Are You Ready to Squee?

Pyar Kiye Jaa, 1966
Directed by: C.V. Sridhar


This was my first Kishore Kumar movie. Ever.
It might be said that it came at a rather... interesting time. I was fresh home from India, nursing some serious depression about being back in the states and head-over-heels in school-girl infatuation with someones (and that someone being Kishore-ji's) offspring.


I'm just going to put it as simply as possible before I start giggling and blushing INSANELY to myself, which would be weird and creepy given I'm in public. (I'm also sitting in Central Park*, so my brand of crazy would be a lot more tame than half the people who would see it.)


I met Sumit Kumar in India, we spent a poker playing-bribing cops out of traffic tickets-Ganesha temple-"You know who my dad is?"-Opera singing-I sat in the front seat of his car-curly haired-whisper in my ear-24 hours together. It was bliss, I was in love... the end.  He's precious. Ok, the end for real. (Giggle)


ANYWAY, here I was feeling all pre-teen when I put in the movie and it starts off with Kishore frolicking on the beach singing and dancing and being all around wonderful.

He looked just like his son. (I was shocked by this why? Because I'm an idiot. Ok, I totally noticed when I was talking to SK)


Oh, this was NOT GOOD! I was a ditherspaz. And an idiot. I turned noodle and snuggled down further into the couch crying and eating my gallon of ice cream that I had made for my lunch. I may or may not have yelled several "I love your spawns" at the television. It was not pretty. It was like bad Teen Movie. I don't know. Ugh. I'm over him (SK) now...


Not.


Anyway, this is a movie I wanted to screen cap the life out of it was full of so many great moments, but I only got the opening credits because the sound on my media player was AWFUL, and the DVD seemed to only work (in a bizarre twist of weirdness) in a proper player, like, attached to my big screen and surround sound and stuff. (Imagine!) But, the opening credits are just as precious as the rest of the fillum. Tres cute and cartoony.

And then, there was this, the only reason I wanted the movie at all:


Its not like Shashi wasn't totes adorable to begin with, but this! THIS! With the between the legs shot, and the water buckets, and the band, and the Swing-ish dancing and the random animal sounds! I can die happy and lovely and happy. Did I say happy? It was like when I saw "Typewriter Tip Tip Tip" in person, it was a fulfillment of a dream. 


Actually, I liked all the songs from this film, they're all so fun and catchy and fabulously Late 60s. The incidental music was exactly like watching some kitschy Teen Beach movie where they all dance the jitter bug and have little bows in their beehives. 


I could post ALL of the songs to this post, but I'll save you. Instead I've just wasted about 30 minutes watching them all, Shashi is so steamy, Kishore is so jolly, Mumtaz is so Mumtaz (which is to say, bombshell).


As I was watching this I couldn't decide which Shashi I like better, early Shashi (as seen here) where he is innocent, prone to over-acting, cute, wide-eyed and eager OR later Shashi (say, the delicious 70s) where he developed THE VOICE and smolders through the celluloid because he know he can reduce women to piles of pudding just by breathing. Hm. My problem with early Shashi is that it is SO much like early Shah Rukh; I've heard that darling Mr. SRK moulded his technique after the famous actors of yore and it's just so annoyingly on-spot to the Shashi that I get irritated. 


As a performer I know all about drawing inspiration, but the point isn't supposed to become that person... unless you're an imitator or doing a biography film. I won't deny that Shah Rukh grew into his own (most notably in his most recent handful of films) but ....


This isn't a blog about SRK. 



And I liked the film because it was just good hearted Bollywood fun! The Kishore-Shashi bromance was too cute for words, there were disguises, mistaken identifies, pyaaar, of course pyaar, heroic rescues of radio transmitters from canals, non-violent protests and happy endings. 


Oh, and this, let us not forget this:


Tire slashing in pursuit of love! Romantic ji! Tres romantic! 


It's not a film meant for in-depth analysis, just fluffy happy thoughts to give you a boost and a good mood, and that is the best kind of movie, in my book. 


*Yes, THAT Central Park. I work in NYC now. Life changes quickly, doesn't it?