I’m leaving tomorrow for my first trip to India! I’ll be in Delhi, Ludhiana, Agra and maybe Amritsar too, but not Bollywood. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to see a movie being filmed. I’m taking a plane but in my heart I’m flying to India with those balloons. I’ll see you in a couple weeks blog dosto! Phir Milenge!
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
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.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It’s cold outside where I live and being in some warm weather near a swimming pool sure would be nice. All I want for Christmas is THAT pool! No chance of that, so I’ll be happy to write about it instead. I think you’ve seen this pool if you’ve watched your share of Bollywood films. It took me a while to get hipped to this pool. I like pools anyway, and the sight of them always makes me smile, so I was extra surprised to realize that this pool started showing up in a lot of Bollywood films.
When I’d see it I think “THAT pool again!” I would nominate it for best supporting background architecture if the Filmfare Awards had such a category. I will heretofore refer to the pool as THAT pool, not to be confused with The Pool. THAT pool is easily identified by the fancy arched diving platform with dual step approach. I know I’ve see THAT pool in Dil (1990) where Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit’s characters danced around it and announced their engagement. I am almost sure I saw it in Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!(1994) where Salmaan Khan dove off the cool platform into the pool and splashed around in it with a flirty girl.
So the other day while watching Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin(1977) I saw it again! I thought “THAT pool!” and got around to finally screen capping it. Here we see Kajaal Kiran grooving around the pool. Unfortunately I didn’t get a closer image of Kiran so that you could see that she’s wearing funky platform shoes, and that those pants are leather. I merely captured her groovy spirit. This is how I’d look if I found myself at THAT pool. I’d be dancing around it whipping around my scarf too.
If you have some images of the pool, I’m sorry, THAT Bollywood pool, send them this way. If you have seen it in a Bollywood film tell me which one. It would be nice to establish a filmography of THAT pool.
Many doctors view leprosy as a scourge of Biblical times or faraway places, but there are still thousands of U.S. cases, with more diagnosed each year, experts say (source)
maybe I’ll associate leprosy with the U.S. now too. This map shows that I wasn’t too wrong to associate leprosy with India. The WHO has all the latest leprosy statistics HERE.
With all the Bollywood movies I’ve seen, you’d think I would have run across a leper sooner than now, but it took Desh Premee (1982) to expose me to my first Bollywood leper, Shamila Tagore, as Bharati. Finally! And speaking of me associating Jesus and lepers, Amitabh breaks out with the most Jesus looking parts in this film. Just look at him suffering here. —————>
If that doesn’t remind you of Jesus and his crown of thorns, I don’t know what will. I know with Christmas right around the corner it’s baby Jesus time of year and not crown of thorns Jesus time, but still, I’m technically working in a Christmas theme.
Since it’s a Manmohan Desai film, I’ll save my self a lot of explaining and refer you to this SYNOPSIS. An extra bonus to the film is Shammi Kapoor playing a lovable, chunky Sikh. You can see a bit of Sikh Shammi in this number.
More and more I’m loving Kader Khan as a villian. Have you seen him in Tawaif? In Desh Premee Khan plays Sher Singh who snatchs Bharati from her freedom fighter, patriot husband (Amitabh) as part of a revenge plot. Sher Singh lusts after Bharati for years, yet she remains faithful to her husband who believes her to be dead. Bharti is repulsed by the scoundrel and tells him:
Careful what you wish for Bharati! Evil Sher Singh puts Bharati up in a filthy rat infested hovel and she comes down with leprosy. I don’t think leprosy is passed by rats, but you get the point watching the scene in her new home when a rat crawls out of a hole in a wall: Rat = dirty = bad = leprosy. As a means to depict how depraved Sher Singh is, he’s shown frolicking with trashy goris. Look! One gori is drinking, the other is smoking, while one clutches his leg. Dirty! Bad!
When I see them, I lose track of the film and am instantly plopped into reality and think stuff like, “Are these German toursists? They look German. How did they get these parts? I wonder why they were traveling in India? Are they friends?” OK, back to the film. After years Bharti returns, in the midst of Sher Singh’s debauchery. He thought she’d never come around to his advances and that this is finally his lucky day!
Then she says what he’s dreamed of hearing her say…
HA! Tricked! Take THAT Sher Singh!
Have you seen leprosy in any Bollywood movies? I would also like to include the image of another one of the bad guys from the film, just because I wanted to show the world his shirt and scarf.
OK, to end on a happy note, forget about the leprosy and check out Hema Maliniand Amitabh in blackface performing Gori Nahin Hum Kaali Sahi, with music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The playback singers are Asha Bhosle and the song’s writer, Laxmikant. This video either needs no introduction or a really big one, I can’t tell.
If you click on the video and it says embedding disabled, just click it again to get there.
Enjoy these images of the luminous and lusciouss Jayshree T..
How could I narrow down the choices? I couldn’t, so I’m posting them all.
Here is Jayshre T.’s first performance in the film at the den of sin, as evidenced by the bottle of Johnnie Walker, red label. At this point she is under the impression that she is being admired just for her dancing.
It’s really not Bollywood for me until I see that bottle of Johnnie Walker and see someone slapped in the face.
Sawan Bhadon is a campy 1970 Bollywood film reviewed cleverly and thoroughly over a The Hot Spot Online and Planet Bollybob. With the film already being so well reviewed, I’m simply here to add some screen images to show some of the fun.
Within minutes of Sawan Badon starting, we seeJayshree T.as “Dolly” grooving around at a party, representing the evil influence of the West. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a video of this song to add, but a full listing of the film’s songs along with the album cover can be found over at Music From The Third Floor.
This dancing gets her noticed by an unsavory man who is ready to exploit her.
Sawan Bhadonis teenage Rekha’s debut film. She’s oh so sassy! Oh so spicy! Click HERE to see her picturized on playback singer Asha Bhosle’sIk Dard Utha.
There’s also a wig that plays a pivotal part in the film:
Finally, Sawan Bhadon has the Bollywood staple of one actor (Navin Nischol or Naveen Nishal if you prefer) playing two roles in the same film. Is the Vinod or Vikram?
Tomorrow I will continue to avoid work, shopping, holiday preparation, and responsible living and upload to rest of the pictures I screen captured of Jayshree T. from this film. Namaste!
I told them that the God we pray to understands all languages. Hail Mary, Shabad Gurbani, Bismillah, Gayatri Mantra. We all believe in the oneness of God,and it doesn’t make a difference what language we pray in and that’s my religion. And that’s what I’ve been teaching my kids now…if they still don’t understand, then all you’ve got to say in normal philosophical goodness is that, My religion is hard work and to spread happiness.
Sometimes there’s just one song that makes a movie for me and that’s the case with “Mujhe Rang De” from Thakshak (1999). I don’t want to seem like a Tabu fanatic, so I will try and be a bit discrete and post all the screen captures I took from the movie in the miniturized gallery form. If you want to indulge your own Tabusiasm (Tabu enthusiasm), please click on the smaller gallery pictures below to get a better look at them.
Here’s the fantastic, hypnotic “Mujhe Rang De” picturized on Tabu, dancing to the choreography of Ganesh Acharya, with playback singer Asha Bhosle, and music by A. R. Rahman. I wish I could also give credit to the wonderful back up dancers, and the set and costume designers. Enjoy!
And since I am a fan of Indian talent shows and contestant Anwesha Datta Gupta, check out her version here, with one of my favorites, Shreya Ghosal, on the judging panel:
Tabu speaks very well about our relationship with Bollywood here:
With all the Bollywood movies I’ve seen, you’d think I would have run across a leper sooner than now, but it took 
Have you seen leprosy in any Bollywood movies? I would also like to include the image of another one of the bad guys from the film, just because I wanted to show the world his shirt and scarf.
Bollywood Food Club 
