What to do when you’re missing Amitabh in Chicago? Watch Abhimaan (1973)

You may be wondering like I am, “Sita-ji, why aren’t you in Chicago tonight enjoying Amitabh and everyone else in The Unforgettable Tour?” You see there was a time not too long ago when one could fly from Minneapolis (blog headquarters) to Chicago for $100 or $200 round trip. Now with the poor economy, the [...]

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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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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: “Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera” from Jewel Thief (1967)

It’s possible for me to love the costumes, characters, sets, and music of a film, without actually loving the film. That’s what happened to me with Jewel Thief (1967). What a such a stylish movie! It’s nonstop eye candy. Philip’sFil-ums has a compact, but power packed synopsis of the film here.
Jewel Thief is a 1967 Indian [...]

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Video of the Day: “Haan Ji Haan Maine Sharaab Pi Hai” from Seeta Aur Geeta (1972)

Like Nandini described in yesterday’s post, I’ve also had a blockbuster week of watching Bollywood movies. In the past week I’ve seen, Debshishu, King Uncle, Haathi Mere Saathi, Amar Akbar Anthony, Cheeni Kum, Guide, Seeta aur Geeta, and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. It’s a rather bizarre mix of flicks. I’m drunk on this Bollywood binge, [...]

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Video of the Day: “Koi Ladki Hai” with Madhuri Dixit and Sharukh Khar from Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)

“Koi Ladki Hai”  with playback singers– Lata Mangeshkar, and Udit Narayan from Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)

Lyrics in Hindi and English
 
Dil To Pagal Hai 
(Hindi: दिल तो पागल है, Urdu: دل تو پاگل ہے, translation: The Heart Is Crazy) is a Bollywood comedy/drama, released October 31, 1997, depicting the love-lives of dancers in a musical dance troupe.
 It was [...]

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Video of the Day: Vyjayanthimala in Devdas, 1955 vs. Madhuri Dixit in Devdas, 2002

Let’s look at the Chandramukhi character from Devdas, 1955, and Devdas , 2002.
The 1955 version stars:
Dilip Kumar as Devdas
Vyjayanthimala as Chandramukhi
Motilal as Chunni Babu
Suchitra Sen as Parvati (Paro)
The 2002 version stars:
Shahrukh Khan: Devdas Mukherjee
Aishwarya Rai: Parvati “Paro”
Madhuri Dixit: Chandramukhi
Jackie Shroff: Chunnilal (”Chunnibabu” Childhood sweethearts, Devdas (Dilip Kumar) and Parvati or Paro (Suchitra Sen) grow up in [...]

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Video of the Day: “Mehndi Lagake Rakhna” - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, also known as DDLJ (translation: Those with a Heart Will Take the Bride) is an Indian film which premiered on October 19, 1995 and was released nationwide on October 20, 1995. The film was made by Aditya Chopra, and stars Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, and Amrish Puri. As of April 2007, the [...]

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