A Cinephile’s Choice

Re: # 77
``there was a small role he had in a hema malini vinod khanna film``
That was rihaii by Aruna Raje.
``Sanjeev Kumar was poor at comedy.``
Well, Have you seen movies like Angoor and ``Pati Patni aur woh``? I think he was at least above average.
``Om Puri has proved his mettle in serious roles such as Ardh Satya, Gandhi, Tamas etc and I think with out being loud..``
IMHO he was loud in all these movies, which is not necessarily a bad thing.Perhaps, it was the demand of the role.Perhaps it was the hangover of theatre tht he never was able to shake off.However, I dont see him doing a role like Pestonjee or Masoom, at least not as well as Naseer. Maybe it was due to his looks that he always assumed a rough edge intrinsically.
Anupam Khers Saaransh is one of the outstanding performances in Hindi Cinema. And yes, he steadily declined after that. Mithun certainly was an all rounder. I think he stole the thunder from Amitabh in AgneePath.Another great mainstream movie of Mithun is Prem Pratigya.Among others, Raghuveer Yadav was someone with great potential,but largely went untapped, sadly.
Among newer actors my favorite is Vijay Raaz. Seeing him performing is such a delight.You may know him from cameos in Monsoon Wedding and Jungle. He is the true successor to the parallel cinema generation of Om and Naseer, though, such films aint made any more.

Kulbhushan Kharbanda, though he started diffidently, turned out to be an outstanding actor in dacait, ek chadar maili si, and so many others. Anupam Kher on the other hand started exceedingly well in saransh, and showed glimpses later in mujhe jeene do, but then turned totally puerile. johnny walker I havent sen much of, he was good at times but I think he depended too much on mannerisms.

Manoj Bajpai is over rated I feel. but one person who had huge talent was mithun, I saw an early fil of his in which he plays a dalit oppresed by a cruel zamindar played to perfection by another great actor Amrish Puri.

Here is an article in tribute to Mithun Da or truck driver suraj as he is more popularly known.



Mithun - A tribute to a neglected genius



By Vishwas Kulkarni A lack of friends led me to a theatre in Bhayandar where the latest Mithun film was running. Gunda Raaj or something of the sort. The title though is immaterial. I love Mithun and I don‘t care which film he chooses to star in. To me he is the B-grade baadshah. Somebody who had the gall to say, ‘Screw this, let‘s give these guys worse trash than they deserve‘. So those who laugh at Mithun should stop to think.

Because here is the guy who‘s a better bet than Shahrukh Khan, Aamir and Hrithik Roshan put together. Think I‘m crazy? Read on.

A Mithun flick costs between 1.2 - 1.5 crores. A Shahrukh Khan starrer costs 8 crores to 18 crores. Shahrukh charges 2-3 crores. Mithunda comes for 70 lakhs. Baadshah bombed, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani sunk. None of Mithun‘s films bomb ever. Believe it or not. But every Mithun flick is a hit. The whole point is that a Mithun has such a bindaas attitude that it almost makes him more star-like than Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh tried to cover his ageing blues by upgrading himself and corportazing his charisma. The audience yawned and gave him the boot. Today, the Big B has finally had to succumb to Tollywood. Mithun on the other hand has downgraded himself only to go laughing all the way to the bank.

The formula to making a Mithun film is easy. You don‘t really need a script. An honest cop is transferred from a small village to a city where ‘mafia raaj‘ is the way of life. He tries to fix things only to see his mother choked to death and his wife raped. This cruel twist of kismet also explains why every Mithun lead actress looks like a dancer from a ladies‘ bar at Saki Naka. They wear the type of frocks that Jaya Prada wore in 1983. They wear cheap gaudy lipstick. They die. Mithun freaks out and decides to take the law in his own hand. He kills the goonda and ends the mafia raaj. In the midst of this simple plot, the usual suspects are thrown in. The town hooker and her mujra bit, the Muslim uncle to provide comic relief, the loud-mouthed widow who screams at the mafia don only to get burnt alive, the song near the same goddamn lake. All these are constants. The wonderful trick about a Mithun plot lies in the fact that it isn‘t what will happen next; but how it will happen next.

So how did Mithun manage to become the betaaj baadshah of B-grade cinema and manage to retain his self-respect. What separates Mithunda‘s aged face from Dharmendra‘s sunken cheeks? The difference is that audiences know that Dharmendra is obviously making a quick buck with a loser producer who is trying to make an entry through the sewers of Bollywood. With a Mithun flick there is no such awkwardness. It‘s a celebration of muck all the way.

When Mithun retired to the crisp chilly mornings of Ooty, he shipped with him an entire lifestyle. A hotel chain called Monarch based in South India is owned by Mithun. There are no discotheques in Hotel Monarch. Mithun is the discotheque. Producers line up every morning outside his hotel begging him to do another film. The returns from a Mithun flick are guaranteed. One doesn‘t even have to bother with releasing them in the bigger theatres of Indian metros. Most of Mithun‘s films are released in small theatres in obscure suburbs, rural theatres and mobile theatres in the even more remote areas of the country. It is as though an entire generation of cine-going audiences is unaware of the Hritik Roshans and the Sanjay Dutts of this world. Mithun is the world of cinema that they know.

And let‘s not forget a very basic fact. Mithun Chavravorty started his career with a National Award (Mrigaya). Mithun studied acting at the prestigious Film and Television Institute in Poona. I genuinely believe that hits such as Dance Dance or Disco Dancer don‘t quite match up to the campiness of his later films. It is rumoured that Mithun doesn‘t even want to act in any of these pictures. It is the producers who can‘t stop begging (unless you are TLV Prasad who happens to be a personal favourite)

The Bengali Badshaah‘s appeal also lies in the fact that he isn‘t quite the outsider to audiences. Mithun is the audience on either side of the cinema screen. In other words, every frontbencher can see himself in Mithun. And Mithun sees himself in every frontbencher. So the equation is really simple and self-satisfying. Ajay Devgan could have done better if he had recognized this core aspect of Mithun‘s appeal. Because in many ways Ajay Devgan and Mithun share the same appeal. Both symbolize the democratic nature of Bollywood. When one sees an Akshay Kumar fight for the rights of bonded labourers with a zamindaar, it‘s just not believable. But put Mithun or Ajay in the same spot and chances are it‘ll hit a chord.

And there in lies the tragedy of a Dharmendra or an Amitabh. Because with age, their image withered in the minds of audiences. One treats them shabbily. And they lose their own self-respect as well. The audience has grown old with Mithun. As Mithun ages and his skin becomes more leathery, they almost tend to respect him more. The contempt that Bollywood audiences have for filmstars ageing doesn‘t apply to Mithun. His appeal was never based on his looks. Mithun was a notion. An idea that every ordinary guy can make it to the big screen. Mithun is a celebration of ordinariness. And that is why he is my hero.

In many ways, Mithun represents a counterpoint to the glamourous snobbery of Bollywood. He shunned its rules and danced away to glory. He remained aloof from its egotistical traps. An Amitabh in sheer desperation to regain his lost popularity (and money) will host a hokey television game show. A Dharmendra will stumble drunk through the sets of a C-grade film because Subhash Ghai wont touch him with a barge pole. But Mithun wont. Mithun never went to the big guys. The big guys never came to him.

Mithun like a good middle-class gentlemen got married. Had the casual affair incidentally with the then reigning czarina of Bollywood. After reconciling with his wife, Mithun went away to Ooty. And when the Vinod Khannas and the Rishi Kapoors of this planet started running out of 30-Plus tablets, the producers lined up outside Mithunda‘s house. During his second bout, Mithun has almost embraced the sleaze of Bollywood with a Bengali intellectualism. He danced harder, he acted better, he put kaajal in his eyes, and he fought like a stud. All on the might of his wrinkled face. Mithun Chakravorty in that regard is more avant garde than a Satyajit Ray. Working within the confines of the Hindi film industry, Mithunda has managed to tweak Bollywood‘s cultural ineptitude so well, that one often wonders whether Mithun writes the scripts himself. The 1986 B Subhash superhit Dance Dance featured a young boy and girl who reach financial destitution because their sexy mother (who sings a plagiarized version of the Modern Talking single, Brother Louis titled Zubi Zubi Zubi) is held prisoner in Amrish Puri‘s haveli. Amrish Puri blows up the father, naturally. In the midst of this crisis, the sister reprimands her famished brother when he almost dies of dehydration on Madh island. She tells him that ”agar tujhe zindagi mein halwa khana hain to tujhe dance karna padega. Dance dance.” If you want halwa in life, you‘ve gotta dance. That boy grew up to become Mithun. He didn‘t have a choice. But you do. Contact your local cable operator today.

Vishwas Kulkarni is a dude from NYF School and aspires to become one of the topmost commercial filmmakers of bollywood.

hindvi:

Comedy and no menion of Badruddin Qazi urf Johny Walker? He was perhaps the only actor whose very presence in a scene made people laugh. Ironically, he was discovered by one of the most serious actors in the industry, Balraj Sahney, who spotted him making people laugh as a conductor in a Bombay bus.

And talking of character actors, one of my favourites is Kulbhushan Kharbanda. Among the newcomers I like Manoj Bajpayi. I think that he has good potential. He has played varied roles in Satya, Zubeida, and Pinjar and done them all quite well. Unfortunately, he doesn`t look like `hero` in the classic bollywood mould.

Om Puri has proved his mettle in serious roles such as Ardh Satya, Gandhi, Tamas etc and I think with out being loud, at the same time he has been able to give some of the greates comic performances ever in East is East, chachi 420, Bollywood Calling etc. It must be said when comparing him to Naseer that Om did become better at comedy as he progressed in his career, because comedy is a difficult Art and requires time to hone, but even to begin with he was better than Naseer as can be seen in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.

Bombay boys was one of the few films in which naseer performed well in a comic role, I havent seen Mirch masala but I have seen a shot in which he as the british era officer looses his shirt with a native who breaks his gramaphone record, the scene is strangely funny and pitiable at the same time. In Mr Pestonjee he was outstanding, he was very good in Masoom too, mandi and bazaar i havent seen. I think he portrayed anger very well, wether it was the suppresed variety of Paar, or the frustrated variety of sparsh or the overt kind in his numerous roles. He also used to portray charecters very well, there was a small role he had in a hema malini vinod khanna film where he plays the typical dubai returned worker with a two in one on his shoulder and goggles over his eyes, he was hilarious and strangely true to life. i suspect he used techniques of the method school especially in character portrails such as Mr Pestonji.

Sanjeev Kumar was poor at comedy. Amjad Khan in sholay put in a method school performance he went and bought a pair of old military fatigues in chor bazaar and lived in them day and night, he blackened his teeth, took up chewing tobacco and actually went to live in chambal or some place to pick up the accent. When he got the opportunity he could be outstanding in comedy as well, there is a movie in which he plays a slightly demented feudal with lust on his mind chasing rekha through the fields his expressions are just priceless as was his role as the eccentric wajid ali shah in shatranj ke khilari.

Comedy lies in intonation and the right expression at the right time Govinda understood this better than most. He lost himself in the role without any self awareness and often would add his own bhojpuri expressions along the way. amitabh in the 70s was able to do that too.

But the only man witty enough to create his own dialogues, scenes and complete situations was mehmood. in film after fil during the 60s he was able to maintain his standards.

Excellent and strong lish Naqshbandi saheb even though I have not seen some but now should.

rahul, hindvi:

I haven`t seen all the films that you guys have mentioned, but for Naseer`s comic role, see Bombay Boyz. I have seen only two films of Moti Lal, Jaagte Raho and Dev Das and he was superb in both. I always wanted to seem his Mr. Sampat based on R.K. Narayan`s novel, which is supposed to be his best film, but it never came to a ``theatre near us``.

Dilip did a wonderful job as a comedy actor in Azaad, for which he won the best actor`s award, but somehow could never shed his typecasting as a tragedy king, which started with his box office hit Shaheed.

Re: # 73
hindvi, Naseers body of comic work is, apparently, less than Om Puri. It exists though, in movies like JBDY, Jalwa, Katha etc. Om Puri does better him on this account. But, the gripe I have with Om Puri is that almost all his performances are emotionally loud.Naseers range, OTOH is amazing. From the docile portrayal of Tundroos in Mandi, to the urbane, and very subtle performance in Masoom and to the emotionally loud performance in Sparsh, and the simple parsi in pestonji and many more characters which were as different from each other as possible- he excelled in ALL. IMHO Om does not come close to it.I think lets agree to disagree :-)
By your yardstick of comic typing and drama, Sanjeev Kumar too is second to none.
Kanhaiya Lal is no doubt good, but I have always seen him play a baniya.Other great character actors that I am reminded of are Nana Palsikar and K.N. Singh.
For Motilals amazing performance, you should check out ``Jaagte Raho``.I too havent seen much of him though.
Re Raj Kapoor, he immortalized himself by becoming a showman, producer director etc. and producing some memorable movies Thats what sets him apart from the trinity of Dilip,Dev and himself. As an actor, I agree, he did not fulfil his promise

Masala and realism were best in the 50s, 60s and 70s wether in a Deewar or a daagh, where the main protagonist and the superstar of that time commits a rape, can a superstar today do that?

Nasseer is undoubtedly great in films like sparsh etc, but he was unable to master comic timing : dialogue as well as facial expressions. Om Puri is the only actor who did both drama and comedy with equal flair. The other man was Amjad Khan his comic timing, when he was rarely given the opportunity was hilarious, especially when he played the mad man. Amitabh had great potential but he became a prisoner of his own image due to his insecurities and as Dilip says due to his long struggle, but undoubtedly none , with the exception of Dilip Kumar, possesed the combination of charisma and talent that he did.

Motilal I have not sen much of but i personally think Kanhayya Lal was one of the most talented men in Bollywood ever, his caricature of the Bania in mother India is a classic.

Another Man who was hugely talented but became a caricature of his own image was Raj Kapoor he was immensely talented as can be sen in his role of the modern non chalant husband in Andaz, especially the scene where the lights go out in the party and nargis turns to a shadow assuming it to be dilip and tells him to leave her alone as she is hapily married but the lights come on and she sees Raj infront of her with a wry smile.

Something similar happened to rajesh Khanna, though much less talented. the only man who was able to avoid this for a sufficiently long period was Dilip, from about 45-70 he kept challenging and refused to be typecast though even he gave up briefly in the early 70s.

Re: # 70
hindvi, I would like to mention Dilp Sahebs picks for the top actors in Hindi Cinema - Motilal , Naseer, Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan.For me, going by the body of quality work, no one can surpass Naseer.You can just go on and on about his great performances.
Among your list of movies, I disagree about Andaz, which I think was a tepid movie.Paigham was better, in which Raj Kumar and Dilip Kumar were pitted against each other.

hindvi#70:

I agree with most of your post. The Bombay film industry, alongwith its mafia, was, undoubtedly, the most secular institution in India and stayed that way until the communal virus spread to Bombay in 1980s.

But I wouldn`t say that it was also the greatest era in Indian movies; the one area where this was certainly true was music and lyrics. Despite some outstanding film producers, the general level of films produced, at least in Bombay, was quite mediocre. The industry has progressed a lot on the technical side and even in developing a mixture of masala and realism.

The greatest era in hindustani movies was from roughly 1950-1980.

The 50s/60s saw the last flower of India`s composite culture which had been developed in the centuries preceding where hindus like Prithviraj, Balraj Sahni, Guru Dutt and Raj Kumar could play the archtype muslims with impeccable urdu in Mughal e Azam, Pakeezah, etc. and muslims could make the definitive movies on the hindian heartland: Mother India and Ganga Jamuna (it doent matter what the credits say, the latter movie was directed by Yusuf Khan infact people strongly advised him not to use braj bhasha since it would be economic suicide).


Many have listed Guru Dutts movies and who can argue with that, but people forget that in India where solo method acting is not popular because of the investment of time and effort the greatest movies are those where one thespian is pitted against the other, the competition and desire not to be overshadowed drives their peak performances. Such great movies are Andaz (Dilip-Raj), Shakti (Amitabh-Dilip), Mughal-e-Azam (Dilip-PrithviRaj, infact when someone said how nice it would have been had Raj been taken for MeA, Prithvi Raj replied Raj could not have done what Dilip did, this despite the fact that it is actually Prithviraj who has all the best dialogues !!). among the females it has to be Hemas virtuoso in Lal Pathther as the thakurian and Rekha`s as Umrao Jaan Ada

the exceptions are Sholay where Amjad Khan put in some method acting and took the cake unopposed, leave aside a debutant never has any thespian put in such a convincing and original performance. He invented Gabbar, he made him despicable, he made him menacing and he made him real with all his small nuances of speech and action. Though amitabh put in a outstanding comic performance as he usually did.

The hallmark of a great actor is versatility and according to Sir Lawrence Olivier the greatest actors are those who can excell in comedy such actors have been three in India: Om Puri, Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan. To a lesser extent Dilip Kumar. The out and out comedian who can stake a claim in this pantheon of thespians is Mehmood and to a lesser extent Govinda (yes you read it right)

My favourites movies are comedies:

Jaane bhi do Yaron
East is East
Do aur Do Paanch (Amitabh at his comic best)
Pyar kia jaa/Haseena man jayegi (i dont remember which had mehmood (the king of comedy) and shammi kapoor, especially the scene where mehmood narrates his horror movie script to Om Prakash )
Aankhen (the govinda - chunky pandey one)
IS Johar`s

re:#67 by Mukhlis
I remember seeing Tora Tora Tora when i was a kid. I saw it in a theater in Delhi with other school kids. We were expecting some fireworks (none of us knew this was all about Pearl Harbor) but suddenly everyone realized there were no English subtitiles! The whole Japanese coversation (which is most of the movie) went over our heads. Needless to say there was pandemonium.
Sridhar

Re: # 41

Thank you for reminding me of ``Bedknobs and Broomsticks`` with the woman from ``Murder She Wrote``.

Sweet Movie!

Some of my favorites, by Genre.

SUSPENSE/ACTION/THRILLER:

The usual suspects
Seven
Ronin
Heat
Lock stock & two smokin` barrels
Snatch
Brave Heart
Frequency
The good, the bad and the ugly
Reservoir dogs
The Battle of Algiers
JFK
U Turn
Things to Do in Denver When You`re Dead
Colors
The Conversation
The Machinist


WAR:

Platoon
Saving Private Ryan
Tora Tora Tora
Hotel Rwanda
Brave Heart


COMEDY:

Henry Fool
My cousin Vinny
Rushmore
A fish called Wanda
Analyse this
Road Trip


SPORTS:

Raging Bull
Any given Sunday

ROMANCE/ROMANTIC COMEDY:

The notebook
Analyse this
Only you
Reality Bites
Notting Hill

HORROR:

Deliria (aka stagefright)

Also, IMDB`s Top 250 list has a lot of good movies to choose from:

http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

Re: # 63

There are MANY. The BFI is one; the Curzon cinema in Soho is another one; the Screen on the Hill at Notting Hill is another; there`s also a cinema in Russell Square and many many more. Check out the Time Out London Guide for a comprehensive list. My personal fave Art cinema is the Curzon I mentioned.

By the way, Iranian Films are the most depressing and horrifying episodes I have ever watched. I remembered seeing a few and then promising myself to stay away from them in future. One of them was, ``Dairae (Circles)`` or ``Daiara (Circle).`` The film highlights different aspects of women`s lives, both young and old. The story had way too much doom and gloom.

On the other hand, Chinese movies provide a lovely entertainment.

My most fave 3 are ``Glengary Glen Ross``, ``The Big Kahuna``, and ``The Ballad of a Soldier``. . I`ve watched hundreds of movies and but for some strange reasons, I just can`t get my brain rid of these 3!!!! Guess I can`t forget coz these 3 make me THINK and reexamine my life!!!!!!!!

Asif:

Do you know a good place in London for foreign films? I`m specifically interested in Iranian films, by directors like Makhmalbaf and Kiarostami.

Looking forward to a detailed write-up on your top 10.

Thanks,
SS

As a little kid I used to be literally dragged to movies (free shows) by my parents. I was slow in comprehending dialogues and dimwitted at keeping the track of narrative, therefore mostly slept through them. Since I had no idea what was going on, B & W movies scared me due to seemingly innocuous conversations abruptly converting into fistfights. I watched parts of them as spectacles as in songs and dances or comic interludes enlivened by Mehmood and his ilk for the rest I kept my eyes firmly closed. This, when I watched those movies in an open-air theater under the light of stars in the army cantonment of Secunderabad. The only movie I liked then was brightly colored Navrang. The contractor apparently had few records, which he played before the movie and during the intervals. I remember only two songs:
“Taqdeer ka fasaana jaa kar kise.....” I hated Rafi stretching his vocal cords to the limit for “is dil meN jal rahi hai armaan ki chitaayeN” I have this song in my computer and like a true masochist I play it occasionally and suffer it. The other song was “Mujh ko apne gale laga le ai mere hamrahi..” I hate this song as well but have grown to like Mubarak Begum’s other songs like “ik ajnabi se aap haiN, ik ajnabi se ham” or “ suniye ke na suniye, ham haal-e-dil sunayenge” However, the noise of these two songs is firmly trapped in my head.

Apart from the regular scary films like Bees Saal Baad, Kohra, Woh Kaun Thi etc some unusual films that scared little Babu were Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Baadshah, Kabuliwala, Bandini etc. I am not a film buff but of the few films have seen here is my selection (Instead of numbered list I have given category wise favorites)

Comic : Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, Padosan, Pyar Kiye Jaa
Romance: Ryan’s daughter, Pakeezah, Mere Mehboob, Chaudveen Ka Chand
Action: The Good The Bad & The Ugly, Terminator, Predator, Sholay
Sci Fi : 2001: A Space Odyssy, A Clockwork Orange, Blade, Death Star, Matrix
Suspense: Baat Ek raat Ki, Qanoon, Psycho, North by Northwest
Scary : Kohra, Night of the Living Dead, Children of The Corn
Exploring the mind : Pratidwandi( Ray), The Wild Strawberries (Bergaman), Bicycle Thief, Achanak( Gulzar) Khamoshi

Re: # 55
jawahara, samose ki daliya was hilarious.:-)

From India- Bandini and Kaagaz ke phool. If you include bengali in Indian - then Pather Panchali surely.

Im no connoisseur of films, but yes Garam Hawa

AUstralian films- Picnic on hanging Rock,

omar#56:

Kya masoomiyat hai? Kehtai hain fatwa nahin denge aur phir de bhi diya (``terrible sense of humour``!) :-)

2046--is another excellent movie and I only left it off my list as I restricted myself to 10 movies from each region of the world.

This list of mine, btw, is NOT in order of preference

Re: # 23

I`ve read the book by M. Duras and seen the film. Both are good but the book is better :-)
(as always)

oh dear -- no fatwa here dost sahib -- just an observation (and confirmation from your side) that babas have a terrible sense of humour

All this talk of movies on here reminds me of something from when I was a child. At that time in Allahabad, Palace Theater used to almost exclusively show English movies, though some of them arrived there years, sometimes even decades after their release. The crowd was always small-town gentility and most of them were very happy not to be sitting with the general hoi polloi. Until...

This one English movie arrived and every rickshaw wallah, paan wallah and even one of our chaprasis went to see it several times because apparently they all fell in love with the heroine, the beautiful Hedy Lamarr.

Our chaprasi Govind finally tells us we all should go and see this great movie...Samosay ki Dalia. Of course, he was puzzled that there were no samosas in the movie but I guess half way through he didn`t care.

I have still not seen Cecil DeMille`s Samson and Delilah because I don`t think I`ll be able to see it without cracking up.

correction:

``widower`` should read widow in:

``In the story, the Maclain character lands dream husbands one after another, but they all die after marrying her, each leaving her a richer widower than before.``

I am tempted to write about some unusual english films that stick in my memory. The oldest of these is a Charlie Chaplin film, The Gold Rush, a classic Chaplin. In it the Chaplin character joins the famous gold hunt in Alaska/Yukon during the later 19th century and, like most hunters, is unsuccessful. A rare combination of humour and pathos. In one scene, Chaplin runs out of anything to eat and turns his shoes into ``steak``. But being an english gentleman, he wears a proper jacket and tie, arranges his dinner plate and cutlery and adjusts his napkin before he sets down to ``enjoy`` his dinner.

Another classic that I can never forget is ``Witness for the Prosecution`` with sterling performances by Marlene Dietrich and Chales Laughton. The film had the most surprising twists and turns even for an Agatha Christie novel. I cannot forget the last scene in which the Marlene character kills the suspect who has just been pronounced innocent with the help of the barrister played by Charles Laughton. When told ``she killed him``, he replies cooly ``no, she executed him!``. The film was given a royal performance before its official release and the royalty had to promise not to divulge the ending to anyone.

And then, there was a flop called ``What a Way to Go!`` made at a time when Shirley Maclain was still sexy and saucy. If you contrast her performance with that in ``Terms of Endearment`` you would be amazed at the range of her acting talent. She had a ball playing opposite the likes of Paul Newman, Dick Van Dyke, Gene Kelly and Robert Mitchum. In the story, the Maclain character lands dream husbands one after another, but they all die after marrying her, each leaving her a richer widower than before. I have never seen more hillarious depiction of death scenes.

And, then, there was one film which was a great hit in India but not elsewhere, i.e., Come September, starring Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Boby Darin and Sandra Di. The title song from the film was an all-time hit and was more popular than any hindi song at that time. For a long time, the tune was a standard item in the repertoire of every band-baja accompanying barats in Delhi.

But there was no film for which I and a college friend waited more anxiously than Solomon and Sheba. The film inauguarated Shiela, the first 70 MM screen cinema in New Delhi. The full-length semi-clad lying pose of Gina Lollabrigidda in 70 MM was too much to resist for any harmon charged teenager.

I guess I better stop before my friend omar_quraishi comes with another baba fatwa against me.

I will definitely add following films to the list of urdu/hindi films:

Pyasa
Kaghaz Ke Phool
Sahib Biwi aur Ghulaam
Do bigha Zameen
Garam Hawaa
Haqeeqat
Jaagtay Raho
Guide
Aakrosh

and following Bengali films

Pather Pacholi
Jalsa Ghar
Goopi Gaayen Baagha Baayen
Meghe Dhaka Taara
Charu Lata

FV wrote: ``Omar: Dawn is more mainstream for a Pakistani readership, and it is more `pagey` simply because it is printed. There are several niche publications and they become mainstream to the particular audience they are addressing. Likewise, a big newspaper like TOI may be seen as mainstream, but there are sections of people who only read its colour gossipy supplement. I should hope this answers your question, and I don`t think it fair to continue this discussion here. ``

well so much for your knowledge of the pakistani print media -- also being printed does not necessarily have to be equated with being mainstream -- the village voice is not part of mainstream US media, unless of course you think it is

---

being printed might be a requisite but is not sufficient in itself -- also Dawn (and for that matter Pakistani newspapers) is definitely different from most Indian newspapers -- the Times of India and the Hindustan Times are good examples of using tabloid material for editorial content something which newspapers in Pakistan have thankfully avoided so far -- so your comparison i am afraid does not make too much sense, probably because your knowledge and understanding of the pakistani print media seems slightly wanting -- i think a better comparison would be Dawn Vs. The Hindu --

re:#49 by rahul_capri
Hilarious!
I see that Bollywood is doing bolder themes or perhaps just trying to imitate Hollywood in being bolder. There is a world of difference between Bollywood and the reality in India. Which is why few take it seriously in the West. However, the reason why it is getting noticed is the popularity among NRIs. Gujjus (and even Pakis) have opened movie theaters in major cities showcasing Bollywood movies.
I like newer directors, especially Ram Gopal Verma who is making some offbeat movies, some even without songs!
Chandralekha (made in Tamil and telugu?) was a major movie in the last 2 years, yet nobody has talked about it. That is why, i think most Indians know next to nothing about South.
Sridhar

Once we cooked up a movie list on unplugged..Seeing FVs list reminded me of it.

From Nadia`s ilog..

February 15, 2005 The thread started by Rahul on Unplugged led many
people invest there precious interest in ``Hollywood productions based on
Indian cuisine:

Here are the contributions:

Rahul_Capri:

last taang in paris
save the last naan for me
look who`s farting
dirty hariram (a biopic on the life of a cook)
days of tandoor
an iftaar to remember
queer idli for the straight madrasi
samosa and rooh-afza get laid
full murgi
american boti
Theres some heeng about mary
kaisabanatha (The great humphery bogart classic)
A streetcar named dosahut
naanspotting
SeekhKabob SquarePants -The movie
GladEater
Liver and let Fry
Manchoorian KandaPlate (Kanda is mumbaiya for onions)
Bolied keechary and saboodaane ki kheer

Subroto:

The Jungli Book
The Great Ghatbi
The Last Sameer Rai
The Seven Sameer Rais
Christmas Ka Roll
Ram Bo
Rakhi (I to VI)
Appa Collapse Now
The Seven Year Ishq
Santa Bar Bara (TV Soap)
Meet The Parathas
The Gud-father
The silence of the lamb curry
Something about Mari-nade
Four Vadapaos and a funeral
All The Curry On series
``Lard of the Onion Rings``
Dirty Hari Sabzi
Top Bai-Gun
Kitchen Impossible
Vanilla Sky Milkshake
Color of Mooli
Raan Man
In the Meat of the Night
HamLet-tuce
West Side Sabzi
Lentil
How Green Was My Bhindi
Raiders of the Lost Achar
The Bhindi on the River Kwai

Nadia_Zehra:

What women cook?
Meet Cake Black.
It runs in Falodah.
Moolia.n .
Maudodi Smile.
Harrer Potter
BaraGoshtLa..When size does matter.
Achar in the bottle.
Papar of Rings
Passanda #57
A few good masaley.
Matr chicks Reloaded.
Finding Nido.
A beautiful maghaz.
Vanilla scoopy.
manchurian impossible
Diet another Day!
Murghi in the Balty.
Butt man.
A Sundar Karaila`s Story.
Putter Pan Wala.
The Last Samosa.
Eating with the Enemy.
GurEater
Shakarpara in Love
Bhara Heart
Omlette flew over Cukoo`s nest
Tikkachic
Bride and Pomejuice
Erin BrokenWings
Pettys Woman
Marijuana Smile.
How to Lose a Gaye.
Charlie Brinjals.

Syke:

Just marinated.
Lentil weapons
Shashlik redemption.
Honey i Fried the chicks.
I know what u cooked last summer.
Boiled Keechary & the Sundance Kid.
Casay Obala??

Naqshbandi bhai:
Wong Kar-Wai did a sequel to ``in the mood for love`` - 2046. I dont know why would you not have it in the list. You should definitely check it out if you havent.

There is this other movie - Andrei Rubyelev by Tarkovsky... about a lost russian monk in 14th century on a journey to nowhere. i think specially You`ll like it alot.

cheers.

People have covered most of my favourites already, surprising I dont find the ``The English Patient`` anywhere, atleast I though Kaura would have remembered the Keshdhari-Sikh & French-Canadian romance :)

For your next DVD rental pleasure, some ``wierd`` movies I have enjoyed (as yet unmentioned here :)

1) Memento: A crime thriller with a VERY non-linear narrative, a movie which is like a good game of chess.

2) Trainspotting: A movie about a bunch of scottish heroin addicts with a ``altered`` philosophy of life. A great quality soundtrack as well featuring Lou Reeds ``A perfect day``.

3) Pulp Fiction: Another movie famous for its non-linear narrative (and for Travolta`s comeback). A movie full of ``wierd`` characters and dialogues: from gospel-quoting hitmen to panicky criminals.

4) Mulholland Drive: Wierd, Wierd, Wierd. I keep having doubts about having being had (Is David Lych laughing at me for paying money to see this?), but it is a strangely good as well. Naomi Watts gives a SUPERB performance.

5) American Beauty: Kevin Spacey plays another of his signature roles in this movie on the emptyness of suburban american life.

#39

Kaura,

there is a TV mini-series version of Dr Zhivago with Keira Knightley as Lara.

Here you will find both, a good story and the needed ``goods`` (or ``saaman`` as they say in Bambaiya :-))

#12 by aslam644 on August 29, 2005 11:25am PT
Asif
You have chosen a good topic certainly beats politics, it would have been more interesting if you had gone in more depth and explain why you think these films are special to you.


aslam, this asifs list sucks.... he took all ok mughlish movies and put them to the top in his mulla logic..its totally communal and political choice. chowk in its infinite wisom published this article which many have commented on.

Re: # 43
Salams FV.

Okay, I shall try to justify some of my choices. Let`s begin with MeA: the Mughal Era is close to my heart, it is brilliantly portrayed in this movie, the attention to detail is astonishing (as was the cost), the story is a classic (taken as it is from Anarkali--the great Urdu play I translated on Chowk earlier), the acting is superb and so are the songs: all this makes it the consumate Bollywood movie.

I will go through some of the others tomorrow.

(Asif, sorry about the digressions...)

Omar: Dawn is more mainstream for a Pakistani readership, and it is more `pagey` simply because it is printed. There are several niche publications and they become mainstream to the particular audience they are addressing. Likewise, a big newspaper like TOI may be seen as mainstream, but there are sections of people who only read its colour gossipy supplement. I should hope this answers your question, and I don`t think it fair to continue this discussion here.
- - -
Aha_Snark (#36):

Not terribly important, but since you brought it up here -- I did register and in fact discover Chowk only in December 2000 when I submitted a piece. The `welcome back` I received was for my first article that was published here without my knowledge or consent; it was an extremely sneaky and devious act, the details of which I have managed to procure from the Chowk editors who too were unaware. Mere trivia...and perhaps some people might be emboldened to submit their non-scatalogical writings :)

- - -
uma, thanks. I am waiting for Asif to do something more here so that I can get into the groove.

Re: # 37
re: rsridhar:

///After seeing the low calibre of articles posted here, i decided not to write any myself. ///

Of course. Your logic and reasoning are impeccable as always.

cheers.

A_S

Farzana, your list is a scream!

I`m not that much of a movie buff, at least not when it comes to analysing them. I`d much rather do that with books. Yet, how can one resist talking about one`s favourite movies...

An early favourite is Disney`s `Bedknobs and Broomsticks` starring Angela Lansbury. It`s a WW II tale of three London children sent to a seaside village (in apprehension of the bombing) to the house of a lady who`s learning witchcraft by correspondence. They have some amazing adventures in a flying four-poster and throw out invading Germans in a hilarious battle involving enchanted suits of armour. There are some lovely songs, including `Portobello Road`. I`ve seen it 5-6 times (only) and can see it again and again.

`Gone With the Wind`. The experience of the movie is completely different from that of the book. It is very difficult to see any other film of Vivien Leigh`s after this, since she just LIVES as Scarlett. What eyes! What an attitude! What a movie!

`Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron`. Succulent, whiplash satire. More than Naseer (who I consider one of the greatest actors ever), Satish Shah and Om Puri are unforgettable. Why oh why don`t they make such movies anymore?

`Lagaan`. Best masala movie after Sholay. Even better because it doesn`t have guns. A story so well told that even a star like Aamir didn`t overshadow it. Complete feelgood.

`Sholay`, `Don` and `Amar Akbar Anthony`. For Amitabh Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan and total fun. And Helen in the first two, Chintu in AAA.

`Forrest Gump` and `Sparsh` for the performances of the lead character. Tom Hanks is not Tom Hanks, Naseer IS a blind man. Mind - blowing.

`Seeta Aur Geeta` and `Lal Paththar` for the extremely underrated and stereotyped Hema amma. In the former, there is no overlap of characters (Sridevi failed spectacularly to recreate the characters in Chaalbaaz), and her transformation from village woman to imperious socialite in the latter is near-perfect.

Ref Inji-kari-kuzhambu #29

[Re: # 27 Gandhi is insufferable as a movie.]

I know, I know. I feel your pain.

Why doesn`t somebody make ``Doctor Artist Leader the Fund of Compassion`` for the likes of you?

Hopefully, it will have Khushbhoo as one the several wives of the man.

The stirring scene would be where your leader takes out a black-flag procession on Aug 15, 1947 protesting the withdrawal of the British from India.

31,

Dont take some of my posts too seriously; didn`t i mention Dr Zhivago was captivating without the nudity?

What a fascinating topic!

1. Pather Panchali: In my opinion, if you want to understand India, this is the movie to watch. Volumes can be written about each incident in the movie: Apu`s father, who is a penniless Brahmin, struggling to write a Sanskrit epic (showing the Indian love, nay reverence, for learning and knowledge that has today blossomed into the knowledge economy); the hypnotic scene where Apu sees the train moving across the Indian countryside (relentless advent of the modern world); the way in which Apu`s family, though extremely poor, retains its dignity and self-respect. Satyajit Ray may have made better movies, but none that provides such a direct glimpse into the soul of eternal India.

2. We must have a Raj Kapoor movie; the problem is which one (since there are so many great ones). For starters, note that he was unequalled in combining music and cinema; e.g.,
Mera joota hai Japani,
Ye patloon Inglistani,
Sar pe laal topi Rusi,
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Today, we may replace Rusi (or maybe Japani) with Chini, but the sentiment is still the same (and in a way summarizes the whole book ``Argumentative Indian`` by Amartya Sen). Other examples are the brilliant ``Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega`` from Sangam or the extremely poignant bhajan (from Ram Teri Ganga Maili)

Ek Radha, Ek Meera, dono ne Shyam ko chaha
Antar kya dono ke chaha me bolo
Ek prem diwani, ek daras diwani

Radha and Meera both loved Shyam (Krishna)
Was there a difference in their love?
One was mad with love, the other mad with pain (longing)

Raj Kapoor presents another dilemna: should we select a social film (Jagte Raho, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai) or a romance? In this Raj Kapoor himself was a contradiction; he was an entrepreneur (who owned his own studio at the young age of 24) and also a socialist.

On the balance, I would select a romance, since I suspect they were closer to Raj Kapoor`s heart. Not Mera Naam Joker (too morose - in spite of some fantastic songs - e.g., Eh Bhai, Jara Dekh ke Chalo); even then we are left with Aah (tragic love) Sangam (triangle) Bobby (teenage love) and Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Let us rule out Aah (as Rajesh Khanna memorably says in another great Hindi movie - Pushpa, I hate tears); also teenage love, though intense, is shallow. So then, one may pick Satyam Shivam Sundaram because of powerful performances by Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman and the unusual themes: Shashi Kapoor falls in love with Zeenat Aman`s voice, but his love evaporates when he sees her scarred (but beautiful) face; modernity vs tradition. However, I think I will eventually go with Sangam because it is better though flawed (Raj Kapoor looks middle-aged and overweight in the movie).

3. Amar Prem: Shakti Samanta`s ode to the selfless love of Sharmila Tagore`s Pushpa for Rajesh Khanna`s Anand Babu and (?)`s Nandu. To quote http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/oct/16dinesh.htm

``Pushpa has no legal or societal claim on either Anand or Nandu. Her predicament is captured in Anand`s line, ``Nandu se rishta? Agar koi apna na hokar bhi apna lage toh usse kya kehte hain?`` [What is the relationship with Nandu? If someone is bound to you in spite of not being related to you, what do you call that?]``

In my opinion, superior to the same director`s Aradhana. It is well known that the famous dialogue is, of course, Rajesh Khanna`s ``Saline water... Pushpa, I hate tears. Inhe ponch dalo [Wipe them].`` Less well known (as Javed Akhtar pointed out in his review) is that the movie ends with Rajesh Khanna saying ``Pushpa, na jaane ye aasu kahan se mere ankhon mein aa gaye (Pushpa, from where are these tears coming into my eyes?)``

Like every great Hindi movie full of great songs (e.g., Chingari Koi Bhadke and Kucch to log Kahenge). Interestingly, based on a novel by Bibhuti Bhushan Bandhyopadhyay, who also wrote Pather Panchali.

Picking 3 movies has been exhausting and I will quit at this point.

#36 by Aha_Snark
Dude,
Looks like u are either Bibi`s chamcha or her lawyer. Either way, u are doing a good job.
It does not matter if she left chowk and was welcomed back. She is still a member since Dec 2000 and so am i.
She writes a lot of crap. After seeing the low calibre of articles posted here, i decided not to write any myself. It takes a lot of time and effort. People like FV call themselves journalists and write crap. It is a shame.
Sridhar

Re: # 30
re: rsridhar:

I said in #18:

{{{Um. Actually, she`s been here for a long time. Long before I saw you start to post, at any rate. }}}

You retorted in #30:

///You are not a smart dude, are u?
If u were smart, u would click on the names. That will tell u how long each of us has been on Chowk.///

I said (and I reiterate) that I saw her posting long before I saw you posting. Not that she`s been ``registered`` on chowk long before you. What in my statement of #18 caused you to misunderstand ?

Oh , and on 3rd December 2000, on a board that she authored, she was _*welcomed back*_ to chowk. [1] By someone here since 1998.

You`ve been posting since january 1, 2001. In fact, your very first post [2] is a post disagreeing with FV. While you`ve not landed up on the site ages after FV started, I concede, you did turn up, undeniably, after her.

I must apologise to you for the asperity in my response to you in #18. This was based on my incorrect perception that you`d been around much after FV.

Cheers,
Aha_snark

[1] http://tinyurl.com/9ydgj
[2] http://tinyurl.com/b2pd7

farzana wrote: #4,Omar:
[farzana -- while your criticism is valid i wonder what you think chowk is ? it`s certainly no salon or thenation.org -- please, just because you grace its `pages` does not make it a mainstream quality site]

I assume you do fancy non-mainstream, non-quality non-pages, which is why one sees you around that often. If one has serious quibbles with a place, either one chooses to give positive feedback or the sensible thing is to not stay around. I suppose this post was just to direct me to salon and thenation org…in that case, thank you.


well farzana, i would think that Dawn is decidedly more mainstream and more `pagey` thank chowk -- i suppose you would concur no ?

Asif:

Look, it is not possible for some simpletons like us to imagine that your putting up a mere list without anything else was a “smart Sufiana move”. Therefore, to make things a bit clear you could have used a headline like, “Mast Kalandar Ka Sikandari Cinema”!

Aur itna kuchh sunney ke baad, humara rumi-rumi dhadakta hai…aur main chup nahin rahoongi.

#4,Omar:
[farzana -- while your criticism is valid i wonder what you think chowk is ? it`s certainly no salon or thenation.org -- please, just because you grace its `pages` does not make it a mainstream quality site]

I assume you do fancy non-mainstream, non-quality non-pages, which is why one sees you around that often. If one has serious quibbles with a place, either one chooses to give positive feedback or the sensible thing is to not stay around. I suppose this post was just to direct me to salon and thenation org…in that case, thank you.

#11:

[Why does she not say what her best movies were and let us decide how the list fits the personna.]

People like you have already decided what my ‘persona’ is, although it is sweet of you to say that Chowk’s ‘standards’, whatever they might be, have to do with my arrival here. What kept you going? It is even sweeter for you to remember we go a long way. So, to fit into the persona, here is my list…

Mullah Omar MBBS
Kafir Ke Phool
Main Jihadi Hoon
Don Milo Sajna
Texas Driver
Hum Saanp Ke Hai Kaun?
Bachhe Rehna Re Dubya
Sonia Kari Maang
See ID
Jhelum Ke Uss Paar
Mayawati Memsaab
Bill Ne Phir Yaad Kiya
Puppy Kaun?
Koi Hil Gaya
Dhool Aur Kankarr
Mughal e Haraam
Do Gaza Zameen Ke Neechey
Sarabjit Singh Pe Mat Ro
Main Bharta Tere Baigan Ki
Mangal, Paan Dey
Amar, Akbar and Tony

- - -
Anyone claiming to be an Indian cannot dismiss Bollywood and forget the cinematic movements that arose within its framework. The nouvelle vague in regional films can be attributed to a lot that was taking place in Hindi movies but it was not classified as such. The early films of Bombay Talkies or Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, V. Shantaram and even Raj Kapoor, K.A.Abbas could be considered path-breaking.

It`s hard to number the following in any particular order.

- The American President
- Heat
- Frida
- Casino (minus the excessive bad language)
- Under Suspicion
- Simone (loved the drama and Al Paccino`s acting)
- Mrs Doubtfire
- Amistad
- Bicentennial Man (Touching!)
- A Beautiful Mind
- Moll Flanders
- Mulan
- Along Came Polly
- The Seige
- Shakespeare in Love
- Beauty and the Beast
- Ryan`s Daughter
- The Interpreter

Asif:

I liked the drift of this write-up. It motivates the reader to participate with his or her likes and dislikes in the world of cinema vs. critique an article and/or kill each other. There are plenty of articles to be analyzed, reviewed, criticized and buried. At least, over here interactors can take some break and rejuvenate themselves provided they want to.
Smart Sufiana Move!!!

Indian: I really enjoyed the following at the time I watched them.

- Lagaa`n (Theme and Plot)
- Lamhae` (Story)
- Taa`l (Music)
- Earth (Conflict)

re:#15 by kaurasach
Everybody has his/her definition of a good movie. For me, it is something that touches u from inside.
One can make a perfectly good movie without nudity. Among some newer ones i liked A few good men (Tom Cruise) and scent of a woman (Al Pacino was fabulous). None had nudity though there was some vulgar language in the latter.
Sridhar

re:#18 by Aha_Snark
(Um. Actually, she`s been here for a long time. Long before I saw you start to post, at any rate)
You are not a smart dude, are u?
If u were smart, u would click on the names. That will tell u how long each of us has been on Chowk. Actually me and Farzana bibi have been here since 2000. Long time, eh?
Sridhar

Re: # 27 Gandhi is insufferable as a movie.

is it the same Asif who frequents UP with scars left by the mulla?

then, I guess this kafir misdeeds like watching movies are his way of putting balm on the wounds inflicted by the mulla during ``lessons `` at the madrasa.

The fundoo twit, Asif N, seems to be civilizing himself or maybe someone didnt
tell him that human-representations even on the screen is unislamic.

That too watching kafir movies ? dude you will never get your reward and never
make it to heaven.

Anyway, if you are considering civilizing yourself - first watch
shatranj ke khiladi

then of course, watch one of the greatest of all movies - Gandhi.

these lists are incomplete without `Napoleon Dynamite`

``Swimming Pool`` is French I think, and was a surprising ``hit``.

These European movies are weird. They all have perverted sexual escapades, and then either they commit suicide, murder each other, or die in an accident.

The men and women in these movies look the same....women just have bigger nipples.

Re: # 23
Among french films, I never tire of watching Marcel Pagnol`s Baker`s Wife in b&w (La femme du boulanger), Manon of the Spring (Manon des sources) and it`s ``prequel``, Jean de Florette. The last two constitute the typical good versus evil story line but they are very engaging and the cinematography is excellent. Carrying on the theme of life in picturesque rural france, Juliette Binoche`s Chocolat is also very good.
For interesting portrayal of how zealots plot, take over power and drive religious strife (and scenes involving attractive human nudity), Queen Margot is noteworthy.

I don`t know about The Best Movie or even a list of Best Movies, but I enjoy watching some movies over and over again either because it comforts me to watch them or I see something new in them. I`d put in the later category Gladiator which reminds me more of a hindu epic. I also liked Bourne Identity for the car chase scenes.
The Apu triolgy has a timeless, spaceless quality to it although the extreme poverty depicted in it may be throughly alien to most of the readers here (not to me btw).
My Fair Lady is a lot of fun but I absolutely, positively hate The Sound of Music which my daughter uses against me when she is practicing on the piano.
Naseruddin Shah brought tears to my eyes in Monsoon Wedding. What an amazing actor!
I find the song-and-dance sequence of indian movies repulsive and yet strangely attractive, sort of like sodomy. (I don`t watch and I don`t do.)
Asif, you might like The Lover with Jane March. It`s very erotic, has a great story, and excellent photography.

Re: # 21
Romair
In Hollywood Brits and jews dominate, brits mostly in acting and jews as producers.
Ewan Macgregor (star wars), little known actor in Britain yet made it big in Hollywood.
Sean bean (the island), he used to live near me, his sister was married to a Pakistani guy.

Two best movies of all-time:

1. Bill and Ted`s Excellent Adventure
2. Austin Powers

Both had Canadians in the lead role...............

Re: # 18

Please see my reply to Ferzana. I might edit this essay and include some anectdotes/reasons and resubmit it. Let me see...

:-)

Re: # 2

FV, I was going to do that but I decided against it in the end. Maybe I will pick 10 films and write an in depth article about it then. We will see.

Re: # 11
By: rsridhar:
///It is exactly because people like FV come to Chowk that chowk has become a crappy place.///

Um. Actually, she`s been here for a long time. Long before I saw you start to post, at any rate.

///Why does she not say what her best movies were and let us decide how the list fits the personna. ///

Actually, she is not criticizing the choice of the movies, nor is this a competition of movies. Her disappointment stems from the fact that ``As a `cinephile` you must have an opinion or even interesting anecdotes, and that ought to have been reflected in the piece. Why did these films give you pleasure, what made you watch them over and over again?`` (quoting from her piece)

Anyone who`s watched at least 50 movies will have a list of ``top 50 movies``. If you call yourself a cinephile, a ``lover of cinema``, then it`d be interesting, I agree (and many in this extremely busy board have made the same point) if Asif had spoken even briefly about these movies.

Asif?

Re: # 9

Yes Maula Jutt is a one-of-a-kind movie! A must see!!

First of all, I did toy with the idea of writing a more in-depth article as to why I chose the films I did and maybe I will do that at a later stage i.e. choose my top 10 films in order and write about the reasons for my choices in-depth but for the moment I hope that this list of mine (which is NOT in order of preference as I stated) will result in discussion.

Right then. I like films which make me think and also are visually stunning or both or those which are about themes/subjects close to my heart.

Mughal e Azam is for me the Bollywood epic par excellence and will never be rivalled imho. The new digitised colour version is even more stupendous. I have reviewed it on Chowk already so no more needs be said. Having heard the songs from Anarkali, I still don`t think they are better than the MeA ones.

As for Oriental cinema, I think it is currently the most vibrant in the world. Hero and House of Flying Daggers surpass anything made by Hollywood in recent times. Visual masterpieces. Breathtakingly beautiful.

The Godfather is probably the greatest gangster flick ever made and as a movie it is perfect.

Those of you who have not seen French cinema could do worse than watch L`Appartement. A cool, clever, beautifully shot romantic thriller. Typically French. Chic.

I like the Matrix due to its palimpsest-like layers of complexity. Its central theme is stunningly original. (Though a lot of the ideas are taken from William Gibson`s novel Neuromancer which he wrote in 1984!) For CGI and SFX it has inspired a whole generation of directors/actors/lover of movies.

Will comment on other films later as/when I feel like it.

I was also going to put Ben Hur on my list biut

A good movie has enough nudity, lots of comedy, and some fighting....entertains you and you smile walking out the cinema - not bawling, emotional, or exchanging deep moments....

Life and the world is miserable as it is why would someone want to watch ron dhon and `deep` movies.

i watch a 3 hour movie is about 1/2 an hour.....Fast Forward was created for a reason.


there were a lot of movies both foreign and domestic that were entertaining and kept my interest.....i rarely used the FF button.....they also used brainy stuff, because at times I went ``Oye, ai ki ho gaya.......``

Dr Zhivago, was on PBS - I watched it....pretty good....though it had none of the above three criteria of a good movie.... the chicks were beautiful though....

Re: # 9

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0239608/

Dr Strangelove
The madness of militarism, the self-confidence of national insanity.

Se7en
The script is excellent. Kevin Spacey`s speech at the end is flawless in it`s delivery and intensity

Fight Club
A movie about the nature of existence. What is it to live ? What is it to live a life in conflict with one`s thoughts and emotions ?

The Matrix
``What good is a phonecall, if you are unable to ... speak?`` An antidote to solipsism if there ever was one.


Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail
``I fart in your general direction! Your father was a hamster and your grandmother smelt of elderberries!!``

Lock, Stock and two smoking Barrels
Excellent pacing, breathtakingly funny.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey in an excellent, moving, introverted performance. Brilliant script... and anyone who`s tried to forget someone they`re in love with... will empathise with the movie.

The Triplets of Belleville
What non-Disney animation can be like. What more animation should try to be like.

just off the top of my head.

cheers,

Aha_Snark

Asif
You have chosen a good topic certainly beats politics, it would have been more interesting if you had gone in more depth and explain why you think these films are special to you.

Here are my favourites
1. casa blanca .With some unforgettable lines ‘here’s looking at you kid’ ‘play it again sam’ ‘of all the gin-joints in casa blanca she had to come to mine’

2. summer of 42. It reminded me of the crush I had on my English teacher.

3. sound of music. With Julie Andrew and the beautiful alps scenary those kids singing.

4. north by north west. I think one of the best cary grant’s film.

I liked bollywood films when I was young, but I grew out of them.

re:#4 by omar_r_quraishi
It is exactly because people like FV come to Chowk that chowk has become a crappy place. Why does she not say what her best movies were and let us decide how the list fits the personna.
My list:
1. Ben Hur: this deserves a top place for a story well told and the spectacular chariot race
2. African Queen; for some great acting by Katherine Hepburn and Humprhry Bogart. Latter won the Oscar.
3. Sound of Music: one of the great musicals i have ever seen; I think got best picture award the year it was released (1966?)
4. Dr Zhivago: Boris Pasternak`s classic made into a movie. Omar Sherrif gives a stellar performance as Dr Zhivag. This movie takes u through Russian Revolution and how it changes lives of ordinary men and women. David Lean was the director. I think he got an Oscar. He also made Passage to India (based on E.M.Forster`s novel). I would not rate this as a classic though.
5. The Great Escape: one of the greatest War movies i have ever seen. Has all the big time actors u can imagine: Charles Bronson, Richard Attenborrough, Steve McQueen, James Coburn etc etc. Attenborough as Bartlett, ever plotting to escape from German jail (WW II), Danny (Charles Bronson) as the tunnel digger were memorable. Did it win an Oscar? I do not think it did. I thought that was unbelievable. Some people rate ``A bridge at river Kwai`` as better. I don`t. BTW, one Hindi movie copied the ``dumping the tunnel soil on to the ground`` routine. It had Amitabh Bachchan as a man incarcerated in Paki prison and some others trying to get him and others out. It was pathetic.
6. Roman Holiday: A Romantic movie with beautiful and photogenic Audrey Hepburn in the lead with Gregory Peck.
7. McKanna`s Gold: One of the Westerns i love. There are many but i like this because it has my favorite actors: Gregory Peck and Omar Sharief.
8. Titanic: This should be considered a classic. Well made but somehow not of the same class as Ben Hur.
9. The Verdict: Paul Newman plays the role of struggling (alcoholic) lawyer. The role was so well played and with such subtlity that u hardly ever notice him overplaying the ``drunk alcoholic`` part. I think he won the Oscar in that.
10. Any movie can fit in here. I personally would prefer an action-adventure. Something like Rambho. Only, i can`t think of a name.
Sridhar
P.S: Bollywood movies do not deserve a list. Best of movies were made in the South anyways and few on chowk would have seen them.

Asif
[I think it`s more appropriate to address you as asif insteaf of naqsh for this piece:)]

I have not seen some of the Indian movies you listed but of the ones you listed the only one that would make my list would be Umrao Jaan. I would place many Hindi films like Bandini, Pyaasa, Kaagaz ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Ghulam, Jaagte Raho, Seema and Do Bigha Zameen before the films on your list, not to speak of some Bengali classics. In your defense I might say that most of these are from times before you developed interest in films, still you can buy them at most desi video stores.

As for your English selection, I am afraid I am not that much of a fan of modern films like The Lord of the Ring or Matrix. They are like reading Salman Rudhdie novels. I feel like I am solving Differential Equations in calculus rather than being entertained. My best list would include Judgement at Nuremberg, Silence of the Lambs and Apartment (with Shirley Maclain).

Essenahur:
Thumb oopar wala sign.
Re. Anarkali, I definitely agree with you regarding music. To me, Naushad was a disappointment. First, because he did not meet expectations raised by his earlier classics like Anmol Ghadi, Andaaz, Amar, Aan, Shabab, etc. Secondly, he did not meet the standards set by C. Ramchandra in Anarkali whose each song haunts us even today as it did then. Can anyone ever get tired to listening ``Yeh zindagi usee ki hai`` or ``Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag``. Prithvi Raj was too tall for Akbar, compared to Mubarak in Anarkali. On the other hand, Pradeep Kumar was no match to Dilip`s Salim in Mughale Azam.

``10. Maula Jatt (Pakistani)``

Wow..?!

Should I educate myself and go find a copy ? :))

A short list of movies people liked best provides insights into their perspective on life, it has been said. Fortunately, I had made my short-list long before I heard that one. :-)

So here is my hopefully unbiased short list. And in deference to some other interactor`s suggestion, I will try to say why I liked what I liked.

Bimal Roy`s ``Bandini``, for it says something eternal about the Woman and her strengths. Don`t ask me to explain what, for it is for us to sense it rather than debate it.

For some similar reason, I liked the more recent ``Bawandar`` starring Nandita Bose. But I found the husband`s character to be more memorable. This gentleman hardly speaks a sentence in the entire movie, does nothing spectacular to fight the injustices that the feudal as well as the ``modern`` societies heap upon the hapless couple. But he is always there for his wife, in his own inconspicuous, yet very empathetic manner. May be that is why he also appealed to a wide spectrum of women (7 to 70, traditional and modern) who watched that movie here in the US.

In terms of the sheer impact it had on me, I must mention ``Bandit Queen``. I was devastated by the violence that the director managed to create - and I do not refer to the blood and gore type vilolence, which of course is there in plenty. I am talking about the palpable threat of imminent violence about to be perpetrated as the husband tries to exercise his conjugal rights upon his young bride as an extension of his sadistic beating up of the poor girl. There are many other things that are very effective in that movie. But it would take a separate article to describe them.

I have a special regard for Balraj Sahni, and the dignity that he brought to the most ordinary of roles. Two of his movies are particularly important to me. ``Garam Hawa``, where he plays the patriarch of a large family torn between the pull to migrate after the partition and the desire to stay on where one grew up and called it home. In Bimal Roy`s ``Do Bigha Zamin``, he is again the patriarch - but more of a breadwinner who struggles to make ends meet against forces he does not even understand, and yet tries his hardest to maintain the values he cherishes. His loss becomes our loss in the end, and his determination to survive, our hope.

I prefer the 1950`s B&W ``Analkali`` to ``Mughal-e-Azam`` as a classic. Despite its poor technology of earlier vintage, ``Anarkali`` is more compact, crisp, and far more effective in the end than the later MeA. The Urdu of ``Anarkali`` the movie is not bombastic as Prithwiraj`s Akbar would use in MeA, and the inner struggles of the characters not artificially cultivated as in Mughal-e-Azam. In fact, perhaps because of her direct simplicity and honest pleading, Bina Rai`s Anarkali is a better argument for women`s liberation than Madhubala`s defiance in Mughal-e-Azam. As to the music, while both movies provided some of the best that the two music directors ever offered, I still think that Anarkali has a better set of lyrics than MeA, and they happen on the screen more spontaneously than in MeA. And I hold on to my impressions despite having been swept off my feet by MJ Akbar`s nostalgic piece which he wrote shortly after watching the new all-color release of MeA a few months back. The opera-like quality of Anarkali is more genuine than the entertainment and grandeur that MeA was designed to provide.

In the entertainment category, I enjoyed Johny Walker`s movies, but that was because of him, rather than anything else. So IMHO, at the top of this category is probably ``Hera-Feri`` which introduced Paresh Rawal to me, and I dare say I enjoyed ``Jo Bole So Nihal`` as well, for the simple caricature of the Jat Sardar that decades of Santa-Banta jokes have created.

I guess I better stop here. :) Thank you for a chance to add my little list here.

`Hero` is a beautiful movie. Magical cinematics and sound effects. Although it`s full of Jet Li`s fly-so-high-and-touch-the-sky martial arts, it still has a very romantic appeal. There are a few beautiful moments in the movie, like when Snow (or whatever that beautiful womans name is) kills that other girl in a wood, and the colors slowly turn from brown and orange to varying shades of red. Or when Jet Li fights one on one with a long weapon wielder, and one musician with a japanese kind of instrument resembling our sarangi plays beautifully, matching the movements of the two fighters. And I love that scene when the school is showered with arrows, and when Snow and Jet Li defend the school with their super fly-so-high-and-touch-the-sky martial arts.

`Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon` is a kachra movie.

Terminator 2 doesn`t look good on Number 30.

Maula Jutt doesn`t look good on Number 10 either.

Where is Star Wars?

...duh!!!

this belongs in an i-log!

farzana -- while your criticism is valid i wonder what you think chowk is ? it`s certainly no salon or thenation.org -- please, just because you grace its `pages` does not make it a mainstream quality site

Yaar, how did you miss out on Sholay?

Asif:

When I clicked on this link I was hoping to be lured into this wonderful world of cinema that I so love and see what another cine-lover has to say...I am sure you realise this does not qualify as an article (not even a bad one). As a `cinephile` you must have an opinion or even interesting anecdotes, and that ought to have been reflected in the piece. Why did these films give you pleasure, what made you watch them over and over again? You might do so in the interacts, but that is not the point...

Very disappointing...and it isn`t that you have not written on FP before.