Happy Wednesday! One week from today is the day before SRK day!!! I need to start making a cake plan.
I’ll start!
Reading: Scarlet Pimpernel! Old England is so cozy, according to this book written 200 years later.
Watching: I watched “Woh Kaun Thi?” last Friday! Very crazy plot, but lovely songs and Manoj Kumar was way more handsome than I realized.
Thinking: My house is FINALLY settled! Finished doing the pipes thing, and got my new permanent sink installed. Now I get to rearrange my kitchen for the FINAL time and then for the rest of my life, no more kitchen upsets!
Listening: It’s SRK month! Still, some more!!! And this song keeps playing on my car ipod, “Yaadon Main”
Now, SRK themed question!!!! What is your favorite SRK movie?
Oh man! You know for years I would say “DDLJ” without thinking? But JHMS may have tied it at this point.
dontcallitbollywood 
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I think my favourite is RNBDJ, but also K3G.
I watched 2 classics and one super random film this week.
Bangalore Days – I keep thinking about it, and I can’t decide if Fahadh was a good choice for the role of Das or not. On one hand he is such a good actor, and he made the character likeable , but on the other he doesn’t look like a motor cross rider, bad boy with tatooes type. The sex scene was beautiful, but at the same ridiculous with this big tatoo.
I also think about Dulquer. I have never considered him a very good actor and here he surprised me a lot. In my opinion he was better than Nivin.
An Affair To Remember – slowly I find those old gems and watch them. I also gave a look at Love Affair, because I found it in a vey good quality and in italian on Youtube.
Aathavani- random marathi movie I found on Einthusan. I really don’t know why I watched it. Very basic story about a guy who finds an old love letter and decides to find the author and learn more about his love story. It was not bad bad, but I could watch something better .
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So glad you watched Bangalore Days! And I kind of agree about the casting, but based on what I’ve seen other people say about the film, it might just be us two who have a hard time with it.
I never appreciated An Affair to Remember until I saw it at a revival movie theater on the big screen. It’s just a gorgeous movie, and the previous fuzzy VHS version I had seen did not do it justice. And now you should watch Mann to see the Indian version!
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I didn’t know Mann is the remake of An affair to remember. Funny thing is that I only watched the original because I was reading about some Meena Kumari film on Wikipedia, and they said it’s An Affair to Remember remake. I thought that An Affair… it’s such a classic and I should watch it and I was sure the plot will be similar to what I read about the indian remake. I was surprised that the movie is so simple and there is not much plot. I don’t know why Bheegi Raat is considered the remake. They have changed almost everything. Now I’m really interested in Mann.
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I’ve also been thinking about rewatching Bangalore Days before I see Yaariyan 2 which is getting bad reviews, but only because they blatantly stole the Bangalore Days plot and didn’t own up to it. I still have faith in the actual movie being somewhat swoony because Sanam Teri Kasam is so underrated.
-filmilibrarian
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Now that I saw Bangalore Days I’m even more excited to watch Yaariyan 2, because if I’m not wrong, Meezan plays Dulquer’s role and I think he is perfect for this role. All the rest will probably suck (Divya Khoshla, I’m talking about you), but Meezan will be great, I’m sure.
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I really like Chak De. He was doing it when sports films were not a thing. Also a refreshing to see SRK film with no romance.
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Ooo, good choice! Great performance too.
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Definitely JHMS. But it is the personal connection, the fact that I was a tour guide, the familiarity with that specific inability to connect to humans that the job creates. If I hadn’t been a tour guide would I like it as much? I don’t know. I can’t change my past, all I can do is recognize that it affects my tastes in SRK movies.
My other favorite would be Yes Boss. But is that because it aligns more with my view of the world and my own experiences growing up in the U.S. in the early 90s? DDLJ is set in Britian, and then in an India that I love to see but have no familiarity with. I have to assume it is that lack of familiarity that pushes it down my own personal list, as it is legitimately a better movie than Yes Boss. But I like Yes Boss more.
I have been enjoying reading the Scarlet Pimpernel. A single friend has even invited me over for a reading date. We will not talk, not be interupted by children or lovers and read in her livingroom, and maybe eat some unsweetened whipped cream.
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See, that’s the beauty of separating “favorite” from “best”!!! I think all critics should have that luxury, you know there are folks arguing for TV shows/films/songs/whatever just because it is their favorite but they have to come up with reasons that it is the “best” also.
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Watching: I watched Wes Anderson’s Netfix short films. It was pretty good though some were too artsy in my opinion. Interestingly Mr Wickham from Pride and Prejudice(movie) was also part of the film and is such a good actor. I finally watched Thiruchitrambalam which was so fun and such a nice movie. However I did feel like everyone overshadowed Dhanush in this movie.
Reading: I am reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Depressing yet heartwarming. I would recommend it however it does need a specific mood.
Listening: I saw this wonderful edit of Ranbir and Deepika with Prateek Kuhad’s cold/mess and now really need to watch this imaginary movie.
As known, I have terrible taste so Om Shanti Om or Dil To Pagal Hai is probably my favourite SRK movie for reasons not known to man. However if I actually want to think then Chak De! India as it is truly a beautiful script which always leaves me thinking when I watch it.
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Hey, you have great taste! Om Shanti Om is a favorite of lots and lots of people.
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If the short films you are talking about like The Story of Henry Sugar, all were written by English author Roald Dahl who was a favorite of mine as a kid and I read all of those stories. I thought the style and depictions were interesting but I still think the stories I imagined in my head as a kid were far superior of course.
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Yes, I think even for me; I grew up with the stories so I had my own interpretation. Some of the stories had a unique interpretation but I felt the emotions were lost at times.
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I have never been a big Wes Anderson fan. The style that he used is somewhat familiar to me in a different context from my theater background. It’s called story theater and uses the dialogue and narration from fiction, myth, short story, etc. being spoken by the actor like how the movie was done. However, in the style I’m familiar with there is a lot more Emotional involvement. Similar to how a really good storyteller will take on the emotional content and characters in traditional folk storytelling,. I found his direction to be very flat I think to respect the textThe big highlight for me, was seeing Ben Kingsley deliver the story, which was cool.
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I have enjoyed some films of his like ‘The French Dispatch’ and ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ though I much preferred the former. I have never liked ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ and I feel I may just not like his Dahl adaptations cause it is so removed from the message the author wants to show.
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K3G is my fave SRK movie. I’m predictable.
I am re-reading a Talia Hibbert romance, listening to the Dil Se soundtrack on repeat, anddddd looking forward to the last episode of Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death tomorrow!
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Hi from Singapore, on my way to Bangladesh!
Just watched Drishyam 2 on the plane, and it was very diverting on my long long flight. I think I liked it as much as the first one, although didn’t really like Akshaye’s performance, which is a first for me. It was too “evil genius” if you know what I mean.
Very difficult to choose my favorite SRK movie, especially in my sleep-deprived state. I think for the moment I’m going with Swades and Paheli.
Should I go get an overpriced Burger King meal? We don’t have BK in Japan.
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Yes go go go to BK!!!!
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And then tell us if it was worth it (I’m sure it will be!!)
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Wow, I don’t know if I’ve ever disliked an Akshaye performance. Maybe Taal? But that wasn’t dislike, just amusement at his overacting.
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Read: I started Scarlet Pimpernel! Am on Chapter 2 now.
Watch: MNIK and JHMS, but also that one scene in K3G where SRK and Hrithik speak for the first time after he finds out Hrithik is his baby brother. The “how did you get this thin” dialogue 🤧
Thinking: I’m going to my folks’ place next month so planning what to bring. I usually make idli podi at home fot the family, and homemade chai masala.
Listening: I’ve realised that JHMS is one of those rare soundtracks that I love to listen from beginning to end. There isn’t a song in that album I dislike. I esp love to listen to Safar and Ghar one after the other coz I always consider those two songs bookends of each other. ALSO! The audio versions of the songs have extra lyrics that I really love.
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Yaaaaaaaaaaay, Scarlet Pimpernel!
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Reading: Almost finished with the Scarlet Pimpernel, might finish today at lunch! Glad I could read-a-long with everyone here.
Watching: Whoa, was the first episode of KWK Season 8 an intense one! I read a snarky review that said that it was all just a ploy to hush rumors about a rift, but I found Ranveer and Deepika to be wonderfully human and surprisingly open in their conversation (and, finally, it felt like a normal conversation/interview after a long time). I do think there was a bit of putting up a facade at times on all three’s part but I genuinely was moved by Karan’s reaction to the wedding video. After his heartfelt comments, it’s now clear that he was struggling with a lot during the last season and in the last few years and that does partially explain his “performance” in the last season of KWK, where he was trying to be too cool for school and didn’t act his age. I think the success and validation of RARKPK really righted the ship for him. I find him completely fascinating (even read his memoir when it came out) and continue to root for him (and now all I can think about is him finding a partner who will appreciate him for all that he is!). I’m way too invested! As for the superficial elements of the appearance…Ranveer has never looked hotter and was actually really playing with perceptions of masculinity with that shirt in a good way! Deepika is, of course, stunning…kind of loving her new hairstyle and I love her confidence in saying she IS the best actress in Bollywood right now. Ranveer imitating Hrithik again is iconic.
Watched Dream Girl 2 the other night. I liked it well enough. Ayushmann totally commits and for the first half I thought the film might be one of the few Hindi comedies that hit just right for my sensibilities as it relied on situational humor more than crassness (especially when it became clear that they were going to handle the gay plot line relatively well). There was also one line where a character says that an old man was so old that in his day armies fought with their hands and I burst out laughing so the writing was even kind of good at times. I even liked this setup better than the 1st film in the series. But the climax of the film was very weak and didn’t really make sense with the tone of the film…was not earned at all. Ananya was hardly relevant to the plot and continues to underwhelm. She could still surprise me someday…didn’t think she was that great in the film with Deepika either. I do kind of hope that they make a third one and that Ayushmann does some kind of Mrs. Doubtfire tribute which would be really good.
Started watching the foodie docuseries India Bites on Hulu before it disappears this Friday. Just signed back on to Hulu for KWK and found it. The host is annoying AF but I really liked the slice of life stuff she’s doing.
Half way through Yash Raj’s Damini and I’m really surprised at how much it’s working for me so far and Sunny Deol’s iconic supporting turn hasn’t even happened yet. I was curious about Sunny and decided I needed to watch some of his films (not Gadar 2 though…definitely not for me). Even Rishi in his Cosby sweaters can’t turn me off from this one though his character is very inconsistent. Meenakshi Sheshadri is new to me and so far I’m really impressed. Her dancing is beautiful and she has a quirky charm, plus I can see why this role is considered so woman-centric. Will finish it tonight.
Still waiting for Zara Hatke… the Sara/Vicky film to release on streaming! Where is it?!
It’s getting close to Diwali and I do think my friend and I will going to see Tiger 3 in the theater (though she hasn’t seen the first two!!!), but we saw Paathan together and I think she’s up for it. She said growing up she loved Salman and hated SRK and now it’s reversed so I still might have to convince her! I do think I might try to personally celebrate Diwali in my own way by reading the Ramayana for the first time. (Any recs on which editions to read let me know…I think I have the Narayan(?) prose translation at home). I’m also thinking about ordering these really fancy mithai from Tagmo in NYC, too, as a treat to myself:) Margaret, do you celebrate Diwali in any particular way? I have definitely gone to Diwali shows with Indian-American friends in the past, but I am sensitive to cultural appropriation, so it’s not like I’m going to put out diyas and rangoli at my own home, you know?
–filmilibrarian
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Oh man, I totally slept on Tiger 3. Gotta start putting together a viewing plan. Tiger 2 was deeply disappointing to me, but Tiger 3 is supposed to have Shahrukh, so that’s gotta be better, right?
I don’t really do anything fo Diwali, besides watching the new release. If I absolutely had to celebrate somehow, I would probably just watch Sita Sings the Blues again! As for the Ramayana, the Sitayana by Dedutt Patianayak is by far the best version I’ve read. He doesn’t try to turn it into a written narrative, he keeps that oral feel to it by breaking it down into a series of short stories that all vaguely connect to one grand sweeping story. Which also makes it a very easy read, you can just do story by story and put it into manageable chunks. Oh, and the illustrations are perfect too! he uses almost abstract line drawings, again to keep that “oral” feel of there being no one right way to picture the story, fill in the gaps with your own mind.
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I liked Tiger 2 about the same as the first. I don’ think I have high hopes for Tiger 3 beyond just seeing Katrina kick butt. I feel like the Spy Universe is going to start relying way too much on the action to the deficit of the story. I’m actually very excited about the SRK (and maybe Hrithik) cameos as well!
Love Sita Sings the Blues and that’s a good idea! Will look up that version to read.
Oh, and are you going to do a KWK recap again? Would love that!
~filmilibrarian
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Don’t know if I’ll do a KWK recap or not! Depends on if I can get someone to watch it with me in Real Life.
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Just a correction which may shock you. Damini is by Rajkumar Santoshi(the guy who made Andaz Apna Apna) instead of Yash Raj.
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Thanks! I meant produced by Yash Raj films, not directed by Yash Chopra:) I’ve been in the mood for Yash Raj productions for a while, since watching The Romantics. I actually am not always a fan of Yash Chopra’s actual films. Finished it last night and it really was an interesting film. Sunny Deol is quite the supporting hero in it. Rishi’s character didn’t deserve Damini and she should have run off with Sunny! I did catch the promo for Andaz Apna Apna at the beginning of this one. But I actually hadn’t made the connection of the director. I’ve, of course, seen AAA…one of the few Indian comedies that its fun silliness just transcends any cultural barriers.
~filmilibrarian
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Yes, I think she should’ve run off with Sunny too or at least left Rishi
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And also Lajja! Which kind of fits more with Damini than AAA
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That’s one that I’ve been wanting to watch for ages, but it’s never streaming except on like Eros which I don’t have. Karisma Kapoor is a big blind spot for me beyond Fiza.
~Kim
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Oh, forgot to mention my favorite SRK film…probably Chak De India!
Congrats on finishing your kitchen!
~filmilibrarian
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Koffee with Karan season 8 episode 1 – dips and Ranveer. So good and subtitles on Hulu. We should do a watchalong. I feel like Karan said things i was feeling. No more spoilers
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Watching: Been binging on 60s-80s film for a while now. Finished Masoom the 1960 version. Can’t remember if I mentioned before. Such a lovely sweet story mostly told from the point of view of two young brothers living on their own. I’ll have to check out the 1983 film with a different story next. I just started watching Bazaar with Smita Patil whom I”m not familiar with. Really enjoying her performance. Some new filmmaking styles I haven’t seen before from this period yet like handheld shots and long close-ups on objects and set details not usually featured. So far (30 min. in) I’m seeing a lot of torment and I have a feeling it’s not going to get any better.
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Smita Patil is amazing! She was the Queen of parallel cinema in the 80s, the camera just loved her face. Her real life was tragic, and now her son is acting and everyone goes “awww, Smita’s son!” because we loved her so much. He’s pretty good too, in the right role and when he’s not on drugs.
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New Arjun Kapoor movie alert!
Lady Killer trailer came out today and it looks like the movie will release next Friday. So soon! I have a mixed to positive feelings about this trailer. First I was like: it’s not my genere. But man, Arjun and Bhumi are so hot together I can’t ignore it.
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