Happy Monday! My day started with a bang, so I haven’t had a chance to put up this post until now. But at least I have had coffee.
Here is where you get to ask me anything you want from “How is Albie Dog?” to “How does India celebrate Christmas?” Just keep swinging back to this post all week as you think of new things you want to know!
Now, question for you: It’s Dharmendra’s birthday tomorrow! Which of these Dharmendra photos is your favorite?
dontcallitbollywood 
Blasphemy,apostasy,cardinal sin,call it what you will,I don’t find Dharmendra handsome.The first picture is decent though.
Do you think that the Christianity as depicted in Malayalam cinema differs from the West?Usually in Hindi cinema,Christian = Rita,frock,accented Hindi,visits Church,and all the stereotypical stuff.I find Malayali Christians presented much more organically than any other industry in India.
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BLASPHEMY! He is very handsome.
I don’t think Christianity in Malayalam cinema differs as much from the west in that it is treated just as a religion like any other. Does that make sense? Some people are Christian, some are Hindu, some are Muslim. It’s not some isolated unusual community. The details of the practices are unique, as they are for most Christian communities worldwide, but having it treated as another everyday religion is great.
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3 questions!
1. How do you remember all these birthdays? Are they on your calendar, do you get alerts, or do you just have an amazing memory?
2. Who told Dharmendra those white shorts were a good idea?
3. Why is he wearing the same saree as Hema?!? Such a fashion faux pas.
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1. I used to have a wonderful reader who emailed me a list of birthdays every month and I just worked off that. Otherwise, I google “birthdays today India” when I am curious.
2. YES! I think he must just really like shorts? There are a surprising number of Dharmendra in shorts shots
3. Indeed. Unless they planned it in advance, makes no sense.
On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 11:33 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Am I crazy or he looks like Mark Ruffalo…?
And I wanna ask if you watched AK vs. AK trailer(s).
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It had never occurred to me that he looks like Mark Ruffalo, but I can see it now!
I have not seen the trailer but please post a link here so I can watch and others can give their opinion!
On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 12:50 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Surprisingly for me I like the matching sari photo the most. They both look so happy and sexy (despite the outfits)
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They do look happy! And relaxed, I love that they are both barefoot.
On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:10 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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They look like they were in bed, but some people came so they just wear the sheets and came out without knowing there would be photos.
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The saree shot is the cutest. I also always enjoy him in shorts, although I agree that he’s not mindblowingly beautiful or sexy.
This is also because I watched Halaal Ki Kamal with him and Govinda, and he just looks falling down drunk all the time and slurs his lines, and it was so off-putting it gave me a distaste of him.
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Saree shot is cute! I don’t know if it is from a movie or real life, but I am going to assume real life because that makes me happy.
On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 3:41 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Sorry, Margaret! I’ve just seen your answer now. Here are the AK vs AK trailers.
Anil Kapoor’s POV: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIftAzcha1i/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Anurag Kashyap’s POV: https://youtu.be/lXZPMb51IQU
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The concept looks really interesting…I am intrigued!
Although – remember how Harsh Kapoor kept harping about how he is busy shooting for this movie….and he is barely visible in the trailer!
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I also like the sari shot the best – its cute and fun!
I wanted to ask what your take was on WB’s decision to release all of their 2021 films on HBO Max along with the theatrical release? I’m curious because I can see this working well for some Indian films (the smaller ones or ones with a natural “Netflix” audience) but it sees untenable for a lot of films? Then again, a lot of big films have released in streaming platforms recently. This just seems like a game-changer.
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I found it an interesting reflection of global versus local market. In America, the theaters aren’t really going to be full steam ahead until an unknown time. And major chains are closing up shop. But internationally, that isn’t the case. We already had some American films release internationally but not in America, which is weird. I read this move as a way to sort of have a global release but with local differences. So in America, city by city people may be watching in theaters or on HBO. But in other countries, HBO can block that content and they have to go to theaters.
The key is going to be if this is just a temporary move so the audience can all watch a film together, quarantine or not quarantine? Or is this going to create a new business dynamic?
It’s an idea that has been experimented with a lot over the past few years, if the audience has the choice of streaming on the same day as theatrical release, will it actually affect the market? How many people who prefer streaming would go to the theaters opening day just because they can’t wait 6 weeks? How many people who prefer theaters would still go just for the experience even if the film is streaming already? As theater prices go up and theaters try to sell “the experience” more than the film, and as streaming options get easier and easier, this has been the question of the industry for years. The funny thing is, the few movies that risked releasing simultaneously have not done badly in theaters. Heck, I went to theaters opening day to see one of those myself! And it was great, sold out theater and happy audience, people who really really wanted to be there.
On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 9:09 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I stopped going to the cinemas long ago. It’s always been a family or a group thing, and it’s so expensive. Especially when you can see the same movie in a few weeks time streaming! And now with movies landing simultaneously, I very much doubt I will go to a cinema on my own steam again. Unless, it’s like a super spectacle like Avengers or something.
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That’s the theory with simultaneous releases. It won’t actually affect the business, because the people who were going to stream were always going to stream, and the movies folks want to see in theaters they will always want to see in theaters.
On Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 6:07 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Hey Margaret, this book is coming out and it’s in your field: https://www.routledge.com/Industrial-Networks-and-Cinemas-of-India-Shooting-Stars-Shifting-Geographies/Mehta-Mukherjee/p/book/9780367344719
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Oh cool! If I were still killing myself trying to get published, I would totally have submitted an essay to them.
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 1:22 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Might be fun to read though! Some of my friends have totally written academic papers for fun, I live in hope of one day joining them.
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Might be! Right now, quarantine has melted my brain and I am reading online message boards and comic books.
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 9:15 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Absolutely, I just about have the brain power to work.
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Every single photo where he is with Hema.A specimen of beauty.
Did you get to know about Diljit-Kangana spat?I had assumed that men in Hindi cinema have turned meek and submissive,but oh boy,he proved me wrong(ok,he is Punjabi,but has worked in Hindi cinema too).
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Yes, someone in the comments filled me in. I loved it! And I think it is because he is Punjabi, that is, he knows he has such a strong fanbase totally separate from folks who care about Kangana or national politics that he wasn’t afraid to attack her.
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 2:16 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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If I remember well, he even said in one of his tweets that he is not from Bollywood, he is Punjabi and that he doesn’t need to bootlick nobody for roles because Bollywood folks come to him and beg him to do a movie (as always when Kangana runs out of arguments she plays Karan Johar card, this time also she called Diljit KJo’s pet, and that was his answer)
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Leather jacket Dharmendra. And he was handsome in a brooding, matinee way.
Oh, and my birhday is October 8th.
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Happy birthday 2 months later!!!!
Finally someone picks something besides sari Dharmendra!
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My question: Maara (Madhavan’s remake of Charlie) is somebody excited for this film? It’s supposed to be available on Prime from 17 December, so in only 9 days but I don’t see any buzz.
I was thrilled when I first heard about this movie long time ago, but now I hardly remember when it releases and had to check.
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Something is going on with Maddy I think. Not necessarily something really bad, just like maybe he is so focused on getting his Rocket Santa movie finished that he isn’t paying attention to quality stuff otherwise? His horror movie with Anushka also seemed like it just slipped out without anyone noticing.
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 4:27 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The horror movie was bad so it’s not a surprise it passed unnoticed. I hope Maara is better. I’m nervous because Charlie is one of my favourite malayalam movies and I don’t need a bad version especially with my biggest crush. But this lack of buzz makes me anxious.
I must admit I hate a little this Rocket Santa movie. I still want it to be a blockbuster for Maddy, but personally I don’t like this project.
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You usually announce upcoming birthdays of the stars days – sometimes weeks – in advance. I wonder: Do you you have Dilip Kumar’s on your agenda? He turns 98 the day after tomorrow …
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