It makes no sense! I can barely get over the idea that Amrita Singh and Juhi Chawla would be fighting over Jackie Shroff (Even I have to admit that he does look good in a mustache), but why would Jackie Shroff ever be interested in Amrita Singh if he could get Juhi Chawla? She is so clearly superior!
Happy 4 days to Thanksgiving!!!! Or three days? How do you count these things? Anyway, soon!
Isn’t this perfect timing? Pardesi put the podcast up just as I am on vacation and don’t have time to write a real post on anything.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!! I am off with your other daughter doing festive things without you, but at least I can put up a blog post in your honor.
Procrastinatrix inspired me, mentioning that Juhi reminds her of Judy Holliday and making me think how perfect a Bells Are Ringing remake with Juhi would be. And then I started thinking about other remakes and how they would also be perfect. Get ready for some very deep cuts of classic Hollywood, because Juhi really has a classic clever Hollywood Musical feel to her.
I am so happy this movie is on Netflix! It is the mature woman movie we have been wanting, and it is also the perfect Thanksgiving film, about making time for self-care in the middle of caring for your family. (oh, and there are some clunky bits right at the beginning, ignore them and keep going)
This was a request from Angie, to break down the essential elements of these stories and save you the effort of trying to research them yourself. Obviously, if you are a desi person, you already know them more than well enough. But if you are a non-desi, I can give you a sort of primer on them.
Happy happy Saturday! I am visiting my sister for a flying visit, arrived super late last night, so don’t expect me to write anything intelligent until quite late in the day. But that shouldn’t stop you all from talking!
Yes yes, more guilt! Sorry, guilt works.
I have no corporate sponsor, or industry connections. I don’t suck up and say nice things about movies so stars will retweet me, I don’t join in fan wars in order to get supporters and clicks. I am scrupulously horribly dreadfully honest and alone.
So please, help me! If you are on twitter, DON’T simply retweet me, far more effective to tweet a link to one of my articles with a personal comment from you about why you like it. It takes more time, but people know it takes more time, and know that you must really mean it.
If you are active on any other sites or in any other communities, when you comment, GIVE ME CREDIT. If you say “I think the action scenes in Thugs of Hindostan are poorly paced” add on “as Margaret explains in her blog dontcallitbollywood.com”. If you say “I think Chekka Chivantha Vaanam is a movie without any real heroes” add on “as said in this review link here”. If you say “I think Kangana has erotomania” add on “as this article here argues”.
And most of all, don’t lie!!!!! Everyone can tell if you lie, and it ruins the one thing I have going for me, which is that I am clearly transparently honest and unbiased. If you don’t like something I wrote, if you just skimmed it and don’t like it, then don’t lie to The Internet and say you liked it and understood it. The Internet can tell you aren’t telling the truth. I try very hard to be honest, it’s a tribute to me if you are honest also, if you like something or agree with something, say so and link back to it; if you don’t like something I say, that’s okay too, say you don’t like it.
This isn’t strange, right? It’s not like I am putting up photos of my own father and saying they are attractive. I am just putting up photos of other fathers with their children.
This weekend is both my father’s birthday (YAAAAY!) and my closest friends birthday. Oh, and Mickey Mouse. But I don’t know what he would like, so he doesn’t get a TGIF. Anyway, in honor of my friend, I am reposting an updated version of last years “Things she likes” TGIF. And also linking to her instagram account because it is all she ever asks for. I don’t understand how this does anything, but fine, if she wants an instagram link I will give her one. Link
This was VERY VERY difficult to research!!!! Not as much information as I would wish on relationship status of the famous. I decided not to include people who were married, or engaged, or in that all-but-engaged level like Rajkummar or Varun. But just dating someone like Ranbir and Alia, fair game! And I know I probably missed people (Arjun Rampal now divorced, Sushmita Sen never married, Tabu, etc). I am posting this earlier than the usual TGIF just so we all have time to make full careful considerations and decisions.
Yaaaay, another Shahrukh review! See how I am sneaking them in under the guise of “Friday Classics” even now that Shahrukh Month is over? Oh, and plus Juhi in a really nice role, for her birthday. Although Aaina is a better Juhi movie, remember to watch it for this Sunday if at all possible! It’s also a wonderful Amrita Singh movie, if this film makes you want more of her.
It’s that time again, the time I remind everyone that it is a good thing to tip people who provide a service, even if that service is writing on the internet.
You give a dollar to the barista who makes you coffee every day, you can give a dollar once a month for the person who entertains and informs you every day.
Now, if reading that above statement made you feel guilty, there is a simple solution. Just give me a dollar through one of the options below, and then you can stop feeling guilty.
When you go to a restaurant, you leave the waitress a tip. When you get delivery, you tip. When you enjoy a street musician, you leave a little money. Just because the service I provide is online doesn’t make it any less real
If you appreciate what I do, then leave a tip. If you don’t tip, I will assume you don’t appreciate it and stop writing. That’s how the world works, money goes in and product comes out.
Now, if reading the above made you feel scared, there is an easy solution. Just give me a dollar through one of the options below, and then you can stop feeling scared.
Donate
To help support my work, donate to the site, $1 or $2 or $20 or $200, however much you want.
$1.00
If you want to set up a recurring payment, then you can do that through Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/dontcallitbollywood
Or, of course, you can always Buy My Book! Which gets me no real money (a percentage of a percentage on every sale), but makes me feel appreciated:
My FanFics don’t get many views, but the DeepVeer wedding is all anyone will want to talk about today anyway, so why not indulge myself? And those few of you who enjoy reading them. Especially those of you who helped me come up with this idea.
This is kind of silly, because I just reposted the review yesterday. But it is such a beautiful film, and so easy to access and such a short watch, I want you all to try and see it! So I am giving you a week, and then we can reconvene and discuss.
I don’t know why we were/are all so obsessed with this. What did we think was going to happen? The photos would release and they would be, like, nude or in a slap fight or something?
Nice little variety of news items today. Nothing super exciting, and no there are no wedding photos yet, but I haven’t done a news post in a while so it seemed like I should.
I was going to make this a “Hindi Film 101” and then I thought “no, I don’t want to think that much or go so far in depth, I’ll just make this fun”. So, FUN!!! Be ready for that!
I mostly watched Dhanak, because the one sentence description made me think it would be a good Shahrukh fan watch. And it was, certainly. He comes off very well in it. But most of the movie is just about the two small children we are following, and their performances are so delightful, that’s what really makes the film. If you have access to American Netflix, it is streaming now, and I highly recommend it.
Children’s Day in India is November 14th, because that’s Nehru’s birthday, and Nehru loved children. Isn’t that sweet? And, just like World Animal Day and all the other sub-holidays, I am marking the occasion with a theme video post. (this is an updated and reposted post from last year)
I already did a general post on item songs (here), this is specifically looking at how they are structured, the components of them, inspired by how “Suraiyya” from Thugs of Hindostan kind of twisted the standard structure.
Birthday week continues! On and on and on and on. Anyway, now it’s Wednesday, time to talk about what we are all consuming this week and so on!
Did you think I forgot? Well, I totally did. But then I remembered! And so yes, we are doing the annual Christmas Card Giveaway again.
This isn’t total fangirly, right? No, I don’t think it is, Shahrukh is an important industry figure and him saying things about the industry is news and worthy of discussion.
dontcallitbollywood 