This gem comes from Love In Simla and is the kind of thing that would happen were I subtitling an English film into Hindi.
August 9, 2008
Maha Chor (1976)
I never did figure out if this was an intentional parody of filmi cliches, or if it was just bad. Maybe it was a badly done parody. In any case—it was bad. The story was ridiculous with gaping plot holes, too many suspension-of-disbelief requirements, and loose ends left hanging all over the place. These things alone are not a dealbreaker; but together *shakes head*…I’m not even going to try and do a synopsis.
However, there were some good things about it. This is one reason why I love Hindi movies. You can almost always find something to appreciate!
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August 6, 2008
Apna Desh (1972)
I am feeling the love for Rajesh Khanna (especially paired with Mumtaz) here these days. Better late than never! Apna Desh is total paisa vasool, as well. It’s two distinctly different but equally good films for the price (and viewing time) of one! The first is a solid social drama about corruption with a bit of romance thrown in; the second a totally crack-tastic masala film complete with disguises, blackface, fabulous outfits and sets, and two of RD Burman’s (and Asha Bhosle’s) most glorious songs.
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August 5, 2008
Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966)
August 4, 2008
Do Raaste (1969)
I love films that give insight into the issues and concerns of the time during which it was made. This is one of them, where a family is ripped apart when its members are caught between old traditions and burgeoning foreign influences.
Although Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz are nominally the hero and heroine, the film really belongs to the whole ensemble cast. Above all, Balraj Sahni shows why he is considered one of the great actors in Hindi cinema and Veena shines as the family matriarch.
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August 3, 2008
Trivia time #29
August 3, 2008
More Gemma haiku
August 1, 2008
Hinglish
I do so love the nuances of language. From Hindi films, traveling in India, and my Indian friends and colleagues, I have learned some great expressions which either don’t exist or are seldom if ever used in English (at least American English). These are some of my favorites.
My favorite favorite. How did I ever live without it?
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July 30, 2008
A treasure!
I fortuitously stumbled across this blog while looking for old film images: Papa Ajoba.
It is a fantastic site written by Anuja Ghosalkar, the granddaughter of Ram Tipnis (whom she calls Papa Ajoba, meaning father-grandfather in Marathi). She is chronicling his stories from years of working as a makeup artist in the film industry (he began working in the 1940s). There are also audio interviews with him posted (sadly for me in Marathi and Hindi, but some of you will understand) along with photos and some video. He has a phenomenal memory.
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July 29, 2008
MemsaabStory 
