Seventh Heaven : Satte Pe Satta

Revisiting Seventh Heaven..

Satte Pe Satta

Released 40 Years back on 22.1.82.

Satte Pe Satta is an iconic classical musical comedy in a truly commercial format.

Satte Pe Satta's cast included the top stars of the decade: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Amjad Khan, with an able supporting cast.

The story revolves around seven brothers (Bachchan, Sudhir, Indrajeet, Kanwaljeet, Shakti Kapoor, Paintal and Sachin) who live in a farmhouse and are ignorant about the rest of the world. Filthy, ill-mannered and unsophisticated are words that would best describe them. Named after the 7 days of the week ( Som, Mangal, Budh, Guru, Shukra, Sunny and Ravi)

They find love and support in the form of Hema Malini's character Indu who is to be Ravi's (Bachchan) lady love. After a lot of drama, the brothers accept her and, more importantly, she accepts them.

The other brothers fall for 6 girls they spot on a beach. These girls ( Asha Sachdev, Prema Narayan, Aradhana, Rajni Sharma, Madhu Malhotra and Nazneen) have the job -- to look after Ranjeeta, who can't walk and is dependent on a wheelchair. Her uncle, Amjad Khan, wants to kill her and inherit her wealth.

The desperate, lovelorn brothers kidnap the girls one night. This gives Khan an idea as to how he can kill Ranjita. He replaces Bachchan with a lookalike, Babu (Amitabh again). But all's well that ends well as Babu undergoes a change of heart and finds love with the very lady he was sent to kill.

Satte Pe Satta has right doses of humour, music and action. Director Raj Sippy handled the characters with expertise. Though there were a lot of them, no one looked out of place. Amjad Khan was the perfect choice as there weren't many villains who could match Bachchan's charisma.

Who in a double role, is a treat to watch. He shows three shades in the movie: the rowdy eldest brother, a sophisticated husband madly in love with his wife and the taciturn villain Babu who is shaded in grey. Even his hair and eyes are coloured grey!

Ravi's drunken scene with Amjad Khan can be compared to the one in his earlier film, Amar Akbar Anthony. It was so difficult that it was not dubbed and the voice recorded in the original shoot was used in the movie. You can even hear the camera whirring in the background!

Apart from Amitabh Bachchan the other star of the movie is Pancham in a Saptam mood.

R.D.Burman composed eight near-perfect tracks for the film. Even the background score is one of the best ever in Indian films. Every appearance by villainous Babu from his entry on screen is accompanied by a unique sound. Annette (a singer in RD's group) used to gargle to create the sound and it's echo effect.

Pyar humein kis mod pe is a treat both for the eyes and ears. The tempo of the song builds beautifully to first show the brothers' despair as they pine for their respective lady loves and then their excitement as they make their way to kidnap the girls. Jhuka ke sar ko is a sweet number done in the Western-musical format, interspersed with dialogues. Check out the mouth organ prelude of Zindagi milke bitaayenge played by Pancham (Burman) himself. He was fond of the instrument and also played it for his father's song Hai apna dil toh aawara (Solva Saal, 1958). Mausam mastana is another rare song . Other chorus songs include the voices of lyricist Gulshan Bawra, Sapan and Basu (assistants to the composer) and Pancham himself.

Dilbar Mere is considered one of KKs best ..The song is also interesting as it marks the change Amitabh's character undergoes to impress Hema.

The title song is also a treat. Note how Shakti Kapoor's character's stuttering speech is used in the songs. It shows the director's and composer's effort at detail.

Support came from Vijayendra Ghadge, Sarika ( The hospital scenes introduction of Hema Malini to Amitabh are so well depicted )

The bond between the brothers has been scripted very well.The brothers use a string of weird words 'Chain kulee ke main kulee kee chain' in order to gather strength at the time of crisis.( aptly used in the climax)

The comedy sequences are hilarious especially the visit of Hema to the farm house as a nurse and subsequently as a wife where she sees the reality of the 7 brothers.The dinner table scene from Satte Pe Satta was evidently one of the film's many highlights. Here, the band of six brothers can be seen attacking the food cooked by Hema Malini's character. Funnily, the six brothers do not jump on to eat the food until Amitabh Bachchan's character walks in and gets food for himself first. This scene is the trigger point for the six brothers to leave their unhygienic and unsophisticated lives behind.

The sets were beautifully created to suit the rustic environs. Raj Sippy's direction showed sophistication. His handling of the script showed maturity. There was never a point in the movie where the audience lost attention. This venture was is and remains a complete entertainer.

The Lost Diva Parveen Babi

"KOI ISS LIYE PEE RAHA HAI KI AAJ DOSTON KE SAATH HAI, AUR KOI ISS LIYE PEE RAHA HAI, KI AAJ DOST SAATH NAHI". – PARVEEN BABI AS ANITA IN DEEWAR (HER ENTRY)

That's Parveen Babi for you.

Hard to believe it's 17 years she passed away in to eternity.

Though she is often reduced to the pejorative term diva, as if being a beautiful presence on-screen requires no talent at all. It would be cruel not to pay tribute to her characters. For example, let us consider the other female star of the 70s – Zeenat Aman. Zeenat was also an emblem for the unabashed female sexuality. In contrast, Parveen Babi’s characters have no backstory. There is no redemption arc needing to justify why she is what she is.

She was often considered to be Zeenat Aman's rival owing to their sex-symbol tag. In fact, she acted alongside Zeenat Aman in Ashanti (1982) and Mahaan (1983). Even in hero-centric films like Deewaar (1975), Shaan (1980) and Namak Halaal (1982), she made her presence felt with her serene aloofness. She even stole the thunder from her co-star Hema Malini in Manoj Kumar's Kranti (1981)

Parveen Babi is somewhat of a byword for tragedy in Bollywood; a star who everyone recognises, but nobody fondly remembers. Few, if any, look beyond the shallow sympathy her story of mental illness and failed relationships evoke. Fewer still acknowledge that under this div(a)ine halo, she was a strong person. She was a survivor and still passed away a schizophrenic.

Amitabh Bachchan co-starred with Parveen Babi in eight films - Majboor, Deewaar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Shaan, Kaalia, Mahaan, Khud-daar and Do Aur Do Paanch apart from Namak Halaal, Suhaag and Sesh Premee where they were not cast opposite each other.

Parveen also starred in offbeat films like Vinod Pande's Yeh Nazdeekiyan (1982) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Rang Birangi (1983) which is a personal favourite.

In retrospect, Parveen Babi’s characters are a natural extension of her real-life persona. Albeit the word ‘bold’ has lost its meaning due to chronic overuse over the years, I believe she is the true owner of the title. In a country where personal issues are shushed down to present a veneer of normalcy, she chose to be open and vulnerable. She might have become immortal on the silver screen. Yet, she left with us the image of a strong, vulnerable, fragile, and indeed, mortal woman.

She graced the TIME magazine cover too.

Sadly Mahesh Bhatt under the name of Biographical cinema has depicted his relationship with her in Arth (1983) wherein the character of the other woman, played by Smita Patil, was based on Parveen.

He made Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aaye in 1993.

In 2006 a year after she passed he made Woh Lamhe... (2006) based on his life with her.

Now again he has made a serial on Voot " Ranjishe Sahi" in 2022.

Time now that she is left alone in peace.

The Adaptive SHOLAY

#BollywoodHollywood

Episode 2

Today would like to move on to the 70s.

A Movie which was talked about after this series debuted

SHOLAY

Before going in to this let me share you some Trivia

Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971)

Khote Sikkay ( 1974 )

Pratigya ( 1975 )

Sholay ( 1975 )

The premises of these films is same.

It is quoted that MGMD is the germ of Sholay. However looking closely we will see that Pratigya is more so based on Mera Gaon Mera Desh .

Khote Sikkay and Sholay have a similaSikkey.

Both inspired by the Western genre, complete with horses and ponchos. It has a similar plot to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai as well as The Magnificent Seven, while Feroz Khan's character is similar to the "Man with No Name" stock characters in Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy

( Gabbar, Jabbar, Jagga)

Now it is a known fact that The Magnificent Seven is an official Adaptation of The Seven Samurai

There are 7 protagonists.

In Khote Sikkay they are five and in Sholay Two.

Later Adaptations include

Aandhi Toofan 1985 ( Two Protagonists)

Karma 1986 ( Three Protagonists )

Army 1996 (Five Protagonists)

China Gate 1998 ( Nine )

So on Seven Samurai / Magnificent Seven there are 6 popular movies and many more.

So coming to the point the Wild Western theme of a team or group coming together to save a village / town.

Seven Samurai:

This is a Japanese film ( not Hollywood for the Technically Specific).It is not easy to say anything new about the one of the most analyzed and scrutinized movies of the film history. Nevertheless, and despite being eventually only repeated, it shall be mentioned that movie has a simple but very engaging story - a group of peasants, representing a village, periodically stormed by gang of bandits, looting their crops and other possessions, hires a veteran samurai, who gathers six samurais to protect a village from the cruel bandits. As the samurais teach the natives how to defend themselves, the village is attacked by a pack of 40 bandits to help them protect the village.

The Official Remake of this film was 

The Magnificent Seven (1960 & remade in 2016.

A gang of bandits led by Calvera (Eli Wallach) periodically raids a poor Mexican village for food and supplies. After the latest raid, during which Calvera kills a villager, the village leaders decide they have had enough.They approch Chris Adams (Yul Brynner), a veteran Cajun gunslinger, for advice. Chris suggests they instead hire gunfighters to defend the village, as "men are cheaper than guns." At first agreeing only to help them recruit men, Chris eventually decides to lead the group. Despite the meager pay offered, he finds five willing gunmen. They are the gunfighter Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen), who has gone broke after a round of gambling and resists local efforts to recruit him as a store clerk; Chris's friend Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), who assumes Chris is hiding a much bigger reward for the work; the Irish Mexican Bernardo O'Reilly (Charles Bronson), who has fallen on hard times; Britt (James Coburn), an expert in both knife and gun who joins purely for the challenge involved; and the dapper, on-the-run gunman Lee (Robert Vaughn), plagued by nightmares of fallen enemies and haunted that he has lost his nerve for battle. On their way to the village, they are trailed by the hotheaded Chico (Horst Buchholz), an aspiring gunfighter whose previous attempts to join Chris had been spurned. Impressed by his persistence, Chris invites him into the group. 

They save the village but not before 4 of them perish .

As the surviving three ride out they say..the farmers won we lost.

Now if I analyse all the Bollywood remakes..this will go on.

The story of SHOLAY is folklore as also the other films mentioned.

In each version of this story, many of the details have been changed — the location, the particulars of the villain’s plot, the mix of characters who make up the team of protectors — but the bones remain the same: A bad guy threatens a small town; the villagers hire a wandering protector who gathers a motley crew of fighters; the fighters fortify the town; there’s a protracted assault; some of the fighters die; the village is saved.

In SHOLAY this is limited to Two.

So it won't be wrong to say that SHOLAY finds inspiration from these classics.

In the age of franchise sprawl, where movies must juggle stories and subplots that cross over multiple films and where filmmakers are always trying to stay one step ahead of online fans with shocking plot developments, that’s an art that’s largely disappeared. But the timelessness and influence of Seven Samurai , Magnificent Seven and Sholay is a reminder that simple stories haven’t lost their power or relevance: Sometimes the most satisfying stories are the ones that don’t surprise you at all.

Hope this comparison of Adaptations works and is likes by the followers and Critics of SHOLAY.

Ek Haseena Thi : 18 years of the Thriller

As we hear Ek Hasina Thi ..

Images of Karz come immediately into one's mind and eyes.

But in 2004 Sriram Raghwan Directed Ram Gopal Verma's Ek Haseena Thi came..

When I saw it for the first time on 17th January (Saturday) ,I was stunned by the impact.After many days I found a thriller which could match any too grade thriller.

Sarika (Urmila) is a beautiful woman who works at a travel agency in Mumbai and lives alone. She is wooed by Karan (Saif), a businessman, who seems to be coming to her aid in difficult times. Although Sarika is careful and distant at first, she soon falls in love with Karan and starts dating him. One day, Karan asks Sarika to expect a guest, a friend of his who is arriving to Mumbai to catch a flight. The strange man arrives and leaves his suitcase at Sarika’s place in order to run an errand. Sarika is shocked to discover on the news that the man was a criminal and was killed by police. A phone call arrives from Karan in which he tells her to get rid of his suitcase and make sure not to mention Karan’s name to the police. Things quickly get out of hand when police catch Sarika red-handed with the suitcase and arrest her. What follows is Sarika’s realization of Karan’s betrayal, her efforts to get out of jail and how she will revenge him. (Elements of If Tomorrow Comes enter the script and keep one enthralled.)

Ek Hasina Thi can be divided into three parts. The first one is a love story with its own quirks. The second part comprises a jailbreak story, while in the third part, Sarika settles scores with Karan Singh . Sarika in prison is someone we had never seen before.

The end and the final frontier for Karan needs to be seen..The rats playing a main role.

Raghavan's stunning directorial debut 'Ek Hasina Thi' keeps you at the edge of your seat from the very beginning. It is gripping, well paced, wonderfully acted and terrifically executed. The screenplay is excellent and the editing is superb. With this and followed by 'Johnny Gaddaar'(2007), Raghavan seems to have mastered the thriller genre. Not only does he maintain the element of suspense so well (which is a crucial ingredient for a successful thriller), but his films (at least the first two) are solidly written and filmed. The background score and cinematography are very effective. Saif Ali Khan is very good as the caddish, smoothtalker who finally manages to charm the innocent Sarika. Saying more would be revealing too much about the character. Seema Biswas is great as the brutal cop who has a strong hatred towards criminals and Pratima Kazmi has already mastered the role of a queen pin. Yet, where performances are concerned, 'Ek Hasina Thi' belongs to Urmila Matondkar.

We had seen Urmila Matondkar showcase her versatility in several films before Ek Hasina Thi. But it was in this one that we saw her change completely in the same film. In the first half, she tries to decipher Karan only to be his victim. She is a naive girl who is terrified of a rat in her kitchen and gets scolded by Karan for being frightened of a mouse which has since fled. But she changes so much that she smashes a rat with her food plate when in jail, reveals what she has turned into. The fear in her eyes when she saw a rat in her kitchen is replaced by the lust to exact revenge from Karan. The execution of the final scene, in which Sarika avenges her ordeal, is something one can only expect from Urmila Matondkar.

The film has synchronised back ground music by Amar Mohile and just two songs one Neend Na Aaye by Pt Jasraj and the other Title track.

I will rate this film as one of the best thrillers ever .

Hard to believe it's 18 years old today.

Mera Saaya

Yesterday got to see Mera Saaya on Tata Sky Classic. Having seen it many times there wasn't any surprise element but I thought of writing about it.

I had last year written about the Lady in White adaptations which lead to Guru Dutt's shelved Raaz and adapted by his protege Raj Khosla as Woh Kaun thi and the first of his Triology with Sadhana.

Second was Mera Saaya in 1966 and later Anita in 1967

Common between the stand-alone films is the way Khosla most effectively uses Sadhana as an enigmatic catalyst who gets the plot moving. In all three films, Sadhana is the key to solving the mysterious events taking place around the leading men.

(Manoj Kumar Twice and Sunil Dutt in Mera Saaya ).

Mera Saaya is a clear adaptation of the Marathi film Pathlag (Chase ).

Thakur Rakesh Singh (Sunil Dutt), a lawyer who has gone abroad for higher studies, rushes back home to his ailing wife Geeta (Sadhana), who dies in his arms. Shattered, he cremates her, builds a memorial for her and mourns her. One day, the police contact him. They’ve arrested a woman from a gang of dacoits who claims to be his spouse. When he meets the woman (Sadhana again), he is gobsmacked: she is a dead ringer for his wife. When efforts to prove her identity land up in court, she seems to know all the details of their wedded past, including the most intimate ones.

The Courtroom drama has all of us at tenterhooks and we hoped  that the beautiful tragic Sadhana in the dark coloured saree is indeed speaking the truth.

I found Mera Saaya pretty fast-paced and I would keep on going back and forth mentally as the film moves between the past and present sprinkled with hints and mysteries.

The suspence opens up at the end and till then the film keeps one enthralled.

The Romantic sequences are depicted in flash back with the melodies of the magician Madan Mohan. Mera Saaya is one of his definitive scores. The songs, written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, are beautifully composed, be it, the soulful Aap Ke Pehloo Mein Aakar Ro Diye, the playful romantic ditty Nainonwali Ne Haay Mera Dil Loota, the ultra romantic Nainon Mein Badra Chhaye or the saucy Jhumka Gira Re ( Asha Bhonsle in her only song). The title song Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega is haunting and atya with you..even 56 years later.

On the acting front While Sunil Dutt flawlessly plays the devoted husband mourning for his beautiful wife and is disarray as he sees her alive but can't accept he, it is Sadhana who owns Mera Saaya. Playing her second double role after Woh Kaun Thi?, she not only looks beautiful but also brings grace, dignity and even cheeky humour to her role as the ideal wife.

A beautiful movie ..

Hard to choose the best from the Triology..

(Anita will be the distant third ..)

Best Song :

Even more difficult

Mine : Naino main Badra Chaaye.

Analysis of a Failure : Imaan Dharam

Analysis of a Failure.

Imaan Dharam

After Sholay in August 1975

there was a hiatus of almost a year and half before Imaan Dharam came in January 1977.

The film was announced right after Majboor by Producer Premji and in a way was a most awaited film as it was their next after Deewar and Sholay.Amitabh had consolidated this position in 1976 with Hera pheri, Adalat, Do Anjaane  and Kabhi Kabhi. Add to that Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha and Imaan Dharam was expected to be a blockbuster.

Ace Art director Desh Mukherjee debuted as a director.

Ahmed (Amitabh Bachchan)and Mohan (Shashi Kapoor) form the principal cog in this story of two con men who make a living by testifying falsely in petty court cases.

They have a foster sister Shyamlee ( Aparna Sen) who is blind.

She has a sympathetic Sanjeev Kumar as Kabir who wishes to accept her as she is.

Kabir's father is a black Marketeer and anti-national and on his sons insistence is ready bro surrender which his partners (galaxy of negative role veterans) Amrish Puri, Prem Chopra, Sudhir , M.Shetty and McMohan cannot digest and get him murdered and his son Kabir is arrested for the same (?). The two false witness Ahmed and Mohan testify that they are eye witness and Kabir is sentenced.

However soon later they realise that he is the paramour of their foster sister.

They then reform and the predictable plot moves to find the real murderer.

The players in this drama head to a common destination where the heroes and the villains settle the issue once for all. As always, the police arrives when it is all over with ‘Inspector’ Jagdish Raj bringing the curtain down.

There are sub plots like there is a Sikh major Balbir Singh (Utpal Dutt), not to forget Barkat Chacha (Gajanan Jagirdar) and Govind Anna (Shreeram Lagoo), who is head of the construction workers whose daughter Rekha has a love angle with Mohan.

We also have Jenny ( Helen) who hires Ahmed to act as her daughter's father.

Ahmed comes to Jenny’s rescue and adopts her child. Now Jenny has a dark past and obviously she must exit the story line. So she is administered a spurious drug, promoted by Kabir’s fathers company. The characters seem to run into each other. Like Shetty, who first attempts to rape the blind Shyamlee, then murders Jamuna Das, and gives away all the secrets in a dying statement. 

Amitabh and Helens relationship kind off reminds one of the Amitabh Parveen relationship in Deewar. ( Infact Parveen was the first choice at launch but she later opted out and the role was given to Helen on Salim's insistence).

Sometimes, even a fabulous cast fails to carry a film. An enviable line-up, assembled with the aim to reap riches at the box office, comes a cropper after initial promise. That it peters into a tame and predictable climax, where the heroine flexes her muscle power ala her man, is a let down. The mediocre plot loses direction in the second half when the director looks to get over the agony.

All religions are promoted in the film and soon later in 1977 came another landmark film with Religious Integration..Amar Akbar Anthony.

Imaan Dharam did not have the finesse of a Prime Salim Javed script.. it carried the consept of secularism too far. Their trademark fluidity was missing and was replaced by exaggeration.

The film opened to packed houses but the euphoria fizzled out in less than a fortnight.

This was a setback to the charismatic duo who issued a full page advertisement in Screen..

"Imaan Dharam is an answer for all Criticism'.

Strange but true.

Comments Solicited.

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Some trivia and image input from Biography " Written by Salim Javed " by Diptakirti Chaudhuri

Amrish Puri

Today is the death Anniversary of a great actor with an envious baritone Amrish Puri.

He started his career in itsy bitsy roles in early 70s.

However he got his due when Shyam Benegal took him for the raw Zamindar's role in Nishaant.

In his over 30-year career as an actor, Amrish Puri did over 200 films. In his early years, most of the work he did was either quality-oriented work  for  directors like Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani or commercial potboilers for all top banners where he used his powerful voice and screen presence to accentuate the cinematic  definitions of evil. Amrish Puri’s truly productive phase as Bollywood’s most dependable character actor, or actor of character, began in the 80s. Vidhaata and Ashanti were his major hits  but it was Mogambo that gave him the face that went on to live with him.

How things change..

In Dostana 1980 he played Balwant Singh a co Villian ( if not henchman ) to Prem Chopra.

8 years later in 1988 came Shahenshah where he played JK  and Prem Chopra had a secondary role as Bank Manager Mathur.

In 1992, Puri  chanced on  huge commercial success with Phool Aur Kaante. Though this was the launchpad for Ajay Devgn, it was Puri who stole much of the dubutant’s thunder as the good-natured don who wants to win his  estranged son’s respect back. Puri admitted this film was a turning point in his career

During the same year that Phool Aur Kante brought grey glory into Puri’s black persona, he went out-and-out positive in Priyadarshan’s Muskurahat, a wonderfully heartwarming story of a sullen old man, and a young woman who brings a smile to his frowning face. Priyadarshan went on to cast Puri in most of his Hindi films.

His foray in Hollywood with Indiana Jones and the temple of doom was also a success as Mala Ram Tantrik.

His best phase as an actor came as the NRI father in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (1995)

And followed up with Pardes in 1997. He was a disciplinarian with principles that the new generation finds impossible to uphold.. honestly he did put Shahrukh in the shade in both the films.

Another feather is Ghaatak, that featured him as the eccentric idealist (a role that Puri patented) from Uttar Pradesh as father to Sunny Deol.

In one of his last roles in a negative Charecter in Nayak he Excelled as the Chief Minister.

His role in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi was also appreciated.

Seldom, ever did an actor other than the leading man acquire the respect and command of Amrish Puri.

(Possibly Pran and Amjad Khan before him).

His grand son Vardhan Puri made his debut last year.

Iam sure up from heaven he must be saying

Mogambo Khush Hua.

Or Dong Kabhi Wrong Nahi Hota.

JHIMMA

Today after a long time saw a Marathi movie at the theatre.

JHIMMA

(झिम्मा)

It was released on 19th November..so now it is running in its 51st Day..

I had heard a lot about this film but actually didn't get tickets over the weekend since last 3 weeks.

Finally saw it today after booking tickets on Friday itself.

Let's get to the movie..

After a long time in Marathi we see a travel film.

On paper, the film has a simple story. Seven women from different walks of life, all strangers, meet on a trip, slowly make friends, and help one another overcome their fears and look at their problems from newer perspectives. In short rediscover themselves.

The trip is to United Kingdom  (London in particular).

Some of them have been there before but most of them have come this far from home for the first time. They have signed up with a travel agency run by Kabir (played by Siddharth Chandekar) who has inherited his wanderlust from his father. This is the first tour that he has organised, so he is quite nervous. His future as an entrepreneur depends on the successful execution of this trip.

There are 7 lady protagonists with him

Indu (played by Suhas Joshi), Nirmala (played by Nirmiti Sawant), Mita (played by Kshitee Jog), Rama (played by Mrinmayee Godbole), Vaishali (played by Suchitra Bandekar), Krutika (played by Sayali Sanjeev), Maithili (played by Sonalee Kulkarni). They are of different ages ( from a 20 to 70 year old )and temperaments, so breaking the ice takes a while. The film does not assume a natural sisterhood; it explores each woman's story with care.

There are the mandatory bickerings but then they all develop a camaraderie and share secrets.

The writers and the director have made a deliberate attempt to keep the tone light even when things get serious. When the jokes land, they are really funny. In that sense, Jhimma delivers. It's a decent family entertainer that keeps you engaged.

Jhimma is thoughtful touching on social issues through individual stories without becoming preachy.

The film's biggest strength is the chemistry among the actresses. Senior artistes like Nirmiti Sawant, who plays the wife of a politician, and Suhas Joshi make their presence felt. They are quite natural in both the emotional and funny scenes. Sonalee Kulkarni plays a newly engaged woman who is already fed up with her clingy fiance. Her character has a nice angle. Kshitee Jog is impressive as an inveterate worrier.( She is the producer too)

All the ladies and girls act very well. Siddharth Chandekar does a good job of showing the helplessness and frustration of a man caught in the constant whims and fancies of the women.

Personally I loved the movie and left the theatre with a smile.

It is available in theatres with English Subtitles and is expected to be on the OTT platform by Women's Day in March.

Stress

Whether our work life is overly complicated or our personal life (or both), one has chosen this current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.

To experience a simplified life, we first have to learn to slow down long enough to see through all the clutter. We need to realize that we are powerful magnets that attracted this life to ourselves - no matter what - good or bad...This is stress..That's right. Life is a series of choices and being stressed or free from stress is one of those choices....

New Launches of 2021

Mahyco Private Limited ( Vegetable Division ) has been instrumental in giving many eternal Hybrids.

Be it Chilli Tejaswini, Bhendi No.10, Bottle Gourd Warad or other minor Gourds , these products still have a standing in the Market.

However Mahyco Vegetables has not been Lacking in New Products .

The Growth Unit formed looks in to Market Gaps and in Association with R & D come out with products. 

Since it's conceptualisation in 2015 till 2020 there have been regular launches in Chilli ( 12 Dual and Green Hot Pepper) , Okra (6) , Brinjal (9), 

Gourds (9) Melons (Cucumber and WM 4) , Tomato (3) .

We are happy to share that even in the period of Covid  in the gone year 2021 we launched 9 Products

Cauliflower 1053( Tropical )

Brinjal  Rajita ( Whitish Slender )

Chilli Mahy Aadya (  Fresh Green )

Chilli Mahy 641 ( Dual )

Chilli Red Rays ( Dual )

Tomato

Claret ( In- determinate  )

Red Stone ( Light Green Shoulder Desi )

Okra ( December  2021)

Reeta

Meeta

A great Achievement for the company and for the farmers who need quality seeds.

the Key to staying Resilient in adverse conditions is to choose and move ahead.

 We at Mahyco Grow 

( Vegetables ) have done just that.

Possibly Lesser Known Facts on Baccillus thuringiensis (BT)

It's part of Agricultural history that Mahyco in 2002 got the nod for BT Cotton many should be knowing this.

Possibly fewer would be knowing that BT Brinjal was also ready after testing but was halted in 2009.

(However it was later approved in Bangladesh and is doing well there).

Had it been launched, it would have paved way for other vegetables like Cauliflower, Cabbage, Okra and Tomato which were being worked on.

What a revolution it would have

been ! 

As always Mahyco would be One Step ahead.

Decoupled ,. Netflix

Started New Year's on a Hilarious note

Back to Back 8 Episodes of Decoupled...

Don't know but somehow this series on Netflix has not got the coverage it deserves.

"Loneliness is not the scarcity of people, loneliness is when hot people don't want to be with you," says the protagonist Arya Iyer (played by R Madhavan) in  Decoupled. An author by profession and a full-time philosopher, Arya Iyer is constantly competing against his nemesis Chetan Bhagat. The real life author plays himself in the show and keeps popping in and out.

Decoupled set in the affluent high Delhi society where Arya somehow doesn't fit in as he observes everything and questions the most random things. His wife Shruti, played by Surveen Chawla, is a business woman though of a start-up and someone easily who comes across a young, rich woman who is perfect on the surface but actually dealing with her broken marriage and an impending divorce. 

While Arya and Shruti are clear that they want a divorce, the show revolves around the couple perpetually deciding when's the right time to break the big news to their 12-year-old daughter ( A wonderful performance by Arishta Mehta). They, however, continue to live under the same roof, are cordial at times, have dinners and even flirt with other people. Decoupled's setting is believable and relatable.

Both Madhavan and Surveen deliver an earnest performance with their onscreen chemistry simply perfect for a couple who is heading towards divorce. They both stand out and that seems to be the biggest strength of Decoupled. While some dialogues definitely hit the mark .With the show entirely in English, Decoupled writers infuse comedy via dialogues and you may find yourself chuckling more than once.

The most humorous scenes feature Shruti’s Punjabi parents, played by Apara Mehta and Akash Khurana. Surveen Chawla finely conveys Shruti’s frustrations and disappointments as well as the patience of a spouse who once loved. 

The other cast of Sonia Rathee (as an Airhostess Arya has an affair with) and the neighbour Dr Basu and Dilnaaz as the Netflix executive.

Spread across eight hilarious episodes of almost 30 minutes each it is almost like a TV sitcom but a tone adult in nature.

I stumbled on it by chance by found it so hilarious that watched the whole show in 4 hours flat.

Recommended for mature and a bit naughty viewing .

#netflixindia

Two Friends and their Music

How Ironic and Rare is it that two friends ..

A Film maker and a Music Director (The filmmaker never made a single film without his friend doing the music).

Some films flopped but the music was evergreen.

Iam talking of R.D.Burman who passed away on 4th January 1994 and four years before that on 5th January 1990 Ramesh Behl one of his closest friends passed away.

Together they made 12 movies.

A Tribute to this friendship.

The association started with 

" The Train".

“The Train” was a good thriller. Rajesh Khanna was then on the verge of sweeping the audience with his romantic image, wooing the leading lady with songs written for him, belting out hits after hits, with the trusted combination of lyricist Anand Bakshi, composer RD Burman and singer Kishore Kumar. This movie did not have a Kishore number but Mohammad Rafi delivered in the rare style that made him a super star among singers. 

A suspence film which had its soul in the music..

The songs were in fact thrown in at strategic interludes because the script was not strong enough to sustain the interest of the audience. It was unsurprising that the CID Inspector Shyam Kumar and Neeta, played by Nanda, were introduced through a song, the lilting Rafi number “Gulabi Aankhen Jo Teri Dekhin”. It figured in the Binaca Geet Mala list for weeks.

The story was nothing spectacular

A series of murders on a train, on a specifically targeted route, and a pattern of robbing jewellers, sets the police on a trail. Shyam Kumar ( Rajesh Khanna) has a tough assignment since he has to find the culprit responsible for framing Neeta’s ( Nanda) father in a murder trap. The character of Lily, so brilliantly portrayed by Helen, livens up the narrative. Tasked to seduce Inspector Shyam the hotel dancer falls in love with the detective and complicates the situation for her boss, No. 1 (Madan Puri). The Don and his cronies went by numbers as identity. Lily gets two lilting numbers to share the space with Neeta, who tries to match the Inspector’s dancing skills in “Gulabi Aankhen” and later in “Kis Liye Maine Pyaar Kiya” and a duet “Mujhse Bhala Yeh Kaajal Tera”. The Helen numbers, sung by Asha Bhosle – “Maine Dil Abhi Diya Nahi” and “Meri Jaan Maine Kaha” with RD, were well received too.

This was the level of melody in R.D.Burmans music.

It was the music which capitulated this film to be a big success..A super star and one in the making contributed to give “The Train” the status of a hit.

This was followed by

Jawaani Diwani (1972)

A romantic caper which added Randhir Kapoor as the third angle of this friendship triangle.

Romance was portrayed essentially through RD’s tunes. The variety that he brought was amazing. Pancham, as he was known to his friends and admirers, pumped life into what would have ended as a mundane narrative involving two college students falling in love with each other and achieving their goal after some hiccups. There is a villain too, some slapstick humour, and a predictable happy ending. The plot does not appeal but the music lingers. RD was the best ambassador for youthful and romantic genre not to forget the classical touch that he brought to songs.

Songs from “Jawani Diwani” impressed a cross-section of music-lovers. “Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani” was a peppy number and is still a regular in remixes.. “Saamne Yeh Kaun Aaya” could be heard at most parties. “Nahi Nahi Abhi Nahi” and “Agar Saaz Chheda Tarane Banenge” became popular too but he icing on the cake was “Jaane Jaan Dhoondta Phir Raha” which had a distinct RD touch, a unique blend of instruments that only he could use.

The film is remembered today just for its musc.

The pair of Ramesh Behl and R.D went on to give further hits like Kasme Vaade, Basera,Yeh Vaada Raha. These were quality films with melody.

Even insipid films like 

Dil Deewana (almost a sequel to Jawani Diwani) , Harjayi, Jaane Jaan and Apne Apne are remembered (?) just for their music.

Pukar had lovely music and songs but the film came with Amitabh in a bad patch..R.D singing for him ( due to a fall off with Kishore Kumar)

The prolific music of Jawaani (Too Rootha toh main roh dungi) is remembered.

The association ended with Indrajeet released a year after Ramesh ji passed away.

R.D Burman was also in obliviation.

Here's to their friendship..and the music they created.

Collage Credit: Shailendra Mishra.

MELODY MAKERS R.D.BURMAN & GULZAR

The collaboration between the ace composer and the lyricist-filmmaker began with a song from ‘Parichay’ that was composed in the shower.

This incident is mentioned in R.D.Burman's biography and I quote..

‘I was sitting in Pancham’s music room one morning and warming up by strumming chords on my guitar,’ Bhanu Gupta recalls. ‘Pancham, who was taking a shower, opened the bathroom door, poked his head out and said, “Bajate thako, themo na (Keep playing, don’t stop).” So I continued playing the chord progression. When Pancham came out, he was humming a tune that 

fit the chord sequence I was playing. The line was “Mujhe chalte jana hai”. Later, he went back to the first two lines. So, in effect, Pancham composed the tune for the refrain first and then for the mukhra.’

Parichay songs are a masterpiece in their own..be it Beete na Bitai or the chirpy Saare Ke Saare.. they have that melodious tune that rings in one's ears even 40 years later.

After Parichay Gulzar worked with Pancham in three more films in quick succession: as lyricist in Doosri Seeta (1974), and as director and lyricist in Aandhi and Khushboo (1975). Directed by Gogi Anand, one of Pancham’s closest lifelong friends, Doosri Seeta bombed big time at the box office. With that, three RD–Gulzar gems went virtually unnoticed. It was only after the composer’s resurrection post-1994 that the audience could enjoy melodies like the Lata Mangeshkar solo ‘Din ja rahe hain ke raaton ke saaye’ and the Asha solos ‘Tu jahan mile mujhe’ and ‘Aaye re aaye re’.

What can some say of Khushboo..

The fragrance of the songs lingers even today.Asha Bhonsle solos, ‘Bechara dil kya kare’ and ‘Ghar jayegi’, which had the right dose of ebullience and grace but posed the risk of being interpreted as modern.The Lata Mangeshkar solo ‘Do naino mein aansoo bharen hain’ was recorded in two versions and is, with its mix of the flute, tabla and the extended taan in the antara, an example of how a sad song can be composed without it getting maudlin.The one song which has stood out for more than three decades is Kishore Kumar’s ‘O majhi re’ known as much for Pancham’s technical innovations like the use of the the blowing on a bottle filled with water and for its compositional and lyrical brilliance.

The music of Aandhi, considered at par with Amar Prem, is the result of a symbiosis of the best of both Pancham’s and Gulzar’s worlds.With the Kishore–Lata duet ‘Is mod se jaate hain’, there is a story how the lyrics baffled Pancham. With his limited knowledge of poetry and precious little knowledge of Urdu, he had inquired of Gulzar if ‘nasheman’ was the name of a town.

Tere bina zindagi se koi’,Emotions are mellower, and so is the tune which is adapted from a Bengali tune composed by R.D..Gulzar took to the tune and penned the lyrics which fit in snugly. Despite this, the song has a made-to-order feel as far as the theme of Aandhi is concerned.

The relationship and synergy continued with Ghar, Kinara, Masoom, Kitaab, Ijajat, Namkeen,  Libaas , Jeeva , Basera, Gol Maal, Ratna deep and I may have missed many more and the Private album Dil Padosi Hain..

"Yaad hai Pancham, jab bhi koi dhun bana kar bhejte the toh saath keh diya karte the, 'The ball is in your court.”   Yeh kaun sa ball mere court mein chhod gaye ho tum, Pancham. Zindagi ka khel akele nahin khela jaata. Humari toh team hai. Aa jao ya bula lo."

Gulzar wrote these words for his friend R. D. Burman, fondly known as Pancham Da, after he passed away in 1994.

(Excerpts taken from RD Burman The Man, The Music by Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal, HarperCollins India.)