I unashamedly love Aamir Khan's "item number" from Delhi Belly. It's hilarious. The jumpsuit. The chest hair. The scarf. THE DANCING. If you ask me there's a criminal lack of dancing going on in Aamir Khan's world these days, and "I Hate You (Like I Love You)" is the perfect remedy.
I didn't follow any of the casting shenanigan stories when it came to Heroine, and I'm still not that psyched about the film--Aishwarya's a mediocre actress on all but her very best days and after having seen Page 3 and the hot mess that was Fashion I'm not really digging the idea of sitting through yet another Madhur Bhandarkar "deep dark industry expose" film (unless there's a drinking game involved). I'll do it though, because I love Arjun Rampal and Arunoday Singh, and because I'm more than mildly curious how they're going to deal with Aishwarya's pregnancy.
From the looks of this just-released shot of Aishwarya in costume it looks like they're dealing with it by wrapping her in a silver sack.
Another film I haven't been following all that much (a Bollywood blogger who doesn't really follow films...novel concept) is Singularity. There was a time when I considered myself a Josh Hartnett connoisseur, but 1999 is in the past now and the only reason I know about this film at all is because of my love love love for Abhay Deol. I have to say it just sounds...wrong...to put Abhay in a period film (well, a period part of a film at any rate). I'm sure he can pull it off but he's a modern actor with a modern look and I'm not sure how I feel about this look on him...
Yeah, that's Abhay Deol, with a beard and long hair. I...don't know what to say.
The rest of Singularity's B'Town cast is ok. Bipasha Basu stars as Josh's love interest (or the love interest of the dude who looks like Josh Hartnett who Josh Hartnett dreams about while he's a vegetable in a hospital) and I'm guessing the casting session went something like this:
Producer 1: Find me a hot Indian actress.
Producer 2: Well there's this actress named Konkona...I hear she's pretty badass.
Producer 1: Can she act? She can? Ok, she's probably too expensive for us then. How about this Bipasha person, who can't act but has a nice rack?
Producer 2: Done and done.
Atul Kulkarni's in the cast as well which is...awesome? I think that's the right word. I've always had this little crush on him...I even halfheartedly started sketching a little script where he and Vijay Raaz play small-town buddy cops who have a "you distract this guy while I go flirt with his wife" routine.
It's been a long time since I've posted here hasn't it? I have a bit of an excuse--I was in Jamaica, playing bridesmaid in the wedding of one of my best friends (and meeting so many fantastic people!), then in San Juan, Puerto Rico, exploring Old Town and getting a wee bit tipsy (true story) with some more friends, and then finally on a Caribbean cruise with my dad and sister.
I'm so spoiled.
Congratulations Danielle and Omar! <3
Anyways, now I'm back, and I'm slowly catching up on all the awesome (and not so awesome) goings-on in Filmiland.
What's not so awesome? Ready. I'm soooooo over hearing about Ready. I'm just...not interested. Asin's great and Salman's occasionally entertaining but when you watch three or four trailers in a row for a film and are still hard pressed to remember what it's about...well, that's a bad sign. Looks like another mass-produced formulaic bore. Yawn.
What's awesome? I'm glad you asked.
This is awesome:
Let's talk about this. Because I wasn't super excited when I heard about the project, and I wasn't super excited when someone sent me the trailer. But then I watched it. And I watched it again. And I decided I was kind of intrigued.
Politics of Love is about an Obama campaign worker (played by Mallika Sherawat) who falls in love with a McCain campaign worker. Craaaaaaazy, I know. And not just any old McCain campaign worker. A black McCain campaign worker (I know I know, but it's a movie so it doesn't have to be realistic.)
Anyways...drama drama, etc etc. It's your standard girl meets boy, boy happens to work for the spawn of Satan film where everything works out in the end with the help of sassy family and friends and a "can't we all get along" speech (or not...I haven't seen it but I'm assuming there'll be one of those in there somewhere).
So why wasn't I super excited about it? Because even a few years later I still have freaking Obama fatigue. I'm one of those super liberals who isn't really an Obama fan...you know the drill. Anyways. I wasn't sure how much "zomg isn't Obama amazing?!" I could take in one two minute trailer, but I was pleasantly surprised. The fact that I was able to set my political fatigue aside and get (albeit oh so briefly) involved with the rest of the trailer is a good sign. I'm not a big Mallika Sherawat fan either but I'm willing to give this a try.
Plus, come on, Loretta Devine? I fucking love her.
Continuing with things that are awesome, let's talk about Chammak Challo. You know the one. Akon doing his thing on a track that got leaked and made Shahrukh Khan cry?
Three things. First, this track is HOT. Like...I've listened to it a hundred times in two days hot. Second, a note to SRK: if it makes you feel at all better, I had absolutely no intention of seeing RA.One at all until I heard Chammak Challo. Now I'm willing to go just to check out the picturization. So see? Life's not all bad. :) Third, Akon could become a Bollywood playback singer in a heartbeat. His Hindi sounds better when he sings than mine does, and I've been studying Hindi for damn near five years now. If he and Vishal ever did an album together...just sayin'...
Akon. So hot right now. Akon.
Ahem. Moving on...
Another trailer, this time for Breakaway, the new Russell Peters/Rob Lowe film about a desi ice hockey team. Think The Mighty Ducks meets Bend It Like Beckham. It has all the things I look for in a film: Rob Lowe, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, and Sikhs on ice.
And finally, the official trailer for Aarakshan is out, and it looks like a humdinger. I'm excited to see Saif finally do something that looks interesting. Add in the riveting Prateik Babbar and you've got a film I'm dying to see.
Not a bad group of things to be excited about!
There is one thing I'm starting to get a little nervous about, and that's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. I have exceptionally high hopes and expectations for Zoya's second film, based on both how absolutely amazing Luck By Chance was and on the ZNMD cast. Other than Katrina Kaif, the film has a cast you simply can't go wrong with. Hrithik, Farhan, Abhay, and Kalki are all favorites of mine and are phenomenally talented. And of course I'm drawn to anything set in Spain. Which brings me to my concern:
Spain. I love it. The best times of my life have been in Spain. Every once in a while I swear I can still smell it.
And I'm afraid that it's about to be turned into a film cliche. La Tomatina? Running with the bulls? I worry that my beloved Spain is being used as an exotic backdrop rather than as a legitimate character in the film.
That, along with the fact that I'm horribly underwhelmed by the soundtrack, is bringing down my expectations just a little bit. Who knows, it could end up being a phenomenal film. But I'm getting a bit worried...
Oh oh oh! Forgot to add the trailer for My Friend Pinto, which looks HILARIOUS and stars Prateik Babbar (swoon) and Kalki Koechlin (total girl crush). I can't wait for this one!
Contrary to what the activity level on this blog might suggest I am in fact still alive. I've been pretty busy the past few weeks getting ready for some trips and I'll be out of the country for three weeks starting tomorrow, so unfortunately there won't be a whole lot of updating here for a bit. I'll get back to it soon though, no worries. :)
I don't think this really needs any explanation. Just try not to drool on your keyboards, k?
I showed this post to my sister, expecting her to be overwhelmed by the Hrithikness (as people tend to do), but instead she says "Oh. That looks exactly like the poster for Lords of Dogtown."
Yeah...she's right. And after a quick Google search it looks like they're being called out on it. Good.
Sigh. I guess of all the things Bollywood likes to rip off, a poster is the least obnoxious. Still disappointing.
Some more pics and a great vid of the end of the match:
This one from Neil Nitin Mukesh's Twitter feed of the celebrations outside his house:
Abhishek and Big B celebrating India's win:
And for those of you who, like me, had to rely on dodgy internet streams to see the match, and who might have thrown things at the wall when those streams failed in the final minutes, here's the end of the match and a bit of the post-match celebrations:
This is a repost from a couple of months ago--I've been super lazy about doing any posts for Deol Dhamaka but I'm catching up! Check back tomorrow for a post featuring the delicious Abhay Deol, but for now enjoy this sweetly playful scene of Dharmendra's in the film 'Loafer.'
Mohammad Rafi's "Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan Hai" came to my attention through the Monsoon Wedding soundtrack, and I listened to it for years before I bothered to seek out the original video. I'm so glad I finally did though, becuase, well, LOOK at it! Dharmendra! Plaid pants! Big hair! It's 70s eye candy for sure. My only quibble is that the film version leaves out my favorite verse:
Kya hua hai, hua kuch nahi hai Baat kya hai pataa kuch nahi hai Mujhse koi kataa ho gaye to Isme mere kataa kuch nahi hai Kuubasuurat hai tuu rut javaan hai...
I dare you not to have this beautiful tune in your head all day.
This ought to fool the whopping four people in the world who still believe Karan's a heterosexual. The rest of us are just eager to know how much this poor girl's getting paid...
From Masala Magazine:
"Thirty-one year old Vandana Melwani is an Economics and English literature graduate and after completing a brief stint as a management consultant, she went on to get her MBA. Currently, she heads her family’s real estate business in New York.
The love-story apparently took flight during the filming of ‘My Name Is Khan’ when Karan was in New York with mum Hiroo who suggested he meet up their old friend’s daughter Vandana. He was dreading it and decided to have a quick dinner.
But everything changed when he saw her walk in and 45 minutes later, Karan was smitten. She was gorgeous, witty and more importantly, not intimidated by his star status."
A few sites have tracked down KJo's bride-to-be...this is allegedly the lucky (or not so much) woman:
I've been listening to this beautiful song for a few months and when I first heard it I couldn't believe I'd managed not only to never have heard the song before but also to never have heard of the film!*
Anwar stars Siddharth Koirala (yes, Manisha's brother) and Nauheed Cyrusi, with a supporting cast that includes one of my favorites, Vijay Raaz. I won't give away the story but during the film Siddharth's character, Anwar, has occasion to reflect on his love for Mehru (Cyrusi). This sufi-inspired song recalls their meeting and how they fell in love. It's a simple, haunting song wonderfully portrayed by the two leads, who are a natural (and extraordinarily attractive) couple and have outstanding chemistry.
Maula Mere Maula could exist only as images of Siddharth's eyes and his gentle and earnest love for Mehru would still come shining through. The song (featuring the voice of Roop Kumar Rathod) and its picturization express a real romanticism that I find somewhat lacking in better-known numbers, and it touched me in a way that makes the tragedy of the film all the more heartbreaking.
*If I ever fulfill one of my dreams and move to Spain to teach English I'm going to use that line as an example of a ridiculous sentence structure that my students should just never ever attempt to put together for the sake of their own sanity.
I feel sort of silly about yesterday's Penn Masala post. My handy site tracker is showing a ton of UPenn hits and I imagine one or two of them are from someone in the group or someone who knows them, and here I am looking like a silly batty fangirl! So I thought I'd add a little post script to yesterday's post to dispel that somewhat. :)
Yes, the men of Penn Masala are easy on the eyes. Very easy. But that's not why I love them. I love them because they can do amazing things with the human voice, things that I, a semi-singer of classical music (NYSMA Solofest score of 100 on a level 6 solo, woot!) can only dream of doing. I have crazy respect for what they do.
Let me tell you what gets me about them: listen to their version of Mere Sapnon Ki Rani. You hear that little clip in the rhythm when they sing "aur kab tak mujhe tadpaayegi tu"? That kills me. I love that. I love how their voices come together on that line. And again in Streets/Roobaroo, when the two songs collide in the middle and it's just so effortless and perfect...it's like they were designed to go together. That's brilliant to me.
I'd love to be able to ask them a few questions about the mechanics of it all. Do you spread out the solos to singers from different years so graduation doesn't claim all of the soloists at the same time? Are there singers who only sing in Hindi and others who only sing in English? Is it a case of not all of you speaking Hindi? Does Bharat truly have the smoothest voice in the world? Is the reason you don't cover a lot of bhangra because it's hard to beat box a dhol? Curious minds want to know!
So that's my bit. I hate coming across as a crazed fan when it comes to things I really care about--I seriously think Penn Masala is one of the best musical acts I've ever heard, and it's because of what they do, not how they look.
But let's be honest...they look damn good. ;)
Update: I've been told by Penn Masala alum Vishal Oberoi that it is indeed difficult to beatbox a dhol. So there's that burning question answered. :)
I went a little obsessive about Penn Masala last night on Facebook and then I woke up this morning and realized I had a blog. Not only that, but a blog devoted to all things India, so really what better place for this?
I got to know Penn Masala the way I imagine a lot of us did--I caught some of their songs on the American Desi soundtrack and was hooked.
The Basics:
Penn Masala was formed in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania, and at the time they were believed to be the first ever Hindi a cappella group. As their popularity has grown universities all over the country have emulated their model; even my alma mater, the University of Maryland, has a Hindi a cappella group called Anokha. Penn Masala performs all over the country (they did a show at Vanderbilt last month that I'm kicking myself for missing) and has even gone international with a big tour of India.
NPR did a great piece on them a few years ago--check it out for some more background as well as a taste of their work.
So what have they got going for them? What makes them stand out from the dozens of other college a cappella groups?
Well for starters...these are some fine looking men. Yeah, I said it. They're hotties. All of them. Who wouldn't want to be sung to by these guys?
photo from the Penn Masala website
And check out Ashima Yadava's excellent photo set from their tour in India:
Ok. I've had my swoon. Let's get to the substance. These boys can SING.
Normally the guys pick a Hindi tune and a western song and blend them perfectly, but from time to time they compose their own original songs, like this one: Distant Places is gorgeous. The lead singers are Ankit Dhir (English), Bharat Moudgil (Hindi) and Manoj Racherla (background).
Amazing right? They have fantastic variety. Check out their mix of Justin Timberlake's "Lovestoned" and "Ya Ali" from Gangster.
Here's Ankit, with his crazy 'fro which I love (and from the sounds of it so do the women in that audience!). Bharat's singing the Hindi again--someone get that boy a job on a film soundtrack, he's fantastic.
Another professionally done video, this time it's a mashup of Coldplay's Viva la Vida and Jashn-e-Bahara from Jodhaa Akbar.
And pretty much my favorite thing ever, Manoj busting out his best Kevin Lyttle impression at Philly Fest:
Not content with Youtube videos? No problem! Penn Masala has recorded 7 albums (their latest, Panoramic, JUST came out) along with a compilation album. They're all fantastic--you can head over to their site to get your own copies. Do it! They're well worth the money, and all the proceeds from album sales go straight to the group to help fund their tours, etc.
As a bit of a teaser, here's the song that put these guys on the map--their mega popular take on Aap Jaisa Koi!
PS: Ankit Dhir, if you see this, I love you. Call me. xoxo
So Deepika's much talked about 'Dum Maro Dum' item number is out. The verdict? She looks great, and comfortable doing the number, which is fun and a touch raunchy. The song? Eh. Not really doing it for me. Your thoughts?
ETA: After listening to it about twenty times the song is starting to grow on me.
I unashamedly love Aamir Khan's "item number" from Delhi Belly. It's hilarious. The jumpsuit. The chest hair. The scarf. THE DANCING. If you ask me there's a criminal lack of dancing going on in Aamir Khan's world these days, and "I Hate You (Like I Love You)" is the perfect remedy.
I didn't follow any of the casting shenanigan stories when it came to Heroine, and I'm still not that psyched about the film--Aishwarya's a mediocre actress on all but her very best days and after having seen Page 3 and the hot mess that was Fashion I'm not really digging the idea of sitting through yet another Madhur Bhandarkar "deep dark industry expose" film (unless there's a drinking game involved). I'll do it though, because I love Arjun Rampal and Arunoday Singh, and because I'm more than mildly curious how they're going to deal with Aishwarya's pregnancy.
