FilmiBoi

Sholay , through the years, has become a cult classic as it had a historic run in cinemas across India. Running for 5 long years in a Mumbai theatre was some record back in the 70s. Typically, it had all the ingredients of a masala flick - a grand ensemble cast, rugged, dry terrains, catchy (understatement), memorable dialogues and some great music. But  the thing  for which Sholay is remembered is  Gabbar Singh, the dacoit of the fictional town of Ramgarh. And Gabbar isn’t the sole merit of the legendary Amjad Khan. Of course, he played his role flawlessly but then mere acting isn’t the treat for the audiences especially for Bollywood talkies fanatics (like me). We all look for dialogues, power-packed ones. And at that time, the dialogues et al were written by the most talked-about writers of the early 70s, “Salim-Javed”. This duo gave us some unforgettable characters and yes, Gabbar tops the list. The sadistic humour which is exhibited in Gabbar’s views creates a stir ...

Bollywood soundtracks are special. Like any other genre of music, filmi music can be heard in isolation, but watching the film beforehand can make a perceptible difference. This act increments the position of a Bollywood song from being a film-promoter to being an aural bioscope. It either speaks for the film by providing cadence to the camera and gravitas to the plot or provides an escapist outlet to intense cinema. Simply put, it serves two purposes: it either acts as a catalyst to move the story forward, or serves as a momentary detour from a grim or overwhelming film. Here, I analyse Bollywood music through this binary.  Bollywood music as a continuum catalyst: moving the plot forward As continuum catalysts, songs add a bardic and theatrical touch to the film. Lyrical ballads and nervy orchestrations substitute and complement dialogues and emotions on-screen. From classics like Mother India and Pyaasa to the relatively recent Shakespearan trilogy helmed by Vishal Bharadwaj, t...

Cricket went for a wicket this weekend. You still got the 'blues'? Fear not. Here's a Bollywood movie binge-list to get going, while the going gets tough. We won't tell you much about the story. Here go the famous five: Lagaan (2001) A tax and attacks force Bhuvan's 11 to take on ruthless Russel under the loving guidance of a gori memsahib. Iqbal (2005) A deaf and mute boy, a drunkard coach and Ranji; any avid cinegoer would spot the clichés in the plot. But watch it for the performances, and "Aashayen" (try to get that song out of your head). Chain Kulii ki Main Kulii (2007) Watch how Karan, an orphan, goes on for a heroic stint in the Indian cricket team with the help of Varun bhaiyya and the "magic bat". It's just Iqbal, except that everyone speaks. Ferrari ki Sawaari (2012) Raju Rastogi from 3 Idiots is a father now. He is poor, naive and honest: the concoction of invalids in today's fast-paced ...

Tired of reading the monotonic English reviews and analyses of Hindi films? Why not read them straight in Hindi? Find the prospect fun? Read the FilmiBoi blog in Hindi too!  howdafilminhin.blogspot.com  Hope you enjoy reading my analyses in Hindi too! Take care! FilmiBoi.

"Papa kehte hain bada naam karega!" -Debutant Aamir Khan singing in  Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak " Mere hisaab se, agar is desh ke baap nahi sudhrenge, ye desh nahi sudhrega!" - Aamir Khan, six years later, in  Andaz Apna Apna. In transit from the masala genre to the romance genre, Bollywood saw crestfallen  dadas  and grandiose dads (in negative roles); and why not, charity and villainy, both begin at home. The masculine, patriarchal and authoritarian father figure of the '90s has come under the radar of contemporary feminist studies. But this article has nothing to do with academic critiques   of a Tribhuvan Das from Chaalbaaz or a Saxena from Kaho Naa...Pyar Hai. We all know that they were inherently bad dads. Their trademark antagonisms aside, this article is a showcase of two of the most memorable fathers Bollywood has ever seen: Bauji   (Amrish Puri) from DDLJ and Thakur sahab  (Sanjeev Kumar) from Sholay. Two doppelgangers, two decades apart. Image s...

India is the land of snake charmers and shamans, it is the land where poverty dwells and sells. These Western preconceptions about the relatively nascent south-east Asian nation have surpassed the stature of a cliche. In other news, Bollywood, the Hindi film industry and India’s most effective soft power, was once labelled as the 'trashiest film industry' by the Westerners. (Stadtler) This paper is not a scathing remark on the Westerners per se, it is a general critique of one of their most celebrated institutions, the Academy Awards. Specifically, this paper deals with the portrayal of India in the films that get nominated at the Oscars.   Let us begin from the fifties. Indian films like Mehboob Khan’s Mother India and Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali and the ensuing Apu trilogy piqued the interest of the West. The former got an Oscar nomination, and etched its name in the annals of film history to be the first Indian film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at...

Image source: Amazon Prime Video The year is 1970. Hrishikesh Mukherjee is planning to make a movie on a terminally ill cancer patient. He chooses Kishore Kumar as the lead actor and Mehmood in the supporting role. He goes to Kumar's house to give him an invite to join the film together with a handwritten script. But Kumar's gate-keeper refuses to let him in. He has been told to "drive away a Bengali if he ever comes!"–Mukherjee becomes the misunderstood bait. Dejected, he reaches out Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan to star in his magnum opus,  Anand. Mehmood has apparently dropped out after Kishore Kumar's exit. The film hits the theatres in 1971 to applause, acclaim, Filmfares and sobs. Kaka has put up a brilliant and resilient show of Anand babu, who is terminally ill and on one last dopamine and altruistic rush. Bachchan gets a rep-upgrade after Saat Hindustani , now he is remembered as the no-nonsense, hardworking, but equally vulnerable Dr Bhasker. Gulzar...