Ditto! Mere Mehboob! R.I.P. my Bollywood lovin’ billi.

I put my beloved cat, Ditto, to sleep today. She was approximately 16.4 years old and lived a great life! In fact she probably lead a life more comfortable than most people in the world are able live. I have never been present when a pet has been put to sleep until today, and was [...]

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My cyber evening with Amitabh.

Here I sit, wishing I were in L.A. attending this evening’s The Unforgettable Tour! But I’ve been told by posters to this site, jen (start a blog girl!) and theBollywoodFan, that they’ve taken me along to the show in spirit, so I feel good. I’m happily checking my blog statistics and spy that there are some incoming hits [...]

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“Dil Hoom Hoom Kare” from Rudaali (1993) & Amjad Khan’s last role

I watched a parallel cinema film from 1993 last night directed by Kalpana Lazmi called Rudaali.  Like parallel cinema is supposed to do, it dealt with a serious topic: professional mourners, known as Rudaali in Hindi. I was happy to hear great music by both Lata and Asha throughout the movie, a feature not always present in the parallel cinema.  I had a whole stack [...]

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Indian Drag Queens, Gulabi Aaina, and “In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke” from Umrao Jaan (1981)

I have been fooled by official looking film festival palm leaf logos before. Haven’t you?  Those palms make something look legitimate and award worthy. So when a friend sent me Gulabi Aaina (2003) and I saw those leaves on the DVD I thought it would be great.  It’s a movie about drag queens who perform some Bollywood hits.  [...]

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Bollywood Bewaafa! Bollywood, I’ve been unfaithful…

Bollywood Bewaafa!
Bollywood, I’ve been unfaithful. Please allow me to explain. Maybe it’s because it’s spring, and sometimes that’s the season when hearts wander, but I’ve been back to my old self, sampling the world and enjoying it. Yet still I keep getting reminded of you and all the great times we’ve had. I’ve cheated on [...]

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Video of the Day: “Hoton Pe Aisi Baat” from Jewel Thief (1967)

It’s been a Jewel Thief  week. 3 videos featuring 3 of the women stars have been featured earlier this week. 

First it was “Rula Ke gaya Sapna Mera,” featuring Vyjayanthimala
Next was “Raat Akeli Hai,” picturised on Tanuja 
Then it was Helen, in “Baithe Hain Kya Usike Paas”

I asked which of the women was the best match the jewel thief, Dev Anand: super [...]

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Video of the Day: “Baithe Hain Kya Usike Paas” from Jewel Thief (1967)

If the last 2 numbers featured from Jewel Thief (1967) I posted here don’t make you want to see the movie, this one will. Two days back there was the heartfelt “Rula Ke gaya Sapna Mera,” then there was the upbeat “Raat Akeli Hai.” I posed the question about who you think Dev Anand, the [...]

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Video of the Day: “Raat Akeli Hai” from Jewel Thief (1967)

Yesterday’s video was also from Jewel Thief (1967). Today I was inspired by Shweta who commented about yesterday’s sad scene featuring a tearful Vyjayanthimala:
“Vayjanti bores me to tears (by her tears) in this one-Dev actually had the option of going out with Tanuja in the movie, who is far more cheerful and peppy- and he [...]

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Video of the day: “Dum Maro Dum” from Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971) and my thoughts on those glasses

Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971) tackles lots of evils floating over from Montreal to Kathmandu: drugs, short skirts, hippies, smoking, drinking and the effects of divorce. I prefer the Hindi word for divorce: talak! Sounds so much more harsh and final than the word divorce. Say it: Talak! Doesn’t that sound more like divorce than [...]

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Video of the Day: “Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka” from Naya Daur (1957)

Dosto! Sometimes I love a movie so much that I could post so many screen images and videos from it that it would amount to having you see the entire movie. Such is the case with Naya Daur (1957). Just look at these swell images and I know you will understand my excitement:

With images this [...]

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