Chalka Chalka Re vs. Yaaro Yaarodi

I'm much more of a Hindi film fan than I am of any of the southern industries, so generally when it comes to Bollywood films that have counterparts in other languages I only ever bother to watch the Hindi.  I added Saathiya to my collection last winter and just picked up Alaipayuthey this week.  I haven't watched Alaipayuthey yet (there's never time!) but I did take a few minutes to check out Yaaro Yaarodi, the Tamil original of one of my all time favorite songs, Chalka Chalka Re.

I don't think Yaaro Yaarodi holds up to Chalka Chalka Re--I've gotten used to the pace of the Hindi version and the original seems too fast and a bit jumbled.  My favorite line of any song in the world, "Baabula chhoda tera anganaara," got sort of lost in Yaaro Yaarodi.  Hrmph.

So which video is your favorite?  It's actually a close call for me...I prefer Maddy over Vivek but Chalka Chalka Re wins for me because Rani is just so cute!

Yaaro Yaarodi

Chalka Chalka Re

Bhairavi Goswami, and Lying About Aishwarya For Publicity

How does a second-rate Bollywood actress get her name in the news just long enough to land herself a spot on a reality show/talk show/get a book deal/anything else that'll get her some cash?

You poke at the Bachchans in public.

It would be completely unsurprising if that's what Bhairavi Goswami is doing at the moment.  All that crap the other day about Aishwarya getting IVF treatments so she can continue the line of Bachchan men?  Probably made up off the top of her head.  She gave pretty much the shadiest interview ever to the Times of India this weekend and it's pretty clear she's trying to act like she never said anything.  So either she was lying and it got more attention than she wanted or someone tapped her on the shoulder and reminded her where she stands on the totem pole of film industry power.  Namely at the bottom.

She's got a good point about the desire for male children and good for her for pointing out (yet again) the disparate levels of female vs. male children born in states like UP.  But come on already with the Aishwarya stuff.  Either you know something or you don't.  Don't be f'ing coy, it's so tiresome.  Be a doll and spill the goss' or shut the hell up.

Just saying.

"Oh My God, My Son Is a Lesbian!"

In honor of gay marriage being passed in New York State, a bit of "Goodness Gracious Me" for everyone.

"You go to your room, and don't come back until you're not of the gay!"

Bhairavi Goswami Has Something to Say About Aishwarya Rai

Bheja Fry actress Bhairavi Goswami took to Twitter today with some strange (and if true, tragic) gossip.

"Nauseating 2 read superstars givg interviews abt wanting a girl baby whn she has gone 2 Bangkok to an IVF clinic which specializes in boy babies. Height of hypocrisy. They knw damn well its a boy, aftr all she has to produce a male heir at any cost - Typical UP mentality, no wonder that state has such high female foeticide."

She was clever enough at least not to specifically say who she was talking about but we all know she's referring to Aishwarya (Amitabh is from UP).


I'm of two minds on this.  Bhairavi hasn't offered any proof of her claim, and I'm sort of inclined to think it's a wild claim made up for media attention.  And yet...I don't find the idea of it either shocking or surprising.  After a weekend spent watching The Tudors (where Jonathan Rhys-Meyers spends 24 episodes in a row demanding a son and divorcing and beheading the women who aren't able to give him one) the idea of a woman (particularly one who lives in a still-patriarchal society) going to the ends of the earth (or in this case Thailand) to make sure the child she's carrying is a boy isn't out of the realm of possibility.


Fucking depressing, yes.  Medieval, yes.  Impossible?  No.


Whether it's true or not, there's one thing I know for sure:  Bhairavi Goswami is officially off the Bachchan Christmas card list.

Sweetly Simple

A non-Bollywood, non-India post, if you'll indulge me...

Nokia held a competition recently which challenged participants to make a film using only Nokia cell phones.  The winning film, by JW Griffiths, is called Splitscreen: A Love Story, and it's nothing short of remarkable.

The story line is simple and the editing is superb.  There's nothing incredibly original here, the wonder is in the way it's done.  It's a cute little project that shows that a film needn't be three hours long to pack a punch.