In this magic season of Christmas I was visited by Amitabh Bachchan in a dream. Maybe it’s because I’d recently seen him in Desh Premee (1982), where he looked like Jesus and it’s Jesus’ season. Maybe it’s that buzz around the Bollywood Blogosphere about a possible North American Bollywood Bloggers trying to get together sometime in the future. But do I really need an excuse from my delicate reality to justify this dream? NAHIN!
THE dream: I was in some hotel room in an American city, on a floor with a view of a downtown evening skyline. The hotel room and Amitabh were like these pictured; current, hip, and urban. In the room were bollywood bloggers extraordinaire, theBollywoodFan, Memsaab, and blog poster, Jen. We were sitting around talking film, philosophy, and current affairs with Amit-ji. We weren’t star struck, just talkin’ with our filmy friend, 
who was warm and chatty. Then Mr. Bachchan had to leave and as he exited, I thought it was finally safe to act silly, so I started singing Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, the title track from the film. I was trying to be funny, since it translates to Never Say Good Bye. I didn’t think Amitabh could hear, but he peeped his head back in and then left, listening to me sing:
Tumko bhi, hai khabar, Mujhko bhi hai pataa
you and I know
Ho raha, hai juda, donon ka, raasta
that our paths are separating
Door jaake bhi mujhse, tum meri yaadon mein rehna
you’ll live in my memories even after you’re gone
Kabhi Alvida na Kehna
never say goodbye
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
So enjoy today’s video, KANK, inspired from the movies into my dreamworld and back to reality. The music is by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy & the playback singers are Sonu Nigam & Alka Yagnik. It’s picturized on some people yet to appear to me in a dream: Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta & Abhishek Bachchan.
LYRICS with English translation
If you’d like a MORE dramatic intro. to the movie, and understand I’m saying MORE dramatic even in Bollywood terms, try this link, but I’m warning you, be careful!
I suppose this means I have to take a good look at my life and make sure it’s properly balanced with adequate doses of reality and not too much film. Have you had a dream where you were hanging out with one of your Bollywood favorites? Do tell dosto.
Aw, I’m glad I was there too
I’ve hung out with Shah Rukh and Gauri, and Sanjay Dutt (he helped me look for Gemma recently when I had lost her) in my dreams, and we’re always just good buddies hanging out and talking. So funny.
I guess it just means we think of them as our buddies. That’s not a bad thing!
memsaab,
What did you do with Gauri and SRK? Were you all at Mannat? Of course Sanjay would help find a lost dog. I wish for you this Christmas a dream of Ranjeet, the hot villain. 
I’m glad you were there too.
oh wow
Such a fun dream!
oh and merry xmas Sitaji!
Thanks shweta, same to you. And I think you were in the dream too in spirit. In fact I know you were.
Dearest Sita-ji, our other blog pals, and my fellow hotel mates memsaab and TheBollywoodFan (I’m guessing you got my silly postcard in honor of your day?!)! What a fantastic posting – and SNOW, too! Must be in honor of all of ours melting out here in Seattle!
Anyway, Sita-ji your dream is so fantastic, and yes, I suppose it goes without saying that Amitji has been in a couple of very significant dreams of mine… what it is they say, “we’re just good friends” or something along those lines! And certainly true to form within the more conservative Indian Film Industry, in my dreams that was the truth, even without the requisite rain-soaked sari scenes. Now go ahead and call my therapist about these two dreams, but even though it was Amitabh with me in body, it wasn’t him in essence, and I could tell by how we interacted that it was my (very much older) “boy”friend from real life with whom I had a much more than “just good friends” relationship, and who passed away 8 years ago. So those dreams w/Amit have been quite powerful and poignant. The hotel dream sounds like it was truly THE Big B and not some kind of Jungian archetype for me – after all, it was YOUR dream, Sita-ji!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and ALL THE BEST to all of the wonderful folks who share our little corner of cyberspace!
p.s. Sita-ji, I guess you could link me to my faculty bio @ the University of Puget Sound (http://www.ups.edu/x3415.xml)…
Such a cute post sita-ji. Merry Christmas!
My apologies for being super late with this, but did I perform a little skit beginning with ‘the three most beautiful women in the world’, followed by Shava Shava?!
I think you will enjoy this article on ‘Bachchanalia’. Look who was the guest of honor!!! Amazon doesn’t seem to have it, but since you are in India, be on the lookout!
Jen-ji, I did get the wonderful postcard, thank you! I reckon my e-mail didn’t make it. Now what are the odds of *that* happening, LOL…
Cheers!
I like Big fans of Bigb. You are my favourate.
Adab theBollywoodFan-ji,
LOL. Sorry I didn’t get to find ‘Bachchanalia’ but thanks for the link and the tip. One day I will find it! While in India I got a call from Jen, but I couldn’t retrive the message until back in the U.S. even though my phone was capable of working there, it did not cooperate. We had similiar schedules in India for a while, but she was always a day ahead of me. We had fantasized about meeting each other, running from different ends of a mustard field towards each other.
dragg,
Thanks for your visit. Me too!