This website is dedicated to Desi Music (Desi being someone of South Asian descent - from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh) that you can listen to in the Jukebox below. Special thanks to my parents - for passing on their love of Desi music to me and my brother. For more on how this blog came to be - please check the first 'Intro' entry. *If music be the food of love, play on.-Shakespeare*
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).
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.
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...
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.
On this most romantic of days (so says the greeting card industry) I present to you one of the most romantic songs ever sung.
The selection for today is Chaudvin Ka Chand sung by Mohammed Rafi. 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 whether you are the moon of the 14th (a rare 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 spilling 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 some 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 ...
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.
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' 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.
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...
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!
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.
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!
blasted away the old way of hearing music (Jaisalmer)...
put out the fires the only way a good Indian could (Pushkar)...
and made it out of the madness in the nick of time (Jaipur)...
So now I love technology again (that was for you Sandhya!) because after hours of pounding away on my computer and reloading all my songs back in - the radio.blog works again. The main feature that I added it for (besides the shiny new interface) is that you can shuffle the songs being played. Meaning that the newest song added will still be at the top but instead of hearing the remaining songs in the same order - which caused the older songs from rarely being heard - you can now press the 'shuffle' button to hear all of the songs in a different order every time.
Other features include a 'repeat' mode as well as a 'fade' mode'. Finally, the player automatically keeps the songs you have heard highlighted in a different color.
Just a pause here to thank everyone that has been visiting this website and for all of your encouragement & comments. I started my blog in July of 2006 and didn't even realize that a year had passed because I was so enjoying sharing the music that meant so much to me. I passed the 100 song mark a few weeks ago and watched the readership go from a few friends of mine in Texas to several hundred scattered around the globe. Here's to another good year and another 100 unforgettable melodies...
No new movies or songs this week due to unforeseen circumstances. To steal a line from Napoleon Dynamite - "I love technology", but unfortunately it sometimes doesn't love me back. The radio.blog that I use to post all my songs has a new version that allows album covers, custom colors, different playlist orders and other options that I thought would make it more user friendly and easier to navigate. In theory I was right, in reality it caused all the songs to be deleted, the color to be changed to a creepy Halloween theme, the playlist to be shuffled ALL the time and the time stamp to read that the song was placed on my blog 38 years ago - which is technically impossible. I tried to get help on their forums and was given the following advice by the creators of radio.blog 'If you can't even understand the above instructions I gave, which is about as simple as it could possible get, then I suggest you stick with 2.5 or ask a friend to do it for you.'
But I am not so easily defeated and will redo the radio.blog from the ground up over the weekend. Until then enjoy the shuffled songs that are on there now and check back early next week for a special new post on my very first Bollywood movie that I saw on the big screen in India 30 years ago. After that I am planning a retrospective look back at Kishore Kumar - my favorite playback singer and one of the main reasons I love Bollywood so much. In fact, his passing 20 years ago on October 13, 1987 affected me so deeply that I stopped watching Bollywood movies completely and ended up coming back to them with a movie whose soundtrack is still one of my favorites to this day.
The state of Bihar in northeast India is a place almost universally ignored by both the government of India & Bollywood alike. It is among the least developed states of India and has a per capita income of $155 a year against India's average of $255 & 30% of Biharis live below the poverty line against India's average of 22%. There are many factors for this problem but many believe that caste-dominated politics and rampant corruption by politicians & bureaucrats have been the main cause of the lack of development of the state. Bollywood has it's favorite locales to do films in - namely Uttar Pradesh or Rajasthan much like how Hollywood sticks to either LA or New York - both tend to ignore the less glitzy parts of their respective countries and in my opinion, are ignoring a rich cultural well from which to draw ideas from.
Prakash Jha's, 'Mrityudand' (Death Sentence), is a top notch art film told from a feminist viewpoint by someone with an insider's intimate knowledge and the despairing rage of a commentator who can tell the history of his native Bihar with surprising objectivity. Combining the star power of Madhuri Dixit and the thespian brilliance of Shabana Azmi, Jha gives us a movie that combines the arthouse & mainstream cinema perfectly. The movie explores the emotional & physical violence that Bihari society inflicts upon it's women and three very different ways in which the women in the movie fight back & ultimately bond to help eachother overcome this tyranny. I especially enjoyed the wonderful relationship portrayed by Shabana Azmi & Om Puri whose masterful performances in their roles showed why they are considered legends in Indian Cinema. For a more detailed look at the movie please check out Carla's review at Filmigeek.
The song for this week is the sweet love duet Kehdon Ek Baar Sajna by Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik that is almost out of place in such a serious film but is actually well placed in the story - see it & why we fell in love with Madhuri Dixit below. The lyrics are by Shabana's real life husband Javed Akhtar and it seems that he had his bride in mind when he wrote them as they are sweet without being syrupy with a melodious backing score provided by Anand Milind. Incidentally this movie won a host of awards, the biggest being the Special Jury Award for a Feature Film aka the 'Cinéma Tout Ecran' from the Geneva Film Festival in 1998.
I love discovering music whether hearing it on the radio, having someone recommend it to me or completely randomly - which is how I happened upon the music of Salman Pirzada - a paraplegic cricketeer/pilot/singer who was born in Karachi and currently lives in Houston. I was surfing Zee TV late one night watching those videos that they play in between movies when I heard a catchy tune sung by someone who I had never heard of. I wrote down his name and stumbled upon his website where I found quite an amazing story. Salman was an avid sportsman and competed on a national level in the field of cricket before an accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. His family moved to Houston to seek further medical treatment but sadly his condition remained permanent. He shifted his life's focus to learning how to fly, became the first South Asian paraplegic to parachute out of a plane and began to record & sing professionally.
As you can see by his pictures he has been doing pretty well for himself and has not let his handicap stop him from reaching his goals. If you like the song that I put up, Ghar Aaja Pardasiya, then check out his website for more songs, pictures and videos. The picture below was taken when he was invited to London to sing with Daler Mehndi for the cancer hospital that Imran Khan built in Lahore. Good music is just that, good music, but sometimes the story behind the music can be just as interesting.
'Chitchor' is a sweet tale that tells the story of Geeta (Zarina Wahab) who is the daughter of the headmaster of the village that she and her family live in. One day her father gets a letter from Geeta's older sister (who lives in Bombay) telling him about an engineer that she thinks will be a perfect match for Geeta. They arrange for the engineer to come to their village and when Vinod (Amol Palekar) comes to visit there is an instant attraction to Geeta. She reciprocates his feelings and falls in love with him as does the rest of the family. What happens next? Well dear reader, you have to watch the film to find out but know this is Bollywood so all is not what it seems but a happy ending is inevitable! The director of the movie, Basu Chaterjee, had much acclaim in the 70's and was often compared to Hrishikesh Mukherjee as both of their films explored social issues affecting the middle class with humor, grace and dignity.
The songs from 'Chitchor' remain favorites of mine to this day since the day I first heard them from my parent's music collection. But I did notice that the singer was someone who I wasn't used to hearing but whose voice was nonetheless soothing and melodic. That singer was Yesudas, a well known South Indian singer who has won the prestigious National Film Award seven times and has recorded over 40,000 songs in almost every Indian language. He won the Filmfare Award for the classically inspired duet he sang with Hemlata for the song 'Tu Jo Mere Sur Mein' seen here. But my favorite song by him (as well as one of my favorite songs of all time) is the other famous one from the film, Gori Tere Gaon, seen here. The stars, songs, direction and locale make this film truly special, 'Chitchor' - Stealer of Hearts.
R.D. Burman had barely broken out of his father S.D. Burman's shadow when he was introduced to the legendary Nasir Hussain for the musical composition of his latest movie, 'Teesri Manzil'. Star Shammi Kapoor was not too happy about the decision as he wanted to go with more established composers but once he heard some advance tunes that Burman had sent he changed his mind. R.D. Burman had the luck of entering the world of Indian cinema just as rock & roll was hitting the shores of the West and he combined those new beats with old school Indian styles to make something truly different. It was distinctive enough to not just be spectacularly popular back then - but has come full circle in a way and was recently featured in the Hollywood movie 'Ghost World' (the must see trailer below).
For a full review of the movie see Carla's post at Filmigeek. 'Teesri Manzil' is a murder mystery that has been called "the romantic-comedy-whodunit to beat in Hindi Cinema" (the victim - Rupa - shares the same name as my mom!) and is actually quite fun to watch given it's great stars, excellent direction, awesome outfits and of course the groovy tunes. The first song is the incredibly catchy Oh Mere Sona sung by Mohd Rafi & Asha Bhonsle - who was Burman's favorite female singer of the time as she knew how to mix Eastern & Western melodies just perfectly. The second number is a duet originally sung by Mohd Rafi & Asha Bhonsle called O Haseena Zulfon Wali. I decided to something different and put a version sung by two contemporary singers, Abhijeet & Sunidi Chauhan, to contrast the different styles of the singers and also to show that, even today, the songs hold the same spell over Bollywood they did back then.
A history of the male playback singer in Hindi Cinema has as it's backbone the 'Big Three' - Mukesh, Kishore Kumar & Mohammed Rafi. There were great singers both before and after their reign at the top of the charts but few would argue that these 3 artists were the gold standard and were the biggest singers of their day bar none. The marquee actors of the day would be paired up with a respective singer and audiences went to a movie to see not just the stars - but to see how their favorite songs were picturised on the big screen. Shammi Kapoor burst onto the Bollywood scene shortly after his elder brother Raj & around the same time as his younger brother Shashi. His foray into Bollywood in the early 60's coincided with the time that rock & roll was hitting the West and Indian music directors wasted no time integrating this new musical style into classic Indian song compositions. The result was almost tailor made for the Elvis-like Shammi who shimmied & shaked in the song sequences while still displaying some pretty good acting chops.
One of his biggest hits was 'Kashmir Ki Kali' and although it has been too long since I have seen the movie to give a meaningful review, Carla & I have once again collaborated on a joint review so please go check out her always insightful musings at Filmigeek. It was a fun movie because of the aforementioned great songs, chemistry between the two stars (Kapoor & Sharmila Tagore) and breathtaking scenery. The lovely vale of Kashmir was a favorite of Bollywood directors but has now sadly become too much of a war zone to do so anymore. Regardless, it's beauty still remains both in real life and on celluloid and this movie showcases the beauty like few others.
The first song is Isharon Isharon Mein, a duet sung by Rafi & Asha Bhonsle following the obligatory rainstorm with the lovers taking shelter in the home of an old peasant woman. She provides them with cute local outfits - a scene that led to god-knows-how-many honeymooners in hill stations dressing up as “Kashmiri” couples for keepsake photos :) The music for this song is exquisitely layered and the singers hit every note just perfectly - it remains one of my wife's favorites to this day after she heard it (multiple times) on her most recent plane ride to India - see the video here. The second song is Taarif Karoon, a solo performed by Rafi praising Sharmila's beauty and picturised on the breathtaking Dal Lake - see the video here.
"The audience is fickle. You grab them by the throat and never let go." ~Billy Wilder (nominated for 12 Academy Awards for screenwriting)
'Deewaar' is one of those few movies (Bollywood or otherwise) that I consider to be a perfect film. By perfect I mean that there is not an ounce of fat in the entire movie - each scene is constructed like a mini film, each line of dialogue is written & placed exactly how it should be, each actor is absolutely tailor made for their role and the story itself is so compelling and different, that it served as a watershed moment in Bollywood history. The story & dialogue were written by Salim Khan (a failed actor) and Javed Akhtar (an assistant director) who got together in the early 70's to write movies together and in the process became legends of Indian cinema. 'Written by Salim-Javed' became a mark that moviegoers searched out because it guaranteed them a movie with taut storytelling, terrific dialogue, memorable characters and more than anything - their ability to connect with every class of moviegoer from high society debutantes to the paan-waalas & taxi drivers.
I try not to throw around the word perfect too much but I believe this film truly deserves it. It won Filmfare Awards in 1975 for Best Movie, Best Direction (Yash Chopra), Best Story, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Shashi Kapoor). Amitabh Bachchan was nominated for Best Actor but lost out to Sanjeev Kumar for his role in 'Aandhi'. While my fellow Guju did an admirable acting job I dare say Amitji was robbed for the single most powerful performance he has ever rendered in a movie. For more on this cinematic masterpiece please check out our friend Carla's review at Filmigeek in yet another joint venture between us. Also see the rarely seen trailer below...
I saw this movie when I was seven in an English dubbed version made for the West Indies market called 'I'll Die For Mama'. It was one of the first Indian movies I had seen and it impacted me for years to come. It made me a lifelong fan of Amitabh Bachchan, who may have made his mark in the Salim-Javed penned 'Zanjeer', but whose true ascent to superstardom lies with this film. Amitabh's performance as the son of a union leader whose fate in life is decided at a very young age and whose rise from a lowly coolie to the most feared gangster in Bombay's seedy underworld was truly dazzling. Add to that Shashi Kapoor's own transformation as Amitabh's younger brother who owes everything to his bhai's sacrifices but whose own duties as a policeman force him to make decisions that challenge everything he believes in.
Each and every scene carries this film forward and is unforgettable in it's own right, it's script is a mainstay at the FTII in Pune as an example of a 'perfect screenplay'. Amitabh still recites the exact lines from the film - especially this scene when he first visits a temple to ask god to save his mother - in his concerts and wipes a (faux?) tear from his eyes after. 'Deewaar' also marked the first time a movie showed a couple (Amitabh & Parveen Babi) smoking a cigarette in bed after spending the night together. Parveen is introduced after the interval and appears in just a handful of scenes but leaves a devastating impact. And the scenes between Amitabh & Shashi when they turn from brothers to sworn enemies are still shown on endless loops on Zee TV today. This movie does not cop out at any point and never gives the audience an easy way out to deal with the fate of it's characters. The ending does not tie up the loose ends nicely nor does everyone live happily ever after. The result is gritty filmmaking that is reminiscent of early Martin Scorsese and is rarely seen in the colorful celluloid world of modern Bollywood.
The song for today is the catchy tune Kehdon Tumhe by Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhonsle. It is in complete contrast to the mood of 'Deewaar' and almost seems like an afterthought for the simple reason that it was just that, an afterthought. Legend has it that Salim-Javed turned in the screenplay to director Yash Chopra ('Kabhie Kabhie', 'Silsila', 'Lamhe', 'DDLJ', 'Mohabattein', 'Veer-Zaara' & the just released 'Chak De India') and had the audacity to make no provision for a single song. Not wanting to deviate from the industry standard to include a musical number, Yashsaab supposedly said "picture bahut sookhi hogi" (without them the movie will be very dry) to which the script writing duo quipped "picture ka naam 'Gili Deewaar' rakh dijiye" (call the movie 'Wet Wall' then). See what the first writers whose names were the first ever to grace a Bollywood movie poster gave us & watch 'Deewaar' - the perfect film.
"Jean Luc Godard said that if a film has four to five good scenes, the audience is usually quite satisfied. George Lucas said, a good film should have 60 terrific two-minute scenes. 'Deewaar' has a total of 95 scenes and it’s quite impossible to list favourites because they are all so damn good. As writers, whilst working on our own scripts, we often feel inadequate and hopelessly untalented. If we want to feel even worse, please note that Salim-Javed wrote 'Deewaar' in just 18 days. If Salim-Javed took one idea and made two movies, they were to also do a total opposite. They took classics of Hindi Cinema – 'Gunga Jamuna' and 'Mother India' and wonder of wonders, through their amalgamation created a third classic, 'Deewaar'."
