Monday Morning Questions: What Do You Want to Ask Me the Week I See a Movie IN THEATERS????

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Happy Monday! I had a very productive weekend, got my dining room set up, hung pictures, did a puzzle. And now I am trying to remember how to work and be boring.

Here is where you ask me anything you want from “what movie are you seeing in theaters?” to “What are you doing for Yash Chopra’s birthday?” Just keep swinging back her all week as you think of new questions!!!!

Now, question for you! A nice and easy one. What is your favorite Yashji movie?

Darr! It’s brilliant! It’s a deconstruction of romantic tropes and a feminist statement and it has great songs!

53 thoughts on “Monday Morning Questions: What Do You Want to Ask Me the Week I See a Movie IN THEATERS????”

    • I hate Veer Zaara!!!! But I’m not sure if I can think of an older Yashji film that is more Angie-y. DTPH is boring, Lamhe and Chandni have dull hero, and so on.

      On Mon, Sep 27, 2021 at 10:48 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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          • I’ve a hard time distinguish Kabhi Kabhi from Silsila. In my head it’s one giant Amitabh- Sashi movie because I watched both movies more or less at the same time. But still Silsila > Kabhie Kabhi maybe because I don’t like Rishi and Neetu, and I didn’t like this crazy fire-horses-everybody running climax scene at all.

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  4. Cinemas in Maharashtra are going to open from October 22 and sudenly all halted movies have new relese dates. I can understand those ready to release in near future like Sooryavanshi or Bunty aur Babli 2, but what’s the point of announcing movies for Christmas 2022? Maddy booked April 2022 for Rocketry. I hope this time he will be able to release the movie.
    Is there any movie you can’t wait to watch?
    From 2021 films I’m waiting for Tadap (#RX100 remake) and from 2022 list Prabhas’ Radhe Shyam (which I suspect will be crap but who cares?)

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  5. Yay! You’re gonna see Love Story 🙂

    I know y’all hate it but I think Jab Tak Hai Jaan is my favorite Yash Chopra movie. It’s been like 5 years since I’ve seen it but I loved JTHJ when I was younger. I’ve also seen the other srk movies with Yashji and also a couple others like Deewaar and Chandni but I didn’t really love any of them.

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  6. News says Love Story collections are close to $1,000,000 in the US. I am more curious about per theatre collection. Is there an easy way to find that number?

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    • I wish there was!!! Overseas numbers are collected by a third party agency, but distributors have to report to that agency for the numbers to make sense. Hindi film distributors are, finally, mostly on top of this. But in my experience, southern films are always underreported. To find the numbers in the first place would be a bit of a challenge, and they won’t be correct once you find them.

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      • I started looking and IMBD box office something shows the average per theatre collection. But as you said I don’t know how accurate it is.

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    • I’m so happy Love Story is making money. I want Sai Pallavi to be in good and succesful movies, but also I want romances to be back on screens. This one has “love story” even in the title! The other awesome news is that Qismat 2 was released the same day and it also makes very good money. So from north to south love stories rule box office. I hope someone notices it and thinks: maybe we should stop making biopics and focus on romances (especially those with strong and talented actreses)

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      • It’s definitely a Love Story! And I think you would enjoy it, at least you would enjoy the first 2 hours FOR SURE.

        On Wed, Sep 29, 2021 at 2:26 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  8. The Yashji movies I rewatch over and over again are “Waqt,” “Parampara,” and “Kaala Patthar.” But of all of the ones I have seen, “Dharmputra” made the biggest impression on me. I recall trembling the entire way through this song when I first watched it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fIFAQZSXEo It is not a cheerful movie; I think I’ve only watched it twice. ]I maintain that it is an important one.

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  9. Yesterday I was back at our local mall movie theater for the first time since early summer, only second time since the pandemic (the last movie I saw before the shutdown was Thappad when you came out for your NYC/NJ visit). There were still no Indian movies showing, which would not have been the case before. What are you seeing where you are? And this might be an obvious question, but what’s your read on why they’re taking longer to come back to US theaters?

    So jealous you get to see Love Story!

    I’ve seen Silsila (kinda wild, the cheating plot always bugs me and I probably should have picked a different movie), Darr, DTPH, Veer-Zaara, and JTHJ. What Yashji movie would you recommend for me next?

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    • I’m not really seeing the Indian movies coming back here, but Love Story is EVERYWHERE. I have no real reason for it, but I have some guesses. First guess is that the southern industries have a different distribution network than the Bombay based industry, which seems to have been harder hit in a lot of ways. And second guess is that movie theaters are way more open to experimenting with different content right now. I have really never seen a southern movie playing in as many places as Love Story is this week! That’s why I feel like I have to see it, it’s just EVERYWHERE.

      What I am noticing most is how the pandemic has shown that, ultimately, the Bombay industry still cares about Bombay audience first. If you can release your big movie everywhere in the world EXCEPT Bombay, you won’t. Wait, that’s not quite true. If you can promote your movie for the Bombay audience, you will promote the HECK out of it. But if it is hybrid streaming and theaters, and theaters only overseas, you will only talk about streaming. I have no idea really what movies have been in theaters near me, because the Indian news sources I follow weren’t talking about it (and I wasn’t planning on going so I wasn’t checking local showtimes). It’s not like before when there was an exact to the minute release time all over the world and you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about it.

      On Mon, Sep 27, 2021 at 8:16 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  10. My favorite Yash Chopra movie is Trishul. Even though people think of the movie are the trifecta of Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh, and Shashi. To me, if you really think about the movie, it is all about the women. They have so much agency and control in this movie. Sanjeev’s mom tell him that she likes Waheeda but he needs to marry a rich girl to move up in the company and establish his stronghold. Waheeha is awesome! She doesn’t grovel or cower when she finds out her boyfriend married another women and she is pregnant with his child. She tells him and then raises the kid on her own. Amitabh does everything to avenge his mother. Rakhee demands respect from her boss and Amitabh and doesn’t settle for anything less. And finally, Hema is in love with Shashi and despite what Amitabh’s overinflated thinks, he can’t just charm her into changing her mind. She can flirt and dance with Amitabh and still be in love with Shashi. It is all about the women in that movie.

    On a separate note, I needed a movie to cheer me up this weekend so I decided to rewatch The Best Man because I remember liking it so much as a kid. As a kid I enjoyed the movie so much because it showed an ensemble of young, successful people of color, lots of drama and romance, all culminating to a big fat happy wedding and a proposal. This movie was perfect for me! Oh and it helped that I had a huge crush on Taye Diggs. And generally, when I rewatch an old movie like that, I feel nostalgic and forgive most of the nonsense in the movie, but that was not the case this time. OOOF, the movie was really really hard to watch. The misogyny was waaay to much for me and I had to pause it and take multiple breaks. The movie does get better and there are moments that are still charming but it was not the feel good movie I was hoping for. Things that really bothered me this time (SPOILERS for those who plan to watch the movie):

    1. Morris Chestnut is the WORST. He cheats on his girlfriend multiple times, uses religion as an excuse to absolve himself, and then has the nerve to get upset and “call off the wedding” when he finds out she slept with Taye Diggs. Oh and he thinks getting married is a way to stop his “promiscuity.” Oh and then in his wows, he actually has the nerve to say “woman’s virtue is the man’s greatest glory” Nope nope nope. He actually thinks he is being magnanemous by forgiving her.

    2. I remember loving Nia Long’s character when I was young but the way the men talk about her is obnoxious. Lance tells Taye he dogged a bullet because Nia is too “damn sassy and independent” and a woman like that is “one step from lesbein.” The only way a relationship works is if the man makes the money and the woman “takes care of the house.” EW! Lance is the WORST!

    3. Taye Diggs is supposed to be the hero, the good guy, the guy who respects women. Yet, in the beginning of the movie when Shanaa Lathan is worried about Kendall’s character from the book (Taye’s soulmate), his lack of commitment, etc., he lies, dimisses her feelings, calls her insecure, and gaslights her. Oh and there is a gem when he literally says “Oh here it is. Here is the drama. I thought I avoided it in this relationship.” He mentions to the guys at least 3-4 times how lucky he is that Sanna is mostly “drama free” throughout the movie. UGH!!!

    I am not sure if I should have watched this movie again or continued to remember it through the misguided rose colored glasses of a teenager. Has this ever happened to you? I remember you recommending Best Man to Angie when we were discussing Just Wright and Last Holiday (which I also recently rewatched and they are still amazing!!!), so I assume that like me you watched and liked the movie when you watched it. Do you remember it the way I depicted it now? What are your thoughts on the movie? Am I interpreting things incorrectly now or looking at it from a 2021 lense and shouldn’t? Maybe I should just focus on the fact that Taye Diggs still has the best smile and is just so darn charming!

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    • I still like The Best Man!!!! I saw all that stuff you pointed out the first time around, but somehow I was able to just put it in a box and not let it bother me. I have no logical reason for it, it just didn’t bother me. But I should say, Brown Sugar is BY FAR the best Black Rom-Com I have ever seen (and reminds me a whole lot of KKHH). And Breakin’ All the Rules is way better than it deserves to be. If you are looking to scratch that itch.

      On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 10:09 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • I was going to say, I am going to go watch Brown Sugar this week because I know I love that movie and won’t change my mind!!! And I recently watched Breakin all the Rules and it’s wonderful as well! I also watched Breakin us from Eva for the first time and enjoyed that one too.

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        • That was the other one I was trying to remember! The Eva one. Have you watched Something New? That’s one I’ve never gotten around to but could be bad or good. Oh, and Girl’s Trip! I vaguely remember when it came out, but I never saw it, and now I am looking it up and apparently it broke records?

          On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 10:56 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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          • I did see Something New a long time ago but don’t remember it that well. I might have to watch that again and let you know what I think. And yes, Girls Trip is great! I do recommend watching that! Oh and if you haven’t watched Love and Basketball obviously watch that first! I have watched that movie far too many times. It’s so good. Another one that is on my list is Two Can Play That Game. I remember watching it a while back and really enjoying the chemistry and the one-upmanship between Vivica A Fox and Morris Chestnut (similar to Sonu Ki Titu and Intolerable Cruelty) but I will have to see if I still feel that way.

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          • Intolerable Cruelty!!! How have we not talked about this before? Film Snobs look down on it because it was the Coen brothers one directing for hire job. But I love it!!!! It’s so snappy and funny and amoral and delightful.

            And so long as we are talking rom-coms, Holiday Romance Movie Season officially starts October 22! I signed up for a temporary Hallmark Movies and Lifetime cable subscription just for the holiday season. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! And, looking at the early press, there is going to be loads more diversity of all kinds (POC and same sex and stuff) than in previous years. Gonna be a goooooooooood November and December for light-rom-com fans.

            On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 11:13 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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          • Yes! I put Intolerable Curelty and Sonu Ki Titu in the same catagory of movies and they are both so deliciously amoral and fun. (Except of course the stupid stupid ending of SKT).

            OOOOh would you be interested in doing an ongoing holiday movie post where you update it with recommendations? Not a full review even, just a one to two sentence summary with your recommendations. This will be perfect to watch during my maternity leave!

            Oh also, Emily in Paris season 2 comes out on December 22 and I am soo excited. It is so frivolous and fun. I am not sure if you have seen the first season, but we throughly enjoyed it. I think it helped that my husband lived in Paris for a while and even studied there in French at a French university, so he had a lot of fun watching it with me.

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          • I was going to say it might be a bit ambitious to plan on watching anything during maternity leave. But then, we are talking about Hallmark/Lifetime movies 🙂 You can nod off and wake up and fill in the gaps of what you missed.

            I haven’t watched season 1! I couldn’t tell if it would be harmless fluff, or irritating privilage blindness.

            On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 11:26 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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          • I didn’t view it as privilage blindness. What was interesting to me is that it recieved criticism for its depiction of french cliches, yet the French actors who were in the show went into the show fully aware of them and even being fine with them. They gave multiple interviews about them. It reminded me of Never Have I Ever, which recieved critisicm from people in India and the diaspora. Yet, many Indian American people who were brought up in America, related to it and enjoyed it.

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          • Then that could be fun! I am looking forward to, someday soon, finishing unpacking my apartment. Which means I can get all cozy and tucked in and watch pay-attention shows on my couch instead of brainless-while-unpacking shows as I move around the apartment.

            On Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 11:54 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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          • If you do, let me know what you think. I should also add that husband also happened to work at an ad agency (like Emily) when he lived in Paris, made no money, but had to dress in somewhat trendy clothes, lived in a tiny walk up (like Emily). So I think we just viewed the show with a lot of nostalgia. There is a scene in there about a typical French day and husband said he remembered vividly showing up to work at 9:00 and the cleaning people were still there cleaning the office.

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        • Probably she did much better work in the likes of “Blackmail” or “Sharmilee,” and it looks like she may have been having more fun in those roles, too ( ; But take-no-nonesense businesslady Rakhee is, for whatever reason, the Rakhee of my heart.

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      • She is SO great in it! I seriously love her in this movie! Also, she doesn’t have the biggest role in the movie, yet she makes such an impact.

        Another movie where, I love her role is Pighalta Asmaan. Fair warning, it is sad if you haven’t seen it and want to. But from what I remember, I think it’s the first movie (or one of the first movies) that Shashi did after his wife died, and it was one of those movies where Rakhee got to play the lead romantic heroine again after playing mother and sister-in-law roles and I feel like they poured they heart and soul into their performences. It is just so good. She gets to be strong and flawed and yet determined to live and die on her own terms. She is excellent in it.

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        • I haven’t seen that one! I don’t mind sad movies. It’s on my list now and I have found it on YouTube : )

          It is so disheartening, these actresses who get stuck in maa parts–or more specifically, UNINTERESTING maa parts–when you know that can do so much more. To refer back to “Trishul,” it has always seemed to me from the outside that Waheeda went from playing meaty, exciting roles in the ’60s to playing Amitabh et al.’s mother in the ’70s essentially overnight. Anyway, I will look forward to more good Rakhee!

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          • I agree! Waheeda was Amitabh’s wife two years earlier in Kabhi Kabhi. In that sense, I love that Rakhee was still able to play meaty romantic roles even after playing the mom roles. Have you listened to some of her interviews? She’s just so bold and fearless in them. I really like her in real life too and it makes sense why Meghna is so amazing with a mother like that!

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          • I don’t think I’ve ever seen/read her being interviewed, no. If you recommend something in particular, send it to me. . . as for now, though, my lunch break should technically be over : P

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    • I have been thinking about this but couldn’t come up with a favorite Yash Chopra movie, though I love most of them. Any movie I think of, there is always at least one thread of pain and sorrow running through the film, and it stops me from calling it my favorite! It might be a shallow way to look at films but that’s how it is for me. That said, even I kind of settled on Trishul, because it might be the most enjoyable out of all. I especially love the song ‘Mohabbat Bade Kaam Ki Cheez Hai’, its setting, the fact that each person sings parts from their own perspective – I miss when Hindi cinema used to do that.

      And yes to Intolerable Cruelty, it is so much fun! I’ve read it’s an homage to screwball comedies and I totally see that.

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      • Trishul is just such a great movie. And totally under appreciated. Mohabbat Bade Kaam Ki Cheez Hai is so great!!! Besides everything I said above, I love how grey Amitabh’s character is and his calm, cold dialogue delivery is almost scary in its smoothness! It’s such a contrast to Zanjeer and other movies in which his anger is so over the top and on display. Here it is seething and bitter and bubbling below the surface and just so interesting to watch. And the scene where he admits he is just lonely and asks Rakhee to stay is just phenomenal.

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