right up until the multi-starred item number. The first half is set in the 1970's complete with director Farah Khan's attention to detail in the look & feel of the India of yesteryear. It is a story of two best friends who work in the film industry as junior-artistes (I just LOVE that title:) & dream of making it to the big time. Shreyas Talpade of 'Dor' & 'Iqbal' fame plays SRK's best friend and shows us yet again why he is one of the brightest stars in Bollywood today. If the energy and freshness of the first half could have been sustained in Act II this movie could have been truly special, instead it lasted about one hour too long and has a sub-plot that was unnecessary to say the least.



So why did I like the first half so darn much? For starters, SRK doesn't do his usual thing, which is to act like SRK instead of acting the role he is playing. No, he throws himself into the character of Om with such gusto that for the first time in years I forgot I was watching Rahul (SRK's name in many of his movies that he gently pokes fun at). It was the little things that I just flat out loved in the movie including...

~ A proper homage to the title with Rishi Kapoor dancing on the giant record from 'Karz' that Om imagines himself singing instead.
~The great Rajnikant impression that SRK did with reckless abandon.
~The way our heroes sneak into the opening of a movie with an old-school Manoj Kumar impression that was spot on.
~The biggest star in the movie is named Rajesh Kapoor and lampoons Rajesh Khanna with much affection.
~The Dev Anand look alike in the red scarf that never says a word and didn't need to.
~The corny but entirely believable acceptance speech that SRK gives while accepting a fake Filmfare Award that he repeats upon winning the real one.



~The item number (above) & Filmfare Awards sequence that had over 30 stars being either interviewed or joining in the item number sequence. It needs to be stated that this was first done by AB in 'Naseeb' and brought together a number of huge stars in it's own right - the only star to be in both without actually being in the movie? Dharmendra (shout out to DG;)
~And this whole sequence itself was so full of inside jokes at the expense of the stars & Bollywood as a whole that it was worth the price of admission to keep wondering which star was going to pop out next!
~My favorite moments from this sequence were Shabana Azmi poking fun at her image of being Bollywood's leading activist, AB not knowing who Om was during an interview and Rishi Kapoor as one of the presenters for Om's Filmfare Award.
~And finally the blink and you miss the unmistakable disco notes when Mithun Chakraborty makes his appearance alluding to his breakout role in 'Disco Dancer'.

Go see the movie - the greatness of the first half will more than sustain you for the plodding pace of the second. The songs for today are Ajab Si by K.K. & Dhoom Taana by Abhijeet & Shreya Goshal video below respite with old school Bollywood legends!

Kishore Kumar Tribute Pt. 3 (The early 70's)

Kishore Kumar was simply unstoppable after the blockbuster success of 'Aradhana' - every music producer wanted him for their songs and each leading man of the day wanted to be associated with his voice. I don't remember being particularly enamored with Rajesh Khanna but did watch all his movies in order to be rewarded with great songs from Kishore. Indeed, the Rajesh/Kishore pairing became legendary in the annals of Bollywood and soon more leading men became associated with his voice - Shashi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Dharmendra - audiences simply could not get enough. After the death of Mukesh in 1976 it was Kishore who received the lion's share of the work along with the other legend from early Bollywood, Mohammed Rafi. But as high as Kishore's star rose in the early part of the 70's - it would be nothing compared to the success that he found when he became the voice associated with the the angry young man with that unforgettable voice from Allahbad later on that decade...



The first song selection is Zindagi Ek Safar from the movie 'Andaz' starring Rajesh Khanna at his peak. It is a song extolling the pleasure of living every day like it is your last and embodies the personal philosophy of Kishoreda perfectly. See the dashing Rajesh & the bubbly Hema Malini with yodels aplenty from the master in the video below. The second song is from the little known film 'Abhinetri' starring Shashi Kapoor and Hema Malini. The duet Sa Re Ga Ma is sung by Kishore & Lata and the title refers to the the Hindi equivalent of Do Re Me Fa, a great song that wasn't a famous one but should have been.

Kishore Kumar Tribute Pt. 2 (The 60's)

The 1960's were not kind to Kishore Kumar. Many of the movies he was acting in flopped at the box office, his marriage to his first wife ended in divorce in 1958 and his songs were just not getting the airplay they had been when he first broke into the business. While he had the odd hit here and there ('Padosan' & 'Jewel Thief') for the most part it seemed that Bollywood had grown tired of Kishore and for all practical purposes his career had stalled. He remarried in 1960 to the luminous Madhubala but the marriage was doomed from the start. Madhubala secretly pined for Dilip Kumar who did indeed love her back - but Dilip's father forbade the two from getting married as he did not want his son marrying an actress (which he did anyway with Saira Banu). Madhubala passed away in 1969 while in Kishore's arms - she had loved him during their time together but was never in love with him. 1969 would prove a watershed year in Kishore's life both personally and professionally...



S.D. Burman had already started recording the songs for 'Aradhana' and used Mohammed Rafi's voice for the first two when he became very ill and was hospitalized. His son R.D. Burman was responsible for finishing the soundtrack and although relatively new to Bollywood, he had always been enamored with Kishore's voice. R.D. broke tradition and recorded the remainder of the songs with Kishore in studio convinced that he would be able to hit the nuances of the songs better than Rafi. 'Aradhana' became a blockbuster hit and that one movie changed the entire landscape of Bollywood for years to come. Rajesh Khanna became the biggest movie star of the day and no one, not Raj Kapoor before him or Amitabh Bachchan after, could match the way he just owned the silver screen for the next five years. Kishore fared even better, after the success of 'Aradhana' he became the most sought after singer in Bollywood until he passed away and had few if any peers to his craft.



The two selections for today are from 'Aradhana' with the first one being Kora Kagaz a spellbinding duet by Kishore & Lata (it was also the song to which Nilong & I walked into our wedding reception) - see the video above. The second song is how audiences were first introduced to Sharmila Tagore's character and became the signature song for the film, Mere Sapno Ki Rani.

Kishore Kumar Tribute Pt. 1 (The 50's)

I still remember the first time I heard that golden voice - I was seven years old and the soundtrack for 'Amar Akbar Anthony' had just come out. The year was 1975 and I remember living in California when one of my parent's friends had brought over the LP of it. The songs were played so much that they became a part of my childhood memories and in turn Kishore Kumar became permanently ingrained into my psyche. I own virtually everything that he has ever sung and he is the one artist whom I never tire of listening to. I can name every actor that he has sung for and watched certain actor's movies just because I knew Kishore was that actor's preferred playback singer. I would sit through the opening credits of a movie and if I didn't see his name under 'Playback Singers' I would go back to what I was doing. I was a fan(atic) in every sense of the word. And of course when he passed away 20 years ago I stopped watching Bollywood movies altogether and missed out on the introductory movies of SRK, Aamir Khan, etc. I came back for a very unlikely movie but to this day I will gladly listen to Kishoreda over any other Bollywood singer.



Kishore never wanted to be an actor and came to Bombay at the age of 18 to strike it big as a singer. His older brother (Ashok Kumar) was the biggest actor of the day and since Kishore had no formal training no one would hire him as a singer. He turned to acting in desperation to keep from going home a failure but never gave up his dream. His hero was the legendary singer K.L. Saigal and Kishore imitated his style in his first few songs which were mostly forgettable. Finally S.D. Burman sat him down and gave him some advice at the behest of his brother Ashok. He said that while his voice did have potential - if he wanted to be remembered he had to sing and find a style that was his, not someone else's. His career began to take off once he took that advice to heart and he churned out hit after hit - both as an actor and a singer. One of his earliest successes was in the movie 'Paying Guest' with the song Mana Janab Se Pukar in 1957 starring Dev Anand (Kishore sang for movies starring only himself & Devsaab back then). Another one of his earliest & biggest hits was the title song from 'Jhumroo' titled Main Hoon Jhumroo which is memorable for Kishore's trademark yodeling. It was during this decade that he married Madhubala (his second of four wives) and made a few movies with her as well, the best being 'Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi' which is special enough to get it's own write up one of these days.

Next week - Kishore's success as a singer flames out as his acting roles dry up in the 1960's. His triumphant return to the top of the charts in 1969 helped to propel a little known actor into superstardom with just one movie...

Navratari/Garba-celebrating Mother Nature

Nilong getting ready for garba in Baroda (Gujarat) circa 1975


Navratari began this weekend & will be celebrated over the next nine nights (in Sanskrit, nav-nine & ratri-nights). It honors the female spiritual force in nature & the goddesses associated with it. As the farming communities of old were free after sundown (days being spent tilling the fields), evening was chosen as the ideal time to celebrate the counterpart to the male (purush) forces that Hindus believe created the universe.


Rupal (Nilong's sister) doing the same circa 1975


The nine nights are dedicated to the goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. On the first 3 days the goddess Parvati is invoked as a powerful spiritual force to help destroy one's impurities, vices and faults. For the next 3 days, Lakshmi is worshipped in her various forms as the goddess of peace, wealth and bliss. However, fulfillment here is more important than wealth itself. As the goddess of wealth she governs not just monetary goods but also spiritual wealth such as friendship & peace within. The final 3 days are for Sarasvati, the goddess of wisdom. She is the goddess of the spiritual knowledge and the knowledge that frees us from this bind of Samsara or the material world. A period of introspection and purification, Navaratri is traditionally an auspicious time for starting new ventures. On the tenth day of Navratri (Dussehra) an effigy of Ravana is burnt in parts of India to celebrate the victory of good (Ram) over evil.


The sisters 25 years later in New Orleans, LA

This festival is celebrated differently depending on which part of India one is from. In my native Gujarat it is as garba & raas - folk dances with complex circular formations to represent the design of the lotus and other configurations considered mystical & auspicious. The word garba comes from the Sanskrit word garbha deep. Garbha is translated as a womb & Deep means light. This garbha deep is placed in the center of the dance circle with a flame (symbolizing life) in a pot (symbolizing the womb of mother nature). Although dandiya raas is associated with garba, it's origins are slightly different - it traditionally performed by men & was a dance patterned after sword fighting.

The two songs for today are traditional Gujarati garba songs whose simple yet elegant arrangements are a contrast to the Bollywood songs one is used to hearing. The first song is Ramo Ramo by Meena Patel, a truly joyous tune that will magically transport you to India if you let it. The second song is by Praful Dave and is called Pankhida and is one of my all time favorite garba songs.