Happy Labor Day! I don’t have to go to work! Lucky Me! So instead, I get to answer your questions, and then start watching Raja Hindustani on twitter with whoever wants to join me at 10am Chicago time.
As always, you can ask me anything you want, from the personal (“have you seen Raja Hindustani before?”) to the specific and factual (“why is Raja Hindustani important in film history?”) to the general discussion (“Raja Hindustani kissing scene: hot or not?”)
The only rule is, you have to let me answer first! Because the discussion just seems to go better that way.
dontcallitbollywood 
Is your migraine gone? Do you have “hangovers” or any after effects the day after a migraine?
Looking forward to the watch along. My internet access is spotty but as long as it holds out, I’m there!
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Migraine still here. Woke up exactly 6 hours after I took the pills, took another dose. They either come hard and fast and are done in like 12 hours, or are softer and sort of linger for a couple of days. But really, this isn’t bad, I get one like this about once a month or so and normally I don’t even mention it to people. I feel kind of wimpy for complaining to you guys, but it’s better than complaining to my parents and getting them all worried and worked up. You said you used to get migraines? So if you know the lingo, I get a really bad long “aura” before the migraine hits, that’s the hard part for me (used to be really really bad before I got better at controlling my triggers). The headache itself is whatever.
And yay! See you in 50 minutes for the watchalong!
On Mon, Sep 4, 2017 at 8:15 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m not sure if mine were true migraines. Had light sensitivity but not auras. They came on with puberty and thankfully mostly stopped by my mid 20s. I remember feeling sort of wrapped in cotton wool the day after one. Please do complain! Migraines suck!
Having trouble accessing Raja Hindustani, with or without subtitles, in Kyrgyzstan. Will keep trying! ☺
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Heck, in Kyrgyzstan, depending on where you are, you could just walk to the store on the corner and ask for a bootleg of it. Probably have funky subtitles, but can’t hurt.
On Mon, Sep 4, 2017 at 9:22 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yes! I watched Devdas dubbed in Russian on TV here last year.
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Einthusan saves the day.
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I’m sure your parents are still worried and worked up . . .
Take care of yourself!
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I was looking forward to watch Raja Hindustani with you but I’m still without internet, besides very limited mb on my phone :(.
But I have a question. I have seen Chandni few days ago, and now I wonder if there are any movies (apart Queen) where the girl in the end dumps her former douchebag boyfriend and decides to marry other man or be single.
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The first one that comes to mind is Kya Kehna. Which is a very odd movie, but has a very satisfying version of that ending. There’s also a whole variety of films where she falls in love with her arranged marriage husband and forgets the boyfriend, but that’s not quite the same thing. And Lajja, if you haven’t seen it, has both Madhuri and Mahima Chowdury do a version of that in a spectacular way.
Oh! And Arth!!!! If you can track down a copy (surprisingly hard to find) it’s a brilliant art film where it isn’t just a boyfriend, it’s her actual husband that she decides to leave, and she has a better option available and turns that down too, because she would rather just be alone.
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Lunchbox sort of ends that way . . .
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Ramante edanthottam is a malayalam film with similar plot. Its one of my favourite films of this year
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THANK YOU! I could not remember that title for the life of me.
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I had migraines (auras and all) when I was in my 40s — for some women it’s related to puberty, for me it was perimenopausal. Haven’t had one in years now.
That should weird out any men reading this thread. Sorry, guys!
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That’s part of the reason mine were really hard to diagnose. They started around age 6, so clearly not related to puberty, everyone thought it was just some weird kid illness I would outgrow. And then it kept lasting and lasting long past the puberty adjustment period. Although of course once puberty hit, I got to have a fun new monthly trigger (and that’s my contribution to weirding out any men reading this).
On Mon, Sep 4, 2017 at 9:38 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Hi, my Mon question,- odd question warning!- did shammi kapoor cheat on his wife/wives?? I saw your throwaway comment on it and I’m still in shock lol
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Well, he didn’t NOT cheat. I haven’t heard any stories like Raj and Nargis where there was some great love affair. But his wives would tolerate some little flirtations and dalliances on set. Unlike Shashi’s wife who told him he wasn’t allowed to stray one inch or she would leave him forever.
On Mon, Sep 4, 2017 at 11:14 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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“didn’t NOT” ??? double negation??? a lapse or a Freudian slip? 🙂
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Purposeful double negation
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Have you ever seen a Pakistani film? I’m very interested in learning more about the history of the Pakistani/Urdu/Lollywood film industry. I just watched my first Pakistani film, Dekh Magar Pyaar Say (screenplay by Saba Imtiaz) and though it’s an awful film overall, I was still intrigued. It’s on Youtube if you’re curious. Two really pretty stars with no acting skills and absolutely gorgeous cinematography and some really random Bollywood references (Crime Master Gogo makes an appearance).
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I haven’t, although I am noticing they are increasingly available. What I have heard is that the Pakistani film industry really struggled for years. Partly because a lot of the Lahore film people moved to Bombay after Partition (lucky Bombay) and then various legal governmental restrictions, plus the availability of Indian bootlegs. The talent tended to go more towards television, which was more experimental and artistic, and had a broader reach since no one wanted to watch Indian TV so there was no competition,
However, from the little I have seen, I think the Pakistani film industry is having a tiny resurgence now. Probably partly for the same reasons the non-Hindi industries are doing better and better in India and among the Indian diaspora, the Hindi offerings just aren’t that great and aren’t that grounded. Plus, again, various legal governmental stuff that I don’t understand.
One thing I know for sure, every time I see a trailer for a Pakistani film, I know it is Pakistani before the first line of dialogue, because those actors are so so so so so much more attractive than their Indian counterparts.
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Did anyone join you for the Raja Hindustani watch-a-long? I just went through your twitter and saw only one comment from Melanie fairly early on, and then no other replies to your tweets except some spam. Bummer, if you watched all alone.
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Search for the hashtag #RajaHindustani . There were several of us there. Great fun!
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