I am posting this to feed my blog, to prevent it from dying. Also, I love Chitra Singh. She was the perfect singing partner for Jagjit Singh. Her flute like voice complemented Jagjit's heavy one.
Their duets are amply celebrated. But I feel, at times, Chitra is neglected as a solo singer. Hence this offering.
Here is a lovely song, with beautiful lyrics and great music. Chitra does full justice to it.
Pyar hi pyar hain hum Hum pe bharosa keeje
Lyrics:
humko dushman kee nigahoN se na dekha keeJe
pyaar hi pyaar haiN hum humpe bharOsa keeJe
chand yaadoN ke siwa haath na kuch aayega
is tarah uMr-e-gureza ka na peecha keeJe
roshni auroN ke aaNgaN meiN gawara na sahee
kam se kam apne ghar meiN to uJaala keeJe
kya khabr kab wo chale aayenge milne ke liye
roz palkoN pe nayee shamme jalaya keeJe
I have to thank a friend, Usman Latif Khawaja for recommending this movie to me. Out of the blue, I was reminded of a song from this movie. It led me to viewing the entire movie.
Kumar Bahadur (Raj Kumar) has watched his grandfather go mad. He has seen his profligate father drinking and womanizing. On top of that, one of his grandfather's had raped a lady called Sonmai, who cursed his family to ruin. All this factors make Kumar Bahadur to decide to abstain from wine and women, as per the advice of his sainted mother. He spends his life trying to do good.
On one hunting trip, he rescues a woman from the clutches of a dacoit. Saudamini (Hema Malini) is a young widow from a neighboring village that the dacoits were carrying off. Kumar Bahadur is dumbstruck by her beauty. Yet, he tries to send Saudamini away, first to her in-laws place, where she is beaten up. He wants to send her to live in Kashi, but Saudamini would have none of it. Eventually, they become lovers.
Kumar Bahadur is a refined man, and he is taken aback by Saudamini's (now called Madhuri) crude behaviour. He tries to educate her, but fails. Soon he loses interest in her and starts living the lonely life like he used to. As time passes, he feels he need to get married. That is when he spots Sumati (Rakhee). She is well educated and sings beautifully. He buys off Sumati's father and marries her.
Madhuri is struck with jealousy and tries to do her utmost to keep Kumar Bahadur by her side. Sumati's childhood friend Shekhar (Vinod Mehra) is in and out of the house as Kumar Bahadur has taken a liking to the young man. Madhuri tries to wean Kumar Bahadur away by making him think Sumati and Shekhar are not really above board. Caught between the tussle between his wife and mistress for his affection, Kumar Bahadur finally cracks.
Hema Malini puts in a wonderful performance as Saudamini/Madhuri. She is, at first, a widow who is abused and mistreated. Once she is ensconced in Kumar Bahadur's household, her very body language changes. She becomes a mistress, ruling over everyone, and lets her crude side show. On the other hand, she is deeply in love with Kumar Bahadur and is hurt constantly by his rejection of her. "Mujhe to tum chahiye ho Raja", she says to Kumar Bahadur at one time. She is frank about her sexuality. Her jealousy is visible. Even though she loves Kumar Bahadur, she sees his faults and is not afraid to stand up to him. She is a real person here, 3 dimensional.
Raj Kumar as Kumar Bahadur shines as he does often in his roles. A sophisticated prince with an impeccable taste and penchant for hunting suits him to a T. As he describes himself right at the start, he is a complex character. He is good and bad at the same time. He can be kind to people and buy them off at the same time. He is good to his mistress even after he is put off her by her constant displays of crudity. He tries to strike a balance between his mistress and his wife.
By contrast, Rakhee as Sumati and Vinod Mehra as Shekhar are not really center stage. They seem more like interlopers in this drama, though of course, they are integral to the story. Sumati is the usual 'good Indian wife' who ill put aside her feelings and wishes for her husband. Shekhar also spends his time trying to make the best of a bad situation. Being all sacrificing and asking Sumati to do the same. Their tame characters are totally overshadowed by the flashy and fiery characters of Kumar Bahadur and Madhuri.
Lal Pathhar has beautiful music. All the characters, major or minor, have put in good acting. The costumes, the ambience are all perfect. The movie scores in all respects. Definitely worth a few viewings.
A year or so ago, I happened to watch Curse of the Golden Flower on the television. I was captivated by the splendor of the film, the exotic and extremely colorful sets and the rituals of the house of an Emperor. The movie was about an imperial family, palace politics and ancient rituals. The movie was re-run often during the course of the next month or so, and I would watch it every time, despite its grim story, drawn by its magnificence.
It set me thinking about a lot of Hindi movies that had a similar kind of a look. Grand stories of Kings and Nawabs, sprawling marble hawelis, opulent decor, rich clothes and jewellery, fine language, and a bonus that a Hindi film has, beautiful songs.
I am not usually good with lists. They are compiled on the spur of the moment and consist of the things I can remember at the time. These are the movies I have seen and can remember. All of them are a big favorite of mine and I can watch them any number of times.
I have listed the movies in the order of their release for the sake of avoiding having to rank the films. Though I love Mughal-e-Azam and Pakeezah the most, I can watch any of these movies at any time.
This Sohrab Modi film stars Madhubala and Pradeep Kumar. The story is kind of Romeo-and-Juliet-ish with the children of two rival Rajput kings falling in love. Sohrab Modi plays Madhubala's father. On his wife's deathbed, he had promised never to cause his daughter any grief. His second promise was that he would never entertain any relations with his rival king, who happens to be Pradeep Kumar's father. When he finds out that his daughter is in love with his rival's son he knows he will have to break one of these promises.
The movie is fun, full of pretty songs. Madhubala looks like a dream.
This is the big daddy of all grand films. It hasn't gotten any grander than this, and never will. Saleem (Dilip Kumar), Anarkali (Madhubala) and Shehenshah Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) work their magic with splendid dialogues, the best ever. Naushad pulled out all the stops with the music. Each frame of the movie makes you gasp. All you can do is keep saying 'Wah Wah' or 'Subhan Allah!"
If
you are looking for a grand romance, what story can be better than that
of Taj Mahal and of course, Mumtaz and Shah Jahan. There is a lot of
palace politics, battles and betrayals. In midst of it all blooms the
love between Mumtaz and Shah Jahan. The legendary lovers are played
onscreen by Bina Rai and Pradeep Kumar. The movie has it all, courtly
elegance, grand palaces, lovely ladies AND a qawwali that Minoo Mumtaz
dances to. Chandi ka badan.
Nawab Bulund Akhtar Changezi (Ashok Kumar) is a good, kind man. He happens to have a thing about his family honor which does not allow him to own his love for the dancer Najma (Nimmi). He is not likely to look kindly upon a romance between Najma's brother (Rajendra Kumar) and his sister (Sadhna). This is another of those musical romances that is breathtaking and captivating and full of lovely songs.
Shah Jehan (Prithviraj Kapoor) has forgotten all about his own grand romance, and forbidden his daughter Jahan Ara (Mala Sinha) to love anyone, much less the court poet Mirza Yusuf Changezi (Bharat Bhushan). Jahan Ara promises to never ever look upon Mirza again. He is banished from the palace and wanders about the country composing lovely poetry while an equally heartbroken princess Jahan Ara pines for him. The film had scintillating music by Madan Mohan who used Talat's voice to great effect.
The movie fared a terrible fate at the box office. I saw it on the television long time back, during the 80s. It has since been one of my favorites and I never pass up a chance to watch it again.
The movie depicts the tussle between dissolute indulgence on one hand and duty and abstinence on another. Chitralekha (Meena Kumari), the court dancer is on one side and Yogi Kumargiri (Ashok Kumar), the ascetic is on the other. The king, Bijgupt (Pradeep Kumar) is seduced by Chitralekha's charms. Will Chitralekha sacrifice her love for the good of the king?
The movie is chock full of all things gorgeous. There are some lovely dances and songs.
This is the story of Amrapali and Ajatshatru. The movie was based on the story written by Acharya Chatursen, Vaishali ki nagarvadhu. Ajatshatru (Sunil Dutt), the king of Magadh, finds it hard to win over his neighbouring country Vaishali. The denizens of Vaishali are extremely patriotic, and rise up to defend their country. On one of his forays into Vaishali Ajatshatru runs into the beautiful court dancer Amrapali (Vyjayantimala). They fall in love, but Amrapali is not aware of who the handsome soldier really is.
Vyjayantimala looks like an apsara in the film, and dances like one too. Sunil Dutt is magnificent as the arrogant Ajatshatru.
Zeenat (Meena Kumari) is the daughter of a Nawab who has fallen upon hard times. She is in love with another nawabi fellow Yusuf (Pradeep Kumar) who is, luckily, rich enough to marry. There is no impediment in their union as such. But Yusuf has a greedy uncle who tries to break up the couple by deceit as he will have to relinquish his claims as Yusuf''s guardian once he gets married.
In steps Nawab Sikander Mirza, who falls for Zeenat and sends an offer of marriage to her father. The plot is pretty interesting and keeps you engrossed. There are gorgeous women in silks and shimmering jewellery mouthing chaste urdu and singing songs that are out of this world. Lajawab geet presented by Roshan. It is really hard for me to pick one song to display here.
I choose this song - ham intezar karenge - as it is full of the hope of love.
Shabana (Leena Chandravarkar) is a beautiful accomplished young lady who has the misfortune of being the daughter of a semi retired courtesan. When her tout tries to induct Shabana into the trade, the mother-daughter duo run away from Bombay to Lucknow.
In Lucknow Shabana runs into Yusuf (Rajesh Khanna) who promptly falls for her. She is ready to marry him and settle down to a respectable life, but will her old secrets come tumbling out of the closet just when she is ready to apply Mehboob ki Mehndi to her hands?
In grandeur, this film is beaten only by Mughal-e-Azam. This was the opus of Kamal Amrohi, his dream project that nearly got wrecked due to his estrangement from Meena Kumari. Luckily for us, she consented to complete the film. This turned out to be her last.
There is no accounted for tastes. This movie opened to a lackluster box office. The ticket sales picked up, it is said, after the death of Meena Kumari. There are a lot of people who do not like the film. But it ties with Mughal-e-Azam as my most favorite film. I love each and every frame of the film.
Shahbuddin (Ashok Kumar), the cowardly son of Hakim Sahib (Sapru), fails to stand by the courtesan Nargis (Meena Kumari) who he loves and intends to marry. Nargis dies of a broken heart and her daughter, Sahib Jaan (Meena Kumari) is brought up by her aunt (Veena). As fate would have it, Saleem (Raj Kumar), a nephew of Shahbuddin, runs into Sahib Jaan and falls for her. Unlike his uncle, he is a brave man and capable of fighting with the world for his love.
Chitra Shome was born in Calcutta in a musical family. She had no formal training in music, but had a lovely voice. Very early in her life (I could not find dates for her birthday or any important events on the internet) she married Dutta and moved to Bombay. Her husband ran a sound recording studio and recorded jingles. Chitra was a popular voice on these jingles and was soon joined by Jagjit Singh who was looking to make money.
Her marriage was on the rocks by the time they met, and soon she was divorced from Dutta and married to Jagjit Singh. They tried to get into singing for movies, but the talented Jagjit Singh brought out The Unforgettables, a collection of ghazals that catapulted them into instant fame. Soon ghazals were all over the place and Jagjit and Chitra ruled the scene like a king and his queen.
Slim, beautiful and sophisticated Chitra, with her high cheekbones looked gorgeous beside the handsome Jagjit. Jagjit's deep voice and Chitra's light flutey voice complemented each other perfectly.
Although Chitra was overshadowed by the massively talented Jagjit, she held her own and is appreciated and her ghazals and songs sought after even now.
I am always on the look out for Chitra solos, sung emotionally yet with a light touch. Her songs bring out the lyrics, but rarely make you feel depressed. Just thoughtful.
Here is an early ghazal of hers, written by Nida Fazli, composed by (I am guessing here) Jagjit Singh
Kisi ke vaste rahen kahan badalti hain tum apne aap to khud hi badal sako to chalo
Amazing
safar me.n dhuup to hogii, jo chal sako to chalo
sabhii hain birrD me, tum bhii nikal sako to chalo
kisii ke vaasate raahe.n kahaa.N badalatii hai.n
tum apane aap ko Kud hii badal sako to chalo
yahaan kisii ko koii raasataa nahii.n detaa
mujhe Giraake agar tum sambhal sako to chalo
yahii hai zi.ndagii, kuchh Khawab chand ummiiden
inhii khilauno se tum bhii bahal sako to chalo
Friday the 27th September was difficult for me because I was feeling depressed and down. On top of that the internet was playing hookey. I was in the process of changing my connection and fell between two stools of the old connection which I scrapped and the new connection which was having teething troubles.
I decided to bring out a DVD from my pile of 'to-be-watched'. I picked 'Reshma aur Shera'.
I picked 'Reshma aur Shera'.
I have heard only good things about this movie, I loved the music, I love Sunil Dutt and Waheeda. I was eager to see for myself if the movie lived up to my expectation.
It did.
The movie is set in the magnificent, stark sand dunes of Rajasthan. Reshma (Waheeda Rehman) is the beautiful daughter of the Chief of Pochina and Shera (Sunil Dutt) is the son of the chief Sagat. The two clans do not get along and their rivalry has claimed a good number of lives. Shera is visiting a fair which culminates in ritual sacrifice of a goat for the Devi Ma. This year he has the honor of wielding the sacrificial sword.
Reshma and Shera run into each other at the fair. Shera is captivated by the girl and kind of stalks her. She is curious about him, attracted too, but hesitant. A little later Shera's younger brothers Vijay (Vinod Khanna) and Jagat (Naval Kumar) get into a scuffle with the Pochina crowd and are on the point of killing their Chief's son Gopal (Ranjeet) when Shera steps in and saves him. He thrashes his brothers for creating ruckus at Devi Ma's door and sends them back home.
This act of his endears him to Reshma. She loves her brother and her one wish is to see him unharmed. Shera wants to end the enmity between their clans and wants to marry Reshma. For the moment they have to be content with a little courting and meeting secretly at nights in the sand dunes.
Shera's pacifist ways are not met with any enthusiasm by his bloodthirsty brothers and father, the Chief Sagat (Jayant). Shera has one more sibling, the youngest, Chotu (Amitabh Bachchan). Chotu is a crack shot and dumb. He loves his eldest brother Shera and follows him around. He is a bit cowardly and weak too. But a good person.
Shera wants to start the peace talks between the families by a visit to the Chief of Pochina (K N Singh) on the occasion of Gopal's marriage. His father disowns him for wanting to do this. There is a very touching scene as Shera is driven away without taking the bundle of food that his mother had packed for him. Chotu picks up the food and runs after Shera to give it to him, but is dragged back, weeping and helpless by his brothers.
Shera's families now hatch an evil plan to making Chotu shoot the Chief of Pochina and Gopal dead. Just as Shera manages to win over the Chief of Pochina too. Now the heart-rending scene at the site as the newly wed bride (Rakhee) finds she is now a widow, makes Shera swear vengeance.
A bloodbath is unleashed as Shera tries to find the person who pulled the trigger. Where will this vengeance end? What will happen to Reshma and Shera?
The story is told in a taut manner, there are no unnecessary scenes and no diverting into CSP, which was the bane of many movies of the time. The starkness of the tale is complemented by the starkness of the desert landscape. The homes of the people are in mud-huts with thatched roofs, not some fancy havelis, as the movies these days often have.
The characters are quickly delineated by deft dialogues and actions. Hence we know early on that Shera is a pacifist, and so is Reshma. Shera's mother (Sulochana) wants peace too. Shera's brothers and father are bloodthirsty. Chotu is simple soul who would not willingly hurt a sparrow. The story moves along at an even pace.
The songs by Jaidev are sublime. Ek thandi si agan, shot brilliantly in Hawa Mahal is gorgeous. Tu Chanda Main Chandni, shot in the shifting sand dunes is captivating. There is a qawwali at the start Zalim meri Sharab me where a very young Sanjay Dutt also performs along with Sudhir. Ek to yeh bharpoor jawani is a mujra performed by Padma Khanna to celebrate the killing of the enemy.
All the actors have put in a wonderful performance. Waheeda stands out as a young girl in love at the start and later as a troubled young woman who must make some tough choices. She deserved the national award she got that year. Another standout performance in the film was from Amitabh Bachchan who was magnificent as Chotu who is brings out the nuances of his character to perfection.
The movie gets a little too melodramatic at times, but in face of such brilliance elsewhere, I am willing to let it pass. This is one movie every film lover should see.
For quite some time now we have not seen a movie that the public was unanimous in endorsing. Barfi is a movie all are raving about at the moment. A friend tweeted "Vee
@_BlessedCurse
Barfii is cute, funny, high on emotions. Every frame is brilliant. Classic."
This tweet made me want to see the movie, and I blocked out all reviews and opinions on the film from my reading list. I like to see a film without knowing anything about it at all. All you could hear on the ticket window was 'Barfi'. "Do barfi dena" said the girl standing the row next to mine. I almost said "Yeh koi halwai ki dukan hai?".
I opted for the earliest show, the 9.15 one. This is my favorite show timing. You are done with the movie before midday and have the rest of the day free for other activities. Usually this time slot is not popular with people because no one likes being out of their beds so early on a Sunday. Yet I was surprised to see the hall fill up in no time.
Most people know what the movie is about. Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) is a deaf mute boy living in Darjeeling. His story is told in flashbacks by a girl who loves him Shruti (Ileana D'Cruz). Shruti makes friends with Barfi when her father is transferred to Darjeeling. She has a lot of fun running around with him. Maybe for the first time in her life, she is truly emancipated, because the deaf-mute does not expect her to behave in a particular fashion. Despite feeling connected to him, she has to give him up and marry the guy her parents approve of.
Barfi is heartbroken when he sees that he cannot be with her. His life takes an unforeseen turn when he runs into Jhilmil, an autistic girl imprisoned in her home by her insensitive but rich parents. Jhilmil is kidnapped, and Barfi is suspected of kidnapping and later, murdering her.
The story of Barfi is engrossing, to be sure. There is something happening all through the film to keep you occupied. However it is the treatment of the film that is the king, nay, the emperor here.
The film is short almost like a silent movie for the first part. Apt. The movie is about a deaf-mute who has no sound in his life. There are times when the silences actually nearly unnerve you, but also grip you in a way no film has done in recent time.
The movie is beautiful as well. Shot in scenic Darjeeling, the frequent use of the toy train reminds you so much of "Mere sapno ki raani".
Anurag Basu OWNS the film along with Ranbir Kapoor. He invokes memories of Life in a Metro with the use of musicians that pop up to play a mournful accordian every time something emotional happens. Also the skillful touches and scenes that are likely to linger in your memory for a long long time.
Ileana D'Cruz is simply beautiful. Her large eyes are used to full effect by the director to convey emotions. She looks lovely in her 70s get-up, hoops and turtleneck sweaters in the first half and bengali sarees that show off her lovely slim waist in the second half.
Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra) is helped in her acting by her curly hair, her prosthetic teeth and camera angles. I do feel Anurag Basu must get the major chunk of kudos for her performance.
On the other hand, Ranbir Kapoor is absolutely perfect. His lithe body helps in the chaplinesque moves he has to make as the slippery Barfi. Seeing that he gets only one line to speak "Barfi", he could have gone OTT with the expressions, but he never does! He is perfect.
I did not quite like the last couple of scenes. I wish the movie had ended when the
mystery around Jhilmil was cleared. A little ambiguity does not hurt.
:) Even so! Barfi is the most unusual movie to have hit the movie screens in recent times. It is quirky, funny, emotional, thrilling, moving.
I ended my hiatus of a few months and went to a theatre to watch To Rome With Love last week. A Woody Allen movie is a guarantee of entertainment and some mental stimulation which the recent crop of 'disaster' or 'superhero' flicks can not provide.
To Rome with Love was a funny film, filled with absurd situations that can happen only in a Woody Allen film. I loved it. I loved the characters, the story, the acting. Judy Davis looked super-hot despite her years. It is nice to see a hollywood actress not afraid of showing her wrinkles. Here is Richard Brody's review of the movie printed in The New Yorker.
I watched the trailer of a new film Arbitrage directed by Nicholas Jarecki starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon that looked pretty good during the screening of To Rome With Love. This friday when I was looking at the new movie listings in the paper, I saw that this movie was playing in PVR.
I was caught between wanting to see Barfi and this movie, Arbitrage. Arbitrage won because I knew I could not just walk to the box office window and get current show bookings for Barfi. So I opted to watch Arbitrage first, and book my ticket for Barfi for Sunday.
A funny thing happened at the ticket window. A lady had sent her mother to book a couple of tickets for Arbitrage. The girl manning the window misheard the woman and booked two tickets for Raaz. The miffed younger woman yelled at the box-office girl "Arbitraajz" not "Raaz", "English Movie". I felt sorry for the ticket window girl. These people are paid a pittance for sitting all day at the counters, dealing with a jostling crowd. On top of that it is hard for a desi girl to understand poncy pronunciations, so it is better to be clear and simple while talking to people. And keep your accents and airs limited to your own ilk.
The movie stars Richard Gere as a man of suspect character, who is on the verge of selling his business. Robert Miller (Gere) has been cooking the books to facilitate the sale. He is also having an affair with an artist on the side. He has apparently promised the girl that he would soon leave his wife for her. Beset with troubles over the delays in the sale of his company which is costing him a great deal of stress and financial loss, he decides to run away with his mistress. His eyes close for a second when he is at the wheel and the car crashes. The girl dies and Miller leaves the car just before it blows up.
Miller is tempted to distance himself from this accident and return to his old life, to his wife and children, his business interests. He calls a young man Jimmy Grant (Nat Parker) who is indebted to him, to come and pick him up. He has left the site clear of any evidence of his presence, or so he thinks.
The police detective (Tim Roth) is soon on his trail, and Miller finds himself getting more and more stuck in the web of his lies. Jimmy is picked up by the detective and pressured to give evidence against Miller. Miller is again torn between letting Jimmy get jailed for obstructing evidence and seeing himself in the dock for a crime. His lawyer advises him to make a clean breast of it to stop implicating innocent people.
Again, like To Rome With Love, Arbitrage is a movie different from the usual (recent) hollywood offerings of superhero or disaster flicks. It shows us how a business magnate becomes corrupt to stay ahead of his game, in life and in business. It tries to get inside his head and gives us an intimate look at the inner workings of his mind.
Gere performs admirably, Susan Sarandon as his wife performs even better! She has a role that is short but meaty. She plays a woman who does not hesitate to kick her man in the balls, just when he is at his most vulnerable.
