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*
In case you've been wondering where good ol' Doc Bollywood has been, well he has taken a brief respite to welcome the newest member of his family - Rajan Vyas :) Been waiting a long time to do this particular post and it's been well worth it. Rajan was born on 10/1/08 and came out at a very healthy 9 lbs 13 ozs. He has already been well indoctrinated into the world of Bollywood as filmi music has been playing non stop since he has come home. Lullabies? Who needs them when you have Indian classical music soothing him to sleep every night. He already does have a predilection to Kishore Kumar (go figure) and the below picture is what happened when we turned the melodies off.
I hope to do my best and 'pay it forward' in regards to passing on my love of Indian music on to him just like my parents did for me. It's been a lot like a Bollywood movie in these first few days - alot of laughter, tears, drama, music and much love all the way through. If you want to keep up with his going ons or see more pictures I invite you to check out Rajan's website. The song for today is 'Chanda Hai Tu' about a parent's love for their new son and is just as meaningful today as it was when it was picturized with Sharmila Tagore back 40 years ago - when the good Doc Bollywood himself was debuted (see pic below).
I discovered today's song Mera Dil Hai Chulbala while perusing tunes over on emusic, a great treasure trove of Indian music both filmi and classical. The voice is unmistakeably recognizable as Asha Bhonsle's and a quick search of the movie showed up exactly one hit on IMDB. This much I know about the movie - it stars Shashi Kapoor & Nanda. No one I know can tell me about it although some of my family said they remember it being a nice little 'time pass'. The ONLY synopsis that I have found (on three different websites) gives the story as Naina loves Sudhir on the sly, and is jealous of Sudhir's love for Neeta. When Sudhir does not reciprocate her love, she decides to create all kinds of misunderstandings for the two. Light-hearted romance with two popular numbers that still play on the radio and are also good to watch on TV. A little um, lacking, na?
But then again with fun songs such as the one above (title song sung by Kishore Kumar) and below (duet sung by Rafi & Asha) who cares what the movie was about? Shashi is doing his naach gaana thing like only Shashi can while gorgeous shots of India grace the background scenery - it's got everything a 70's Bollywood flick needs that I can see. So if anyone has seen this movie or even knows anything about it please share because I am now a bit curious about it. Until then enjoy the tunes and share in the impromptu Shashibration :)
As I write this entry on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (before entering self-imposed exile outside the boundaries of the fair city of New Orleans) I realize that it doesn't make much sense to write about this movie on a Bollywood blog. But in an odd way maybe it does. Most Indian people that choose to live in this very unique American city do indeed feel oddly at home. Residing in New Orleans is more like living in India than people realize - omnipresent heat/humidity, flood prone streets, corrupt politicians, mosquitoes that have been adopted as the unofficial state bird and heart breaking poverty. On the flip side many of the things they love about India are here as well - great music, fantastic food, a laid back attitude about life and a certain joie de vivre found nowhere else in these United States. Where else can you look out the window in the afternoon and see a full blown jazz parade break out for no apparent reason? And then look out that window the same evening and see people on horses ride up to the neighborhood bar for a drink? Yes I saw both of those things happen last month and it put a smile on my face as I thought 'only in New Orleans'.
Whether you are planning to visit or have been here enough times to call it home away from home I encourage you to watch 'A love song for Bobby Long'. It's a love letter to the New Orleans of old and was released a year before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The movie captures the mood and attitude of the city perfectly and will make you miss the city - even if you have never been here before. The broken but lovable characters gather in the evening on couches and recliners in the garden who sip drinks as the sun sets behind are the reason this movie works so well. And like so many of us they are made whole and heal only through their relationships with each other. For it's the people who live here that make this city so special and who, as a local Pulitzer Prize winning writer put it, are continually 'dancing at the center of the universe'. It implies to me the disappearance of all outside influences, distractions and disturbances -- and lends credence to the notion that where you are and what you are doing is the most important thing at that time, in that moment, in the world. So say a little prayer for New Orleans and let's hope this city makes it - again. For we all need this kooky and quaint (but never boring) place alot more than we realize. The song for today is Lorraine's Song by Theresa Anderson.
As we make plans today to evacuate from the path of Gustavo I am reminded that there was a time before Katrina that no one ever left town due to a hurricane. In fact everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - participated in something that is very unique to this city that when you think about it is quite mad. The Hurricane Party. For the uninitiated, a hurricane is the name of a powerful drink that is native to New Orleans and to my knowledge the only one named after a powerful force of nature. Anyway, we would all get together and have drinks/music/camaraderie at whoever's house had the best porch and just dare the storm to take away our good time. When the lights would inevitably go out, we would light candles and keep the music and drinks going till the thing passed. After Katrina, hurricane parties became a sweet yet haunting reminder of days gone by. On the first Jazzfest after Katrina a local band, The Meters, decided to open their set with one of their signature hits named appropriately enough, 'Hurricane Party'. As soon as the opening chords were played all the power to the stage blew out - for the first time in Jazzfest history. When the power was restored a few minutes later the band decided to go with another tune and 'Hurricane Party' has not been played at Jazzfest since then. Above photo taken by our friend Eric Olson.
Greetings on this 61st Independence Day of India and a tribute to one of her most endearing freedom fighters - Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The movie starring Ajay Devgan was a critical success but a commercial failure that is definitely worth a viewing. It won the critics choice at the Filmfare Awards and Devgan nabbed the prestigious National Award for his portrayal of the legendary freedom fighter. 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' is one of those rare movies that manages to simultaneously entertain as well as inform and does so with a minimal amount of rewriting history in doing so. I really enjoyed this movie as the attention to detail is amazing and being a huge fan of period pieces, it was especially a treat for me. The majority of the movie takes place in Lahore, Punjab (now in Pakistan) which is fondly remembered throughout the movie in both name and image. It was a sobering reminder that although independence was a joyous event it also resulted in the partition of India, the aftermath of which is still felt to this day.
The true story of Bhagat Singh is even more amazing than the one on celluloid - not an easy feat in the glamorous make believe world of Bollywood. He was 13 when he began to follow the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and began to take part in protest marches as well as the burning of British schoolbooks. However he grew disillusioned with Gandhi's non-violent movement and became involved with a group who was linked with bombings of government buildings and the murders of some prominent pro-British politicians. His legendary fast for 63 days while in Lahore Central Jail for inhumane treatment of Indian political prisoners endeared him to the public and drew the praise of both Gandhi and Mohammed Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan). He was finally sentenced to death for his role in the bombing of the legislative assembly and his execution was set for March 24, 1931. However due to the overwhelming public opposition to the ruling, an emergency decision was made to hang him one day earlier to avoid a public spectacle. The bodies of Bhagat Singh and two other freedom fighters were cremated unceremoniously before his relatives (who were not allowed to visit him in jail) could perform the last rites. By all accounts he was fearless even on the day of his death and kissed the noose before the rope dropped - Shaheed Bhagat Singh was just 23.
The soundtrack's music was composed by A.R. Rahman and the songs as well as the background score have the signature Rahman stamp to them. He does temper his trademark sound to match the era of the movie and the result is a nice if not memorable mix of songs. However there is one that stood out for me long after the movie ended and I am not sure if it was because it was such an amazing song or whether it's picturisation made it so memorable. It is the grand and sweeping Mujhe Rang De Basanti by Sonu Nigam and Manmohan Waris that plays while the three men are led to the gallows. It literally means 'color me saffron' with saffron (yellow) symbolizing joy, happiness, intellect and ultimately - sacrifice.
Today's review of 'Ajooba' is a curious choice for a post over here at Doc Bollywood. When a viewing of it was suggested my initial impulse was to say no and sit in the corner just rocking back & forth from the bad memories. But wait I said to myself, just because there are moments in history that one dislikes, that is no reason to gloss over them like they never happened. 'Ajooba' is one such moment and too much time has passed since my initial viewing to submit a proper review of it. Instead I will attempt to provide an idea of the historical significance of this movie as it relates to the beginning of the end of the Amitabh era - an event that profoundly changed this Bollywood fan for years to come...
For all practical purposes, Amitabh Bachchan was THE biggest star in Bollywood from the early 70's (beginning with 'Zanjeer') right up until the early 80's. I remember going to movies in the theater in India as well as renting them in the US on that antiquated medium VHS and the general rule was that if it was an Amitabh movie - you just rented it, no questions asked. And for a good while the Big B delivered and did so with an amazing run of blockbuster after blockbuster. The runaway hit train careened off the tracks when he got hurt on the set of 'Coolie' - the news of which not only brought India to a halt but was covered on '60 Minutes'. His career lurched forward while he recovered with some movies that were sitting in production for awhile but then came 'Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi' and with it the Amitabh Bachchan party finally shut down for good. And although it would start up a few years later with 'Major Saab', it would never quite be the same. The unthinkable happened in the Indian community with 'GJS' - a general feeling that Amitabh was done, that his movies were bekaar and for a true old-school Amitabh fan it was (with apologies to Don McClean) - the day the music died.
'Ajooba' came along during that dark time and although some bad Bollywood movies are so bad that they are actually good, this one I just remember as being bad. I am sure that if I saw it again today it might be different but the memories of seeing my favorite actor reduced to playing a mythical hero donning an aluminum foil Mardi Gras mask were just too painful. Amitabh was rumoured to have done it gratis for his buddy Shashi Kapoor's debut as a director and the movie turned out to be his only directorial venture (thank goodness). The movie was apparently co-directed by a Russian film director and according to IMDB it was released in Russia a full three years prior to it's release in India. Shashi produced the entire thing and his son Kunal as well as the actor Feroz Khan served as executive producers. Alas, even an all star cast consisting of Dimple Kapadia, Rishi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Amrish Puri could not save this movie from being one of the costliest train wrecks in Bollywood history. But maybe I have too much emotional baggage attached to this movie and thus encourage you to check it out for yourself. Our friend Beth from Beth Loves Bollywood did and from the looks of it had a grand old time.
The musical score was provided by the legendary team of Laxmikant-Pyarelal and is one of their final efforts. While none of the songs was a bonafide hit (or even that memorable) they all had their signature sound attached to them. Are Tajub Hai is the one I remember the most for the sole reason that it brings back memories of one of my favorite Amitabh/Rishi Kapoor duets, Chal Mere Bhai from 'Naseeb'. The idea of seeing Shashi's nephew as well as one of his best friends on screen together knowing that Shashi is actually directing them in their scenes (along with the dolphin that I think Amitabh referred to as his mother) just might be enough to warrant a re-watch of this movie...
Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and is twice as wise as all of them put together. ~Mark Twain
The city of Banaras (or Varanasi) is an ancient city located on the banks of the Ganges River in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Religiously important to Hindus, Jains & Buddhists it is also revered culturally by classical musicians as Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia & Bismillah Khan all call it home. Indeed, none other than the Buddha himself gave his first sermon in a forest at Sarnath (located about 5 miles from Banaras). Varanasi has been called "the city of temples", "the city of lights", "the city of learning" and last but not least it is thought to be the birthplace of Ayurveda. A city this rich culturally would be reason enough to film a movie there but add in the fact that it is stunningly picturesque and there you have it - a perfect backdrop to a movie about, well, itself.
Banaras tells the tale of Shwetambari (Urmila Matondkar), the sole daughter of wealthy Brahmin parents (Raj Babbar & Dimple Kapadia) who falls in love with Soham (Ashmit Patel), a music teacher from a lower caste family. The story is a very different one than your standard Bollywood fare and makes frequent references to Eastern philosophies in the context of a hypocritical society that cannot look past the exterior of a person. The performances are all strong with Urmila giving a rich portrayal of a woman with all the luxuries of modern life but craving that inner peace that we all find so elusive. Why she does not work more in Indian cinema is a mystery to me as she looks just as stunning as she did in her breakout 'Rangeela' plus her acting has just gotten better over time. Raj Babbar & Dimple Kapadia also provide old school Bollywood star power as Urmila's (over) protective parents. I haven't seen Ashmit Patel (Soham) in a movie before or since but he handles his role with the maturity of an accomplished actor. Nasureedin Shah makes a guest appearance as well and his presence in ANY movie just makes it that much better. But my favorite thing about this movie?
More than anything else, the cinematography was simply a labor of love to the city of Banaras and in the first few minutes I was spellbound by what I was seeing. My wife often says that it's impossible to take a bad photograph in India because everything there is such a visual treat - this movie takes that idea to another level. The colors throughout the movie, from the sumptuous outfits to the buildings & temples lining the Ganges were so deep and rich that all I kept thinking while I was watching was - I couldn't wait to go there on my next trip. Of course that happens whenever I watch an Indian movie but such is life. I would go as far to say that you could watch this movie without subtitles and still enjoy it, the visual mural of it all mixed in with the musical score and Bhojpuri (dialect of Hindi) dialogue all work that well together.
The song for today is Purab Se, a rare bhajan (Hindu devotional hymn) in recent Bollywood movies sung by Shreya Goshel. I fell in love with the song when I first heard it and that was before I saw it picturised in the movie. The video is below and I encourage everyone to take a moment out of their hectic day, find a quiet place and be transported to a faraway place - the mystical city of Banaras.
Bollywood movies from the 70's represent some of the most fun you can have legally. The costumes & songs are over-the-top inspired madness but what makes these movies truly stand out are the plots. Any multi-starrer from that decade usually has an ample dose of plot-twists galore, coincidences that border on insanity and ask you to put logic to rest for those three hours and 'Immaan Dharam' is no exception. This movie is not as well known as some of the other movies released around the same time and was a huge box office disappointment. Thus, I wasn't expecting too much when I popped it in but thought at the very least I get to see three of my favorite actors (Amitabh, Shashi & Sanjeev Kumar). However I realized I was in for a treat when I saw that the script/screenplay were by the immortal team of Salim/Javed. Our friend Beth over at Beth Loves Bollywood also recently saw this movie, check out her thoughts here.
And what a treat it was - with Amitabh donning the rare mustache to play Ahmed Raza & Shashi playing his best friend, Mohan Saxena. The movie starts out like a normal 70's Bollywood potboiler (as if there were such a thing!) but soon veers into some pretty heady territory about faith/immaan, morality and duty/dharam. This movie was such fun visually that I am going to stray from my normal blog post and give you a brief plot synopsis - sans spoilers and avec some great screen shots. The song for today is Hum Jhoot Bolte Hain by Kishore Kumar & Mohammed Rafi.
The movie opens up with our two heroes hanging out outside the courthouse hustling for cases in which they can provide false witness testimony...
Sanjeev Kumar (a fellow Guju) enters the proceedings as Kabir Das, the sole son of a wealthy businessman. Kabir lives by his own moral code that is inspired by the teachings of India's three major religions - Hinduism, Islam & Christianity. His father does not understand his son's rather bizarre belief system as daddy dearest has only one murti in his life - the almighty rupee...
Amrish Puri is then introduced as the ironically named Dharam Dayal - the dad's unscrupulous business partner. Here he bears an uncanny resemblance to Sher Khan from Disney's 'The Jungle Book'...
We now get to meet our heroine Rekha, starring as Durga. She plays a Tamil construction worker who turns out to be Shashi's love interest. Now for the uninformed, Rekha actually is from South India but in real life is quite light skinned. The producers gave her some kind of freaky fake tan that only serves to turn her skin orange. And we still haven't figured out whether it was a plot point (to make her dark just because she is southside) or because she toils tirelessly in the sun all day...
Rekha then cooks an amazing South Indian meal for her sweet Shashi and starts daydreaming about how nice he would look as a typical South Indian beau :)
They end up doing an obligatory Bollywood song & dance number in the rain and afterwards poor Shashi nearly comes down with pneumonia. Amitabh then scolds him about it, um, I think...
Shashi then goes to beat up a goonda that just tried to rape his & Amitabh's blind sister who is not actually related to them (really really long story). But since he is sick with pneumonia he is the one who gets beaten. Amitabh steps in to save his best bud and explains that he wasn't there initially because he had gone to get the doctor for Shashi but now...
Finally we meet Helen (yes Helen!) who is introduced into this already wayyyy complicated story as Jenny Francis. Jenny is a tortured soul whose only wish in life is to provide her young daughter with the father that she never met & hires Amitabh to play the part...
What happens next? Well dear readers, I can't tell you that but rest assured that the lives of all interested parties get very intermingled and our heroes eventually learn that no bad deed goes unpunished. That in the end, one's Dharam & Immaan play a bigger part in your life than you ever imagined and if you follow your heart - then maybe, just maybe, everyone will live happily ever after.
P.S. The PPCC did a great write up on this movie as well and I quote from their blog for two of my favorite scenes which occur after some serious soul searching by our two heroes:
Nonetheless, there are gorgeous moments when, after Sanjeev has properly converted Ahmed and Mohan back to their respective religions of Islam and Hinduism, the two of them have moments wherein they are given the holy book not of their own religion and then they both respect and revere it as their own. We at the PPCC die for these types of scenes. It's just so touching. It's like Om's necklace in Om Shanti Om.
In Amitabh's scene, Ahmed the Muslim is asked by his blind Hindu friend, Shyamlee, to read from the Gita. He pauses before pulling the book from the shelf and then uses a handkerchief to cover his head. "In my religion," he says, "we are taught to cover our heads when touching holy books."
In Shashi's scene, Mohan the Hindu watches his Muslim friend die horribly in the street, baking in the hot sun on the pavement. The friend begs him to take the Qur'an, his only possession, from his home. Mohan does so, pausing to mourn his friend's passing, and then hugging the holy book to his chest as he walks home in the pouring rain.
As regular readers of this blog know, I really don't do political posts and hardly consider myself an expert in that field. I do my little filmi song thing and let the talking heads of the blogosphere write about Obama/Hillary/McCain. But the other day in Missouri, our soon to be ex-President mentioned India's growing middle class and said "when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up." Kya? Americans consume ~3770 calories a day which is roughly twice of what an average Indian does. They are also the largest per capita consumers in any major economy of beef, the most energy-intensive common food source, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And finally the United States and Canada top the world in oil consumption per person, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. I am a proud citizen of these United States but my heart belongs here as well as the land of my birth, India. To see the people there enjoying the fruits of a booming economy is a cause of great pride for me. But it seems to others a fearsome thing that threatens their 'all you can eat' mentality...
Contrast the above opinion with the brilliant musings of Shashi Tharoor - former UN Undersecretary General, author, journalist and fellow of the USC center on Public Diplomacy (something our Commander-In-Chief is sorely lacking in). He made some comments recently regarding Indians & food as well while delivering a speech at Emory University. He said that the Indian ideals of pluralism, ethnic, cultural and religious identities could all exist under the umbrella of the new India. "India can be thought of as a thali. A large stainless steel plate with a number of distinctive dishes served in different bowls. It won't spill over to the next. Each is distinct from the next but ultimately it's part of the same thing. They combine on your palate to make a satisfying meal". Bravo and Vaah Vaah to you sir!
And to wrap up these varied musings on Indians & food I leave you with some inspiring words from the first Indian-American governor of my home state of Louisiana, the honorable Bobby Jindal (nee Piyush but he claims to have picked the name Bobby after watching 'The Brady Bunch' as a child). Our local paper, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, did a write up of the dearth of Indian restaurants in a city that many tourists and locals consider one of the finest restaurant cities in the world. I was hoping that Jindal would show at least some of the Indian side of him that he has pretty much shunned since his college days (he has not visited India in years and supposedly asked Indians who came to a fund-raiser for him NOT to wear saris or kurtas). The good governor's answer when asked what his favorite Indian restaurant was in New Orleans? McDonald's. Really.
To me there is nothing better than a good Indian meal although I am probably a bit biased (above is a picture from Chokhi Dhani in Jaipur). So to that end the song for today is a request for anyone of Indian descent or even just Indian at heart to return to India for the first or hundreth time - because weary traveler, India misses you and you know you miss her as well. From Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Ghar Aaja Pardesi...
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.
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...
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