Completely bonkers
It’s what we have in common
I love Shammi too
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March 21, 2008
Shammi haiku
March 15, 2008
Trivia time #17
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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December 23, 2007
Manoranjan (1974)
This movie had many things to delight me: my beloved Shammi both acting and directing (his first film as director); a veritable “Who’s Who” compendium of character actors; and a screenplay by Abrar Alvi (who wrote for such classic films as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Mr & Mrs 55, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam). It is based on (and Shammi has always credited) the Billy Wilder film Irma La Douce. The action all takes place on Manoranjan (Entertainment) Street, whose denizens are mostly pimps and kind-hearted prostitutes.
It’s a very stylish film. I loved the sets and song picturizations (songs by RD Burman)—they seem to show Vijay Anand influences, from Teesri Manzil in particular (especially the songs). The movie is also refreshingly honest about sexuality, although one of its major weaknesses is that it glosses over the pain that prostitution causes to women who are forced into it—the girls in this film seem positively happy to be prostitutes! Shammi did not direct again (only Bundal Baaz two years later), I guess because he was discouraged by the lukewarm response his films received from audiences. Too bad! I would have liked to see more from him.
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October 13, 2007
Trivia time #8
Name this character actor (shown here with Dev Anand), who appeared in hundreds of movies throughout three decades of cinema.
Sreya is our winner! He is Rashid Khan, and he is ubiquitous in 1950-1960’s movies, especially those with Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor. I would love to find out more about him/his life if anyone can help.
October 13, 2007
Preet Na Jane Reet (1966)
October 6, 2007
Dil Tera Deewana (1962)
I had three “new” Shammi Kapoor movies to watch this week.
Happy happy joy joy!
This film was made as he was reaching the height of his fame, and it is a delicious Shammi-fest indeed. Beyond his numerous charms, the movie is also blessed with a good story (although there is an inexplicable plot development involving a second Mehmood towards the end which I mostly fast-forwarded through), wonderful songs by Shankar-Jaikishan, fantastic(al) sets and solid performances from all involved.
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September 27, 2007
Mem Sahib (1956)
I was writing the answer to Trivia question #4, and was going on and on, when I realized that the film should just have a post unto itself. Mem Sahib is one of my favorite Shammi Kapoor movies—he gives a remarkably restrained and subtle performance in it, resisting the hamming that he often displayed at the height of his career. He is charming but not overbearing. And though it is early in his career (what he calls his “male starlet” days), he plays a negative character—long before Shah Rukh “broke tradition” by playing negative characters in Baazigar and Darr.
Meena Kumari is scintillating—a far cry from the teary, self-sacrificing woman I’m used to seeing “The Tragedy Queen” play. She is gorgeous and full of life, a real treat to watch. Kishore Kumar plays Sundar, a naive, sheltered and good-hearted man trying to figure out how to exist in a world completely at odds with what he is used to or expected; the film is peppered with the humor that he is so clever at.
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September 25, 2007
Trivia time #4
Well, people seem to like these little quizzes and I have to confess that I can probably keep them coming for quite a while…as long as my memory (not to mention the OCD) stays relatively stable (so no guarantees).
Here’s another Shammi-related question: In which of his early movies did he play a bad guy who loses the girl in the end (bonus points if you know who the hero was)?
The answer is: Mem Sahib (1956)
September 21, 2007
Trivia time #3
Since I am still one-armed, screen shots are easier to post than words.
so…in what film did Shashi Kapoor do a nautch-girl number?
how about his brother Shammi (this is basically a freebie)?
Kaddele is today’s winner with the correct answer of Shankar Dada for Shashi and Bluffmaster for Shammi…and she gets bonus points (which are sadly worthless) for her info on Haseena Maan Jayegi—which I will look for immediately!
MemsaabStory 