Happy Thursday! On Tuesday, I started a discussion of Hindi film history and industrial development, inspired by all the discussion of “nepotism” popping up lately. I don’t usually plug my book in these posts, but if you find these posts in particular interesting, I go into much more detail in my book, so you should check it out. (part 1 here)
Happy Tuesday! I was planning to do a Hindi Film 101 One-Off today on Sanjay Dutt’s court case or something, related back to the Nargis series I just finished. But “nepotism” has become the catchphrase of the day, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the history of families working together in Hindi film, where it started and why. Oh, and I don’t usually plug my book in these posts, but this one is really very similar in tone and contains some content that I go into in more detail there, so if you like it, buy the book!
I was going to just leave it at Greatest Love Triangle of all time, but then I remembered Rekha and Jaya and Amitabh, so I am modifying it to be Greatest Love Triangle of All Time Between Two Men and One Women. (Nargis part 1 here)
Nargis Dutt! Finally! After teasing her for the past several weeks. And also, yet another actress after Rekha and Meena. Why is it that actresses have so much more interesting personal lives than actors? Or is it just that I find their lives more interesting? Or is it that the media plays up their lives a little more than with actors? It’s probably the last.
I finished Guide-the-Book! It was a good book in general, and an easy read, I recommend it. But it was really really really interesting to read it in partnership with the film. There were so many things that had to be changed to make a film version work, and they all revolved around Waheeda’s character.
By popular demand, and my own inclination, I am going to do a post on Osho! Otherwise known as “that weird religion that made Vinod Khanna run off to Oregon in the middle of his career.” Just to skip to the end for a second, it’s calmed down in the decades since and is now a kind of normal sort of meditation center. But it was very very odd for a while in the middle!
My first Malayalam movie from my huge online shopping haul! It was so-so. I think I remember why it was recommended to me, because it was Nivin’s first movie, and the first movie Vineeth directed. It was kind of cool to see how both of them started out, and the movie was also sort of interesting in its own right to look at how a plot I have seen in Hindi and Tamil films was done in Malayalam. But I wouldn’t say it is exactly a “Great Film.”
Welcome back to Meena Kumari part 2! As I mentioned in the first part, this is almost entirely based on her classic biography, published within weeks of her death. It’s not a completely unreliable source, but it’s also the version that people were remembering just after she died. One thing that does seem clear is that she was a woman who never fully controlled her own destiny.
I’m finally doing Meena Kumari! Because she was consistently the second choice every time I gave you options. And because I have this book (be aware, it’s written in an unusual style for a bio. But it’s still fun!) for a source, so it’s easy. The thing with Meena, is that she was never able to really live alone or control her own destiny, she just went from man to man, starting with her father.
Guide part 3! This is what happens when I write about Great Movies, I just go on and on and don’t know how to stop (16 parts into DDLJ, by the way, and not even to intermission). But I am going to be firm with myself this time and try to keep it down to just 3 parts. Especially because, unlike DDLJ, this isn’t a movie all my readers will necessarily have seen. (part 1 gives no plot details of the film, just background on the pre-production, part 2 starts with a general discussion of the style and techniques of the film before getting into plot. Read them both before you read this, because I will be referring back!)
Another one-off post! This week is just killing me between church and work and friends, so I don’t have the energy to start another big series. Plus, I never gave you a chance to vote! So instead, another Amitabh one-off, this time covering his most recent re-invention, from failed international businessman to TV star and back to movie star.
Yesterday I did an in depth post on the whole behind the scenes process of making Guide and who all the personalities involved where and what their background was and so on and so on (not including the Murder and Sex Cult part of the Anand brothers’ story, because those hadn’t happened yet). I wanted to say aaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllll of that before I got into discussing the actual film. Which is what I will do now, only I will be referring back to stuff from the other post, so read this first!
I’m still in the middle of my Chopra family series, I’ll be back to it next week for the family feud in the second generation and the joining with the Mukherjee family. But right now, I wanted to make sure we all knew the “real” story behind Kangana Ranaut’s character in Rangoon before we go see the film.
As you know, if you read my blog regularly, I went on a trip recently. And I decided the perfect time to finally watch Guide was on my smartphone on the flight. And it was perfect! I had no other options, so I couldn’t put it off any longer. And I was able to watch it with intense focus, since I was holding the screen right up at the end of my nose. And this was a film that really really really deserved close watching! And close analysis, which is why I am starting with a post that just gives background before I even talk about the film itself.
Less scandalous than usual, the Chopras are a super nice family who worked hard and did good work. But still interesting! To learn how they are all related to each other and their own particular talents and so on. (part 1 here)
Okay, Chopra time! This isn’t a very flashy family. Or a very scandalous one. But it is an uber-talented one, with a huge impact on the development of Hindi film. (for all of my Hindi Film 101 posts, go here)
(Yet another reposted post! But it is one that really belongs in the Hindi Film 101 series, so this is just righting a wrong)
Valentine’s Day! Day of love! And for that reason, a good day for a one of post just about love stories. The two kinds of them, the socially relevant ones in which the romance is just a jumping off point for a broader social issue, and the fun fun fun ones that just make you smile.
Once again, I ended a series on a Tuesday! So I am going to give you a little longer to decide what you want to read about next, and do just a little one-off for Thursday. And, for the first time, I am going to attempt to cover Amitabh. Except he is so big, I think I will try to do it piecemeal. Starting with The Coolie Accident, mentioned in my Rekha coverage.
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)
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.
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)
dontcallitbollywood 