'STRONG AND DEPENDABLE'

It's been a while since I've been here... I haven't been watching lots of films these days, although I do manage to squeeze a few in here and there - recent viewings include 'Caravan', 'Chalo Dilli' and 'Break Ke Baad'; there's been so much other stuff going on.

I was so saddened by Shammi Kapoor's recent passing, and reading the warm, heartfelt tributes to him brought tears to my eyes. I have grown to like him and his work very much in the past couple of years, thanks in large part to reading Memsaab's blog. I've discovered that in his performances, he was able to portray joy, wonder, romance, deep emotion... all those things that make up cinematic magic, so very beautifully. I've also learnt a lot about the full, adventurous life he lived - the mischief he got up to, the people he loved and worked with, and his passion for what he did. I have only seen a handful of his movies, and now I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more. I've also been watching his lovely Youtube videos, which I would highly recommend... they are just so full of his charm and warmth. They sure don't make 'em like that anymore... truly a legend. I will definitely be doing some more posts about Shammi in the coming months.

I also wanted to share this lovely quote from the gorgeous Leena Chandavarkar (who co-starred with Dharmendra in 'Rakhwala' (1971) (quite a fun movie if you ever come across it) about Dharam's kindness to her when her husband lay dying in hospital in the late 70s:

"At a time like this, I will never forget Dharmendra. There are some people who have godliness in them and I think he is one of them. While Siddharth was fighting for his life in hospital, the doctors said he needed a life saving drug, which would be able to digest protein. I don’t know what made me call Dharmendra. Even as a young girl, I had always thought of him as strong and dependable. Prakashji answered the phone and immediately put her husband on. While I was trying to explain how serious Siddharth was, he said, ‘Never mind that, just spell out the name of the drug and I will try and get it as fast as possible’. The drug was Tracilol, only available in London. I don’t know how he managed it but within a few hours, he got it for me. Siddharth died 11 months later. But at that time, Dharmendra really went out of his way. I shall always remain grateful to him."

Source: http://cineplot.com/leena-chanavarkar-memories/ (the entire interview is a great read - thanks to my friend Ang for sharing.)