munich here i come

this may sound absurd, but i never thought anybody would ever reach this blog and read its contents other than my friends, yani people i mentioned the existence of the blog to. So imagine my surprise when i discovered a comment: my first comment by 'beth'.

beth's comment opened a whole new world. i have suddenly discovered that there are numerous blogs about Indian films and there is a 2nd Annual Pan-European/International Bollywood Bloggermeeting to be held from 7-9 march 2008 in munich.

of course i got on the phone and spoke to joachim right away... i have officially invited myself to munich.

i wonder what my sister would think if she knew i was going to munich to meet with more people crazy about hindi films and that such meetings take place in the city where she lived.

more on acronyms

remember how I mentioned that hindi films are known by their full name as well and their acronyms? well, I was totally thrown off balance today when i ran into this link refering to hindi films:

JWM at more number of shows than OSO - bollywood news : glamsham.com

naturally I could not resist sharing this moment of confusion with anyone else who might be reading this entry!

amitabh, abishek and aishwarya

i promised to introduce some more hindi filmi figures...

the link provided takes the reader to a clip from the film Bunty Aur Babli http://youtube.com/watch?v=iO7c1u69hNI

the film, released in 2005, starred Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Muckerjee, with a special dance scene/performance by Aishwarya Rai.

Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwaria are featured in the song and dance scene on the youtube link.

So who are these three characters?

Amitabh Bachchan is considered by many to be the biggest hindi film superstar. he starred in most of the big 70s and 80s films like sholay, amar akbar anthony, don and silsila.

he is married to Jaya Bhaduri, a hindi film star (she played the role of the mother in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham) and his mother Teji Bachchan appeared in a number of Hindi films (She was the grandmother who dies in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham!). he is also father to Abhishek Bachchan.

Abhishek is a relatively new comer to the world of Hindi films. (he did not star in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham!) Abhishek is versatile and he must holds some sort of record for starring in or appearing in no fewer than 19 films in the last 3 years! How many mega star Hollywood actors can boast that they were in 8 major hits in the last 2 years? Namely, Bunty and Babli, Dhoom 2, Guru, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

Now Abhishek also happens to be married to Aishwarya Rai, the last charcter in the clip. Aishwarya was crowned Miss World in 1994 and started acting in Hindi films in 1997. Many of the films she's made have become super hits, such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Mohabbatein and Dhoom 2 but for me the most interesting aspect about Ash's career is the number of times she appears as a 'dream' figure. she seems to be repeatedly cast as India's dream girl: an ultimate fantasy.

jodhaa akbar 2

this is what i love about the hindi film world. a new star studded film is released and within less than a week google video is listing a part of the film as its movers and shakers. http://video.google.com/ on 21 feb 2008 at 19:16 turkey time.


Movers & Shakers
More »
1.
lunar eclipse - 03.03.07
www.youtube.com
2.
Total Solar Eclipse 2006
www.youtube.com
3.
Lunar Eclipse in Timelapse
www.youtube.com
4.
Gears of War 2
www.youtube.com
5.
2006 Total Solar Eclipse
video.google.com
6.
Jason Castro - What A Day For ...
www.youtube.com
7.
chaos.avi
video.google.com
8.
jodha akbar part 2
video.google.com
9.
Total Solar Eclipse - Egypt
video.google.com
10.
No Way Out 2008 Raw! Eliminat...
www.youtube.com

there are so many of us crazy hindi film lovers desparate to catch a glimpse of the new films!

Jodhaa Akbar

the who's who of hindi film industry was at the premiere of the new film Jodhaa Akbar.

the film stars two mega stars- aish and hrithrik. some day i will actually get around to introducing them and more stars in my hindi 101 blog.

for now, i am keen to share a little clip from youtube about the premiere showing the stars, their clothes, their expectations and my favorite element: surprise that mr alternative, Aamir Khan, has decided to do something mainstream, like show up to a premiere.

enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4o635Qt86o&NR=1

debating the song and dance sequence

A major issue concerning the Hindi film is the song and dance sequence. Some people love the interruption and believes the msuic adds color, energy and spirit. Other consider it to be an interruption which disturbs the flow of the narrative. There are those who argue they should not exist.

Regardless of what one thinks, Hindi films are not imaginable without the song and dance. So do as I do, sit back and enjoy!

Today I will comment no further. I am copy and pasting a little spontaneous debate between YouTube users on this issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L3rMFmHWjs&NR=1


dev12345 (1 week ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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This song was necessary here. This entire movie is from the point of view of Sehar. Her life changed starting from this song. She got drugged here and lots of bad things happened with her that night. I agree that Bollywood is dumb about inserting songs in movies but here it was necessary. Besides its a nice song so enjoy.

maharajakal (1 week ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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put a song where it is not neccesary. come on step ur game up bollywood

CNN Revealed! program on Shahrukh Khan

CNN has decided that the Hindi film sector is as worthy as I feel... so this months Revealed! personality is none other than... Shahrukh Khan. Here is the link for all interested.

http://www.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/revealed/

Enjoy!

The Kapoor Khandan

www.saawaryafilm.com

Turks and Iranians usually know the film Awara. Pretty much everyone can hum the theme song ‘Awara hoon’… and some mention the name Raj Kapoor: producer, director and star of Awara.

If this was a 101 class explaining Who is Who in the Hindi film sector, then Raj Kapoor would be an excellent place to start.

http://www.amazon.com/Awara-starring-Raj-Kapoor-Nargis/dp/B000056N4I

Raj Kapoor was not only an actor, producer and director of Hindi films, he and his name represent a whole Hindi film ‘khandan’ (family). His father was a famous Indian stage actor called Prithviraj Kapoor. His brothers Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor are still active as actors and producers in Hindi films.

His oldest son Randhir Kapoor is head of RK film studios in Mumbai. His second son Rishi Kapoor is a famous actor and his youngest son Rajiv Kapoor was also active in Hindi films as actor and producer.

His son Randhir is father to Karishma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, both of whom are incredibly popular and successful actresses in the Hindi film sector. Kareena Kapoor is the star of my favorite Hindi film Jab We Met, which I have already mentioned. Rishi Kapoor’s son Randbir Kapoor made his acting debut in the cinematically very beautiful Saawariya in November 2007.

language issues

I still haven't figured out how to place a clip from youtube on my blog page, so for now I provide the link to my favorite Hindi film's trailer.

The film is called Jab We Met.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPNQGunDx68&feature=related

I watched the film 3 times in the cinema while I was in Delhi last October. Would I watch it 3 times at 12 YTL per occasion I am not sure. But cinema is cheap in India, unlike Turkey.

www.chakpak.com/movie/jab-we-met/18964

So one can go to the cinema and watch the same film several times.

As I searched the web for a suitable trailer for the film I realized one major problem. The trailer I chose manages to express the films main storyline. It also contains a melody from the film. Other trailers had a englşsh song which has nothing to do with the film. This trailer also contains enough scenes where the Actors utter words in English for anyone who speaks English to be able to make some sense of what is going on. But this is entirely the problem: to appreciate and enjoy and have fun, one has to be able to understand what is being said, especially with a fast paced, conversation based film like Jab We Met.

It is true that many Hindi films are simple in storyline and they are obvious in their imagery. If the mother is praying for a light of hope, then a light literally turns on in the neighbor's house and so on. The audience doesn't have to use too much brain power to understand the message. There is very little subtelty or hinting. That is one of the features I love about good Hindi films. They don't beat about the bush!!

But there is a lot of coversation and a lot of reference to other Hindi films, or real life situations that Indians or Hindi filmophiles would recongnize but others just don't get. So this is going to be the main issue of difficulty at hand. There is a lack properly sub-titled Hindi film and music clips on the internet for me to use...

I have to start looking. Or inspiring everyone to learn the Hindi language.

Istanbul Modern Hindi Film month

For the second year in a row the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art has a month - 20 days of the month- dedicated to Hindi films. The film program is entitled Bollywood! Ask ve Musik. It runs from 8- 20 February.

Anyone interested can have a look at: http://www.istanbulmodern.org/tr/f_index.html

There are some really good films on the list.

So hurray and iyi seyirler!!