I know a lot of my readers are reading this, and I wanted a place for us all to discuss. I also know a lot of my readers don’t want to bother but might want a preview of what it says. And I think I have found a way to satisfy both of you! Without feeling like I am breaking some kind of plagiarism rule or skipping important parts.
Wednesday Watching Post: What are You Watching and Reading and Thinking About the Week Before Valentine’s Day?
General discussion area! Tell us what you’ve seen recently, ask for recommendations, talk about books, post article links, whatever you want!
Nenunnanu: They Broke the Sacred Thread!
Did you know Nagarjuna was in Khuda Gawah? I didn’t! And I’ve seen that movie way more times than anyone should see Khuda Gawah. How did I not notice him back then? Because now, I love him!
Another America Only Post (Sorry, I’ll Try To Make it Quick)
Once again, sorry international readers, this has nothing to do with you. But it is a cool thing for Americans to be aware of.
Hindi Film 101: Rekha 3.0, After Amitabh
Part 3! I am so glad I decided to do this in multiple parts. I probably could have squeezed it all into one, but Rekha has really lived many lives, it is only fair to give her many posts. Oh, and again, almost all this information comes from This Book. Buy it if you like these posts and want to learn more! (post 1 here and post 2 here)
Jomonte Suvisheshangal Review: My 4th Malayalam Film in Theaters! And 3rd Dulquer Film in Theaters! (SPOILERS)
I missed Monday Malayalam, because I was completely impractical and not time effective, and I went to see Dulquer’s new movie in theaters at the 8 o’clock show on a work night. Because it’s Dulquer! And it’s cold and grey and depressing, and Kerala is so pretty. And I was hoping to write the review when I got home, but it was midnight and my brain finger typing thoughts not coming.
Two New Videos! Badri Ki Dulhania and Phillauri! (Plus a Pakistani Bonus)
March is gonna be a GOOD MONTH!!!! Much better than February, where we have that Pakistani rom-com that looks pretty great, and Rangoon, which I am still not very interested in.
Monday Morning Questions Post, Abhishek’s Birthday Week!
Monday Morning Question time! The day after Abhishek’s birthday. I celebrated by seeing Raees for the 4th time.
New Raees Song!
Is this just a thing now? Shahrukh always keeps back one song for luck, and then posts it a week later? Because he’s done it again!
Silly Sunday Speculative Post: If Karan Johar Were the Hero of a Rom-Com, Who Would He Marry?
I will be putting up detailed posts on Karan’s book later this week, probably Wednesday and Friday. But in the meantime, I immediately got distracted by his declaration that he doesn’t believe in marriage any more and will never marry. Because that’s always what the rom-com hero says at the beginning, right? And then there are elaborate plot shenanigans and coincidences and he changes his mind?
Happy 41st Birthday Abhi Baby!!!
A bit odd calling a 41 year old “baby”, but it is my favorite of his many nicknames, so I am sticking with it!
Read below for the 16 reasons I love him.
(this is an updated and reposted blog from a year ago)
Raees Part 5: All the Way Through to the Moment When Shahrukh Defeats the Yatra
Part 5! I always forget how much faster it moves once I get into the second half. Because I’ve already done all my discussion of the underlying motivations and blah blah, and I can skip all that. I have great hopes of finishing entirely in one more part! (part 1 here and part 2 here and part 3 here and part 4 here)
FanVid Post: Strong Women!
Thank goodness, I was smart and subscribed to every good fanvid maker that I ran across. So now I get updates when new wonderful videos are posted. Like the one that just went up today with Rani from Aiyyaa.
Raees Part 4: Is this a Holiday Movie and the Holiday is Muharram?
TGIF: Kingly Men
Happy Friday! Last week I did traditional clothes, and did you notice I skipped Jodha-Akbar? That was on purpose! I had this in mind already, our kingly men.
Watch a Movie With Me in 36 Hours!!!!
36 hours, right? 24 hours plus 12? 1am GMT on Sunday is what I mean. We will watch Hum Saath Saath Hain while being hum saath saath hain on twitter!
Raees Part 3: Shahrukh Meets His Match and I Don’t Mean Mahira
I took a couple days off, because I had to go see Raees again which killed 5 hours (travel to the theater and back plus trailers), which was also my 5 hours when I could have been writing recaps. But now I am back! And hoping to get well into Shahrukh and Nawazuddin’s first mental duel. (part 1 here and part 2 here)
Badrinath Trailer! Same as DDLJ, Different from Humpty Sharma
So glad that Badrinath Ki Dulhania is being made! And that the first trailer makes it seem like it will be yet another riff on DDLJ, but with a different focus from Humpty Sharma.
Hindi Film 101: Rekha 2.0, The Amitabh Years
This is such a fun one to write! Mostly because it is so fake. Rekha is brilliant at manipulating the press and crafting an image for herself, so her whole life story (as presented to the public) sounds like something out of a bad melodrama. Oh, and almost all of this is based on This Book, which is a super fun read and if you like this post, you should go buy it and read it.
Happy Songs Post, Inspired By Azhagiye and AR Rahman
Thank you thank you to T.J Stevens for posting the “Azhagiye” song in a comment! This is about the happiest thing I have ever seen/heard. And then I remembered that it wasn’t, because there are other AR Rahman songs which made me the same amount of happy! And then I thought, “Why not a theme post?”
Box Office Update: Raees Breaks the International Box Office in Order to Re-form It
Global figures are out! Actually they were out on Monday, but I forgot to check. It’s been so long since I cared about figures! Because we had weeks of “Dangal does awesome, not really news” and then “OK Jaanu does terrible, still not really news.” But now, news! The first week of Raees and Kaabil, how did they do? (figures, as always, come from Rentrack by way of Bollywoodhungama)
Wednesday Watching Post: What Are You Seeing and Thinking and Reading and Wondering About This February
Happy February First! We made it through another month of winter! Boy, this winter is somehow really getting to me. Luckily, I am taking myself on a medicinal trip to sunshine next week, so that should cheer me right up.
Tamil Tuesday: Aval Oru Thodharkadai Shows Why a Woman Turns Cold
Second week that I am managing a Tamil Tuesday! And an actual good film this time, another R. Balachander. If I were still watching movies in a wild and unplanned manner, I would be zipping through all his films on youtube and probably getting super confused as to what happened in which. But with my new alliterative schedule theory, I have to hold off. Or else zip through and then schedule all my posts out for the next several Tuesdays. We’ll see what I end up doing.
Hindi Film 101: Rekha! The Queen of Embracing the Narrative the Press Gave
Oh, this is gonna be a fun one! And I am sure it will only be able to scratch the surface, so please add on nifty details in the comments. And I should also acknowledge, it is almost entirely taken from This Book. If you like this post, Buy It! And if you disagree with this post, Blame It! (not really, I’m the one who bought the book and chose which parts to believe and repeat)
Karan Update: New Column on NDTV
Karan just posted a new column on NDTV. He was supposed to be a columnist for them, right? But after 2-3 postings last year, it kind of died out. And now we get another, clearly inspired by the Sanjay Leela Bhansali incident.