Friday, 25 March 2022

The Versatile Duo Faarooq Sheikh and Sai Paranjape

Down Memory Lane

19th March was Sai Paranjape's birthday.
Today 25th is the late Farooque Sheikh's 74th Birth Anniversary.
One's mind goes back to 
1981 and 1982-83 when both worked together as Director Actor in Chashme Baddoor and Katha.
Farooque Sheikh :
In the cookie-cutter world of mainstream Hindi cinema, actors need stock ingredients to deliver salable performances. Farooque Shaikh was never on the list.
Farooque Shaikh’s untimely death at the age of 65 on December 27, 2013, has left a void in Indian cinema that still hasn’t been filled. After working in theatre, Shaikh got his first break in MS Sathyu’s landmark film Garm Hava (1973),
Labelled as a serious actor Farooque Shaikh found his comic groove with Sai Paranjpye’s Chashme Baddoor (1981), a delightful tale of three room mates who fall for the same woman, Neha (Deepti Naval). This was the first time that Shaikh and Naval were cast together, and the two went on to become one of the most charming on-screen pairs in the ’80s.
This was followed by Katha by the same team a year later..
Shaikh’s crowning glory was this brilliant turn as the boastful and gregarious Bashudev (Bashu) in Katha ; When Bashu comes to live with the shy and timid Rajaram Joshi (Naseeruddin Shah), his shenanigans turned life in the once-peaceful chawl upside down. Bashu is the proverbial hare to Joshi’s tortoise, beating him to woo Sandhya (Deepti Naval). The shameless and unrepentant Bashu, who juggles his relationship with Sandhya with an affair with his boss’s wife (Mallika Sarabhai) while also flirting with her daughter Jojo (Winnie Paranjpe), is easy to detest. Instead, Shaikh makes him irresistible.
Both these films are remembered even today for their clean and light comic approach.

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Cape Fear

One fear that controls me and hold me back
from taking action and going after what I wanted most of the time.

That fear is the fear of failure I'd like to share one big thing
that has helped me to greatly minimize it.

And that is to learn to see failure from a helpful perspective.
Because failure is in most situations not all that bad really.

It can actually be very helpful if you choose to change how you see it from being
something that makes your legs shake to something useful and important for your
growth as a human being.

Here are three great things I have gotten out of failing:

1. You learn.

Instead of seeing failure as something horrible you can start to view it more as a
learning experience.

When standing in the middle of a failure, ask yourself questions like: 

What's one positive thing about this situation? And what is one thing I can learn
from this situation?

2. You gain experiences and understanding you could not get any
other way.
Ideally, you probably want to learn from other people's mistakes and failures. 
That's not always easy to do though. 
And oftentimes you just have to fail on your own to learn a lesson and to gain an
experience and a real understanding no one can relate to you in mere words.

3. You become stronger. 

Every time you fail you become more accustomed to that experience. 
Your mind and body becomes more emotionally desensitized to it. It hurts less and
you can get up, refocus and take action quicker again. 
And you realize more and more that failing is honestly not the end of the world. 
You see that yes, things did not go as planned and it might sting a bit. But you did
take action instead of still sitting on the sidelines of your own life like you used
to (and like many still do). 
And that is, in my own experience, truly an inspiring and self-esteem boosting
thing to realize.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Dial A for Aitbaar


22.3.1985
37 Years of Dial A for AITBAAR
( Adapted from Dial M for Murder )

Aitbaar is the story of Neha (Dimple Kapadia) who loves a singer – Saagar (Suresh Oberoi) but finding him as not prepared to marry her immediately, she under pressure gets married to a Tennis player /playboy– Jaideep (Raj Babbar) according to the wish of her father. But her married life proves no better than a nightmare for her. Aggrieved due to the ill-treatment meted out to her by her husband, she is about to commit suicide when suddenly she comes across Saagar again. Immediately thereafter, an unexpected but apparently joyful twist arrives in the tale of her life when she finds her husband as transforming himself for the better. She is extremely happy for the welcome change in him and the consequential pleasant change in her life but her happiness proves to be short-lived when a letter of Saagar that he had written to her, gets stolen from her purse and then someone blackmails her on the basis of that. She pays the demanded money to the blackmailer but does not get the letter back. One day a stranger known as Vikramjeet (Sharat Saxena) breaks into her house and tries to kill her but loses his own life in her hands. Neha is arrested, tried and awarded death-penalty for the crime because it is proved in the court that she has deliberately killed Vikramjeet. However police inspector – Barua (Danny ) smells a conspiracy against Neha in the chain of events that has taken place and starts re-examining the facts silently. And before Neha is executed, he is able to unearth the conspiracy and unmask the conspirator. He only tells (now proved innocent) Neha how a perfect murder had been planned to eliminate her, how it backfired, how the conspirator cashed even the unplanned result of his conspiracy to his advantage and how the destiny ensured poetic justice leading to her exoneration.
( No Spoilers)
Aitbaar is an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Director Mukul Anand has been able to indianize the classic work of Alfred Hitchcock ( Dial M for Murder) very well and present a highly entertaining and virtually spellbinding movie for the Indian audience. Nowhere the story slackens and nowhere any boredom creeps in. It’s a brilliant drama in which there is hardly any suspense for the viewer, nevertheless there is no dearth of curiosity for him. It’s the sheer brilliance of the story idea as well as its proficient execution that the viewer cannot leave the movie in between even for a single minute. 
Tight and speedy screenplay has been ably supported by the power-packed performances of the principal characters and the melodious and meaningful songs are the icing on the cake. Resultantly, the overall impact of the film is just superb.All the four principal actors – Raj Babbar, Suresh Oberoi, Dimple Kapadia and Danny have performed excellently. However if I have to choose the best performer, I will select the coughing but cunning police inspector – Danny for the honour. And needless to mention, Dimple looks very pretty and emotes very well and is the central focus of the film.
Bappi Lahiri has composed laudable melodies and music for this movie with the meaningful lyrics being penned by Hasan Kamaal. Two songs out of total four, are unforgettable. Kisi Nazar Ko Tera Intezaar Aaj Bhi Hai, sung by Bhupinder and Asha, is one of the best Bollywood Ghazals of all times. However my liking is even more for the Bhupinder-Asha duet – Aawaaz Di Hai Aaj Ek Nazar Ne Ya Hai Ye Dil Ko Gumaan.
There is Leena Das with a classical cabaret Tum aur main aur yeh bekhudi which has Asha Bhonsle at her seductive best
Producer Romesh Sharma and 
Director Mukul Anand have nowhere compromised with the production value or quality of the movie. Cinematography is brilliant, editing is par excellence and all the other significant aspects of the movie have also been taken care of very well.
If you have not seen "Aitbaar", do so right away. I promise you that you will not regret it.

The same has been adapted into a Marathi Drama aptly titled " A Perfect Murder".
I have seen all 3 and beleive me they are all worth the time and money spent.

Sunday, 20 March 2022

The Film Which Inspired Many ..


Come March 2022..A cult film completes 50 years and is being re-released.
GODFATHER
14th March 72 the movie Godfather was released and millions of people across the world even without google or WhatsApp or Insta or FB & without any hashtag, came to know about two terminologies which were relatively unknown i.e., Mafia & Don!! 
The impact of Godfather showed the movie industry it's true power as now we know, the success of a movie is not to be measured by  just money it makes on the box office but Godfather went beyond that & made us realise, real success of the movie is how much it make the masses to change their attitude towards the life!
Mafia is a taboo word and gangsters are the people you keep away from, no question of marrying them or being friends with them! If you don’t get justice for any crime that happened to you then the only way is you try higher courts or just keep mum, blaming your bad luck and weakness as a white collared person and that’s all!!
But Godfather changed all of this in mere three hours as now you know there is nothing such as total dark or black but every black has got shades of grey and even black can be good at times! Now you think that not all the gangsters are bad and even in the crime there are real bad crimes and lesser bad crimes and some are even good crimes; such as beating up the bad goons which are troubling innocent people and getting away from law as there are bad cops & corrupt judges which can be bought & you can actually get justice by indulging in to a crime which includes beating the bad goons by hired men who works for the Don!
Godfather has not only inspired thousands of movie makers across the world to change their thought process about the script and theme of the movies but it changed the mindset or say expectation or the purpose itself of billions of the movie watchers (read as aam janata) to watch the movie in the first place!! This is why Godfather is special as it has made such an offer to watch this movie that no one can resist it!!
Godfather has been adapted/Remade / copied / etc etc in Hindi Films and Regional films too.
Dharmatma , Nayakan (Dayawan), Sarkar , amoung the top noutch followed by Aatank Hi Aatank / Zulm Ki Hukumat and more in the B graders.
Sarkar goes a step ahead and is a Triology.

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, Marlen Brando, Al Pacino & Don Corleone ...Take a Bow.

Sunday, 13 March 2022

Classic Reboot Chalti ka Naam Gaadi

Today again saw an evergreen film ..
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi
Thinking about it I realised I had not written about it..
A fancy race-car, three brothers and a murder – seem like the elements of another thriller novel, don’t they? But  this is about something fun, entertaining and ageless.
Chalti Naam Gaadi, released in the year 1958,  Directed by Satyen Bose, the movie is still popular among many people, especially for its evergreen music that was composed by Sachin Dev Burman and the combo of the Ganguly brothers Ashok, Anup and Abhaas ( Kishore) Kumar.
Brijmohan (aka Bada Bhaiyya), Jagmohan (aka Jaggu) and Manmohan (aka Mannu) are three brothers who can’t seem to live without each other. Together, they manage an automobile workshop called ‘Mohan Garage’. Brij ( Ashok Kumar) is not only the main manager of the workshop but is also a father-figure to his younger brothers and a former boxing champion. Then again, he expresses a certain dislike towards women. Jaggu (Anup Kumar) is an electrical engineer who does not seem  confident about his skills and bumbles while Mannu (Kishore Kumar) enjoys being the happy-go-lucky person.
Brij however could not possibly have accounted for the charms of Madhubala! On a rainy night, Manu runs into a running-nosed damsel in distress, Renu (Madhubala). The petulant Renu has been seized by a fit of sneezes and is saddled with a car that refuses to cough to life. After a lot of debate and persuasion, Mannu agrees to look in to the car and after a lovely " Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" gets the car back to life. Things take a turn, when Mannu realised that the customer was unlike the others. However, Renu had forgotten to pay him for his services.
Compelled by his elder brothers, Mannu decides to track down Renu and collect his earnings. But the attempt fails in a most hilarious manner. after another classic " Paanch Rupiya Baara Aana."
On his way back ( after falling asleep in Renu's car and a hilarious interlude with her )Mannu noticed a group of people dumping a corpse in the middle of the road, which was eventually picked-up by the cops.
Shocked, Mannu continues to walk back to his destination and narrated the incident to his brothers. 
Enter now  mobster Raja saab (K N Singh) providing eyebrow entertainment) and his accomplice Prakash (Sajjan), who are after Renu's millions. 
What happens next, is a fun yet interesting tale of unexpected twists.
Jaggu falls for Renu's friend Sheela ( Sahira ) and Bade Bhaiyya Brij finds his lost love Kamini (Veena), under house arrest for years by Raja Saab.
In the free-for-all climax, the three brothers combine forces and pound the villains while their girlfriends applaud enthusiastically.
The film ends where it started with the three brothers singing the title track
In the one-for-the-road shot (pun intended), the three wives sit in the front seat of the family's jaunty jalopy, perched-on-the-backseat brothers yodel in unison Babu samjho ishaare, horn pukare, pom pom pom while a grinning Madhubala steers the film to it's ending.
The film ably directed by Satyen Bose ( and as is rumoured Kishore Kumar himself ) Certain sequences shine like beacons --- the naughty-frothy nuggets, Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si and Hum the woh thi aur samaa rangeen, samajh gaye na (with Anup and Kishore huffing like a train); Madhubala and Kishore Kumar camouflaging their rapid exchange of secrets with a gaggle of exaggeratedly loud giggles (to distract a suspicious Sajjan); and a car race where Kishore Kumar, amongst other juvenile antics, squirts water on a rival. Only Kishore could have carried this preposterously implausible scene with such comic chutzpah.
Madhubala ( so very beautiful) and Kishore are perfectly in tune with each other's comic rhythms. She exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious.
Besides, in how many films do you have the heroine romantically address the hero as Pagle, only to have him respond moony-eyed: Pagli..😍
As mentioned the USP is the music. Having listened to these songs while growing up, these evergreen soundtracks can bring a smile on my face at any point in time. The joy of listening to music that was recorded live without any technology altering the many audio levels is priceless!
I would recommend this movie to anybody ( who hasn't seen it) who wishes to truly understand and appreciate the joy of film-making. It is worth a watch or more.
And to think Kishore Kumar wanted it to flop to make losses to cover up the due income tax..
But finally Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi..