Ishqiya

There are many among the new 'cool' generation, who use desi as a derogatory term in their conversations. Thanks to Vishal Bhardwaj, desi is the new cool :). Some Bollywood lovers call him Quentin Tarantino of Bollywood, which I fail to understand (More on this in my last post). Without any disrespect to him and his fans, i would say that I have not seen a lot of Tarantino's work, so i do not know care who he is. However, if we are comparing Vishal Bhardwaj with him, he has to be good :)

Having said that, this post is not about Vishal Bhardwaj and he has not directed Ishqiya. It is directed by his protegé Abhishek Chaubey, who does not deny that the movie has Vishal Bhardwaj stamp on it. If you have any doubts about the debuting director's potential, the first few scenes in the movie will answer all of them.

The starting scene of the movie tells a lot about the competent director. The main protagonist of the movie will get you hooked right from this very first scene. You will instantly come to know that you are watching something special. Everything from the sets, costumes, mannerisms and language is so refreshingly different and I am not talking about the much talked about abuses. Yes, abuses are there but they are just a small prop in a large structure. The still water, holy cows, grasslands, dusty roads, glowing eyes of the villagers are captured beautifully. The rustic visuals create an old world charm throughout the movie.

There is no dull moment in the movie. It moves at a brisk pace with smooth transition from one scene to another largely because of the crisp writing. The dialogues are quirky and witty at the same times. That is the most fabulous part of the script. The wit in the dialogues is not forced to put some light humor,it is there because the situation is like that. No one is trying to tell a joke (apart from one latifa as the last wish before death :D) and there are no caricature like comic characters.

Dialogues are witty but they have deep meanings also. It is a very deadly combination to have. Watch out for the one liners on sexism, casteism and such wide-ranging topics. I am really inclined to give some examples, but I do not want to add spoilers here. The director touches the most sensitive topics affecting our country like naxalism, law and order, fanaticism in the deepest of manners with just few one liners here and there. And the beauty of all this is, you will be giggling on those dialogues. What audacity !!

One of the things which makes the movie hugely enjoyable is its music. We all know what happens when Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar combine for an album. The starting scene which i mentioned earlier has Vidya balan humming the song Ab mujhe koi intezaar kahan which is sensual in its unique way. Ibn-E-Batuta kicks the start credits with lot of chutzpah and élan. Then there is a classical song in melodious voice of Rekha Bhardwaj, this is exactly the kind of song we do not hear that often in our movies and yearn for those. And then comes the song of the album, i would dare say that this is the song of the year (i know it is just january .. but still) Dil to bachha hai Ji. What a song, what a fantastic piece of art !! , I think it is one of those songs that will remain in the pubic memory for a long long time. The background score is just about perfect for a thriller. And yes, the use of the songs from the past, which i think is Vishal Bhardwaj way of giving tribute to the Classics is incorporated to elevate the impact of the scenes to another level.

The kind of movie Ishqiya is, it relies heavily on performances. And that is where the casting team of the movie scores the brownie points. Every character fits the part to the T. Right from the child artist to the old woman with the torch have a sense of participation in carrying forward the movie. The goofy don played by Salman Shahid makes us laugh without making any apparent effort towards doing so. Coming to the lead trio, There is no doubt that Arshad Warsi is one of the most underutilized actors in Bollywood. He has really side-splitting lines and he delivers them with aplomb. It is time that the industry gives him the roles, which he is worthy of. Naseeruddin Shah expresses every characteristic of an aging man who falls for a young woman so wonderfully that the viewer almost tends to believe that he has a genuine chance against his younger competitor :). You have to just watch his expressions of helplessness when he comes to know that the woman was just manipulating him. Vidya Balan is playing a character which requires her to look madly in love, vulnerable & helpless yet tough & menacing, epitome of grace yet wild & seductive. And at times the camera just had to focus on her face and she manages to express all those wide-ranging emotions without uttering a word ! If this is not class, tell me what is? I just wish she makes the right moves; She has all the ingredients of becoming an all time great.

Ishqiya is the true Indian movie. It celebrates the rural heartlands of India with lot of spunk and style. The only complain i have with Ishqiya is that it ends too soon :)

Team Ishqiya, take a bow !!

Angry old man

"I hate the idea of every aspect of our work being compared with those of the Western world. It is demeaning to us as individuals and demeaning to us as a country. Whereas we do not ever want to take anything away from the achievements of those that function beyond Indian shores, I feel that this penchant for equating us continuously with a Western synonym, is objectionable and untoward. Shah Rukh the Tom Cruise, Abhishek-Aishwarya the Brangelina, Mithun the John Travolta of India, are synonymous with a culture that reeks of our abject submission to our colonial past. We are our own people now, with our own standing and relevance and very proud of it. I have not seen Nicole Kidman in The Hours and have no desire to fall into this unnecessary exercise of comparison. To me the response from the people of my country is the final verdict. I am interested in what they like or dislike. Nothing more."

This was the answer from Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, When a journalist asks "Your performance in Paa came across like Nicole Kidman’s Oscar-winning performance as Virginia Woolf in The Hours where you could not make out it was her."

I feel like whistling, clapping and applauding this statement like i used to do for every dialogue of his 'angry young man' days. I feel this applies to our thinking beyond movies, and in general we are obsessed with the western culture. Bachchan saab, thanks for putting the thoughts so succinctly.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - II

Warning : If you have not seen DDLJ, you might miss the fun.

Raj : simran, hamein bhagna hi hoga. Ye log hamari shadi nahi hone denge simran.


Simran : Ye tum kya kah rahe ho raj. Tum to kahte the ki tum yahan kisi ka dil todne nahi, dil jeetne aaye ho. Hamari shadi tabhi hogi jab babuji mera hath khud tumhare hathon mein denge. Tumhara irada kyun badal gaya raj?


Raj : simran, main janta hun tum kya soch rahi ho. Tumhe lagta hai ki main bahut hi awara kism ka ghatiya ladka hun. Par aisa nahi hai simran, main janta hun ki ek hindustani ladki ki izzat kya hoti hai. Maine kabhi sapne mein bhi tumhe bhagane ke baare mein nahi socha tha.


Simran : phir ab aisa kya ho gaya raj ? Yaad hai tumhari maa kya kaha karti thi tumse. "Beta, zindagi ke har mod pe tumhe do raste milenge ek galat aur ek sahi. Galat rasta asaan hoga, tumhe apni taraf kheenchega. Aur jo sahi rasta hoga, ho sakta hai usmein tumhe kadi mushkilon ka samna karna pade, bahut taklif mile; par yaad rakhna akhir mein jeet tumhari hi hogi."


Raj : wo sab to theek hai simran lekin .......


Simran : lekin kya raj ? Ab to tum mere babuji ko bhi jan gaye ho. Thode kadak mijaj hain, par agar tum roj hamare ghar kaam karne aaoge, maa ka rasoi mein hath bataoge, chutki pe apna fraud gentleman image jhadoge, buaji ke liye saree kharidkar unhe maska lagaoge. Subah 5 baje uthkar, dhoti pahankar, kabootaron ko dana daloge; to babuji tumse jaroor impress ho jayenge raj. Tum mere liye itna bhi nahi kar sakte !


Raj : simran, tum galat samajh rahi ho. Ghar ke kaam karne mein mujhe koi aitraj nahi hai (Main aur koi kaam kar bhi nahi sakta) Aur ladkiyon (Auraton) ko dana dalne mein bhi mujhe koi problem nahi hogi (Akhir tumko bhi to aise hi pataya tha), Rahi baat babuji ki.. simarn wo sab to main kar hi raha hun, roj subah subah dhoti pahankar kheton mein jata hun, kabootaron ko dana dalne. Ab to wahan ke kabootar bhi "tujhe dekha to ye jana sanam..." gane lage hain. Aur babuji ...... mujhe apne pyaar pe poora bharosa hai ki aaj nahi to kal wo maan jayenge.


Simran : Phir tum kis baat se ghabra rahe ho raj ? You are "The Raj Malhotra" (Who failed in a london university) yaad hai tumhe; jab tumne mujhse poocha tha.. pyar karti ho mujhse? bharosa hai mujh par ? to maine tumse kya kaha tha


Raj : Yaad hai simran, sab yaad hai. Par jitna bharosa tumhe is Raj par hai, utna hi bharosa mujhe us Raj par.


Simran : Kya matlab ???


Raj : simran, yeh sab jo tumhe yaad hai, wo ddlj-I tha. Ab ddlj-II chal rahi hai. Aur ismein tum aur tumhare babuji punjabi nahin, marathi hain, aur main ek north indian. MNS ne press conference mein yeh elaan kiya hai ki keval 'sons of the soil' hi marathi ladkiyon se shadi kar sakte hain. Outsiders ne hamari naukriyan to cheen hi li hain, chokriyan ham nahin cheenne denge. ab tum hi batao simran main kya karun.. mujh jaise ek north indian ka vanmanoos se shadi karna asaan hai, par ek marathi manoos se nahi.


Simran : ye kya kah rahe ho raj. Raj hi mere raj ka dushman ban gaya ?


Raj : han simran, hamare pass koi aur rasta nahi hai, hamein bhagna hi hoga. hamein bhagna hi hoga simran.


Before they could run away after seeking the blessings of his pops and her babuji, MNS got the news. They came with lathis and guns, kuldeep also joined them and started beating everybody. Raj (malhotra), his pop, her babuji, ajeete and everybody. No gurror ko lalkarna buisness worked to awake the hidden fighter in Raj and all of them got thrashed brutally by the MNS.

In between all this mayhem, raj found a chance to utter his final dialogues

Raj : simran, maine pahle hi kaha tha tumse, ki chalo bhag chalte hain. Tum hi nahi mani. Par jo bhi hua, shayad sahi hua simran. Ye (MNS wale) hamare neta hain, ham inhe vote dekar parliament bhejte hain. Hamein koi haq nahin banta ki ham apni khushi ke liye inke samman ko thes pahunchayein. Akhir ye hamare neta hain, hamara bhala bura hamse behtar samajh sakte hain. Tumahri shadi mujh jaise kisi awara ladke se nahi ho sakti. To kya hua agar ye awara tumhein diwanon ki tarah pyar karta hai, to kya hua agar use tumhare alawa aur koi chehra dikhai nahi deta. To kya hua simran, to kya hua ..... pyar sab kuch to nahi hota na.


And he hops into the local train without simran (since there was MNS, it was mumbai. And since it was mumbai, there was local train). Simran is crying and pleading to the MNS workers. In fact everybody is pleading.. that fellow kuldeep also starts feeling sympathetic towards her. But MNS is made of tough people. Their resolve could not be broken by some stupid romance.. to kya hua agar (oh forget it.. these corny dialogues suit only a hippy looking, stammering srk)

Now, there are two options for the climax :

The first is that MNS will not let simran run towards the train. So, in that case this movie may need to be titled differently. "Soil-wale dulhaniya le jayenge"

The second option is that MNS heart (I presume they also have heart, head, brain; please avoid the debate) melts and the leave simran's hand saying... " ja simran ja, jee le apni jindagi; is ladke se jyada pyar tujhe aur koi nahi kar sakta" . simran will run, raj will hang at the train gate (he was hanging from the gate anyway.. mumbai local remember). But simran will still be not able to make it (It is tough enough to catch a standing local, forget a running one. What were you thinking simran). And mumbai will "move-on" from this tragedy. After-all 'bade bade (pra)deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rahti hain"

So irrespective of the two possible climaxes, the movie will still be titled " Soil-wale dulhaniya le jayenge"

Disclaimer : The author was watching DDLJ, when he started reading a news regarding marathi pride. So he had a deadly cocktail for his mind, and the result was a nasty hangover. So, if anybody is offended, please forgive the author for his drunken like state. And yeah... when i said MNS, i meant Marathi Nari Sena, not that MNS. You controversy loving sickos :P

Kaminey

जिसका भी चेहरा छीला, अन्दर से और निकला

मासूम सा कबूतर, नाचा तो मोर निकला

कभी हम कमिने निकले, कभी दोस्ती कमिनी, मेरे यार भी कमिने

इक दिल से दोस्ती थी, ये हुजूर भी कमिने !!

Guljar saheb is the best !!

Here is why Sasural is like Genda phool :)

I must confess, i thought it is an original song (lyrics and composition). But when i knew that it is a chattisgarhi folk song(read on for details), my liking for this song has increased ten folds (My initial liking itself was very high.. so you can imagine). And, we were intrigued by 'genda phool'; So, here is my interpretation of the song.

sainya ched deve (My husband keeps teasing me)

nanad chutki leve (My sister-in-law keeps taunting me)

sasural genda phool (??)

saas gari deve (Mother-in-law  keeps abusing me)
devarji samjha leve (Brother-in-law explains me their behavior -> cools me down)
sasural genda phool (??)

choda babul ka angna

(I have left my parent's house)
bhave dera piya ka ho!

(Now i have started liking my husband's house)

saas gari deve
devarji samjha leve
sasural genda phool

sanya ched deva…

sanyan hain vyapari (My husband is a buisnessman)
chaley hain pardes (He is going to foreign land for buisness)
sooratiya niharoon (I am looking at his face)
jiyara bhari hove (My heart is becoming heavy... on thoughts of his absence)
sasural genda phool (??)

saas gari deve
devarji samjha leve
sasural genda phool
sainya ched deve
nanad chutki leve

sasural genda phool

choda babul ka angna
bhave dera piya ka ho!
bushirt pahinein khayike beeda paan

(He is wearing a shirt, chewing paan (betel) )

poorey raipur se alag hai, sainyaji ki shaan

(Such is his aura in this appearance, that his glory is unmatched in entire raipur city)
sasural genda phool

sainya ched deve
nanad chutki leve
sasural genda phool
saas gari deve
devarji samjha leve
sasural genda phool
choda babul ka angna
bhave dera piya ka ho!

 

After translating entire song, i have a feeling that genda phool is a meaphor used to describe sasural (in-law’s house).Let me explain:

Genda phool (marigold) is a yellow colored flower. 

At first sight, it does not look good, but one starts liking its smell gradually.

Different relationships in sasural are like different petals of genda phool.

This is a Chhattisgarhi traditional song written by Gangaram Shivarey & composed by Bhulwaram Yadav. Later, Bhulwaram Yadav taught this song to 3 joshi sisters ( ramadutt, rekha & prabhadutt joshi ) who performed this song. This song is now a well-known Chhattisgarhi folk song, performed in most of Chhattisgrahi marriages. Raghubir Yadav was assisting AR Rahman for the additional Folk music score for the film; he introduced this song to Rahman. Rahman liked this song so much, he instantly selected this for improvisation & Prasoon Joshi edited the lyrics for better understanding and edited the non-familiar chattishagarhi words. And here is the result ‘An exceptionally beautiful song’. What a fusion! Rahman is genius. How well he mixed Chhattisgarhi folk song with Hip-Hop beats. The beauty of the song can be explained by the dance which abhishek bachhan and ladies gang do in the video. Abhishek is doing some hip-hop steps, and the women are doing traditional dance; and the song matches both types of steps! Some reports say that original composers didn't get any credits, which is entirely unfair. In fact, Mr Joshi has been credited as the lyricist for this song. But, anyways the original soundtrack CD says

Courtesy: Raghubir Yadav, Additionall music supervision: Rajat Dholakia

So, I don’t think it is that bad :)

New singing sensation ??

I was watching this singing competition called junoon on ndtv imagine. Actually, i happen to just step over these so called talent shows for all the drama that goes in them, but then i was glued to one particular performance.   

I then searched for more performances of this singer 'Harshdeep Kaur'. She has great voice, especially for sufi kind of songs. If you follow bollywood, check out 'Ek Onkaar' from legendary 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Is pal ki soch' from 'Halla Bol'.  She is the girl behind the mike for these two songs.  

So, Here are some of her performance videos from the show. Totally worth listening to !!!