What a sweet film! When I accidentally deleted my notes (sigh) after seeing it the first time, I watched it over again near-immediately without any decrease in enjoyment. This script feels unusually thoroughly crafted, perhaps because it was adapted from P. L. Deshpande’s play Sunder Mi Honar. (Though my Marathi Googling skills were insufficient to
Aaj Aur Kal (1963) Read More »
ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming platform for South Asian content, is all set to end the year on a delightful note as it unveiled a power-packed content slate of 10 big-ticket originals along with much-awaited movies for the global Bengali diaspora starting 2023. Expanding its premium content offerings, ZEE5 Global confirmed that it will eventually release a
Readers will be unsurprised to learn that Rekha’s birthday is something of an annual holiday in my household. Elaan was the entertainment on offer during this past year’s festivities. I found it a freewheeling, pleasantly louche delight for the senses—untidy, perhaps, but supremely enjoyable. Though it drags in the middle, to complain about such a
Elaan (1971) – Rekha’s Sousaphone Read More »
Feuding families opposed to love birds is one of Bollywood’s oldest and most minted formulas. There are multiple Romeo Juliet-inspired stories of love blossoming between the wards of sworn enemies, young lovers rebelling against parental opposition, or jumping hoops to convince them. Here are some the most well-known films about defiant lovers and their warring
Bollywood and ‘mohabbat ke dushman gharwaale’ trope – Flashback Bollywood Read More »
A ’70s Hindi film called Do Bachche Dus Haath with a poster that looks like this, and a ‘For the first time, Junior Mehmood as James Bond’ sales pitch. What do you do? Watch it, of course. Its kitschiness and kookiness aside, the film makes an impression for a whole different reason altogether. But more
Of James Bond and other vintage foreign spy films – Flashback Bollywood Read More »
Bandie seems to have been the last in a trio of bilingual films that, starting with Amanush (1975), were meant to promote Uttam Kumar as a Hindi film hero. Compared to Amanush or to Anand Ashram (1977), it’s a much more earnest attempt to transplant a Bengali star into the narrative and stylistic world of
Bandie (1978) – Rekha’s Sousaphone Read More »
Ujala is constructed on the model of the classic ’50s social film a la Shree 420 or Jagte Raho. Unfortunately—aside from the fundamental disgrace of marooning Shammi Kapoor in what clearly wants to be a Raj Kapoor movie—it lacks both the heart and the political heft that lend such films their capacity to move. Left
Ujala (1959) – Rekha’s Sousaphone Read More »
Apart from the Three Aces that emblematize its resident den of sin, Aarop reveals its cards exceedingly slowly. It took some faith to make it to the end. The first half is undoubtedly enjoyable, both in its development of the various romance tracks and in the glamorous fun to be had with Bindu’s character. After
Aarop (1974) – Rekha’s Sousaphone Read More »
Asha Bhosle (Born on 8th Sep 1933) made her Hindi film debut when she sang the song “Saawan Aaya” for Hansraj Behl‘s Chunariya (1948) but before that she sang her first film song ‘”Chala Chala Nav Bala” for the Marathi film Majha Bal (1943). She had sung over 12,000 songs, she was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded
Asha Bhonsle- The World’s Most Recorded Artist. Read More »
I watched ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994) probably about twenty years ago. It was one of the films that were part of my initiation into Hollywood movies. I was deeply impressed with the concept of a man’s journey in life, through the changing scenes of American history. Many years later, Karan Johar made a film called ‘My
‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ (2022) Review – The Cinemawala Read More »
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