Twinkle Lights and Happy Fluff Abounding

Kismat Konnection, 2008
Directed by: Aziz Mirza

I was fully intent on watching Wake Up Sid this weekend because everyone in the universe has been going crazy over it, however, I got about 30 minutes into the film before I realized that I am Sid (detailed description to come when I finish the film!) and that their constant gushing about Mumbai was way to much to handle, since I'm going to BE THERE in MAY! I couldn't handle the combination of my chagrin over my similarities to Sid* and my over-pouring of happiness about Mumbai. I had to watch something else or I might have exploded into a million piece and died.

So I switched over to Kismat Konnection, a film I had been eying on Watch Instantly for a few months now... simply because the cover of the DVD just looked so delightful and full of twinkle lights (I'm a sucker for a good twinkle light...)

I read some of the reviews on Netflix and most of the people seemed rather so-so about the film, I was willing to give it a try since it has some of my key players (Shahid, Vidya and JUHI!) and because after a long, dreadful week all I wanted was brainless "fluff" (as one of the reviewers called it).

Perhaps it was the build up of a terrible week, but I adored this film. It was everything I needed, it had comedy, heart, super sweet, precious songs, a story I could get behind and crisp, beautiful cinematography.

First off, there was the use of my all-time favorite picture technique: the off-center, blurry-light background. Drop me on my head and kiss me, Aziz used this technique ALL OVER THE PLACE! Rather than overkill though, the effect really worked. It gave the film a mystical, magical feeling. I'm drooling just remembering it. If I could live in a blurry-twinkle-lighted world, I would. It was like food for my soul.

The story was so normal, so effortless. There were no "WTF" moments or deviations from the plot. It was strictly Raj Malhotra (nice name, haven't heard THAT before) and Priya and their lives. Granted there is some silliness, since Priya is Raj's lucky charm, but still... it seemed normal enough. It was just uncomplicated RomCom goodness. Let me indulge, ok?

 I have been streaming the music on Dhingana for the past 24 hours. I can't get enough! It's not on iTunes (boo!) but it is just such good music. At first I was rather concerned that my favorite song of the film, Dakhuda Tumhi Ho, was performed by a playback singer with the vocal qualities of a goat (it's a little shaky is all) but it's actually grown on me, because the song is just that good. I'm actually listening to it this very second, and I think my dil is smiling.

Hello? JUHI FREAKING CHAWLA! I love her, I have a crush on her, actually, always have... She played the eccentrically delightful gypsy who guides Raj through his life's woes. Her comedic ability still surprises me. I don't think I'll ever get over my first impression of her (as the dejected and cheated Seema in Salaam-e-Ishq) which was so serious and so emotional, but I'm getting there. I promise you I am! Also, she lived in a very Devdas-esque house with glittering mirrors and lush colors (not to mention her OWN fog machine!) Double plus!

I love the red walls and the blue lights. Design idea? Quite possibly...

I want a fog machine! 

This just made me giggle.

It took me almost half of the film to get aboard the Shahid/Vidya jodi. I love them both separatly, but they just seem to be on different planes that don't gel well. My real hangup was how much older Vidya's character looked compared to Shahid's. Yes, she's about three or four years older than him, but they way they dressed her and her hair style just made her look matronly. Church-y. Safe. It just contrasted awkwardly compared to Shahid's cool, effortless, young, vesty wardrobe. Vidya also has such a timeless, beautiful, mature face that it just looks out of place next to the rather babyish face of Shahid. Whatever their looks the two had chemistry, and oodles of it. I have offically named Shahid the new Prince of The Smoulder (SRK being God, and Shashi being King... is there something with "Sha.." names that just make them good at it?)

Anyone mind scooping me up off of the floor? I'm melt city over here.

The ending was kind of..."ehh". Instead of a huge shaadi and tears (well, there were tears...) there was a board meeting with a dramatic soapbox speech. I could have done with just five more minutes of pyaar at the end and not so much focus on the responisbilites of large companies. Regardless when the movie was over my mood was significantly improved and I was happy. It's not going to replace Jab We Met (the ultimate in RomComs!)  anytime soon, but it would be a good alternative.

Extra Cuteness!

Sure hun, I'll hold some nasty guy's head for you. 

Awwww!

Dard-e-Disco much?

Manpris! These have GOT to catch on amongst white people. 

I can't live without them. 

I was agog about that sweater/tie combo.

*I had switched to KK because I didn't want to have to watch myself on screen, oddly enough I found a lot of myself in Raj's character. He was the end-all of awesome in college, and since graduation had made nothing of his life, he was (in his eyes) a complete failure and unnoticed. I know what that feels like on a different level, I was the shizzz in high school, in college I'm pretty much invisible. That's a hard pill to swallow, and all of his outbursts of frustration and discomfort really made sense to me. That's probably what made this films so enrapturing for me, I really understood Raj's motivations and feelings.

Doosra Aadmi

1977

Directed by: Ramesh Talwar

I'm hardly in a mood to be nice to any film right now (thank goodness it is Friday, else I'd probably die) but thankfully that mood matches my feelings on Doosra Aadmi.

Put simply this film just rubbed me the wrong way. The characters were all so self-indulgent that they never thought about what their actions were doing to others. As I went watched the movie, and re-watched it a few days later (thinking I would feel more kind), I felt my face fall progressively more and more into a frown.

The main cause for my annoyance was the Karan Saxena(Rishi Kapoor) character. Could anyone be more of a louse? His nonchalance for his actions and his inability to just be a man, suck it up and take responsibility for hurting his wife, Timsi's (Neetu Singh), feelings were so irritating. Did he honestly think he was innocent? Did he really believe that he could take out to movies and present with jewelry another woman just because she flattered him? True, Karan was young, ambitious and as susceptible to praise as any of us, but just because someone says I'm talented does not mean I'm going to drop everything and concentrate on them only (read: jump his bones)! Surly at some point Karan should have noticed that his actions were separating himself from his wife, but no, his excuse was only this: "even the pretty ones become normal wives after marriage". Nice.

My other problem was with Nisha (Rakhee Gulzar), a middle-aged woman who's lover Shashi (Shashi Kapoor) died years ago. Effectively she died with him, but found reason to live again when Karan hires her as an employee in his advertising firm... why? Well, Karan looks and acts like Shashi so she fantasizes that she has her Shash back and flatters and compliments Karan until he's eating out of her palm (or smoking her cigarette from her mouth whilst slow dancing in a dark room, it's all the same). When confronted by her friend and forced to see that she is destroying Karan and Timsi's marriage her response is akin to this: "But what have I done wrong?" Oh, I don't know...everything? More than a few strong drinks and a pile of cigarettes later, looking very shiny and bloated, she admits that she is no adulterer and resigns from her job with Karan and avoids him. Thank goodness!

Since the film is titled "The other man" instead of "the other woman" I assume that I was supposed to sympathize with Nisha and her sad story of mourning and psychological problems... but I can't. I. Just. Can't. While it is an interesting twist to the idea of an affair/love triangle/whatever I just cannot get behind it. Perhaps that is my own failing, my own inexperience in life... I don't know. All I know is that the only person I feel sorry for is Timsi. Poor Timsi got a raw deal, and when she finally confronted her husband she got smacked across the face and his defiant "I'm not going to say sorry" for it.

Ugh.

Despite my rather sullen attitude to this film, I enjoyed it and actually did like it. It's one of those films that I hate to love. (Oh, I'm such a study in duality!)

There were endearing moments, such as an opening Holi bit (I love Holi!) the courtship and honeymoon of Timsi and Karan (especially when the camera panned away from the bed and the lights switched "on". Oh, that made me giggle), the all-consuming power of the Rishi/Neetu chemistry, wicked sunglasses (I think I own most of the ones in the film, actually...), Rishi sulking when Timsi goes away (pre-shaadi) and his room is full with a agonized-lover vapor (wtf?), super cute music, and Shashi Kapoor* acting wild and reckless.

I don't think I'm done with this film... I'm not writing it off and I'm not rushing to Netflix it again, but I'll defiantly come back from time to time; see how life changes me and if it alters my reception of the film.

*This movie taught me the correct pronuciation of Shashi's name. I'm not going to tell you what I was saying before, just be content with knowing it was mind-blowingly wrong! ;)

Ugh.

Fashion, 2008
Directed by: Madhur Bhandarkar

Three months ago I started this film.
Two days ago I actually finished it.

I think that is all that needs to be said on the subject.

Oh! But they did copy the theme music from Pearl Harbor for all of the trite, "emotional" moments.

Snooze.

Does anyone else have the desire to smother Priyanka's hair with a deep conditioner? It's over processed, baby.

Oh, and she became the fashion "It" girl just because she had attitude? Come on! Her walk was atrocious, her "face" laughable and a million other things that were just so wrong if you spent your impressionable High School years growing up on "America's Next Top Model" and the good seasons of "Project Runway".

Also, if your career "ruined" your life and made you "so that you can't recognize yourself" than why the blazes would you go back to it? Like anyone is going to let you back in, let alone allow you to skyrocket to the top again.

For the longest time I thought this had been filmed sometime in the early 2000s. I was floored to find out it was done in 2008... some of the outfits were just so...strange.

Whatever.

The End.

Mausam

1975

Directed by: Gulzar

Mark my words if I wasn't itching for a movie to show-off Sharmila Tagore's acting chops after Aamne Saamne and I got one!

Mausam totally hit the jackpot for me, it had feeling, depth of emotion and characters I ached for. Their pain was so tangible that it seeped through the screen and into me.

The synopsis on Netfilx Watch Instantly led me to believe that this film was going to be Masala-tastic, what with the promise of long lost daughters, prostitutes, broken promises, angsty student affairs...etc, but it was nothing along those lines. The film was clean, real, honest and meticulously fine-tuned. Sharmila and Sanjeev Kumar give beautiful performances that come to life and are relatable.

Gulzar was not only the director but also wrote the story, screenplay, dialogues and lyrics (he is, in fact, an amazing lyricist responsible for other pristine works like Paheli, Dil Se and Asoka, to name a few) for the film. That sort of across-the-board involvement is what helped to make this film move with such fluidity and grace.

Mausam is also loosely based on the book The Judas Tree by A.J. Cronin, which is totally on my list of "must reads" now. Comparing synopses I'd say the movie took about 80% from the book's plot.

Dr. Amarnath Gill (Sanjeev Kumar) is an aged, wealthy doctor who visits a rural town in Darjeeling for relaxation and solitude from his stressful profession (he designed some kind of "cure-all" pill... that he himself won't use, ironically).  However all he can think about is the time he spent in the same small town 20 or so years ago when he was a medical student. He had met and fell in love with the local doctor, Harihar Thapa's (Om Shivpuri) daughter Chanda (Sharmila Tagore).

He had promised to return to marry Chanda after he finished his medical exams and became a doctor (on Chanda's fathers orders) but never returned due to extreme circumstances.  He learns that Harihar has died and that after many years of protesting against marriage in case Gill was going to return Chanda was married to a lame, crippled old man.

Ah, stalking your memories...

He goes from town to town tracking her down only to discover at last that she had been driven mad by her longing for Gill and died. He also learns that Chanda had a daughter with her lame husband, whom she had wanted to pursue a medical degree. Gill in turn hunts down the daughter, Kajli (Sharmila), to discover that she works as a prostitute after being raped by her mother's brother-in-law and sold to a brothel.

Gill pays for Kajli to stay with him the entire time he is in Darjeeling in an effort to "Pretty Woman" her. He buys her beautiful sarees, reminds her she is a woman, and becomes the father figure that she never had growing up. Gill cares for her out of remorse for the "sins" he committed against Chanda. He seeks his own redemption in the saving of Kajli.  We see Kajli transform from rude, crude, swearing and smoking hooker to a refined, calm, beautiful young woman. While Gill offers no affection outside of parental concern Kajli finds herself caring for him.

Another classic case of Saree Envy!

When Gil goes to pay to take Kajli away forever she protests and runs back to the brothel. The brothel's Madame (Dina Pathak) urges Kajli to accept this way out of the business, forcing Kajli to see the changes within herself that have resulted from Gill's care. Kajli returns to Gill and tries to seduce him, but Gill reacts violently and throws her out of the house, during the action reveling himself to the be doctor that had abandoned her mother so many years ago.

The next morning Gill leaves Darjeeling only to meet Kajli standing by the gate, holding the picture he had given Chandra*. He admits his faults, asks for forgiveness, not from Chanda who could never forgive him, but from Kajli, who he could give a respectable life to. Kajli agrees to go with him and they drive off together back to the city.

Sharmila was stunning as she morphed from Chanda to Kajli. They were both so dynamic, so different. It was hard to believe that they were played by the same actress. I'm so hardcore on the Sharmila wagon now, I'm defiantly going to be watching for more of her stuff from now on. Oooh, she just sparkles! I was however distressed by her missing eyebrows... but after about ten minutes I hardly even noticed the lack of them, she did such wonderful things with her eyes and body-language that they were hardly a negative.

Sanjeev also played the youngster and the older man to perfection. I actually had to check IMBD and Wikipedia three or four times during the course of the movie becasue I just couldn't believe that the older Gill was played by him. At all! His costuming, change of body-language and the cerebral, wealthy sort of patience in his demeanor was mind blowing. They aged him better than they aged Shah Rukh in Veer-Zaara! And it was the same amount of years! He also looked like he was about 30 lbs. heavier when he was older... WILD! My hat to Sanjeev!

Mausam is defiantly going on the "Must Buy" list! ASAP!

*I totally thought (bless my crazy heart) that Kajli was holding a gun and was going to shoot Gill. There were mere seconds left in the film and I just didn't see a resolution to the drama... thankfully I was wrong but I was extremely tense for about 2 minutes.

Well... It Wasn't Stellar or Anything...

Swayamvar, 1980
Directed by: P. Sambasiva Rao

For about 2/3 of this movie I was in Snoozeland, USA. I just couldn't get into it, odd considering it has everything I ever require in a film: Shashi, pyaar, rebellion against parents in the name of pyaar, sweet songs, going undercover for pyaar, and the ever perfect, "Hey look, I know you thought I was a poor dirtbag when we got married, but I'm actually a millionaire's son!"

With about an hour to go in the film I was really starting to get into it, and as would be common in my life, Netflix Watch Instantly decided to stop working. Granted it was 8p.m. when my internet gets really bogged down so instead of taking 2 hours for it to buffer again (usually it takes like 3 minutes, but in Idaho where internet is about the same as it was in 2003 for the rest of the world DSL is considered "new technology" and during peak hours stops working all together. Digression: over). I just turned it off and promised to come back to it around midnight.

I did come back to it, and for that last hour-or-so I was GLUED to the screen. I don't know why I was so enthusiastic suddenly because it stared getting really Husband Preachy, which I just roll my eyes at, but I was glued. I guess I'm a sucker for Arson, detainment, and Shashi treating his wife like Kate in The Taming of the Shrew...

I'm feeling very list-y, so I'm just going to bang through all the things I thought about:

1. Shashi's voice. Wow, how does he do that? It's like gravely, whispery seduction just oozing from his vocal chords. He speaks like he is the most attractive man in the entire universe... and he is. His voice was going full-on seduction mode and I kept noticing my knees giving out but here's the rub: I was laying down! Talk about power!

2. My songs were un-subtitled. Again. I hate that, I always feel as if I'm missing about 1/4 of the story and about 1/3 of all the overall cuteness. Also, these songs sounded really sweet! I guess I'll just have to do some digging on my own.

3. Lakshman and Ram (Shashi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar, respectively) just went after Roopa and Shanti (Moushumi Chatterjee and Vidya Sinha) just because their father told them too?! Wild! But apparently that's the tradition of swayamvar so I'll just go with it.

4. Durga Devi (Nadira), the mother of the two girls irked me. She seemed either completely unfocused or very amateur whenever she was on screen. I hope she isn't some famous actress that I'm supposed to be impressed with, because I'm not.

5. Durga Devi's neighbors almost drove me to smashing my laptop in anger. I hated them with a passion that cannot be named. Did they have to shout ALL of their lines? And what delusion were the operating under to assume that rich and snooty Durga Devi would let her Roopa marry their son*, who was still in prison for goodness' sake? And then they took over DD's house and were just so crass that I wanted to puke. They actually locked up the DD and Roopa, set DD on fire and their pig of a son tried to rape Roopa (while wearing a maroon corduroy suit, I might mention). Those three characters might be the sole reason I hated this movie at first. Yes, I'm placing the blame on them.

Every mother wants and ex-con for a son-in-law! 

nom nom nom

Not in that suit you won't.

6. On a nicer note, the saris in this film were drool-worthy. I need them.

7. There were a lot of fight scenes... girl-on-girl, mom-on-mom, girl-on-mom, man-on-man, man-on-drunk...etc. It was awesome. I especially enjoyed Ram's fight with the drunken-ex-con, it was light and funny. He outwitted him and let the drunk beat himself up, essentially.

8. Shashi pouting. It melted my heart.

9. The dynamic of the Ram-Lakshman brotherhood. They were so adorable! They were what I imagine brothers to be like, playful, funny, supportive...etc. (Obviously I have no brothers...) And the conversation they have simply by whistling? Cho chweet!

10. CREEPY MERRY-GO-ROUND HORSES!

Creeptastic.

11. The picture quality on this was just awful, if I were in any rush to see it again I would totally get the DVD and not rely on Netflix Watch Instantly, which has failed me time and time again in older movie sound and picture quality.

This is Shashi coming to the rescue if you can't tell.

I couldn't.

12. I thought the layout of these scenes were pretty:

Matching ceiling and floors! Marvelous!

Peaking through the roses! 

Her sari matches the chairs! I LOVE stuff like that!

And this part just made my dil very happy and lovey:

Awwww!

*While prepping for arson/murder the devil-child DID sing the Paan song from Don. I was happy, until I remembered that I hated him.

Shashi Can Thrill Me Anytime

Aamne Saamne, 1967
Directed by: Suraj Prakash

Get used to floating hands...

On Netflix this was billed as a "Thriller"... I don't know if I would call it that, exactly, but there were moments where I was a little startled. There are a lot of disembodied floating hands, shadowy lighting effects, Henry Mancini circa Breakfast at Tiffany's music, angry boyfriends and brothers, stalking, death threats, cliffs and a murder so if you call that thrilling by all means I allow you to do so.

And people walking far too close to cliffs...

To me the movie was all about Shashi!

I was filled with glee throughout this move. Shashi was abounding, breaking hearts with his smile and his tight, very tight white pants, awesome dance moves and that puppy-dog look that he uses as he smolders all over the place. Let's Go!

Deepak (Shashi) is accused of murdering his wife in the middle of the night, however, in court he is proven innocent due to lack of evidence or circumstantial evidence (or something ambiguous about evidence). Naturally since his wife was rich everyone assumes that Deepak has paid off the investigators and purchased his innocence.  Looking disgruntled and deliciously angsty in that tight white suit he moves to Mumbai and changes his name to Gopal.

The meaning of life is woven into that suit. 

It's worth noting that for someone who is apparently innocent he acts amazingly guilty all the time. He jumps at noises and shields himself with a briefcase in fear when he meets his gardener. This is done on purpose to create suspicion in our precious Shashi... but more on that later... His gardener is worried that he is a batchelor, but never fear! It's Bollywood, and someone (anyone!) is bound to get married sometime (anytime!) during the course of the film.

Are you accepting applications?

Across his courtyard lives the beautiful Sapna (Sharmila Tagore) at whom Gopal spends a lot of time staring at through his window, following around and trying to woo. Stalking is cute(?), but only when it's not happening to you... or it's anyone BUT Shashi or Shah Rukh.

"Sheer coincidence becasue I was... you know... stalking you."

Sapna is annoyed by his behavior, but she kind of likes it because she's a little self-absorbed, and complains to her boyfriend Prem (Prem Chopra) who is in some oddly arranged cohorts with Sapna's brother Pran (?) Both of them threaten to kill Sapna if she doesn't marry Prem... in fact most of Pran's time is spent pressuring Sapna into marriage with Prem. Sapna is hesitant on the subject (because she's falling in love with Gopal of course!).

Yeah, annoyingly attractive.

Sapna begins to understand her love for Gopal when she nurses him in the hospital after he was in a rouge merry-go-round accident (in her defense, so he thought). Gopal is in the hospital for what seems like a month, even though he's only ever shown with a single band-aid on his forehead... and what kind of injury do you get from a merry-go-round?! Injures are not important, what IS important is that they fall in love and desire to marry one another.

This is my new phone background. I stare at it for hours.

When Sapna tells her brother she is going to marry Gopal instead of Prem she is threatened (twice!) that death looms for her if she marries Gopal.

He's about ready to pull a gun on his sister... or flash her.

What kind of screwed up knife is THAT? 

No true villain would touch that embarrassment.

Naturally Gopal and Sapna run away get married and honeymoon in Kashmir (during which time it appears that Prem and Pran have forgotten their murderous desires because they aren't seen again until the big showdown at the end).

Do you know what kind of people really look like that when they're sleeping?

Gods.

During their honeymoon things start to get weird... Sapna is pushed off of a cliff (I actually screamed... I was just taken off guard) and she overhears someone talking to Gopal about his previous wife and the murder and his suspected guilt. Sapna goes into overanxious, freak-out mode.

The rest of the movie is a race to find answers, is Gopal/Deepak a lady killer or not? Is he trying to kill Sapna and take all of her money? If not Gopal, who is behind all of the madness?

I'm not going to tell you, but I will say two things:
1. In the epic fight scene in the end, Shashi was costumed in a leather vest and bright red shoes. Amazzzzzingg!
2. Just like with Severus Snap in Harry Potter, I was so right. I'm an expert at "reading" people and I'm never wrong (except for Don, that TOTALLY had me!)...

There were moments where I looked at Gopal and was a little confused, was he just playing me really well like Don, or was it all just coincidence and suspicion? Shashi did a great job at playing it both ways without giving it away. Just as soon as you were convinced one way he did something to make you think "Well... maybe not?". Bravo at playing with my head Shash. Bravo.

Sharmila was cute, I guess... It was the first time I have seen her in anything and Sapna isn't the most developed character in the entire world. She mainly stood around and looked either smug, lovey-dovey, or scared-to-death. I'd like to see her in something else just to see what she has up her sleeve, there were moments where she was channeling Audrey Hepburn like a pro and I just ate it up, clearly she has more to offer than what I saw.

The music was fantastic. It was stuck in my head when I tried to sleep after watching this film, which is typically a good sign. The only thing that was lacking was female interaction. The songs were all performed by Shashi who just walked around Sharmila while she looked on at him doe-eyed and fluttering her eyelashes. What's disappointing is that there was some great material for what could have been killer duets and the composer didn't go for it. Pity.

The costuming in this film caught my attention. Maybe it was the white suit at the beginning (probably) but I was just looking at the clothing a lot when I was watching this. It was preppy and dripping with 60s greatness. I had some wicked sari-envy and rejoiced constantly that whenever Shashi wasn't in my favorite shirt-and-sweater ensemble the costumer had the good sense to display his chest hair.

Oh, you sure did.

I should note that I watched this on Netflix In-demand and my picture quality was horrendous (but not so awful as the In-Demand Swayamvar which was nigh unwatchable) and the sound was just terrible.

I'd like to back off, if I could tell whom I was backing off of.

Despite all that I persevered, and I'm glad that I did, I really liked this film. I really like a lot of films but this one was just different because it stressed me out a little. There was a glimmer, and just a little glimmer or doubt in the outcome in the story line that kept it captivating.

Aaaand, just becasue I have a soft spot for preppy boaters: