LBC - Kaun Banega Superstar

Movies on the movie industry have a peculiar charm about them. It is like turning a camera back to face yourself, or shooting your own feet. It is a time to reveal your warts. Zoya reveals the beauties and warts of the film industry with a gentle humour with Luck By Chance.

Vikram Jaisingh (Farhan) is a fairly good looking fellow (hot actually) who can emote well, dance well and has a good bod too. He has a couple of friends connected slightly to the movie industry. He has this childhood friend Abhimanyu (Arjun) who is a laid-back kind of a character. He does theater and has a hot neighbour, Sona (Konkona). He also hangs out with another friend who assists Mahesh Bhatt. Almost inadvertently, 'by chance' to borrow the title phrase, a grandfather clock sets things in motion for Vikram, and he winds up charming the right people, which leads him to a big break.

Our Vikram is not all sugar and sweet, he is out to be a superstar and he can be sans scruples when the occasion demands it. All the people in the industry are shown in an equal light, they are neither white nor black. The backbiting, the mediocrity, the manipulations are all shown with such a gentle humour that you are left giggling and marveling.

The story is like a slice of life and very complete. The characters are totally STANDOUT. There is not one character I would cut out of the movie. Dimple, Juhi, Rishi are the stellar seniors, though Juhi looks mint fresh as Minty. Dimple is grace personified as ever, and her acting is flawless as ever. Rishi is now getting the kind of roles he deserved. He is an emotional, Punjabi, old time producer who can shed crocodile tears at the drop of a pin. He wolfs down paranthas with his diet food. Isha Shravani as Nikki,  the debutante heroine  and the daughter of an yesteryear's superstar is perfect. She looks exactly like a pampered teenager who has had everything on a platter.

If the characters are a standout, I don't have words to describe the script and dialogues. They are simply PERFECT. The dialogues are fun and funny without being smart ass. I am dying to reveal the one about khoon and murder. But won't. No point in spoiling others' fun. The story moves so well, and is so well done, that I feel its one of the best scripts ever in a film industry.

The acting is superlative, the cast is definitely ensemble, especially as the hero of this movie is not there to hog footage, but to make a good movie.

May I please compare this movie with Dil Chahta Hai? Of course DCH is fun personified and one of the best movies out of Hindi film industry, but still I didn't quite like the Preity-Amir tamasha at the end of it. It was too dramatic. And I also had a bit of a quarrel about the opulence of sets, the attempt to create a 'designer' look. These two faults are totally avoided in LBC, there is no attempt at opulence, and the look is strictly according to the situation. The clothes of the characters and the sets are just perfect.

Alright, that comparison above was a bit out of line, Farhan and Zoya are brother and sister, but they are entitled to their own movie making styles.

I had a bone to pick with Sona (Konkona) opting to drop out of the rat race at the end.  By doing so, Sona shows that you cannot survive in the film industry unless you are willing to play dirty.  The message it gives out is that when someone uses you, you just use them back.  If you cannot do that, go away. Also, I am sure television world has as much dirty politics going on as the film world.

Do Hanky

Do Raste was a movie by Raj Khosla that released in 1969. This was a momentous year for Rajesh Khanna. Here was a genuine boy next door who wore bush-shirts over slim fit trousers. His diction (or should I say dialouge delivery) was to die for. He had worked in some avant garde movies like Ittefaq and Aakhri Khat. His Aradhana was a super duper hit. He was well on his way to his Phenomonen status and unequalled adulation.

But what to do, it was the time of the CLICHE. You would take a look at a girl in a saree with the palloo draped over her head and you said, ahhh here is the girl who will make my ghar a swarg. A girl with a bouffant and shamlessly bared arms n you went - nahi nahi, ye ladki mere ghar to nark bana degi. Smokers were BAD people, milk drinkers were innocent. Poor were good and Rich were bad. Villagers were good hearted and City dwellers were evil. Balraj Sahni, Jeetendra, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Sharmila Tagore were safe people, you couldnt trust Jeevan, Pran, Prem Chopra, Bindu, Helen and Faryaal.

So Do Raaste was a tale of a middle class family that believed in staying together. The mega-mom Veena had taken a step-son into her affectionate heart and promptly gives birth to 3 more children. The step-son (Balraj Sahni as Nabendu) vows to take care of his step-siblings like his own on his fathers death-bed. His wife (Kamini Kaushal as Madhvi) vows likewise and denies her children milk so that her step-in-laws may be comfortable. The oldest of the steps, Viju (Prem Chopra) is brainy and Nabendu takes huge loans to send him abroad to study. There is an undercurrent of expectation that he will take care of the rest when he is ready to earn big bucks.

The audience already knows that Prem Chopra (Viju) is a bad egg and there is trouble ahead. To top the cake with the cherry, he is married off to Bindu (Neela). Hey, the audience is buzzing .. bahut bura hua. Neela is a nagin in disguise and takes care of Viju's purse and makes him leave home. This is the pits.. no hero ever leaves home, it is always the evil villian. BUT hope is alive because the younger step is now tan tan tana Rajeeesssshhh Khanna. So the audience heaves a sigh of relief. Yeh zaroor is khandan ki izzat ko bachayega. Rajesh Khanna (Satyan) entertains the audience with some songs and a romantic track with Mumtaz (Reena). Chup gaya saare nazaare oye kya baat ho gayi, sings Reena with an innocent pout. Tune kajal lagaya din me raat ho gayi, sings back Satyan with a short shake of the head and a blink. What became a mannerism later is a fresh thing then. The females in the audience are sold hook line and sinker. What a looker !

Neela is up to her tricks to divide brother from brother. Nabendu bears it all stoically, he faces layoff right at the moment, his wife has to sell bangles, he has to sell some tasteless furniture, kids are kicked out of school, his step-mom dies of medical neglect, moneylender is claiming the house. To top it, his good step-brother Satyan (who looks at least 27) is still an undergrad, his step-sister cant work. Only their good neighbour, Jayant, who plays a pathan, helps them. So we have a tiny track on hindu-muslim ekta.

However, while the Nabendu group is going hungry what is Neela-Viju duo up to? They are throwing parties where Neela wears a foot-high bouffant with some loose curls dangling about her face. (She looks simply gorgeous with her large eyes slashed by thick eyeliner and the Marge Simpson do). AND they visit strip-tease night club. Gasp ! That is the PITS. There is a pretty good dancer who loses a couple of her veils while Viju smokes furiously and Neela seems to be ENJOYING HERSELF. The message is clear, this couple wants to enjoy life. The audience that has already wrung out one tearfilled hanky and is preparing to use another, gasps in horror. Look at this major slut, she is grinning and partying.

But thankfully, Madhvi bhabhi comes into her own and brings about a closure by going to Viju to beg him for some financial reprieve. While Viju and Neela are busy insulting her back, Satyan pops up at the door. How he found about about his bhabhi's whereabouts are going to remain a mystery to me forever, but he does take the bull by the horns and unlike his forgiving brother Nabendu, he does some plainspeaking. Among the things he says in his clear voice, he also intones - Jis ghar me mard aurat ka ghulam ho wahan me kabhi nahi reh sakta. There were many appreciating ceeties and claps at this. Then he locks his bhabhi in a room, and beats up his brother. Nagin strikes again, and hits Satyan on his head with a heavy flower pot.

Suddenly this emotional potboiler turns into a thriller. What will happen next? Will Satyan die? Will he require an operation? Will he complain to the police against Viju and Neela? But of course, Nagin realises that she cant wish away this part of the family and reconciles with them after Satyen tells the police he fell from the stairs. The audience squeezes out the last teardrops and goes home.

The movie was marred heavily by several cliche-ridden dialouges and situations. I dont think the writer had to do any hard work at all. Some camera movements were really strange. There was a song where Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna were shot standing behind some coloured screens. The effect was definately kitsch there. But the beautiful songs probably stayed with them, and drew them back to the cinema hall. The lover-boy Rajesh Khanna sings - Yeh reshmi zulfein, yeh sharbati aankhen, inhe dekh kar jee rahe hain sabhi. Mumtaz did her bit by wearing a terrible orange saree and a behenji makeover for the naughty Bindiya Chamkegi. I wish she had worn a peppy pajami kurta for this one. Then there was the aforementioned - Chup gaya saare nazare oye kya baat ho gayi. And also 'Khiza ke phool pe aati kabhi bahar nahi, mere naseeb me e dost tera pyaar nahi'. Lakshikant Pyarelal gave some memorable numbers for this otherwise drab movie.

This was posted on PFC - follow the link under the title else here - http://passionforcinema.com/do-hanky/

Talash - 1969

The movie came out in 1969, the IMDB informs me. My cousins were crazy about movies and I remember a lot of excitement among them for this movie. It was supposed to be uber stylish, lots of lavish sets and songs and such good stuff.

On Diwali, I was flipping channels and came across the movie airing on SAB, and stayed to watch. I had missed a few reels but could recall the scenes. The movie had opened with Sulochana doing the 'kapde see see' stuff. All Bollywood movies of the late 60s and early 70s started with a widowed mother sitting by a sewing machine and talking about having raised their kids by stitching clothes, and living in genteel poverty. Cut- and Rajendra Kumar (Raju) is a fresh graduate - BA mind you. Before you double up with laughter, BA in those days was equivalent to an MBA from IIMA. He is snapped up by Balraj Sahni for his 'Industries', right off the campus. Suddenly things are looking up and the young fellow is off to the snow capped hills (where?where?) to celebrate his newfound success with OP Ralhan as Lachchu. Err.. if the 'young' men look too old to be fresh-out-of-college-students, we are to turn a blind eye. After all, Rajendra Kumar was Jubilee Kumar and OP Ralhan was the producer/director/writer of the movie.

There among the hills, the hero finds amour. He runs into a village belle, Sharmila Tagore as Gauri and promptly falls for her. His 'sidekick' - OP Ralhan (Lachchu) also finds himself intrigued by Rita - a dancer. It is Helen, of course, and the audience heaves a sigh of relief, a few good cabaret numbers are in offing. So our lovesick birds sing a few songs and though our good hero would have made an honest woman of the girl immediately, he needs 'maa ka ashirwaad', another clever cliche to stretch the proceedings. He needs to go back, get MKA and return before the next pooranmashi. If he doesn't, the girl vows to throw herself off the cliff. They get engaged and sing another song - Juneli Raat ma.. which is a tribal song, and I had to avert my eyes each time RK appeared on screen in his sleeveless top (ugh) which is passed off as the traditional thing to wear for your engagement party.

Raju returns to Mumbai to find that his boss (Balraj Sahni) favors him immensely, despite him overstaying his leave. There had been some incident earlier about Raju returning the boss's purse after he had dropped it intentionally to test Raju's honesty. Now, honestly, which fool would keep a measly purse in exchange for a JOB? Raju finds himself elevated to a partner after he clinches a takeover bid for his boss. He gets an imported car and a big bungalow to live in. He also gets invited to the homecoming party for the boss's daughter.

It is Tan-tan-tan time as the perplexed Raju discovers that the boss's daughter, Madhu, is Sharmila in a brown wig with sea-green eyes that match Hrithik Roshan's. Herein lies the beauty of the film. It is a Romantic Mystery. Who is this girl? Is that girl from the hills with brown eyes and black hair the same girl? How is it possible? The hero stays for the party while a great song plays - a song that brings out the situation perfectly - Tere naina talaash karen jise wo hai tujhi me kahin deewane - sung by Manna Dey..

Raju rushes back to the hills to check out the girl again and finds Gauri blowing on the chullah. He stays a day and Gauri sings him this wonderful song - Aaayega re udke mera hans pardesi. Raju runs back to find Madhu where she was. Now comes a great track of love versus passion. Madhu woos him with her riches and glamor. She wears backless cholis, nighties with decolletage and gowns and drives fast cars and invites him into her bedroom and plays seductive numbers - Kitni akeli, kitni tanhaa si lagi, unse mil ke me aaj. Her father too showers his largesse on him.  Should Raju accept a life full of wealth and ease or give them up and keep his promise to the girl in the hills.

Alas, it was that time of the decade when movies had to be stretched to full 3 hours, melodrama had to be added in huge helpings, humour had to be pushed down the throats of the viewers. Hence we have to watch the parallel track of Lachchu, OP Ralhan, who hogs as much space as the hero, which is why I put 'sidekick' in quotes earlier - this guy is almost like a 2nd hero. Lachchu finds that wooing Rita has its complications, her father had murdered one of his mates and is being blackmailed by another. On top of that, Lachchu's father is a miserly fellow and wants him to marry a rich Parsi girl - Tuntun - (who looks lovely in a tight churidaar kurta and a bouffant). So the movie does not conclude until we have had the full dose of the dying mother, dhishum dhishum, car chases, missed planes and hero running after the heroine who is off to throw herself down a chasm.

I loved the movie for its simple story, compared to later potboilers when there had to be Great Villians, here the issue is really inside the hero, as he struggles with his conscience.

The songs are all good, the music was, after all, by Sachin Dev Burman. My top favorite is - Aaayega re udke mera hans pardesi.

The cabarets by Helen are scintillating - Mera Kya Sanam and Karle Pyaar karle. The indoor sets are definitely good, Balraj Sahni's office, the rich Sharmila's bedroom with its huge wardrobes and a large bed. The cars they drive are all top-down convertibles, which was a rage then. The outdoor shoots on the snow-capped hills are not too impressive, the scenes seem to have been shot in a single location.

Rajendra Kumar wears suits to hide his paunch. The actors then didn't think of their body as a temple. Balraj Sahni, with his slim physique, looks really natty. Though his acting skills are quite wasted here. Sharmila gets to wear some ethnic skirts for her tribal get up and glamorous sarees and maxis (ugh- I am glad we saw the end of this fashion) and nighties. Helen looks very pretty with her pout and bouffants and bows and wow legs.

Dev Anand the Eternal Hero

I am sure most of us wish Dev Anand's filmography - at the bottom of this page - stopped with Des Pardes that came out in 1978. Dev Anand was begining to look old and his mannerisms were getting too pronounced, even so, no mean achievement for someone who was close to 60 then. It was the right time to hang up his boots, a phrase that Dev Saab never knew.

I looked through his filmography and tried to tick the movies I had seen, and found my memory playing tricks with me. Some of this movies I have seen on Doordarshan in bits and pieces and find I cannot remember entirely. I can remember the songs of many of these movies and associate them immediately because I can recollect the drone of the announcer on AIR saying 'Ab suniye Afsar film ka gana, Suriya ki awaz me jise likha hai ... ne, sangeet nirdeshak hain ... ' After a tiresome list of sunnewale, the melodious voice of Suriya would sing - Man mor hua matwala. What songs they are. I am tempted to list them right here, but I think they should come after some movie talk.

The first movie on the list that I have seen is Baazi, a romatic thriller made by Guru Dutt. But alas, do not remember much. I remember Jaal very well. It is not a movie one can forget in a hurry. In Jaal Dev Anand played a tough crook bent upon cheating and looting. Geeta Bali is drawn to him and falls for him helplessly, she realises that when she is roused from her sleep to the sound of him singing - Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kahan, sun ja dil ki dastan. This song alone is worth the price of the DVD, though the movie is good too, a classic. There is some wonderful play of shadow and light in this song. You can see why Geeta Bali was so special here. You can also see how devastatingly handsome Dev was then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRfVXUk9kFw

Patita with Usha Kiron was another movie with some social message, she was (or pretended to be) an unwed mother here. I dont remember how the movie ended, I think the Mother of the boy - Lalita Pawar was the one who threw spanner in the works, but the songs were to die for.

"Kisine Apne Banaake Mujko Muskurana Sikha Diya"
"Andhe Jahaan Ke Andhe Raaste Jaayen To Jaayen Kahaan"
"Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Kahan ho Tum"

and the toppers

"Mitti Se Khelte Ho Baar Baar Kisliye"
"Hai Sabse Madhur Woh Geet Jinhe Ham Dard Ke Sur Mein Gaate Hain"

I have seen Pocketmaar, which starred Geeta Bali, Dev and the ubiquitous baddie KN Singh, it was a good movie.

CID is not to be missed, for the debut of Waheeda Rehman, for the lovely songs, for the handsome Dev Anand, for it was a slick thriller.

"Jaata Kahaan Hai Deewaane"
"leke pehla pehla pyaar"
"aankhon hi aankhon me ishara ho gaya"
"e dil he mushkil jeena yahan"

1958 to 1965 - This was the glorious period of the rising star Dev Anand, he was young and in his element. The filmmakers of this era were good and made good wholesome romantic comedies. Dev Anand was the consummate flirt, circling his heroine, looking into her eyes, touching her hair, enough to make any woman swoon. No wonder he was such a heartthrob.

I feel I have seen Paying Guest, Love Marriage, Bambai ka Babu, but dont recollect them so much. They pass me by in a blur of lovely songs, with Dev Anand always, always, romancing his heroines.

Hum Dono is another unforgettable movie. You got Dev Anand here in a double dose. As a rookie army officer Manohar and Major Anand. Manohar is sent to the family of Major Anand as a bearer of bad news of his being lost during war. Because they look so similar, Major Anand's distraught family thinks Manohar is Major Anand. For the sake of the sick wife, Nanda, Manohar plays along. He has to deal with own girlfriend, Sadhna who wonders why her beau is not attentive any more.

The songs? To die for - the timeless classic - Abhi na jao chod kar, ke dil abhi bhara nahi - is so beautifully choreographed that the images linger with you forever. Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya - deserves to be listened to closely for its zen philosophy. Allah tero naam is one of the best gandhian bhajan we have from hindi films.

Asli Naqli, Tere Ghar ke Samne are other two films I have watched. Asli Naqli brought the beautiful Sadhna together with Dev Anand once again. With numbers like koi sone ke dil wala (was it from this film?), Tujhe jiwan ki dor se, Tera mera pyar Amar the movie was a sureshot success.

What can one say about Tere Ghar ke Samne? It was one of those ultimate rom-coms. Dev Anand and Nutan light up the screen with their effervescence. The songs - oh the songs !

Yeh tanhaai haay re haay jaane phir aaye na aaye"
"Tu kahaan yeh bata, is nashili raat mein"
"Dil ka bhanvar kare pukaar" - my fave fave fave
"Dekho rootha na karo"
"Tere ghar ke saamne ik ghar banaoonga"
"Dil ki manzil kuchh aisi hai manzil"

This last song featured my mother as a dancer who had an 'item' in this movie.
you can see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N86Dv-bHAdA

Guide was the best of Dev Anand. It dared to go where no movie had been before, into marital discord, with the woman leaving her man. It explored the denegeration of a man, why love fails and even explores spirituality. Only Vijay Anand could have pulled off something like this.

"Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai"
"Gaata Rahe mera dil"
"piya tose naina laage re"
"din dhal jaaye hai" - (my fave- i will always maintain that Dev Anand looked his handomest in this song)
"kya se kya ho gaya"
"allah megh de"

If we divide Dev Anand's career into different phases, then the 40 - mid 50 would be the early phase with the romantic Suraiyya and Geeta Bali phase, mostly romatic thrillers and comedies. from '55 to '65 again some more romantic thrillers and comedies (but better) with Waheeda, Nutan and Sadhna, with some classics like Hum Dono, Tere Ghar ke Saamne and Guide. Then comes the third phase from '66 to '78 which started off well with thrillers and ended well with Des Pardes. Here he had co-stars like Vyjayanti mala, Hema Malini, Zeenat and Tina Munim. I am not going to talk about what comes after, because it was pure crap.

Jewel Thief was a slick thriller that released in 1967. I saw it much later in a re-re-re run during the times when reruns ran in theatres. I was taken in by the suspense totally and gasped quite like the original viewers who must have found the climax quite mindblowing. Vyjayantimala was exquisite, Ashok Kumar was the gentleman crook, there were a bevy of sexy females (oh well, in one peice swimsuits, but it was the 70s) and Dev Anand who was getting stylised now. His headshake, pursed lips and the hand gestures were popping up more often. The gorgeous songs were still melodious.
"Raat akeli hai, bujh gaye diye"
"Yeh dil na hota bechara"
"rula ke gaya sapna mera"
"Aasmaan ke neeche hum aaj apne peeche"
"Dil pukare aa re aare"
"Hoton pe aise baat"

Right on the heels of Jewel Thief came Johnny Mera Naam. The songs here were kinda chaalu, but the movie had the new star Hema Malini and a good story. It was Vijay Anand again, after Guide and Jewel Thief. Dev Anand mouthed 'Johnny mera naam, nahi' during the climax to the delight of his fans.

I have seen Mahal and Duniya - both passable fare. I think Mahal had a lovely song - but I cannot recollect it right now.

Prem Pujari was a war movie, well made and very watchable. With lovely songs like
"shokiyon me ghola jaye "
"Phoolon ke rang se, dil ki kalam se"

I have lost count of the number of times I saw Gambler. It used to be rerun endlessly on a fledgeling channel in the early days of cable television. The movie had lovely songs, ok story, Dev Anand in full tashan.

"Churi nahi ye mera dil hai"
"Dil aaj shayar hai" - wonderful wonderful song
I am not able to remember all the songs and the internet is not helping much, but a cd is totally worth buying, trust me.

Tere Mere Sapne was a sweet movie, an adaption of The Citadel by AJ Cronin, with some more lovely songs.
"Jaise Radha ne mala japi shyam ki"
"E maine kasam li"

Hare Raam Hare Krishan was again a bold movie, parents divorce, children seperate, sister turns up in picturesque Kathmandu with a bunch of druggie hippies. A gooood movie with an amazing debut by Zeenat who pulled on a chillum with panache. The songs were more disco, but Dum maro dum is something else. A must watch.

Yeh Gulistan Hamara was not half bad. Dev co-starred with Sharmila here, the songs not too good but ok sorts. Chuppa Rustam, a passable thriller with a good song - Dheere se jaana khaityan me.

After this, it was more or less just dragging on for Dev. The formula was set, exotic locales, good music (according to the times), a pretty nubile heroine. The movies like Heera Panna, Jaaneman, Bullet, Warrant were horrid to passable.

Des Pardes marked the debut of the last of great Dev Anand heroines - Tina Munim. The movie was well made and good. But after that - ugh - Avoid.

Even some of his chalu movies have been uplifted by divine songs. I have listed most of them, but missed many. Ok - internet helped finally, the Mahal song I was looking for is this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjXHB5Cj_zY
"Ankhon ankhon me dekho"
"Yeh duniya wale poochenge"

I once owned a cassette of Dev Anand songs... was great.

My wishlist: I wish to see Kala Pani, because it was the only movie where the two most beautiful people of the Hindi film industry came together, Madhubala and Dev Anand.

I wish to see Teen Deviyan because it starred him with Kalpana Kartik and had some of the most sublime songs ever.

"Khwab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat"
"Aise to na dekho"
and my top favorite -
"Kahin be-khyal ho kar"


I have to admit Dev's oeuvre is limited. His movies are mostly romantic comedies or romantic thrillers. Why was he up at the top of the charts along with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor? I guess the answer is PURE CHARISMA. He had such a magnificent screen presence, that it was hard to forget him. His immaculate waistline and hairline took care of his longevity. He was always seemingly involved with his much much younger heroines, which reinforced his romantic image.
Though he was called the Gregory Peck of India, I beg to differ. With due respect to Mr. Peck, our Dev Anand has a niche of his own, the eternal romantic.

1. Mr Prime Minister (2005)
2. Love at Times Square (2003)
   
3. Aman Ke Farishtey (2003)
4. Censor (2001)
   
5. Return of Jewel Thief (1996)
   
6. Gangster (1994)
7. Sau Crore (1991)
   
8. Awwal Number (1990)
   
9. Lashkar (1989)
10. Sachché Ká Bol-Bálá (1989)
11. Hum Naujawan (1985)
12. Anand Aur Anand (1984)
    
13. Swami Dada (1982)
    
14. Man Pasand (1980)
    
15. Lootmaar (1980)
    
16. Des Pardes (1978)
    
17. Darling Darling (1977)
18. Kalabaaz (1977)
    
19. Saheb Bahadur (1977)
20. Bullet (1976)
21. Jaaneman (1976)
22. Warrant (1975)
    
23. Amir Garib (1974)
    
24. Ishq Ishq Ishq (1974)
25. Prem Shastra (1974)
    
26. Joshila (1973)
27. Chhupa Rustam (1973)
28. Banarasi Babu (1973)
29. Heera Panna (1973)
30. Shareef Budmaash (1973)
31. Yeh Gulistan Hamara (1972)
32. Haré Raama Haré Krishna (1971)
33. Tere Mere Sapne (1971)
34. Gambler (1971)
    
35. Johny Mera Naam (1970)
36. Prem Pujari (1970)
    
37. The Evil Within (1970)
    
38. Mahal (1969)
    
39. Duniya (1968)
40. Kahin Aur Chal (1968)
    
41. Jewel Thief (1967)
    
42. Pyar Mohabbat (1966)
    
43. Guide (1965)
    
44. Teen Devian (1965)
    
45. Sharabi (1964)
46. Kinare Kinare (1963)
    
47. Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963)
    
48. Asli-Naqli (1962)
    
49. Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)
50. Hum Dono (1961)
51. Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961)
52. Maya (1961)
53. Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1961)
    
54. Bombai Ka Babu (1960)
    
55. Ek Ke Baad Ek (1960)
56. Jaali Note (1960)
57. Kala Bazar (1960)
58. Manzil (1960)
    
59. Sarhad (1960)
    
60. Love Marriage (1959)
61. Amar Deep (1958)
62. Kalapani (1958)
63. Solva Saal (1958)
64. Baarish (1957)
65. Dushman (1957)
66. Nau Do Gyarah (1957)
    
67. Paying Guest (1957)
68. C.I.D. (1956)
69. Funtoosh (1956)
    
70. Pocket Maar (1956)
71. Dev Anand in Goa (Alias Farar) (1955)
72. House No. 44 (1955)
    
73. Insaniyat (1955)
74. Milap (1955)
75. Munimji (1955)
76. Baadbaan (1954)
77. 'Ferry' (1954)
    
78. Taxi Driver (1954)
79. Armaan (1953)
80. Humsafar (1953)
81. Patita (1953)
82. Rahi (1953)
    
83. Aandhiyan (1952)
84. Jaal (1952)
    
85. Tamasha (1952)
86. Zalzala (1952)
87. Aaram (1951)
    
88. Baazi (1951)
89. Do Sitare (1951)
90. Nadaan (1951)
91. Sanam (1951)
92. Sazaa (1951)
93. Stage (1951)
94. Afsar (1950)
    
95. Birha Ki Raat (1950)
96. Dilruba (1950)
97. Hindustan Hamara (1950)
    
98. Khel (1950)
99. Madhubala (1950)
100. Nili (1950)
101. Nirala (1950)
     
102. Jeet (1949)
103. Shair (1949)
104. Shayar (1949)
105. Udhaar (1949)
106. Hum Bhi Insaan Hain (1948)
107. Vidya (1948)
108. Ziddi (1948)
109. Aage Badho (1947)
110. Mohan (1947)
111. Hum Ek Hain (1946)

Rock On! Its Magik

There cant be a better title for the blog than the title of the movie. It is all about college dreams, music and rock and roll, and of course, friendship. On the other hand, it is all about the making of music and how it is, here, synonymous with chasing your dream.

To begin with there are these four cool dudes who have this rocking band. They seem to have everything going for them. But cut to a decade later and the guy with long curly hair is now working as an investment banker who never smiles, a dull gujju jhaveri who looks dull, a music-man who seems to be scraping it, a guitar dude with droopy mouche who looks henpecked and dull. And then there is the bored wife who seems to have only one thing on her mind- why doesnt my husband smile. Its been 5 years and she is tired of waiting for her life to pick up.

A chance encounter between the wife and the gujju triggers her curiosity about the past life as a rocker that the husband has never mentioned. She thinks this could be the reason the hubby never smiles and tries to get the rockers back together. Hubby frowns at the effort and has words, wife tries to leave, upon which hubby realises he has unresolved issues with his band and needs to get back together with them.

Story is wafer thin and is spread out like butter on the brown toast of a person trying to diet. Farhan Aktar (Aditya) as the lead singer of the band and the investment banker has zero charisma. He is competant and good looking even, but not charismatic. Luke Kenny(Rob) as the scraping musician and the killer-at-the-keyboard is just about adequate. Purab (KD) as the gujju jhaveri and the killer-drums of the band is good. Arjun Rampal as the droopy mouche loser of the present and the magic guitarist of the band is WOW. All of a sudden this wooden model boy has turned into this bankable performer. He looks fabulous, acts fabulous and is the cherry on top of this movie.

The Girls : Prachi Desai thankfully gets into sweet short dresses that highlight her hep young self. She does a good job as Aditya's wife Sakshi who is trying hard to make her marriage work. Shahana Goswami as Debbie is the dress designer turned fishmonger and a very bitter wife to Joe. They love each other but cant deal with life. Koel Purie as Devika is a friend of Sakshi's who takes a shine to KD.

The music and the rock and roll performances of the band Magik is Magik. The music and the stage performances mesmerise. It makes the movie totally watchable and such unadulterated fun.

We have mighty few genres of movies in the Hindi film industry. Its usually just masala mish mash of action, comedy and drama. It is refreshing to see a movie in the hitherto unexplored genre of a rock-band movie. The movie has no pretensions and is purely about the four rockers and what they did and how to get them back together. For just this reason, we have to be very grateful to Abhishek Kapoor.

The songs dude... are to die for and are on my playlist already. Farhan Akhtar the singer is really good. The guy is nothing short of a genius. He has directed some sublime flicks, he is adequate as an actor and now the singing thing! His voice which sounds raspy when he talks, takes on a different timbre altogether when he starts singing. The music by Shankar Ehsaan and Loy is sheer JOY.

Dark is the night

The Dark Knight was one of the most awaited films of 2008. By Batman afficiandoes at least. Bruce Wayne has just lost his girlfriend to a man who deserves her better. His speech reflects his jealousy as well as his attempt to be fair to a good man and a good woman. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhal) and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are the white knights, fighting criminals in a lawful way. Poor Bruce Wayne has chosen the dark path because he thought it would be more effective, killing dark with dark. Harvey wisely combines his white ways with the dark to nail the mob in Gotham City. But alas, his acts has repercussions that nearly crush the city and its inhabitants. Increased attack on the Mob force them to bring in their trump card, the Joker.

The Joker turns out to be the worst nightmare that Gotham has seen, and Batman has combated. Why? Because the Joker has no agenda but mischief. He has no plans and no ambitions. He is this maverick villain who is very hard to figure out.

Before he is done, there are innocent people who are slashed viciously, blown up and burned, their integrity tested, their personalities twisted.

Micheal Caine and Morgon Freeman are such established actors, that they just have to walk on to the set to give it grace and dignity. Morgon's half-smiles when he deals with corporate upstarts convey a world of dialogue. Micheal Caine as Alfred is perfect.

Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent comes across as a personable man bent upon going the right way to defeat the dark forces until he falls ..

Maggie Gyllenhal as the new Rachel Dawes had to look good mostly, which she does with panache. But this Rachel is also torn between the two men in her life, the dark and the white knight.

Christian Bale is perfect as Batman and Bruce. For a change he actually tries a different personality for both, a casual billionaire who cares less about what is going on around him. Seemingly interested in just womanising and having a good time, he changes when he dons the batsuit, becomes faster, bulkier, gruffer.

Heath Ledger as joker is iconic. He has made history. He gave the role his all. His joker is never menacing, but is playful and comic always. But his deeds belie his appearance as he happily slashes his way through the film, killing and maiming people without remorse. The scene when he skips happily out of the hospital and watching it blow up is going to be around in my mind for a long long time.

Happy viewing folks.. dont forget to watch this one.

Hancock

Went off to see Hancock yesterday with my son. The movie was handpicked by him out of several offerings. Long live innocence. The movie gets into the groove right away, with police chasing the baddies. Hancock is drunk senseless, ill dressed, foul mouthed and foul tempered. Nevertheless, he lands up to help. The baddies are bashed up and left hanging from some pointy tower in LA. The general public does not know whether to laugh or cry because a lot of property is damaged by Hancock.

In comes Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), the good hearted loser. He is saved by Hancock from being crushed by a train in his usual destructive fashion. But Ray refuses to bash Hancock, he highlights the fact that his life was saved. Hancock delivers him home and is immediately taken by his beautiful wife and son. The wife seems to dislike him for some reason.

Ray decides to give Hancock a makeover, and tries to make him more people savvy. He gets Hancock a proper super-person suit instead of his usual shorts and shirt. He tries to teach Hancock how to get on the good side of public, damage less property, say some good lines.

The surprise comes when Hancock learns about his past.... which involves Ray's beautiful wife Mary (ahem.. Charlize Theron).

A good story, something different from the usual pat explanations that other superhero's have.

My only grouse with this movie was that it was over too soon. We cant do with a movie that gets over in an hour and a half.. I barely got time to finish my popcorn. Hancock II are you listening ??