Can anyone tell me who this lovely lady is? She was “Maa” in films from the 1950s into the 1980s.
v9y knew the answer: it is Mumtaz Begum (or Begam). If I had an Indian mother I might want it to be her!
February 24, 2008
Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya (1966)
This movie is so dreadful that I normally would throw it in the “I’ll never watch this one again on purpose” bin and not give it another thought. But it’s interesting in that it has three actors I really like generally (Dharmendra, Rehman and Nutan) and I’m sort of amazed that they would DO this film. And, it’s a perfect example of what I find hard to tolerate sometimes on my journey to watch every Hindi movie ever made (at least the ones on DVD). People often ask me what I don’t like about Hindi movies; here’s your answer.
This should have been my first clue that I would hate it, except I didn’t realize yet that by “Man” they really meant “men” and had forgotten to add “women don’t count” at the end.
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February 21, 2008
Bundal Baaz (1976)
My beloved Shammi’s second (and last) directorial venture, Bundal Baaz is a fantastical fairy tale beset by really cracktastic special effects (courtesy of Babubhai Mistry, one of the pioneers of special effects photography in Hindi cinema). It’s a goofy, fun ride, although the plot wanders quite a bit. Shammi as the genie with good intentions but poor execution shows his usual mischievous flair, and the music by RD Burman is great 1970’s funk-a-delic which complements the mayhem on screen perfectly.
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February 19, 2008
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
I love this line from Raja Sen’s review of Jodhaa Akbar on Rediff:
Aishwarya, pretty as ever, is not given much dialogue, a directing masterstroke.
Other than that, though, I have to part ways with him on this one. I’m climbing aboard the “All Hail Ashutosh Gowariker!” train.
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February 16, 2008
Milestones
This has been a week of real milestones in the Hindi movie world…
Pran celebrated his 88th birthday in style; Sanjay Dutt got married (also in style); Rajendranath passed away; and yesterday actress Manorama passed away also.
She was in a LOT of movies in her lifetime, the last being Deepa Mehta’s Water (she played Madhumati, the “head” of the widow’s ashram). Probably her best known role was as the wicked aunt in Seeta Aur Geeta.
May she also rest in peace.
February 14, 2008
RIP Rajendranath
An actor whose work I have enjoyed through many, many movies passed away yesterday at the age of 76—or as they say very beautifully in India: Rajendranath is no more.
I always thought he had the good looks to be a hero, but he was always cast in comic roles—which he did perfectly.
May he rest in peace!
As requested, additional photos:
February 12, 2008
Adhikar (1971)
After Ansoo Ban Gaye Phool, I set out to find more Deb Mukherjee films to see whether he could hold up under further scrutiny. I found this one:
Hooray! It’s 154 minutes of Trauma-Drama-O-Rama in Eastman Kodak Color. The main ingredients in this potboiler are:
- Several Big Misunderstandings
- A series of Bad Decisions
- An endless string of Coincidences
- Many Lost Opportunities
- A couple of Unnecessary Side Plots
and some very tight pants and loudly patterned shirts. If you don’t care for soap operas then you needn’t read further. You won’t like Adhikar. If you do sneak peeks at soaps on sick days and holidays…read on! But be warned: I can’t do this justice without a verrrrry long narrative and many many screen shots.
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February 7, 2008
Why Hindi movies?
Early last year, I met an Indian filmmaker. I’m a big fan of his work, and he seemed quite surprised to find an American girl who had seen his movies. During a conversation he mentioned the song “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” from the film Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. “Hmm,” I said, “that’s from Howrah Bridge, not Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi.” His jaw dropped and he stared at me, astonished.
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February 6, 2008
Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi (1966)
I was pretty happy to finally find this film on DVD since I’ve long loved OP Nayyar’s songs from it. Also it features three of my favorite people: Prithviraj Kapoor, Mumtaz and Helen. It’s beautifully shot in black and white and is very atmospheric (except for the omnipresent bright orange Time N Tune logo). The story takes some unexpected turns, the music is stunning, and overall the pace and the acting is good. But I ended up feeling that I should have liked this movie better than I actually did.
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February 4, 2008
MemsaabStory 