Hindi Films/Music of Interest

Hindi film industry is the biggest in India and has a lot of history behind it. We have founders and pioneers such as Dadasaheb Phalke who introduced first movies to us, to legendary directors Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, Shyam Benegal, Mira Nair, Govind Nihalini, Yash Chopra to latest Anurag Kashyap, to legendary actors in Dev Anand, Madhubala, Nargis Dutt, Vyjayanthi Mala, Meena Kumari, Waheeda, Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan and lot more.

Please share and recommend any recent movies you watched/liked, recent music you listened, need not be latest alone, anything from 30s till date.

Oh My God - Good, especially for Paresh Rawal and nice plot.
English Vinglish - Good, Sridevi great comeback unlike her peers. Every husband should watch this movie. Many boring scenes, but great debut by Gauri Shinde. First time, I appreciate Amit's score and songs, well jelled into the movie. This guy is something!

OMG - Did not work for me. Very thirumba thirumba pEsuRa nee feel. Flimsy one-liner stretched to 2+ hours with poorly thought out scenes. And Akshay (spinning a key-chain in his index finger, to symbolize, well duh, really?!) was intolerable. Couple of one-liners were good but that's about it.

I agree, nice plot not well executed, could have been presented better. I didn't like Mithun and the whole gang, but what worked for me is some audacity to tell this true fact about superstition and belief systems. That's why I appreciated only Paresh and the concept nothing else. Another thing I always welcome about hindi films is non-violence. . We can safely watch with our family and children.

Got this english-vinglish indhi DVD from Patel Bros and the video kwality was atrocious - tossed it after a few seconds! (Must have been a "handheld-camera-inside-theater" kind of video, cannot watch even for a minute)!

Interestingly, the video quality of the Thamizh one on einthusan (nanRi wizzy for introducing this website, in another thread) is quite impressive! Planning to watch sometime during this week / weekend (despite all the warnings about 'mokkais'. Just for Sridevi's sake)...

OMG pAthuttu Tuyitterla nAn pOtta comment
"idhellAm nAnga ParasakthiyilEyE pAtthuttOm. thaNNiya kudi thanNiya kudi"

Basically, Gujarat-Maharashtra-Northindies-la ellAm ippO dhAn indha rangekku paguthaRivu pEsa mudiyudhu, adhulayum, GOd irukkArnu ANI tharamA aidhcu osllittu dhAn ipdi paguthaRivu pEsa mudiyudhu. adhuvum Parasakthi kAlathulEye namma oorula pEsina adhE karuthukkaL dhAn

Norht maRRum West Indies evLO civilisationalA pin thangi irukkAngannu idhulErundhe therinjukkalAm

Basic theme of movie is
"kovil vENdAm endru kooRavillai, kovil kodiyavargaLin koodaram Aga koodadhu endru dhAN"
idhai engaL Ganesar, mu ka vin vasanathOdu, 60 varusham munbE kooRI vittArE? That too without ever compromising and showing a God-is-there in the screenplay :huh:

What gives OMG some legitimacy is Paresh Rawal at his best. another talented performer used as oorugai in gindhi movies,

app_engine wrote:
Interestingly, the video quality of the Thamizh one on einthusan (nanRi wizzy for introducing this website, in another thread) is quite impressive! Planning to watch sometime during this week / weekend (despite all the warnings about 'mokkais'. Just for Sridevi's sake)...

App, ivvaLavu naaLa have you not been downloading/streaming stuff at all? Paying a buck each for those Indian store DVDs? They don't sell originals either, they burn the DVD by downloading it from these locations So I ALWAYS download (if I can't / dint watch the film on big screen) instead of paying a buck to those Indian store morons who do the same thing.

Anyway EV in thamizh, can watch it for Sridevi and Ajith. Hope Ajith gets to act in such roles quite often, even on full length features.

Nerd wrote:App, ivvaLavu naaLa have you not been downloading/streaming stuff at all?

appadi illai - I've watched many old movies on youtube / internet only and some of them are totally unknown to Indian stores here

It's often handy to have the DVD and use that player in the basement, easier to use remote while doing elliptical (compared to mouse dragging)...

kahani
Ok, so Biddo Balon deserved her national award, but for the wrong movie.

Other than that, a good mish-mash of scenarios from Satyajit Ray's feluda stories, and the twist killed the movie for me. It was cheating, basically, although well executed.

Exlend portrayal of Kolkata, though.

Barfi: Very good movie. Brilliant acting from Ranbir and Priyanka. Cinematography at its best. Though many scenes got ripped off from various Hollywood movies, it still makes me to watch for the love between the two innocent characters. Ravi varman's camera angles and lighting elevate the movie watching experience. Ranbir is improving film after film and his dedication will sure take him places.

Yaarung indha thiruvizha?

Nerd wrote:Yaarung indha thiruvizha?

konjam indha hub postukku similarity irukku....bageer

Watched Bawarchi (1972) - Rajesh Khanna, Jaya (Bachchan) Badhuri, Asrani. Main reason to watch this film was for Madan Mohan's music and Rajesh Khanna, but the big surprise was Jaya Badhuri. I think she should be in her early 20s when she did this movie. Excellent performance for her age. I heard this movie was a remake of one Bengali movie, but Hrishikesh Mukherjee's stamp was all over it. I loved the story and screenplay. Classic songs, especially Tum Bin Jeevan and More Naina Bahayen Neer. That was the real bollywood when there were many such movies holding family values. Even now it is watchable, very moving climax. A must watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGIzjOoAeZc

V_S wrote:Watched Bawarchi (1972) - Rajesh Khanna, Jaya (Bachchan) Badhuri, Asrani.

I watched last year (DVD from a store going out of business) and wrote about it in the hub...gave the DVD to an American couple to watch

Loved the music so much!

Yes ji, I remember reading it. Very nice film, thoroughly enjoyed it with excellent music.

Watched Aurangzeb - Fantastic movie.
Very daring to take age old indian masala and mix it with the template
of LA confidential and Departed and render it with a casting coup of sorts.
And yes! Prithviraj is fantastic in his performance and so is almost everyone.
Rishi kapoor steals the thunder.
I loved the hollywood style editing and pacing - there is a distinct visual symmetry and refleted well
 in editing and framing (double action ) and to mix it with some genuine inspiration from Shyam Benegal's Kalyug
makes the movie truly post modern.
I would say the movie of the year so far from bollywood.
The new YRF is really an exciting production house..

I can suggest the following movies. You may like them.
I like songs! songs! soulful songs!  they are omnipresent! 


Bazaar-Khayyam
Aakhri Khat-Khayyam
Dulhan Ek Raat Ki - Madan Mohan
Saath Saath
Tere Ghar Ke Samne - S.D.Burman
Anupama-Hemant Kumar
Madhumati-Salil Chowdhury
Sujata-S.D.Burman
Waqt
Sahib Bibi aur ghulam
Do Bigha Zameen
Parakh- Salil Chowdhury
Mahal
Pyaasa
Anubhav
Dustak 
Aandhi
Parichay
Mausam
Mother India
Abhimaan

Watched Queen today.  Great film, great direction and a potentially career-defining performance by Kangana Ranaut help it ride over its minor flaws.  There has been a bit too much of this business of asking women not to go outdoors alone or not to dress like this or like that under the pretext of protecting them from rape in this country, so I am happy to see a film that gently but unflinchingly exposes Indian hypocrisies under the guise of a coming-of-age story.

Watched Bajirao Mastani some time back (in theaters), really liked it. Very artistic and gorgeous film. Pune being my second home, I could totally connect to the movie, especially the people and the setting viz Peshwa, Shaniwar Wada et al. Looks like Sanjai Leela Bhansali wanted to make this movie right after his Devadas (2002). Good that he didn't do. Imagining the cast of that time. Really loved how they blended the politics and love with extreme care and perfection. Excellent screenplay! On top of it, Art direction is at its best. The gorgeous palace, Aaina Mahal, Shaniwar Wada. The cast is also too good with Ranvir Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Tanvi Azmi, while the latter two stole the show. Another best category is the Choreography. This is what I would imagine to have in our thamizh films. எப்பப்பார் காக்க வலிப்பு வந்த மாதிரி ஒரு டான்ஸ்! What a delight to watch Deepika, Priyanka and whole team dance! What elegance!! Not a single mistep, seems like they don't just dance at all, they live dancing. We don't make such (historic) films in Thamizh I am not a big fan of (appreciating) dance (or dancers), but Priyanka and Deepika made me sit back, especially for Pinga, Deewani Mastani, MohE Rang Do Lal displays a perfect example on how to choreograph and dance to a song. Amazing talents!! Music again, I keep listening to it daily, that I can't imagine how Sanjai Leela Bhansali could keep such a talent to himself all these years. One of the best music I have heard in recent times. Costume designing, Action/War sequences were also done with finesse. Overall a complete package.

Sultan was another one I watched over the weekend. It is an OK movie, but definitely watchable. I believe the film was inspired from Rocky series. Pretty lengthy movie. Not much scope for acting even for leads; Salman and Anushka. I didn't like the (usual) cliche that woman had to sacrifice dream of her life for the sake of marriage/parenthood. It gave me an unpleasant feeling. Two best things I liked about the movie was again the mood which is inherent in the movie and the way it was brought out  and the songs, especially Jag Ghoomeya. The song takes the next level when end credits* roll on, giving it a different meaning, brilliantly sung by Neha Bhasin, her voice aptly suited Anushka's character that I could totally get inside her emotional side.

*This is not the end credits, just the female version with Anushka lip syncing

V_S wrote:Watched Bajirao Mastani some time back (in theaters), really liked it. Very artistic and gorgeous film. Pune being my second home, I could totally connect to the movie, especially the people and the setting viz Peshwa, Shaniwar Wada et al. Looks like Sanjai Leela Bhansali wanted to make this movie right after his Devadas (2002). Good that he didn't do. Imagining the cast of that time. Really loved how they blended the politics and love with extreme care and perfection. Excellent screenplay! On top of it, Art direction is at its best. The gorgeous palace, Aaina Mahal, Shaniwar Wada. The cast is also too good with Ranvir Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Tanvi Azmi, while the latter two stole the show. Another best category is the Choreography. This is what I would imagine to have in our thamizh films. எப்பப்பார் காக்க வலிப்பு வந்த மாதிரி ஒரு டான்ஸ்! What a delight to watch Deepika, Priyanka and whole team dance! What elegance!! Not a single mistep, seems like they don't just dance at all, they live dancing. We don't make such (historic) films in Thamizh I am not a big fan of (appreciating) dance (or dancers), but Priyanka and Deepika made me sit back, especially for Pinga, Deewani Mastani, MohE Rang Do Lal displays a perfect example on how to choreograph and dance to a song. Amazing talents!! Music again, I keep listening to it daily, that I can't imagine how Sanjai Leela Bhansali could keep such a talent to himself all these years. One of the best music I have heard in recent times. Costume designing, Action/War sequences were also done with finesse. Overall a complete package.

Yes, superb film.  And mind I am no fan of Bhansali nor of Pune (for reasons I won't go into, but it's a Mumbai v/s Pune thing  ). But this time, he really nailed it.  In a word, poetic.  That's how you narrate an epic without making it overbearing for the audience.  Wish I had seen it on the big screen, would have been magnificent.

Last year ended with a brilliant Bajirao Mastani, similarly this year ended with another memorable and inspiring one in the name of Dangal (watched in a packed house).  We are seeing quite a number of Indian movies of similar genre recently; Saala khadoos (iruthi sutru), Sultan and now Dangal on the lines of Rocky series and Million Dollar Baby. This film in particular goes several notches higher as it was inspired from a true story and a real living example; Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters.


***SPOILERS ALERT--PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU WISH TO WATCH THE MOVIE****
When the state he belongs to has one of the biggest female foeticide problems even today, how he rose against odds to bring his children beyond the conservative thinking of the society is not just to be applauded, but to salute for his courage, vigor and perseverance. The film rightly took the right subject and tone and delivered soulfully. Soul is the keyword.

Even though I am not a big fan of sports drama movies as it feels like watching a sport more than a movie, Dangal beautifully mixes the emotions of the daughters and their father. After Aamir Khan’s Taare Zamin Par, I didn’t quite like his 3 idiots and PK, even though it was quite good watching in theaters. As Mahavir Singh Phogat, Aaamir truly portrayed the character honestly and effectively. With short-cut grey hair to round face to a heavy belly human, you cannot take his image out of you even long after the movie is over. Even though there is not much scope for (lengthy) dialogue for him the film, the emotional quotient says it all. The grim face when he sees off her daughter (after the conflict with him) from the balcony, the bout with his daughter, the dialog-less scene when her daughter apologize to him at the other end of the phone, the wit and humor which he brings with his cousin, as a strict father and coach, Aamir was exceptional throughout.

Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar as young Geeta and Babita were awesome, especially the latter, she was effortless in her role. Her expressions were priceless. Same way Sanya Malhotra as grown up Babita again excelled in her performance as a daughter who really understood and supportive of her father’s actions. Fatima (as grown up Geeta) also understood her role thoroughly (she looks like both Priyanka Gandhi and Kate Winslet with the dimple), and performed excellently. The maturity she has shown in her role is highly commendable. Sakshi Tanwar had a limited role as the wife of Phogat, same goes to the coach Girish Kulkarni. Nevertheless great casting.

What I love about the film is the way the director carried this “expected” plot (with no twists) and ending with engaging narration for the whole duration of 2:30 hours. Most of the shots are indoor, most of the shots are in subdued tone (and light) which conveyed the ‘sober’ mood of Phogat and his life till the grand success at the end. What I liked about the film is even with a star like Aamir Khan, the film didn't add bells and whistles. Even the ending is little subdued. In the climax where he was locked in a room to show that she has to perform even without his father in front of her indirectly tells what's the film is all about.

The best part is the way they shot the bout(s). They were mostly unedited (unlike we see in other films) and we can get the complete and real feel of the sport. Highly commendable job. The effort the females put on the sport is not at all easy.

Music by Pritam was good, except the background score was playing in many irrelevant spaces. I liked most of the songs, especially Naina and Haanikaarak Bapu (sung by a 12 year old).


On the flip side, the film's lengthy could have been trimmed 15-20 minutes.  The way the strategies been explained by his father (and the coach) instead of proving vital it sometimes provided humor/uninspiring (especially at the international stage). It could have been analyzed and presented carefully. Before the finals, when Geeta was asking her father the strategy to win the opponent, the explanation was little naive. Bharat Mata ki Jai kind of chants was contrived (may be considering the current situation).

A bold an important film for India. A must watch film Apart from all these, if you ask me if this film was about 'women empowerment' I highly doubt it. I see this film is more of Phogat's "rude" vision and how he mercilessly treated his daughters to fulfill his own dream. In a way, they were treated as slaves to realize his vision (at-least that's what the film conveys, even if it is not the reality).

After the film was over as we were walking away, my kid was asking me an important question. Aren’t we suppose to fight with each other only when we are angry?    

Dear Zindagi - Another fine film. What I like about the film is the candid nature of 1st half and some serious performances in the second half. Alia Bhatt in a stunning performance After the much applauded English Vinglish, Gauri Shinde brings yet another shade of a woman so beautifully. The script could have been tighter. The analogies and stories which SRK comes up with to re-build confidence in his client, comes as a known/dry stuff and nothing novel. When Alia expresses her best 5 humans in her life and then if we look back at them how they were the best, the film didn't give enough evidences. Supporting cast needs more strength. It is a good trend that star actors like SRK, Aamir steps aside, but give enormous support to the female-centric subjects. I expected Aye zindagi gale laga le in the film, but it was nowhere to be seen. I didn't like Amit's trivedi's songs and score. A soulful film definitely watchable!!!

V_S wrote:
(she looks like both Priyanka Gandhi and Kate Winslet with the dimple)

Interesting to see this observation as I made the same "Priyanka-Gandhi-look-alike" comment after the movie was over, to the group that watched with me  

Actually, one lady told she was wondering, like,  "I've seen her somewhere but can't recall" and vociferously agreed with me  

BTW, neatly made movie - though 99% predictable. 
(I didn't know the Phogat history prior to watching the movie ; simply went to the movie because of the group of relatives visiting us during the break, without any background knowledge or expectation but could still guess most of the movie ; however, it doesn't take away my appreciation or enjoyment watching it)