To Rome with Love and Arbitrage

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.

It is a very good film worth watching.

Rishi Kapoor - Kuch Chocolatey ho jai

In the year 1973 I was living in Bangalore.  There was a huge house right next my friend Aruna's house that belonged to a film distributor.  He had put up a large poster of a young teenage couple in a clinch with the name of the film 'Bobby' written across.

Shortly after, Aruna and I went to see the movie first day first show.  Needless to say, I fell in love with the movie and the lead couple, Dimple and Rishi.  In those days, if you liked a movie well enough, you just went and saw it again.  I think I saw the movie 2 more times right then.  I knew the scenes by heart, and wrote down the lyrics of all its songs in a notebook.



Dimple went and married Rajesh Khanna and left movies and Rishi high and dry.  For a while poor Rishi tried to find his feet until he hit jackpot with Rafoo Chakker.  Believe it or not I did not see Rafoo Chakkar and Khel Khel Mein, the movies that established his lifelong jodi with Neetu Singh.  I did see Laila Majnu and loved the movie, the songs, Rishi and Ranjeeta.



I saw Ham Kisi se Kam Nahi, Kabhi Kabhie and Doosra Admi.  All wonderful movies with loads of romance, songs and dances.  I liked Doosra Aadmi for its bold theme and simply great acting by Rishi, Rakhee and Neetu.



He was stylish in Karz, rustic in Sargam, and back with Dimple in Saagar.



Ek Chadar Maili Si saw him paired with Poonam Dhillon and Hema.  It was based on the custom in Punjab of marrying off a widowed daughter-in-law with the younger son to make sure that she was looked after well.  It was a difficult role but Rishi and Hema did full justice to it.

Shriman Ashique was a sort of a remake of Shagird, a fun filled film starring Rishi and Urmila Matondkar. Henna was another beautiful film, with a plausible story on Indo-Pak love story.



With Deewana Rishi handed over the baton of the young romantic lead to Shahrukh Khan.  He lingered in the hero mode for a while after this, but things were ending for him soon.



 Not being the first lead has actually improved Rishi's performances.  He works excellently in character roles.  He has been lucky to get some really meaty roles in movies like Chintuji, Do Dooni Chaar, Fanaa, Hum tum, and my favorite - Luck by Chance.

I have picked some random movies from his vast repertoire.  There are several songs and films of his that are more famous or perhaps more worthy of mention, but I have picked the ones that struck me at the particular time.  These are the movies I have seen and liked.

September 4 is Rishi Kapoor's birthday.  Happy birthday Rishi!  You have been a part of my growing up years. 

A site for Punjabi folk songs

Apropos of nothing, a few days back, I was reminded of a beautiful song sung by Surinder Kaur and went to the mecca of music lovers, the YouTube in search of it. "Ehna akhiyan ch pawan kiven kajla ve". The beautiful words of the song seared my heart.  Now I wanted to read the lyrics too, to get a better feel of the song.  

This time round, Google baba came to my help.  It led me to this beautiful site which has lyrics of most of the classic Indian and Pakistani Punjabi songs. http://folkpunjab.com/surinder-kaur/ehna-akhiyan-ch-pavan-kiven-kajla/

The index lists writers like Baba Farid to Shiv Kumar Batalvi, a veritable bouquet of singers like Alam Lohar, Farida Khanum, Bhupinder to Surinder Shinda.  If you are an afficionado of Punjabi songs, this is your go-to site.

Back to the song I loved so much.  The soulful lyrics are by Shiv Kumar Batalvi, and the song is sung by Surinder Kaur.  There can be no words to describe Surinder Kaur, this singer has brought to life so many folk songs of Punjab, and also created new ones.  Her beautiful voice is always a pleasure to listen to.

Shiv Kumar Batalvi has given us so many lovely songs and poems full of mighty metaphors.  He usually speaks of love, longing and separation, and how!

Here I have attempted to translate the song for the benefit of non-Punjabis.

Listen to the song on YouTube, or better, on the link given above.

Ehna akhiyan ch pavaN kiveN kajla

AkhiaN ch tooN wasda

How can I line my eyes with kohl,

when you live in my eyes

Har vele channa mera tere wall munh ve

BulliaN ch naaN tera, akhiaN ch toon ve

JadoN hassdi bhuleka menoN painda ve

HasiaN ch tooN hassda

I look at you all the time

your name is always on my lips, you live in my eyes

when I laugh, I feel as if

you smile through my laughter

Ehna akhiyan ch pavaN kiveN kajla

AkhiaN ch tooN wasda…

How can I line my eyes with kohl,

when you live in my eyes

LammiN si wataN channa, neede neede aaya tooN

Akhian de raheeN aa ke, dil ch samaya tooN

JadoN puchni aaN pyar diaN gallaN ve

Holi holi tooN dassda

You were far away, yet you came close to me

through my eyes, you came into my heart

when I ask you tell me of love

you speak to me softly

Ehna akhiyan ch pavaN kiveN kajla

AkhiaN ch tooN wasda…

How can I line my eyes with kohl,

when you live in my eyes

MassaN massaN jindadi main pyar vich rangi ve

Ajj menoN japda main tere naal mangi ve

Ajj khushiN da ho gaya savera ve

Ghum saathoN door nassda

I have barely now managed to color my life with love

Today I feel as if I was made for you

my happiness has seen its dawn today

sorrows run far from me today

Ehna akhiyan ch pavaN kiveN kajla

AkhiaN ch tooN wasda… 

How can I line my eyes with kohl,

when you live in my eyes

Bawarchi -

“Squabbling Sharma family has a dubious reputation of not having any cook last there for more than a few months. Word spreads out about this family to such an extent that no person wants to be employed as a cook in this household, ironically named Shanti Nivas. Then one day a young man named Raghu offers to work as a cook, and he is hired. Raghu quickly gets a grip on his job and on each of the family members, and soon the squabbles and arguments come to an end. And then the Sharmas find the family jewels and Raghu missing. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)   “ www.imdb.com


This is how the plot of the 1972 film Bawarchi is described on IMDB.  


The recent death of Rajesh Khanna has people talking about many of his films, Aradhana, Namak Haram, Anand, Do Raste and many others.  Everyone wanted to point out how well he managed his emotional and romantic scenes, how well he performed while ‘singing’ songs on screen, how great his dialogue delivery was.  All course, these are all the superlative qualities of the much loved superstar, and deserve to be highlighted.


I felt a little sad about the unwitting neglect of a lovely movie that Rajesh Khanna starred in, at the height of his stardom.  This is the kind of a movie a superstar would usually hesitate to do.  He is the central character in the movie, to be sure.  In fact he is almost ‘god-like’ here, a perfect man who has a solution to every problem.  The problem is, he is not ‘star-like’; that is to say,  he gets no girl, sings no romantic songs and fights no villains.  Yet the movie is a beautiful gem.


Rajesh Khanna as Raghu the bawarchi, fixes all that needs to be fixed in a joint family that is beset with jealousies, quarrels, selfishness and NEGLECT. The people who live in the house neglect the old and the helpless, the old man Shivnath (Harindranath Chattopadhyay) and the young orphan Krishna (Jaya Bhaduri).  They neglect their own duties, simple tasks like cleaning and cooking.  They neglect to respect each other.  Their neglect is turning ‘Shanti Niwas’ into ‘Ashanti Niwas’.  Raghu knows each member of the family very well, and seems to know exactly how to deal with them.


One scene in the movie stands out in my mind, the only one that I am going to discuss here.  On the first day of Raghu's employment, he finds that the floor outside the kitchen is slippery.  All morning the members of the family have been slipping on it, and cursing loudly every time they do.  Raghu asks for a scrubber and some other thing that he claims will be enough to clean it for good. The people of the family are aghast when he offers to clean the floor.  For them cleaning is to be done by minions, not by ‘Kings’ or ‘Queens’ of the household, not even by the high caste bawarchies.  But Raghu says ‘This is my house, why should I be ashamed of cleaning it’  He gets a scraper, and cleans the slippery floor in no time.  This was the best lesson of all in this movie replete with allegorical allusions and homilies.  If there is something that can be fixed with a quick action by you, just do it.

In playing out the floor scrubbing scene, in a way, Rajesh Khanna also displayed his own attitude to acting.  “If there a role that is worth doing, I don't mind stripping myself of my starry trappings to do it”, this is what he seems to be saying.


Rajesh Khanna played Raghu with the same dedication with which he played Flt Lt. Arun and Suraj that brought him such fame.  In this movie he wears a pair of brown shorts and a shirt, like a simple bawarchi, yet his wonderful acting makes him look just as lovable as Arun in his dapper pilot’s uniform.  It is laudable that Rajesh chose to act in this ‘un-star’ like movie at the peak of his career.
The movie is a subtle indictment of people who are willing to carp about issues, but not lend a hand, or do anything constructive for the state that their own homes, their community, their city, and their nation is in.  They would rather 'slip' repeatedly in muck and loudly blame others than clean it up themselves. The movie deserves to be seen again and again, and understood fully, and its simple lessons followed.

Here is a song full of pathos sung by Manna Dey and lip-synched to by Rajesh to such great effect in this movie.

Men Singing Praises of their beloved

When I was very little, it was hard to escape the radio.  If we did not have the radio on, some obliging neighbour always had theirs on, and at a volume high enough for the whole mohalla to hear.  AIR started at 6 AM with this tune and Vande Mataram



The first song of the day was invariably by KL Saigal, as a tribute to that matchless singer.  Hence I will also start my list of (mostly) solo songs by men praising the beauty of their beloved with a song by K L Saigal.


1. Your two naughty eyes are wrecking havoc on me



If men don't know this already, they might as well commit harakiri.  The way to unlock the door to a girl's heart is flattery.  Why do women dress well?  Why does the cosmetics industry thrive? Why are the papers full of adverts for anything from losing pounds to losing wrinkles?  Take some tips from the following (and one preceeding) songs and learn how to  praise your lady love.


2. How can I find a similie for your beauty?




Yummy yummy Dev and Asha lavish praises on each other.  This is the only duet I have on my list, but I HAD to sneak Dev in.  He's my favorite.
3. These Eyes! Uff yumma



This song was such a rage at one time.  The simple and direct lyrics are very effective.

4. May no one cast an evil eye on your pretty face

Sadhna was so beautiful, so comely, so elegant.  No wonder Rajendra Kumar was all over her... in this song.

5. Oh queen of flowers, Oh empress of spring!


The next two songs have the best serenader in the history of Indian Cinema, Shammi Kapoor.  Like an aasman se bheja hua farishta, he lavishes praise on Kashmir ki Kali Sharmila in the next two songs.  I could not possibly have left either of these out of this list.

6. By God, your pretty face.


7. Your face is bright like the moon:


My favorite glamour girl - Babita - preens while Bishwajeet prances all around her singing this divine song.  It seems like he is praising her make-up more than the girl's beauty, maybe he was trying to pick up tips.  Ankhon me qayamat ke kajal, hoton pe ghazab ki laali hai. (your kohl is deadly, your lipstick is awesome red).  The song is from the movie Kismet.

8. Your kohl is deadly, your lipstick is awesome red.


In Dharti, Rajendra Kumar again tries to cosy up with his girl (Waheeda) by saying she is prettier than an angel and even God is awestruck by her beauty.  (Thanks Raja for correcting me on this)

9. Even God wonders who created my beloved when he peeps down from the skies:


Oh I love this song, and always found Rajshree very sexy.  Biswajeet singing for a dripping Rajshree in Shehnai.

10. Don't let the pearls of water in your hair scatter:



This is the superhit song that made Rajesh and Mumtaz India's sweethearts.

11.  These silken tresses, these syrupy eyes - they are what we all live for.


Back to Babita who soaks in a lotus pond while Jeetendra sings cautiously by the edge.

12. Oh dear, your fair body is like a blooming rose:


Sanjeev Kumar romances Nazima in this uber favorite song of mine.

13.  Oh your smile! Its like a ray of sunshine in the dark:


Shammi again in a b/w song, look at his face when he says 'bemisal'.  He puts so much feeling into this song.

14.  Oh you life of Spring, your beauty is matchless:



Rajesh again, chasing  Nanda all over the park.  I am guessing the children were away at school.  I can listen to this song anytime.

15. When I saw your rosy eyes, my heart was intoxicated

Mela songs - Mere wala favorite

The urban mela (fair) is blatantly commercial and is put up with the intent of the stall-keepers making the maximum profit.  When I was younger, and lived in a small town (Jamnagar) the sole Janmasthami Mela was more for the local craftsmen.  There were food stalls and several small merry-go-rounds and wheels for rides.  We walked about in dust, admiring the show, stopping to buy a bauble or a toy.  The fair ended at the gates of the Krishna Temple.  There were no dacoits or female dancers around, maybe just a few impoverished pickpockets looking for a salary hike.  The only romantic encounter I had was when my heart beat fast as I watched the object of my affection (then) walk by.  But our movies provide a lot of masala in shape of lovely songs and dances in the center of a mela.  Here go some of my favorites.

Bikaner ki chunri odhe - Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye :

Jayashree T dances to this peppy song in a lovely colourful petticoat.  I have not seen the movie, but she is apparently distracting the villagers while her gang members are setting something up while she boasts of wearing the best India has to offer in clothes and accessories.



Pyara hindola mera - Us Paar

Moushami Chatterji sings this cute song as Jalal Agha and Vinod Mehra stand by.  She sings about her lovely 'hindola' a merry-go-round while the two smitten men look on.




Hai sharmaon kis kis ko bataon - Mera Gaon Mera Desh :

Laxmi Chhaya sings this beautiful song,  through which she drops hints to the police (and more importantly - Dharmendra) about the whereabouts of the dreaded dacoit Vinod Khanna.



Le de Saiyyan odhni - Pavitra Paapi

Tanuja, Parikshat Sahni and Neetu Singh watch delightedly as Madhumati dons a red ensemble and dances to this lovely song.  Madhumati begs her beloved to buy her a pretty sparkly odhni while he promises to sell everything he has, just to see dance.



Jhumka Gira Re - Mera Saaya

Sadhna distracts the villagers while her gang-mates go about robbing the crowds transfixed by her jhumka woes. Sadhna apparently has naughty reasons for having lost her earring.



Sajna sajna O sajna -  Ek Phool Do Maali

Sadhna again, this time she sings unabashedly of her love looking pointedly at Sanjay Khan.  There are no pickpocket mates around looting the onlookers.  Just a girl telling a boy she likes him.



Ja re ja o harjai - Kalicharan

Reena Roy makes eyes at an unkempt Shatrughan Sinha in an attempt to let him know that she is 'willing'.  Such a melodious song and Reena looks so lovely!



Tu raat khadi thi chat pe - Himalaya ki God Me

This is one of the two songs on my list where the hero also jumps into the fray.   Manoj Kumar woos the girl, Mala Sinha with fulsome praise while she pretends to rebuff him.



Hai re Hai - Kashmir ki Kali

Shammi rocks a bhangra get up of a shocking pink lungi with a white kurta and sings about his feelings, his lady love Sharmila lets down her guard and lets him know she loves him too.



Ni me yaar manana ni - Daag

Padma Khanna and an unknown dancer do the honors in this scintillating song while Sharmila, Rajesh Khanna and Rakhee watch.  The song is about a woman who wants to wrest her beloved away from her rivals.  I don't know the name of the singer who accompanies Lata in this song - she is so good.



Chadh gayo papi bichua - Madhumati

Here is an oldie (thank god there are songs that are older than I).  Vyjayantimala uses the folk euphemism of 'bichua' for love, while Dilip Kumar enjoys her unique way of admitting her love for him.




I am sure there are many more 'Mela' songs out there, but I adore these and can listen to them all the time.  In these songs the women are unabashed about expressing their sexuality and flaunting themselves (except Maushami Chatterji in Us Paar - who is just being cute).

Sidey bhi kabhi hero tha

We associate Sujit Kumar more with roles where he was invariably the good friend of the hero, stepping in at right times to push the story forward.  Most notable example, Aradhna.  He was there at the begining of the movie, sitting beside the hero, playing the mouth-organ and driving, while the hero flirts with the girl in the train.  Oh yes, the iconic song, 'Mere sapno ki rani'.  He was there at the end of the story to call out an anguished 'Bhabhi' at the sight of a widowed Sharmila, and help tie the loose ends.

I was song hopping on You Tube an hour ago when I came across a lovely Rafi song, 'Haseen Vadiyon' from Lal Bangla.  I was amused to see our favorite sidekick of the late 60s and 70s Sujit Kumar gamely dancing on the slopes of Kashmir (I am quite sure its Kashmir) with the heroine (Jayanti) simpering beside him.  In fact, he dances more than the girl, and, as the saying goes, dances like no one is watching.  Do click on the link to watch the song on You Tube.  Embedding has been disabled, sigh.



Found an embedable version.  Hope it works.