The Bollywood Thread

[Deleted]

chonies, I read about the set accident on Devdas in a book called Bollywood Boy (about Hrithik Roshan).
Don't think I've seen Maine Pyar Kiya...but I take your point about Salman. He had really good chemistry with Sanjay Dutt and in one comedy flick they were hilarious (can't recall the name at this moment). But usually he takes himself far too seriously.
You know who is really yummy? Ajay Devgan. Have you seen Company? Wow. That was excellent. (It's about rival crime gangs, and loyalty---always a good theme)

[Karen]

I'd read some stuff about Devdas being plagued by stunt accidents, but that story about the wind machine decapitating a worker and splattering Aishwarya with blood is the only specific incident I can remember. Then there was trouble with the sets and the costumes. I think Madhuri Dixit's costume originally weighed 30kg, they had to make it 16kg so she would be able to dance in it, and Aishwarya's ears were bleeding because of the heavy earrings she wore for Dola Re - love that song.

I haven't seen Asoka. I didn't like the costumes and the songs I heard, but maybe I should reconsider.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new Aamir films. The Rising seems like it was an interesting failure and Rang De Basanti has been getting raves.

I got the SRK ad too. It's fun when the ads fit what I'm reading.

[chonies]

Asoka is kind of period-y, and doesn't really tap into my Bollywood neurons, but it did work in the "devastating emotional epic" way. Sweeping, vast, overtones of Cecil B. deMille. Lots of elephants, even more history.

I've been known to stop a movie to break out an atlas or fire up the wikipedia, though, so YMMV.

[Karen]

Elephants? Damn. How could I resist a movie with elephants?

The brief "making of" I saw mostly showed Kareena, either in a white top or ineffectively flailing at some battlefield extras. It was rather effective in managing to turn me off a movie belonging to my favourite genre, the historical epic.

My favourite Bollywood movie? I don't want to count the times I've watched Lagaan or listened to the soundtrack. I can now recognize all the plucky villagers even when they're hanging in the background, and get a "see, I know what's going on" feeling whenever BBC shows cricket coverage.

[chonies]

karenk said:

Elephants? Damn. How could I resist a movie with elephants?

The brief "making of" I saw mostly showed Kareena, either in a white top or ineffectively flailing at some battlefield extras. It was rather effective in managing to turn me off a movie belonging to my favourite genre, the historical epic.

My favourite Bollywood movie? I don't want to count the times I've watched Lagaan or listened to the soundtrack. I can now recognize all the plucky villagers even when they're hanging in the background, and get a "see, I know what's going on" feeling whenever BBC shows cricket coverage.

It's true, Kareena does suck a little, especially with her mysterious "Queen of the Bollywood Close-Up" title? WTF? Her face looks like biscuit dough! Even with the "tribal" tattoos or mehndi or whatever they were supposed to be. The character of Kaurwaki is surprisingly interesting, and has some good transformations. I just read that SRK wanted Ash to be Kaurwaki. That would have been bad. Kareena is not awesome, but she seems to have been cast well--there's something kind of soft but strong in the character, but I haven't seen her in anything else*. The worst part of the movie, I thought, was the bad Crocodile Dundee dialogue in the beginning; SRK's wig was bothersome, but a necessary evil. I don't really recall any of the songs, which is probably a bad sign, but I don't really remember hating them, either.

*I can only bear the dead and geriatric Kapoor men--Raj, Prithviraj, Shashi (and Jennifer) and my secret shame, Shammi.

For those of you who buy the movies, where do you get them?

Oh, favorite: No idea. Depends on my mood, although there was a time last year when I devoted at least a portion of every day to watching Veer-Zaara. I'm only slightly ashamed to admit that, too. But my real favorite is probably Shree 420. "Ramaiya Vastaivaya" is probably one of my favorite songs ever, and the staging of it is just gorgeous. I am also besotted by Sholay. Gaah! It's too hard to decide. I have the sobby- favorite, the sentimental, first Hindi film I ever saw favorite, the best-songs favorite. And then there's the crossover part, like Shashi Kapoor-in-Merchant-Ivory-favorites. How's a girl supposed to decide?

[Coffeecakes]

I'd read some stuff about Devdas being plagued by stunt accidents, but that story about the wind machine decapitating a worker and splattering Aishwarya with blood is the only specific incident I can remember. Then there was trouble with the sets and the costumes. I think Madhuri Dixit's costume originally weighed 30kg, they had to make it 16kg so she would be able to dance in it, and Aishwarya's ears were bleeding because of the heavy earrings she wore for Dola Re - love that song.

Goddamn! I don't watch Bollywood movies, but have become interested in renting some after watching Bride and Prejudice. Has Ash mentioned this at all? I can only imagine what it would be like to get blood splattered on you after watching someone die.

[Karen]

chonies, I'm really uncreative and get DVDs from Amazon.

Coffeecakes, I can't remember Aishwarya saying anything but I did find this tidbit in an interview with Kiron Kher, who played her mother:

What was the atmosphere on the sets like?

There were days when the shooting would be called off because there was no money to pay the workers or when the accident happened. I remember Sikander calling me up at four in the morning in Goa (where I was shooting for Ehsaas) because he was at the police station and needed help. The assistant directors had been caught by the police for the accident, for no fault of theirs.

I'd guess that maybe the people involved with making the film wouldn't want someone as high-profile as Ash talking about it, bad publicity.

I was just looking for info on Parminder Nagra and noticed that Anupam Kher and Kiron Kher played her parents in an ER episode! Maybe I shouldn't have quit watching.

[chonies]

karenk said:

I was just looking for info on Parminder Nagra and noticed that Anupam Kher and Kiron Kher played her parents in an ER episode! Maybe I shouldn't have quit watching.

I love the Khers! I didn't see that episode either, but it makes me want to find it. Kiron is wonderful in Veer Zaara and Devdas, and Anupam is great in everything. If I were casting my life as a Bollywood spectacular, I would go to them before everyone else, even before I cast, say, myself. I often adore the Bollywood parent-characters more than the stars--Lalita Pawar, Reena Lagoo, the Khers, Prithviraj, etc etc. Serious typecasting, but those actors can tear junk up, or at least have cultivated wonderful characters that just make me happy-gooshy. I wish more movies would come out about parental-aged people--I loved the Hema and Amitabh bits in VZ.

Also, thanks to everyone who dragged up their sources! I'm working on a semi-related project and am trawling to enhance the bibliography.

[Karen]

chonies said:

I love the Khers! I didn't see that episode either, but it makes me want to find it. Kiron is wonderful in Veer Zaara and Devdas, and Anupam is great in everything. If I were casting my life as a Bollywood spectacular, I would go to them before everyone else, even before I cast, say, myself. I often adore the Bollywood parent-characters more than the stars--Lalita Pawar, Reena Lagoo, the Khers, Prithviraj, etc etc. Serious typecasting, but those actors can tear junk up, or at least have cultivated wonderful characters that just make me happy-gooshy. I wish more movies would come out about parental-aged people--I loved the Hema and Amitabh bits in VZ.

I loathed Devdas's mother and sister-in-law, so Kiron standing up for herself after they'd humiliated her was very welcome.

If Anupam agreed to play Parminder's father on ER, he probably liked working with her on Bend It Like Beckham.

Hollywood or Bollywood, I often end up preferring the older supporting characters to the young heroes.

[Deleted]

In Ash's thread, her mystery relationship with Abhishek was brought up...what I want to know is: what happened between Abhishek and Karisma Kapoor? They were engaged, she was travelling around with his family, they appeared in movies together...then bam she breaks the engagement and marries someone else? And now she is in an on/off custody battle with her husband?
I do prefer her sister Kareena Kapoor as an actress. She was very good in Deewar (as a young Muslim woman caught up in hostilities with Hindu's). I also liked her comical turn in K3G (which, as rumour has it, Abhishek's part ended up on the cutting room floor because Dad Big B didn't think it was good enough. If that's true that's harsh!).