HINDI MOVIES WITH -ALL- GOOD SONGS | hguy.blogspot.com

 

THE MAKING OF KABHI KABHIE: A STORY OF FATE AND DETERMINATION

In the mid-1970s, Yash Chopra was working on Kabhi Kabhie, a film that would eventually become one of the most celebrated romantic dramas in Indian cinema. His wife, Pamela Chopra, had written the story, and the legendary poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi was penning the songs. For the music, Yash initially envisioned the dynamic duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, who had delivered a chartbuster soundtrack for his previous film, Daag.

But Sahir Ludhianvi had a different vision. He insisted that the music should be composed by Khayyam, a talented but underappreciated composer who had delivered some exquisite melodies in the 1950s and ’60s but had never quite reached the top league. Yash Chopra agreed, but there was just one problem—no one knew where to find Khayyam. All they knew was that he lived somewhere in Juhu.

Determined, Yash Chopra and Sahir set out on an unconventional search, driving around the streets of Juhu, hoping to spot him. As fate would have it, they saw his wife, the singer Jagjit Kaur, buying vegetables at a roadside stall. One chance encounter changed everything, and soon, Khayyam was on board for Kabhi Kabhie.

However, another hurdle awaited. Laxmikant-Pyarelal did not take kindly to this last-minute change. Having already given a massive hit for Yash Chopra, they had expected to compose for Kabhi Kabhie and were deeply offended. Their displeasure echoed across the industry, and most session musicians refused to work on the film out of loyalty to LP.

This could have been the end of the road for the soundtrack. But Yash Chopra was not one to back down. His indomitable Punjabi spirit kicked in, and he found an ingenious solution—he brought in musicians from the Indian Navy band to record the songs. Just when things seemed to be falling into place, tragedy struck again. Mukesh, the legendary playback singer chosen to voice the film’s songs, suffered a heart attack and was bedridden for months, causing further delays.

Despite all these obstacles, the team persevered. And in the end, what emerged was a masterpiece. Kabhi Kabhie became an enduring classic, with its soul-stirring music, poetic lyrics, and timeless romance. Khayyam’s haunting melodies, Sahir’s evocative poetry, and Yash Chopra’s cinematic vision created magic that would be cherished for generations to come.

Sometimes, the greatest art is born out of struggle, and Kabhi Kabhie was a testament to that.

#kabhiekabhie

TOP WESTERN MOVIES | hguy.blogspot.com

 

ME AND SAMURAI MOVIES | hguy.blogspot.com

 

2023, I went on a samurai binge. You know, sword-fighting movies from the islands of Japan. I started with the most revered movie in this group - Akira Kurusawa's  The Seven Samurai. Good, really good. Unique culture, Unique hairstyles, Unique houses. But you need to be a movie buff to get into them. A casual viewer may want to stick to the easily consumable version - The Magnificent Seven.

I found almost all Samurai movies are slow-paced. Long chunks of storytelling followed by a few seconds of swordplay, followed by blood spewing like a fountain.

It all started with the accidental viewing of a movie called 'The Twilight Samurai' (2002). I loved this movie. Then I watched 'Kill Bill which had some fantastic swordplay.

So I went back in time. The first was 'Harakiri (1962). It slowly builds up to a twist. Then I saw 'Goyokin' with the same actor. Next was 'Samurai Wolf' 1966. 

Not many woman characters in these movies. The one who are there are either whores or are quickly bumped off. Look whose talking, me from the land of Bollywood where the only job of women is to run around trees.

Then I landed a movie called 'Lone Wolf and Baby Cart'. The premise itself intrigued me. An assassin going around with a baby. I saw four movies in this series. All great. Then they, as it happens, started to drag a lot, so I let go.

Later I found a movie called 'Zatochi. It's about a blind masseuse. Interesting na. This happens to be the longest-running movie series. 26 or 27 movies made so far. I saw a few b/w and a few color ones. BTW Lone Wolf and Zatochi are brothers in real life. The actors I mean.

A new series called 'Shogun just dropped on my favorite streaming service, Torrents, and I am hooked. It's a slow burn and I hope its worth my time overall. (I gave up miday- Dont know why)

UNDERRATED BOLLYWOOD MOVIES | hguy.blogspot.com

 

VAMPS OF INDIA | hguy.blogspot.com

Bindu: She began acting only after her marriage. They say na, the best thing in life come to you after marriage. Bindu pushed her luck a little further. Straight vamp, no sister, no heroine roles. Today, they are given the decent name of item girl. Those days they were just called item. 

We cannot recall even one instance of her acting (though she has done quite a few). However, we do recall her from a number of dance scenes where she mouthed Lata or Asha. Of all her songs, my fav is the jugalbandi qawalli with Pran from the movie Dharma. 'Raaz ki Baat'

Helen: Breaking in must have been tough with such a non-Indian face. However, having exceptional dancing skills did help. Once she found a footing, there was no looking back. Dance after dance, she was now a star fixture in movies.

She did manage to play the lead role in a couple of films. Among them is Cha Cha Cha. Inexplicably, it didn't stick. Her solo dancing performances are what made her famous. Watch her in Mungda from Inkaar. One of her last item numbers and one of her best. 

Aruna Irani: She was a child artiste, bit-role player, would-be heroine, and finally item number specialist. You must see her in the song from ‘Love Story. She must have been 60, but she doesn’t look a day older than 40. Kidding, she was 40 plus but looked not a day over 20. BTW her mom and Bindu's mom are sisters.

Faryal: She came into the industry starry-eyed and with high hopes. Nothing went as planned. Then she got a role in Dev Anand's Jewel Thief as a club dancer and got typecast. She couldn't shed it off, and soon it was too late. She did the next best thing; got married and said tata bye bye to the industry.

Cuckoo: Whose real name was Cuckoo, by the way. She ruled the dance scene in those early days. Not a particularly good dancer, but she was the only one around. And was flexible, I mean body-wise, so flexible that people called her The Human Rubberband, and she had a pleasant face—always smiling. Never moved up from being an item dancer, and one day she too just vanished from the scene.

Padma Khanna: Her major claim to fame was the item number in the movie Johnny Mera Naam. If you haven't seen it, do it now. The sing is not remarkable, neither is the dance. What is, is the way she disrobes to save her lover boy.  She is also remembered for the song from Amitabh's 'Saudagar. Yes, big B himself. The song ‘Sajna Hai Mujhe had a major second life in the remix era. She was Kaikeyi in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan. Her biggest role, however, was as a body double for the then-weak Meena Kumari in Pakeezah.

Rohini Hattangadi: There is no way this name can be on this list. After all, she was the Mahatma's wife. Be calm, guys. All her life she played the strong woman. And in that journey, she did get to play a vamp but once. And that role stands out even today. The movie was Sridevi’s Chaalbaaz. There is this make-up scene. See it to believe it. 

Jayshree T and Meena T, Kalpana Iyer, Prema Narayan, Bela Bose, Laxmi Chaaya are not included here. Some even classify Nadira, Manorama, Shashikala and Lalitha Pawar as vamps. Not me. These are legends who deserve a separate list.

#bollywood #vamps #hindimovies #helen #bindu #arunairani

HOW DOES HOLLYWOOD MAKE MONEY DESPITE FLOP AFTER FLOP ? | hguy.blogspot.com

It simple.
They fudge the accounts.
Old trick.
You see. They say the budget for the movie is 240 million. Actually, it is only 5 million.
 

You think I am bullshitting, eh? Lemme explain with an example.
 
 
The Indiana Jones crap from that woman. They say they made it for $300 million. That cannot be a fact. For one, the whole movie is on a green—or is it blue?—screen. So, yes, if they went and made it all over, it would cost that much. But all the pieces have been made previously. The train, the plane, the chase—everything. You only change the angle and the color and render it again. So reusing old pieces, they make a brand new movie for $5m.
 
It makes 280 m at the BO. On paper, it's a loss. But in reality, it makes tonnes of money. Black money.

And that's why all movies look so similar to one another.

LESSER-KNOWN VILLAINS OF HINDI MOVIES | hguy.blogspot.com

LESSOR-KNOWN VILLAINS OF HINDI MOVIES

We all know of Premnath, Amjad Khan, Prem Chopra, Ranjeet, Amrish Puri, and Ajit. But there was a second and third rung of bad men about whom we know nothing.

Here is my attempt to demystify a bit.
 
Bob Christo

One of the few foreigners who made it in Bollywood. He was discovered by Sanjay Khan. He has more than 200 movies to his credit but has never made it more than a henchman. He settled down in Bangalore and opened a gym.

Madan Puri

A doyen of the film industry and need not be on this list. Is included here coz he moved from good to bad quickly. Sometimes in the same movie. But when he played a purebred antagonist, it was something to watch. Do you know he is the brother of Amrish Puri, who later became a superstar villain himself?

Kulbhushan Kharbanda

KK as Shakaal in Shaan

He started his career as a big-budget villain, the kind seen only in Bond movies. You know with sharks and all that. But as the movie, Shaan, got no love and became one of India's biggest flops, so did KK's aspirations, if he had any, of becoming a top-notch movie baddie. From there on, he mostly played positive roles, dad roles, and, of course, the hero in one movie-Arth. I remember him as the white and white character from Shyam Benegal’s Mandi.

KN Singh

The Gentleman Villain. Suave and well-dressed with a distinctive voice. His villainy was all in his eyes. I remember him from the movie Haathi Mere Saathi, where he shoots an elephant dead for losing a race. Those were days. That movie was one of his last.

Goga Kapoor

He is best remembered for his roles in QSQT and KHKN. KHKN stands for Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. 

Kanhaiyalal

Not many will remember him. But this beloved troublemaker played a negative role in more than a hundred movies. We have seen him in movies from the 40s until the 80s. Best known for his role as Sukhi Lal. He played the role in two movie. Both by Mehboob Khan. Aurat and Mother India. BTW Mother India is the remake of Aurat. He was chosen to reprise the villainous role of a moneylender. Can you folks see type-casting in action here?


Anwar Hussain

Brother of noted actress Nargis. He played the checked-suited, red high heeled antagonist in many a movie. Can’t name one though. You will definitely remember him from the hit song 'teri galiyon mein hum aaye.

Ajit Vachani

He literally redefined villainy with Maine Pyar Kiya and Mr. India. Sadly, he passed away early.

Babbanalal Yadav

He is a face we have seen for decades, mostly as a bad man. I remember him from Karan Arjun.

BM Vyas

Gifted with an imposing personality and height, he was cut out to play the bad guy, which he did in many mythological, historical, and fantasy movies. Watch him as one of the prisoners in "Do Ankhen Barah Haat.

Jullian

He was a henchman for more than 40 years. Never mouth-ed a dialog. Remember the fight scene in Sholay in the room? He was there. Remember the road fight scene in Anamika. He was there. Now you know his name.




#villains #badguys #antagonist #darkaris #rowdy

SIBLING TALES | hguy.blogspot.com

Sibling dynamics can be weird. 

Some of the best memories have been blotted out by the churn of time. 

My sis travels thru Patancheru to work. The other day, she mentioned that she crossed Sangeeta cinema (surprised that this is still standing). This is not Sangeet of Secunderabad, this is Sangeeta of Patancheru.

Later that day she says that I took her to a movie here. Sanam Teri Kasam. On my bicycle. She sat in the front. I said hell no. That cant be.

I remember seeing this movie with a friend. Coz we discussed it long afterward. 

But my sister didn't leave it. She called up my bro and he confirmed the story. And added that he was there too. He sat pillion.

I am trying to visualise this. She must have been 8-9. Skinny as hell. My brother and me. 

It brings back the good ole days.

#siblingstories #bhelrcpuram #bhelhyd

ONDANONDU KALADALLI (1979) - A MUST SEE | hguy.blogspot.com

This was a game-changing Kannada movie with Shankar Nag (of Malgudi Days fame) in the lead.  Transalated it means Once Upon a Time and it was directed by Girish Karnad. The movie was set in the good old days of bows and arrows and thank god to honest film making, didnt let their imagination fly too off the target. 

"A haunting movie that reverberated deep in my psyche. I saw this movie as young boy. And still can here the sound of jungle and its lush settings. The songs in the movie were 'minimalist" as are the costumes. These and many other cameos in the film enrich the rural/tropical village/jungle background so clearly. I remember the simple food that the two children bring to Shankar Nag in a leaf, which clearly adds to the subtle aura of the dated period setting in the film."

This role was so well executed that SN repeated a similar role in Rekha starrer 'Utsav'.

There is one fight with the weapon urumi. If that's not world class, nothing is.

#shankarnag #girishkarnad #kannada #kannadamovies

LIST OF GREAT MOVIES | hguy.blogspot.com

Here is a list of movies. 
CODA
Nomadland
Green Book
The Shape of Water
Moonlight
Spotlight
The King's Speech

These are movies no one saw.
So what. There are dozens of movies no one saw. So whats great about this list?

Well, these are all Oscar Best Picture winners. 

The Os are decided by a handful of guys- they say thousands vote but na it's these handful who decide. They are old haggard outdated windbags who think they can do no wrong. And fall for such Oscar-bait movies time and again.

#oscarbait #flopshow #worsethanbad

THE REAL SUPER HERO | hguy.blogspot.com

Today you get the facts.

 

There were only a handful of comic book characters that people actually liked. That list is here.

 

Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, Tarzan, Phantom and Zorro.

 

Then you had a second tier.

 

Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, Hulk, Wolverine.

 

 

And then there was everyone else who no one cared for.

 

Hell Boy, Brenda Starr, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Aquaman, Wonder Woman.

 

The leader was Superman. No. 1 by far. There was no touching him.

 

 

Why did I have to state these facts?

 

Because we need to find that man. The man who took third-rate comic book heroes and made them worth billions of dollars. I mean today the world is more gaga about Thor than Superman. Please find that man who took Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man and made them modern icons and give that man a Nobel Prize.

 

 

I have left out what we can call Archie-Richie-Rich-Tintin-Disney-Bahadur genre of comics

 

#mcu #superman #thor #ironman #marvel #comics

WHY YOU MUST SEE KSHANA KSHANAM | hguy.blogspot.com

MM Keeravani recently called RGV his "first Oscar," and that got me thinking.  

By the way, in Bollywood, MM Keeravani was known as MM Kreem. Why? God alone knows. Maybe someone thought "Kreem" sounded cooler in Hindi? Now, post-Oscar, I’m sure they’re scrambling to re-edit that bit everywhere.  

So, let’s talk Kshana Kshanam* (1991). It was RGV’s follow-up to the game-changing Siva, a film that didn’t just break records but also resurrected its hero’s career after two to three dozen flops. Expectations for 'Kshana Kshanam were through the roof. Today, it’s hailed as a cult classic, but back then? A box-office flop.  

I loved the film—mostly because someone finally dared to do something different. And MM Keeravani’s music? Pure gold. It was his big break, though the songs were unevenly spaced throughout the film.  

The first ten minutes alone are cinematic perfection—a heist sequence so gripping it'll make your hair stand on end.  

Then comes Sridevi—now fully in her "Mumbai wali" avatar —delivering a flawless performance. Venkatesh, on the other hand… well, another nepo-kid doing a passable job. I’ve seen his 'Bobbili Raja a dozen times and enjoy the song Balpam Patti even today, but I can’t get past his legs. Something about them—maybe the bow-legged stance—makes his movements awkward. Anyway, he and Sridevi’s characters come from different worlds, cross paths, and then—bam!—are suddenly on the run. And where do they end up? The jungle. Don’t ask.  

This is where you see RGV’s love for road movies creeping in. There’s a murder—or rather, a half-murder—thrown into the mix. With both the police and the goondas in hot pursuit, the jungle becomes their inevitable refuge.  

Speaking of goondas, Paresh Rawal is the mastermind, and he’s at his absolute best—complete with that signature one-inch gap in his mustache. The side goons? Both terrifying and hilarious, which was a refreshing shift from the usual cardboard-cutout henchmen. Rami Reddy delivers his career-best performance, while Brahmanandam gives his absolute worst.  

And then, the grand finale—on a train. A steam engine, no less. Pure cinematic bliss, dripping with 'Sholay vibes.  

The film was high on intensity—too high, perhaps, for the average Telugu audience. They wanted their usual 80-year-old hero dancing around trees with a 14-year-old heroine. Instead, RGV gave them an 'actual 80-year-old dirty ole man. And let’s be honest, the romance here was lackluster. Maybe that’s just RGV—no romance in his own life, thanks to an arranged marriage. He was too starstruck by Sridevi to focus on chemistry, spending half the runtime filming her walking up and down stairs.  

The exceptional BGM couldn’t salvage the film’s slow pacing. In the end, 'Kshana Kshanam didn’t fully connect—neither with the heart nor the head.  

 

#RGV #siva #KshanaKshanam #venkatesh #sridevi

I S JOHAR - ONE OF INDIA'S MOST TALENTED ACTORS | hguy.blogspot.com

He was a textbook multifaceted personality.

An actor, writer, filmmaker. 

Despite being immensely talented, it is unfortunate that IS Johar did not get due recognition as an actor in India. He was amongst the first to star in international projects and was nominated for a BAFTA for Harry Black in 1959. I hope you know how much that means. Other international films included David Lean‘s magnum opus Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), in which he played Gasim, and John Guillermin‘s Death On The Nile (1978), based on a book by Agatha Christie. On home turf, he won the Filmfare award for Best Comedian for his role in Johny Mera Naam (1970), and don’t miss that laugh-a-minute Shagird.

As Gasim in LoA

Incredibly talented and a maverick IS Johar never fit in. He made a movie called Nasbandi (sterilization) during the emergency. It was so hated by the establishment that they (literally) burnt the movie.

He ran a hilarious and extremely-popular column called 'Question Box' in Filmfare. Whenever I landed one of this mag, this column was my first stop. After ISJ died, Shatrughan Sinha took charge. But it lacked the sting, venom, and humor that ISJ brought. It died a quiet death.

Q: ” When does a man reach old age ?”

 A: “When he can’t take yes for an answer.” 

Anyways, Inder Sen Johar is one of the unsung icons of the Indian film industry.

TOP SONGS OF TELUGU ACTRESS RADHA | hguy.blogspot.com

Though a Malayali who made her debut in Tamil, she gained name fame and, of course, money in the Telugu film industry. 

Today I list some of her best dance numbers with Megastar Chiranjeevi. She was one of the few actresses who could match Chiru's dancing prowess. So enjoy....

Tip Top look (Kondaveeti Donga): There is a rhythm here. You can't deny me that.

Subhalekha Rasukunna (Kondaveeti Donga): Why two songs from the same movie you ask? I don't have an answer to that.

Giliga Gili Giliga (Rakshasudu) : Every song in this movie was great. Thankq Ilayaraja 

Vana Vana Vandanam (Adavi Donga): You can't make a list of Telugu songs with the inclusion of a rain song. It's not allowed.

Andam Hindolam (Yamudiki Mogudu) : My fav. Radha song. Shot at Bangalore's Vidhan Shoudha. The movie was gud 2.

THE MOVIES OF SUNNY DEOL | hguy.blogspot.com

I hope you have not come here by mistake. It's Sunny Deol, not Sunny Leone.


1. Betaab 1983 

His debut. A big hit. Amrita Singh stood her ground and was sexy too. But the big surprise was Anu Kapoor. One of my fav songs - Shabbir Kumar's Parbaton se aaj me takra gaya - is in this movie.


2. Arjun 1985

A follow-up to Beetab by the director, Rahul Rawail. A good story, well told. It like fired up the youth with 'Kero Mama. Dimple K was his heroine here. Also has Paresh Rawal in his debut movie.
 

3. Sohni Mahiwal 1984

This was one of those Indo-Russian joint production. Russia comes all the way but ties up only with the Mehra's. God knows why? The music was good. The early work of Anu Malik. A tragic love story from Punjab. Have you noticed quite a few well-known tragic love stories come from here. Maybe it goes well with liquor. 


4. Saverey Wali Gaadi 1986 

One of the many unsuccessful attempts by Bhartiraja to make a mark in Hindi. I only mention it here coz I loved the Telugu version directed by Bapu and with Mohan in the lead and just can't visualise Sunny Deol in that role.


5. Sultanat 1986 

This was supposed to be a blockbuster that was to kick ass but it turned out to be a badly braying donkey. It was to be made in English and was given the title 'Chasing The Sword. Frankly, there was no sword-chasing in the movie. 

I remember the two-page ad. in Screen (A movie mag in the form of a newspaper). Karan Kapoor turned out to be a damp squib in his debit. The maker Mukul Anand could never craft a movie properly. And should be remembered as one of the worst directors ever and one to be given a chance again and again. Oh ya. Sunny Deol was also in this multi-starer bomb.


6. Dacait 1987 

Many big names were involved in the making of the movie but the story didn't go anywhere and so did the box office collection. The usual Bollywood behind-the-scene drama magnified the utter failure of the movie.



7. Joshilaay 1989 

This Shekar Kapur-directed movie was highly anticipated but it dragged out so long that people lost interest. It came and went without anyone even noticing it. They were to launch the next Gabbar Singh but that poor actor had to wait till Lagaan to make a name.




8. Tridev 1989 

They say that this movie has to be heard rather than seen. The music by Viju Shah was an instant hit with one song better than the other. Remember Oye Oye.. It had 3 heroes and 3 heroines but Nasserudin stands out hands down.


9. Chaalbaaz 1989 

An out and out Sridevi film but surprisingly Sunny Deol does a good job and gets noticed. Despite being surrounded by talents like Anupam Kher and Rajnikant.



10. Ghayal 1990 

A landmark movie made by Rajkumar Santoshi. Watch out for Om Puri.


11. Lootere 1993 

Mind-blowing action and melodious songs made this movie a big hit.


12. Damini 1993

An out and out Menakshi Seshadri movie. Sunny had a small but powerful role for which he was awarded too. The famous 'dhai kilo ka haat dialogue is from this movie.


13. Jeet 1996 

See it if you must for Sunny Deol's attempts to dance. Yet it turned out to be a good entertainer and a big hit. 




14. Ziddi 1997 

Action, emotion, songs everything you want is there in this movie. Why won't it be a big hit? Also, watch out for Ashish Vidyarthi



15. Gadar 2001

One of the biggest blockbusters of Bollywood. Not one song you remember but they also were a big hit those days.  Sadly, Sunny's biggest hit marked the end of his hit-giving days and he has since has acted in dozens of movies that don't add up to much.

#sunnydeol #dharmendra