Happy Wednesday! Fair warning, I got like no sleep last night. Stupid addictive Sridevi coverage. So I may be a bit disjointed in my responses today.
I’ll start!
Reading: Bus schedules! Trying to figure out my tiny vacation this weekend without renting a car.
Watching: Sridevi movies. Duh!
Thinking: I was not meant to have only 6 hours of sleep
So, questions for you! Along with the general “this is where you talk about articles, books, thoughts, movies, anything” comments, you can also answer these questions:
What is your favorite Sridevi movie?
Very tricky question! I think I’m going Lamhe? But I may change my mind.
What is your favorite Holi movie?
Mohabettain! Not the greatest movie over all, but that Holi sequence is perfection.
Bonus Question:
Is there a Sridevi Holi song? I can’t seem to find one
dontcallitbollywood 
I sat and watched Sridevi’s funeral procession. Felt terrible but I just had to, not sure why. Maybe because of the many memories tied with my childhood. I’m still in shock at her death.
My favorite movies of hers? Lamhe, Mr India, Chaalbaaz and Moondram Pirai (Sadma) are the ones that come to mind instantly. English Vinglish too.
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Yeah, that’s why it felt right to me that her funeral was so public. Because people needed to see it, it was right that her family made that available.
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I was kind of shocked to see the video this morning. It looked like a circus to me but that’s from an American’s pov, not sure how it would look to folks who grew up with her performances.
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From the American perspective also, I was shocked at Rajesh Khanna’s funeral. But then the more I saw how his death has resonated in the years since, the more appropriate it felt. He needed to go out with a big public display or else there would never really be a feeling of closure. As it is, he is permanently Rajesh Khanna-SUPERSTAR. Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor had smaller funerals and, I don’t know, it didn’t feel right to me. It was right for their families, but without the public display of mourning, their lives felt like they just sort of faded away, what is remembered is the status they had at death, not the love they inspired in their peak years.
It’s also (and this sounds horrible) kind of setting the standard for the big funerals that will be coming in the next few years. Rajesh Khanna was the first superstar, but after him came Amitabh, Shahrukh, Salman, Aamir. And Sridevi. And over the next 10-20 years, there will be more funerals of this level, having a system established of public viewing, state honors, procession, cremation is probably a good idea. Even the slightly less than superstars, Helen and Waheedaji for instance, probably would need this kind of send off.
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Favorite Sridevi Movie? CHAALBAAZ (so far). I saw Sadma and Moondru. There is so much to me and I am so excited to explore the actress, Sridevi. A question though, after watching Moondru, I went to your review you did like Jan 2017; long time ago and hopefully you can answer, esp. with ur lack of sleep. You mentioned that Rajinikanth’s character raped the maid and the subtitles said so too? I am so confused. Didn’t the maid consent, esp. with her reaction afterwards? Omg! Rajnikanth is so evil in that movie. *tears
Reading: I have a very irritated canker sore and my anemia is acting up. So reading all sorts of home remedies and hoping to get better!! Had like 2 tests: bio and Calc and couldn’t attend because I have been feeling so weak. Hoping to get better before my professors get annoyed with setting/not setting up making tests. #Hopefully
Thinking: back to sridevi. So much gossips regarding her marriage. My mom said the reason is because men were afraid to marry her because she was too strong/powerful in her career, causing her to marry a divorced man. So sad for a women in that era to face this problem just because she was really good in her career!! Madhuri is said to be in the same standing, although I don’t think she did as many movies as sridevi, but she was able to find a nice man. The Indian Society is so weird and my mom to just say that normally upsets me more. :(. Also, so many surgeries.
Watching: Sridevi movies. I have plans to watch English Vinglish and Mom again. Need to watch Lamhe, Mr.India, Chandni. Do you know if any of her mallu movies are good?
The Indian Media MY GOSH! Staining her dead like that: lying in a bathtub and re-enacting her dead. I have seen cheap jokes of ads advising men to buy bathtubs for their wives. Cheeeeee!!!
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As I remember the Moondru scene, the maid is a little flirty with Rajinikanth, but he locks the door of the room after he gets her inside, and when she leaves her clothes are torn and she seems dazed and a little confused. So it seemed like actually a very realistic depiction, she may have given her consent for flirtation and maybe even sex, but once he got her alone he did things that she did not consent to and her reaction was shock, not hysteria and anger. And then of course they get married anyway, because Indian society/society in general is stupid int hat regard. Marrying the rapist does not retroactively make it okay!
All I can think of with anemia is, have you considered becoming a Vampire? Might that help?
I’ve heard the same thing about divorced men with Vidya Balan, I think she might be Sidharth Roy Kapur’s 3rd wife even? But I don’t think it is as straight forward as that. At least with Boney and Sridevi, rumor has it he divorced his wife for her. So it was true love, not just settling. She picked him and he changed his whole life to be with her. I also don’t think it’s necessarily quite that simple. I think it’s a combination of things that lead to women from the film industry marrying divorced men. For starters, as working women they have the option of getting married at an older age and if they want to marry someone around the same age, that person is probably already married. And if they want to marry someone from within the film industry, the industry is more accepting of divorces and complicated personal lives, so it is more likely for that to be the case. You could also look at Aish who married Abhishek, neither of them married before, but both of them with complicated public personal lives in their past since they married after age 30 and were part of a culture were dating and romance and break-ups were accepted. Madhuri married a very nice man, but chose to marry completely outside of the industry, even outside of the country. If she was looking for a successful man in the film industry around her same age, her choices probably would have included someone who had already been married and divorced, or at least had a messy break up. Come to think of it, Dr. Nene may have had a messy break up before marriage, maybe he dated someone through med school and then they went different ways, we just don’t know about it because he wasn’t famous then.
I know nothing about her Malalayalam movies, but I am sure someone here can help you with that!
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I stopped watching Moondru Mudichu exactly after maid rape scene! And yes he is so evil. I’m not sure if he raped her, or not, because she wasn’t traumatized, only little shocked. But let’s not forget this girl is used to people treating her bad, so maybe her reaction is not reliable.
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Moondru Mudichu gets even more over wrought and evil and difficult after that, but Sridevi is wonderfully triumphant in the end, so there is that, if you are able to get through to it.
On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 11:42 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’ve only seen three Sridevi films, I think. Which is an oversight. But I like English Vinglish the best so far.
Reading: finished a great historical romance by Elizabeth Hoyt in her Maiden Lane series and the last book in a YA fantasy trilogy by Elizabeth May that had a good ending (the last YAish trilogy I read, The Queen of the Tearling series, had an awful ending), also reading Tania James’s The Tusk That Did the Damage, a lit fic about elephant poaching in South India. Very good so far.
Watching: trying to catch up on a lot of Oscar movies…so I saw Three Billboards… (really liked it but am also troubled by the weird redemption story line with Sam Rockwell’s character), Call Me By Your Name (so beautiful and, damn, Armie Hammer is hot), and The Shape of Water (thought it was just laughably silly most of the time…I get the vision and the great acting by Sally Hawkins, but it’s a cliched bunch of cheese)
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And you are our resident romance film aficionado! If you liked Raabta but Shape of Water was too cheesey, that is a very bad sign for Shape of Water.
Speaking of, I assume two of your three Sridevi films were Chandni and Lamhe? If not, get right on that! Because they are super super romantic.
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I found myself snarkily laughing at many scenes in Shape of Water and, yes, the sex with a beast thing weirded me out. It was just so silly but at the same time trying to be sooo meaningful. Call Me By Your Name, on the other hand, was a beautiful story about connecting with and lusting after someone you don’t expect to and how that can affect someone at a young age. It’s really a beautiful romance and the 17 year old protagonist has the coolest parents ever.
I guess I am one of the resident romance film/novel aficionados:) Moviemavengal also has cred in the romance reading area, too! As I’ve said before, if I ever had a blog, it would be all about romance (in films, in books, in tv, on ice, etc).
I’ve only seen Mom, English Vinglish and Mr. India! I may have seen parts of Chandni before but never tried Lamhe because I have a mental block against Anil Kapoor in romantic roles or really any roles pre-Salaam E Ishq. I just can’t with him and Sanjay Dutt, so so many of Madhuri and Sridevi films are hard for me to get into…
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Maybe try Lamhe. Anil is playing very young in the first half, like around 18, so you aren’t supposed to be swoony over him. And then in the second half he has grey at the temples and is playing around 45, so more like what he is now in the era you like.
On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 12:08 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Watching English Vinglish, enjoying the movie on one hand and feeling really sad on the other.
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It’s such a good movie! And a role only Sridevi could play.
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Yes, and everything seems so natural! The scene where she is trying to order sandwiches and coffee at the cafe is so good. But are those waitresses that rude??!!
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Oh absolutely! I’ve had similar experiences. But, like, very very rarely. Sometimes people just have a bad day, or are bad at costumer service and shouldn’t have that job. I liked the way it was shown in the film, most people were helpful and kind to Sridevi, but there can always be that one person who is just mean to you for no reason.
On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 8:16 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Here in India, waiters who take orders are not that rude. In fact, it’s the customers who behave rudely sometimes.
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I think it’s something peculiar to that kind of restaurant. There’s tons of them around, and the idea is that you order at the counter, then wait for your order to be made and pick it up. But for the system to work, the line has to move very fast and the orders have to be detailed and exact. I’ve felt like Sridevi loads of times, if it’s my first time at the restaurant and I am trying to figure out all the options I need to pick from and the line is building up behind me and the counter person is asking a bunch of questions really fast, and gah!!!!
I think the idea is that it is supposed to be better for the customer, you can put together the exact order you want (this sandwich on this bread with or without cheese, with this drink, and this side, and so on and so on), and get it more quickly then if you were waiting at a table, but if you don’t know the menu at that particular restaurant, it can get very frustrating. Oh, and the big “customer service” lesson that everyone is told at those places is that the most important thing is to keep the line moving. This lady was definitely absolutely rude, but they always talk very fast and expect you to have your order ready by the time you are at the front of the line.
So in conclusion, if you come to America, stay away from counter order places during the lunchtime rush! It gets nasty, everyone is hungry and only has half an hour to get food and get back to the office.
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I do like customisation, but not while standing in a line!! And here, most fast food Indian places have no room for customised orders. So it’s just “I’ll have a plate of this and a Coffee”.
And im definitely steering clear of such places if I visit America!!
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And heck, I can speak English pretty well, and even I would stumble if I was asked about still or sparkling water. In India, it’s just bottled water. You have way too many choices in America!!
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It’s true, we do! Although that was actually a mistake, in America it’s mostly just bottled water too, but in other places still or sparkling is a thing, I think Gauri may have been conflating an American experience with a London one.
However, there’s about a thousand different coffee combinations besides just “coffee”, and you have to pick what kind of bread with your sandwich, and everything else. What she got perfectly is that it is a particular kind of restaurant that is set up for the costumer to pick a variety of options instead of a set menu, which means you are under pressure to order very fast and clearly when you get to the head of the line.
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The different coffee options are slowly entering India too, now that there are atleast 2 Starbucks outlets near my house. Most people here just want a Cappuccino or a cold coffee or something, and the waiter has to explain what it is, like if it’s an espresso, he gas to mention that “it’s just plain coffee without milk” because most people here in South India drink “filter coffee” which is made with milk. Most people here get frustrated with options.
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Reading: “Krishna: the god who lived like a man”, a very beautiful and poetically heart breaking take on Lord Krishna’s final moments. Lying before his murderer (obviously unintentional), he is thinking about the four key women in his life whose love he could never reciprocate properly. Especially Rukmini. Recommended!
Watching: Vikram Vedha (Tamil), Yevade Subramanyam (Telugu)
Thinking: Tomorrow, Rajinikanth’s Kaala movie’s teaser is going to be released. Will it give me some respite from Sridevi and Syria?
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Ooo, I am excited about Kaala being released! The Pari and 102 Not Out promotions stopped for Sridevi, but it seems reasonable that a day after the funeral and everything is over, the promos can start up again.
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I have been absent — sorry! Just busy with other things for a while. This retirement thing is a constant surprise. Lately I have been watching fewer Indian films, partly because my dear husband (also retired) has been watching soccer and olympics. I did catch him watching cricket one day, which bodes well for turning him into an Indian film fan. I have been catching up on Grace and Frankie, watching The Chew for cooking ideas, and re-watching RNBDJ because I needed it. No big reason, it just always makes me happy.
I have been reading fiction! This is very big for me, but I joined a book group for this very purpose and it is certainly working. So far I have finished “Before We Were Yours” (brilliant in parts, so-so in parts) and the Great Kitchens of the Midwest (foodie fiction with some very funny parts) and am almost finished with “The Essex Serpent”. Waiting for me are “Lincoln in the Bardo” and “News of the World”, which is our book for March.
Thinking about spring, how sad winter was this year in our area: barely three inches of snow, temps bouncing up and down, lots of gray, gray, gray. But my tomato seedlings on the window sill are looking forward to moving outside.
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I am with you in reading fiction! Starting in college I had a firm rule against it because it was a “waste” of reading time when I could be learning things. And now whenever I let myself read fiction, it is like eating candy. I’m taking two romance novels and my kindle stuffed full of things on my mini-vacation this week.
And welcome back! You should never feel like this is an obligation place (although I like that you do, because I like when you comment). Although it also shouldn’t be in that fiction realm of empty calories and time waste. Maybe more like really good pie?
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I have seen only few Sridevi movies, but I think English Vinglish is my favourite.
Holi movie – maybe not favourite but the first I thought – Darr, and I love Mannat song from Dawaat-E-Ishq.
This week I watched: Fidaa and Ala Modalaindi, with Nani, who is now my favourite telugu actor and Nithya Menen. It’s simple and funny romantic story. I think you would like it.
Then I watched The Last of the Mohicans, because I saw you all wrote nice things about it, and yesterday Belle & Sebastian, because my son watches every movie about cats or dogs he can find 😉
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Let me recommend the book “The Incredible Journey” for your son. Either for him to read or as a read aloud. The movie is okay, but the book is wonderful, especially if you like pets.
Totally forgot Mannat is partly a Holi song!
And now I am trying not to judge you for falling in love with YET ANOTHER actor. It is Nani, and he is wonderful, so I guess I can forgive it.
On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 12:04 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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LOL I’m not in love with Nani (not yet 😉 ) I just really like him. I must watch him in something different because I’ve only seen him as this nice funny guy. Need something darker now.
And I have my favourites in almost every language:
Tovino in Malayalam
Maddy in Tamil
Maddy in Hindi
Nani in Telugu
I even have a favourite actor in kannada – Yash
Oh and if we are talking about various industries. Yesterday I saw trailer of Bhojpuri movie “Damru” and OMG it looks like bhojpuri Baahubali. Take a look:
I must admit, I feel strange kind of fascination for this industry . This and bad bengali movies. I always thought that bengali film are all classy and good, but I discovered a loooot of bad bengali movies on Prime, and now my hobby is watching their trailers. Some of them are too bad to be real.
Thank you for your reccomendation. Will search for this book 🙂
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I read a fascinating article about Bhojpuri movies from the 80s-90s, I think. They were sort of the “kitschy” popular films back then, and then they fell out of favor, and now they seem to be back. IT reminds me a lot of the Western attitude towards Hindi films. The Hindi industry has been plugging along making movies this whole time, but occasionally the West will get excited and start noticing them, and then not get excited again. In the same way, it seems like Bhojpuri movies are sort of always there, but sometimes the Indian mainstream will get into them and make a big deal, and sometimes they will kind of forget about them.
On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 12:44 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I am in beautiful warm Wellington on my vacation, catching up with Sridevi coverage. I coincidentally watched English Vinglish for the third time a few days before she died. I was staying with a friend, who teaches English as a foreign language like me, and I saw that one of my former students, also now an English teacher, had watched it and recommended it on FB. So I showed it to my friend who is a Hindi film newbie and she loved it. The class content is ridiculous from a pedagogical perspective, but the film captures the feeling of being a little family that you get in a good class. And Sridevi doing Michael Jackson is just my favorite thing. I was so looking forward to the second half of her career.
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Congratulations on vacation! And so long as you are in New Zealand, I think you have to watch Kaho Na Pyaar Hai at least once. Plus, a nice cheerful break from the coverage.
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Favorite Sridevi movie = Lamhe
But honestly Khuda Gawa is entertainingly “so bad it’s good”, like a bad western popcorn matinee from the 1950-70s. The Monty Python or Blazing Saddles cast could recreate it without charging an expression, a plot point, or a word of dialogue, it’s already its own spoof. I’m sure there’s more like it in her early 90s Bollywood filmography.
Favorite Holi film
I’m not sure if I’ve seen a Holi film, or a Holi sequence within a film. I know there is a “before they were famous” movie called Holi from the mid ’80s with a cast of then unknown now famous film industry people, like A Gowarikar, Amole Gupte, Aamir Khan, and probably more. Otherwise I like the Holi played out during the RDB theme song picturization IIRC.
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I don’t think there is a film that completely centers around Holi, but there are plenty of movies that use it as a plot point. Silsila, Darr, Sholay.
Oh oh! Sunday writing idea? A Holi movie of the style of those Valentine’s Day, New Years Eve, etc. etc. stupid Garry Marshall films? a dozen interconnected characters who keep bumping into each other in the midst of one huge city wide Holi celebration? You know, young couple who met by chance and then lost each other in the crowd, estranged brothers reuniting, mother trying to track down her disobedient teen, etc. etc.?
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We completely avoided the Sri’s last Journey, it is become too heavy and getting emotional, unknowingly to us she occupied our pschye with her performance, and as we are grown with her movies.and she become a virtual family member.
My heart goes for their daughters,and it is hard journey for them.
Boney will be hard pressed know, no long he will get any remake rights for Southern movies.
In a way better she passed this way,we are spared to see her as old Granny.
she will be eternal young in our hearts and minds, like Bruce Lee, Silk Smitha.Marlyn Manroe,Madhubala.
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I haven’t been watching/reading very much unfortunately – classes are eating up most of my time. I did manage to watch Black Panther which I adored!
Favorite Sridevi films are probably Johnny and Meendum Kokila. Johnny for the quite and sweet romance with Rajinikanth. Meendum Kokila for the guileless but determined character she plays. It always surprises me how young she was in those films- not even 20! – but she gives really matured performances. Coincidentally, for the past few months,when I do get some time, I’ve mostly been watching older Tamil movies and caught a few old Sridevi films I hadn’t seen before. I think I might have to re-visit a few of them.
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And I may have to visit Johnny for the first time! quiet and sweet romance, Rajinikanth, and Sridevi-this all sounds very good.
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To tempt you further – and also because its beautiful…
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I have seen English-Vinglish and Mom. I liked Mom better bc it seemed so real; as if she could really have been a vengeful mom of her daughters. I wonder if it could have worked as notice or fair warning to any young Indian men interested in her own daughters. I’ve not seen any other of her films, not really interested in other Sridevi films.
HOLI song – Balam Pichkari in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani with Deepika loosening her inhibitions and Ranbir watching closely.
Reading: 2 States: The Story of My Marriage by Chetan Bhagat and Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu
Watching: In the past week, I watched several films due to due to an affair with my heating pad due to back spasm:
UGLY – dark and scary;
HAT TRICK – 3 mini tales Nana Patekar in the best of three;
FUKREY – fell asleep on this one;
MATICHYA CHULI, a Marathi film abt stereotypical mother-in-law/daughter-in-law issues;
CHEF – enjoyed this one having seen the Jon Favreau one;
MAACHER JHOL, a Bengali film abt a chef returning home with amazingly beautiful cinematography of the food and unusual music, one of the songs has been written by Rabindranath Tagore with a French section.
(The start of this last one had me laughing so hard b/c it began and I understood exactly what was being said without subtitles. Thought I had become a Hindi or Bengali savant! Dialogue was in French. So much for my sudden knowledge of Hindi or Bengali 😦
Thinking: Journalism can be Pulitzer Prize level or bottom of the birdcage level.
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Question: does 2 States the book get into his father’s alcoholism and abuse? Because watching the movie, I felt like I went in to see a light rom-com and I ended up seeing a fascinating portrait of a dysfunctional family. In a good way, if it had just been the rom-com there wouldn’t have been enough there to sustain it.
On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 9:26 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Just in chapter one. Does start with character does not talk to father ever. Will see how it progresses
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Thanks! I’ll be curious.
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Watching: all kind of Dinosaur-movies with the kids…
Reading: apart from books and magazines about Dinos,,,the ‘sheep-thrillers’ Glenkill and Garou 🙂
Thinking: if I get time to think, I think about how to combine what I have to do with what I would like to do without having to do it 🙂
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Ah yes…Holi…Darr & Mohabbatein (latter also in my mind because of Sridevi’s death)
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Are there that many dinosaur movies? Well, I guess you are finding out! I remember really loving The Land Before Time for about a week when I was 6 years old.
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