DHARAM & SHARMILA

Yay, I'm stoked to be doing another Dharmendra post (it's been ages)... and this one is also my first 'Faces' post, so... double-yay!

Being the die-hard Dharam fan that I am, I am always interested in his onscreen pairings. The romantic kind, I mean. So far, I've seen him opposite his beautiful wife Hema ('Sholay', 'Jugnu', 'Dillagi', 'The Burning Train', 'Seeta aur Geeta'), the lovely Mala Sinha ('Anpadh'), the sexy Zeenat Aman ('Ram Balram'), the graceful Nafisa Ali ('Life in a... Metro'), the intense Rekha ('Ghazab'), the charming Jaya Bhaduri ('Guddi'), the elegant Kirron Kher ('Apne')....

All of the above couples (bar none) I have loved (ok, so Dharam/Zeenat was unexpectedly a little bit weird, but still not bad). Dharam/Hema, in particular, is always cute, energetic and very charming, and is probably my all-round favourite. I have to say though, that for sheer hotness, my No. 1 'Dharam + 1' couple so far is probably Dharam/Sharmila. There's something about Dharmendra and Ms. Tagore together - they are both so gorgeous and stylish, they complement each other so well, you always believe in their mutual attraction, and they are both so sexy and good-looking. Really.

She has those fabulous dimples and that supreme mastery of the mischievous-sexy-and-yet-guileless look; he has those eyes, and that hair, and those... you know I could go on and on forever on what Dharmendra's got, so I won't.

My first taste of the Dharam/Sharmila hotness was with 'Chupke Chupke' (1975), a cute comedy about a newlywed couple playing an intricate practical joke on the dulhan's 'genius jijaji'. In 'Chupke Chupke', Dharmendra is the playful Professor Parimal Tripathi, an academic with a mischievous sense of humour, and Sharmila is his fun-loving college-student biwi, Sulekha. They are a cool, smart, middle-class couple - the kind you'd expect to find in this low-key, charming Hrishikesh Mukherjee film. And I think they're utterly adorable.

What I didn't know, until recently, is that years before 'Chupke Chupke', Dharam/Sharmila made a very different type of film together. 'Mere Humdum Mere Dost' (or 'Mere Hamdam Mere Dost' or MHMD, released in 1968) is more "conventional" Bollywood. In MHMD, Dharam is Sunil, a sweet, naïve young man from a humble background, and Sharmila is Anita, a shallow, spoiled rich kid who starts out teasing Sunil, but eventually falls for him (he falls first, but when he realises he's rich, he has second thoughts - because he has a weird phobia of wealth).

Rounding out the cast of major characters are the lushly gorgeous siren Mumtaz as Anita's faithful companion Meena, and Om Prakash as Dhand, a rather annoying busybody who plays a pivotal role in the prem kahani of our two leads (interestingly, Om Prakash is also in 'Chupke Chupke', as the well-fooled genius jijaji. And interestingly, both films end with his character speaking into the camera, saying something cute to the audience).

MHMD, as I said before, is conventional Bollywood - there is the familiar jodi-separated-by-wealth device, the familiar horrible and lecherous villain device, soaring romantic songs performed while running across the hills and meadows in lovely clothes, etc etc. The plot of MHMD is a bit ridiculous and has a lot of silly, random and pointless twists. But as the viewer, I somehow found myself forgiving it these flaws and just enjoying the ride for the most part... and I'll tell you why in a minute.

The major difference between the Dharam/Sharmila of MHMD and the Dharam/Sharmila of 'Chupke Chupke' is that in MHMD, they're really not very cool, not particularly smart, and... just not very bright. I mean really, the things Sunil and Anita do in the name of love just get progressively stupider and stupider. And even when Meena tries to help, even her ideas are hare-brained (Sunil and Anita are at least fools in love,but Meena has no excuse whatsoever).

Again, watching MHMD, I found myself forgiving all this foolishness. Kyun? Because they're hot. I mean, sure they're rather daft, but they're also young, amazingly gorgeous, sexy, uber-stylish, fun and utterly harmless. What's a little daftness compared to a ton of hotness? Eye candy to the power of a hundred. Nay, a thousand. They're so hot that they can afford to act any which way they want to - and do they? At some point in the film, Mumtaz performs a very memorable qawwali in honour of the lead couple - 'Allah Yeh Ada Kaisi Hai Haseenon Mein' (from what I understood, it means something like - 'Oh wow, the ways of these beautiful people!'). Indeed.

Not only do they look tres hot, the leads in MHMD also get to wear really cute sixties fashion - check out the back of one of Sharmila's cute cholis below - I love it.

(Sharmila does repeat one outfit in the film, which is of course anathema for a real Bollywood 'young heiress', but again, she's so cute that it's easy to forgive her). And our hero Dharmendra is in gorgeous, well-cut suits (as in the picture above), and a cute kaftan or turtle-neck here and there. Ultra fab. Dharam's clothes are all so gorgeous. Except for this silly smoking-jacket-and-lazy-cat look he tries on at a very memorable dinner - one of the very, very silly things he does for love and a marvellous example of Dharmendra's wonderful aptitude for comedy.

Something else that's really great about MHMD - the songs, by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. From soaring, romantic ones to slow, passionate ones to cheeky, sassy ones... there are great songs here, performed beautifully by Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and a few others. The soaring song from which the film's title is taken ('Naa Jaa, Kahin Ab Naa Jaa') is a brilliant example of Rafi's vocal virtuosity, and is beautifully picturised. I love all the picturisations in this film, actually - 'Chhalkain Jaam' has to be one of the best sharaab sequences I've seen so far, and in 'Huyi Sham Unka Khayal Aa Gaya' the camera focuses on Dharam sitting alone in a very bare room - and somehow it's enough. So even though I can't really recommend MDMH in the true sense of the word, what I can do is recommend the songs - watching the picturisations (almost all are available on YouTube) will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the actors and the music, without having to endure the film's flaws.

I say this because, as I mentioned earlier, MHMD certainly does have its negatives... the characters are really just caricatures, and the weakness and fragility of the female characters (as with many films from this era), as well as the unquestioning manner in which their feelings are ridden roughshod over by the male characters, can be really quite grating and appalling. Also, the storyline really is quite ridiculous.

But back to Dharam/Sharmila. It's quite fitting, I think, that MHMD came quite a few years before 'Chupke Chupke'... in the latter they are still extremely gorgeous (for me Dharam is crazy handsome in 'Chupke Chupke'and I don't think I've seen him looking cuter in any film so far; whereas I adore Sharmila's stunningly (over-)styled MHMD look - but I digress) but they are also older and wiser, more mature, more sophisticated. Less pretty, less doll-like, less 'whitewashed' (in 'Chupke Chupke' you can see their real skin, thank God!), more relatable, more human. But still ultra-fab. It's a great transition. And best of all, in 'Chupke Chupke', Dharmendra and Sharmila are playing partners (Parimal clearly respects Sulekha and they are presented as equals) in a plot that, while frivolous in terms of subject matter, actually makes sense.

Here are some pictures from both films... note the change in Sharmila's look, from the big hair and dramatic eye make-up with a full, nearly nude-toned lip in the late sixties, to sleeker hair, thinned-out eyebrows and darker, more defined lips in the mid-seventies. You can see the maturing of her face - it's slimmer, more defined and less 'soft' in 'Chupke Chupke' than in MHMD; and I say she looks totally gorgeous and fab in both films...

And here's my Dharam; at the time of MHMD he is stunningly handsome but almost 'too much' so; it's a little too 'perfect' - by 'Chupke Chupke' his face has matured really beautifully....

To conclude, one more picture... Sharmila and Mumtaz in MHMD....

PS I'm on the lookout for any other Dharam/Sharmila pairings (apart from 'Satyakam', which I'm already looking for), so any reccies would be welcome. Thank you!

MY TEN - Ranking Dharmendra Movies (Part II)

I was going to do my 'Deewaar' review next… but I've decided to finish my Dharmendra countdown first… I am going to see 'Apne' any day from now, and for some reason it's important to me to finish this before seeing my 11th Dharam movie (I'm a little funny about details like that)…

Okay, so looking at the 5 films I have left to rank, I am thinking to myself: what a varied bunch – in one film he plays an 'ordinary hero', in another he plays himself (the movie-star Dharmendra), in a third he plays a prank-playing husband, in a fourth he plays a criminal whose services are enlisted to bring down the ultimate baddie; and in the fifth he plays an NRI returning to India and to his first love.

Dharmendra's range as an actor is something that is not often remarked upon, but after seeing only 10 of his movies, I can testify to his aplomb at handling different types of characters – romantic leading men (an obvious choice for anyone so handsome and charming), action heroes (again, not too surprising, he's got quite a good build), 'everyman' type of characters… rich and well-educated men, undecuated rural-dwellers… good guys, bad guys, good-but-bad guys… comic roles, physical roles, dramatic roles… I may have only seen a few of his many films, but I think Dharam is a very versatile actor; and I am looking forward to discovering more of his ability to interpret various types of roles, as I continue my foray into his body of work.

And now to the top five… exciting… even as I type this, I have no idea… I love all these movies so much, for so many different reasons… how do I begin to rank them? This is SO unbelievably tough!! (I know, like I didn’t give myself the task.) But here goes…

5.

"Life in a... Metro" was my most recent Dharmendra film, my tenth, and also the first I've seen on the big screen… so lots of milestones there! I really enjoyed "Metro", and although my favourite performances were by Konkona Sen Sharma (as Shruti) and Irrfan Khan (playing Monty); I thought Dharam did a really good job with his character. I relished every moment I had with him in this movie, from seeing his name in the opening credits, to seeing him back on his bench at the train station in the closing credits. I think he did a wonderful job with his character, an elderly man who returns to India to find the young girl he fell in love with many years before (beautifully played by Nafisa Ali).

Dharam had a lot of great scenes in this film – gleefully fleeing with his ladylove under the cover of darkness (on a motorbike!); panicking in the middle of gridlocked Mumbai traffic at the heartbreaking climax of his character's story; sharing intimate moments with the woman he loved, lost and had the opportunity to love again. In "Metro", he is in his romantic, dramatic element. He's elegantly, but also humanly, drawing you in with those dark eyes and making you fall in love with him all over again (well, at least, that's what he did for me)…

4.

"Guddi" is such a fantastic film… I have raved about Hrishikesh Mukherjee's wonderful films many times on this blog, and I have also raved about Jaya Badhuri's beautiful acting… the music of "Guddi" is lovely too, I can't get enough of "Bole Re Papihara". When I reviewed "Guddi", Sanket commented that this film should be seen for Jaya B's performance as Kusum (Guddi). At the time, I protested, saying that it should be seen for Jaya and Dharam-ji… but deep down I knew Sanket was right, and I had to admit it, even in all my fangirliness… this is 100% Jaya's movie. She dominates it, she holds your attention from start to finish… you are caught up in the journey of her character and you fall in love with her right from the start.

But, having said that, the movie-star called Dharmendra is pivotal to the story of "Guddi" – he is the catalyst for much of what happens to Kusum, the reason for the choices she makes… in this movie, Dharam has the unenviable (though flattering) task of playing himself… and he's playing himself at the height of his powers… as a highly successful leading man, adored by millions (especially females) young and old. And I think he does a fantastic job… he is utterly natural. The ploy succeeds – you actually believe that Dharmendra is not just stunningly handsome, but that he truly is gracious, likeable, and in fact, adorable. I have sometimes imagined how badly this role could have been executed had it been given to someone else, Rajesh Khanna for example… ouch, painful thought…

3.

Number 3, and it's another Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, the absolutely delightful "Chupke Chupke". This film is definitely a treat for any Dharmendra fan – in it, he is at the height of his powers… handsome, charming, mischievous, funny, sweet, smart… he pulls off the role of prankster professor extremely well, and he is ably supported by a wickedly fab and irresistible Sharmila Tagore, an absolutely adorable Amitabh Bachchan (I love his "Sa Re Ga Ma" song with Dharmendra), and a guileless, lovely Jaya Badhuri.

Dharam is absolutely gorgeous to look at here, and when he smiles... well, he just charms your socks off. In this film, there is a lot of scope for him to do the romantic leading man stuff he does so very well… but what I love most about his performance here is the way he shows off his formidable comedic chops… he is absolutely hilarious and just great to watch in every comic scene. His comic timing and delivery is impeccable. Yup. This one is definitely a monster-sized, thousand (no, million) calorie Dharmendra-flavoured treat… and look...! They just supersized you too.

2.

From greatganesha.com

So at number two, it's that much-beloved classic of Hindi cinema. Who doesn’t know all there is to know about "Sholay"? Fantastic performances all around – from Amitabh Bachchan as the still-waters-run-deep Jai (one of my favourite Big B performances, right up there with "Deewaar" and "Zanjeer"), from Sanjeev Kumar as the haunted Thakur, from Amjad Khan as the truly frightening Gabbar Singh (tremendous), from Hema Malini as the talkative Basanti, from Jaya Badhuri as the haunting Radha…and of course, from my dear Dharam-ji as the umm… colourful Veeru… And even the bit parts by Asrani and Helen are notable. Definitely one of my top 10 Hindi films of all time... maybe even in my top 5.

Dharmendra is fantastic in this film – it's been called his best performance ever (although some feel that honour belongs to "Satyakam", which I haven't seen). I haven’t seen enough of his movies to agree or disagree with this assessment – but it IS a great performance with a great deal of depth. He does it all – comedy, tragedy, action, drama and everything in between. Who could forget his drunken scene at the top of the tower, threatening to throw himself off for the love of Basanti (and of course, Jai's response to the threat). Simply classic comedy. Veeru's heartbreaking reaction to the loss of his friend… the scenes with Basanti when he plays a deity (so funny)… the wonderful camaraderie between Jai and Veeru right from the start of the film (I love how in the middle of the fight scenes, they look over to each other and ask "tum thik hoon?", so seemingly effortless and natural. The scary confrontations with Gabbar Signh. "Sholay" has everything – enough action to satisfy the die-hard action fan, very funny comedy, fantastic music (I love "Mehbooba Mehbooba" and "Yeh Dosti" best), intense human drama, thriller elements, and oodles of tragedy… just a great, great film.

1.

In the top spot (where else could it be? I have to be honest, I tried to put it at number three where I think it 'technically' belongs, but my dil said – nahin, DG, this is your number one!) is the movie that made me fall head over heels in love with Dharmendra… it's "The Burning Train". Objectively speaking, I have to ackowledge that my number two film "(and prolly my number three as well) trumps it completely, both as a film and as a vehicle for Dharam's sheer acting ability and versatility… and if this were not a Dharmendra-film ranking but just a film-ranking, "Sholay" would definitely be in the top spot... But for reasons beyond my understanding or control, I just am not as attached to it as I am to "The Burning Train". You see, I love every minute of "Sholay" – it has made me laugh, cry and be very, very afraid, but it has never made me swoon, it has never made my heart skip a beat. "The Burning Train", on the other hand… it makes me smile, it makes me blush (I'm doing both now), it makes me emotional, it makes me clutch at my heart, it simply makes me love Dharmendra…

I just found this here and I want it!

"The Burning Train"… I love this film. It's an action-thriller type of film, but it has really strong relational aspects to it – in a way, it's really all about human relationships. The train of the title becomes a deathtrap when a spiteful engineer rigs it, causing it to malfunction. Aboard the train are ex-lovers, played by Dharmendra and Hema Malini, and a colourful cast of characters led by a rich heiress (played by the fabulous Neetu Singh) and a conman (played by Mr. Jumpin' Jack Jeetendra)… Dharmendra finds himself bravely leading the terrified passengers as they struggle to save their own lives. Not aboard the burning train, but watching the progress of the deadly journey and doing his best to halt it is the engineer who built the train, played by the ultracool Vinod Khanna (he totally ROCKS an outfit in the beginning of the film that is just so… hmm… – some cowboy boots, very tight white pants, a scarf, a vest, accessorised by a comb hastily pulled through those sexy locks… only Vinod Khanna could've pulled off that get-up, but I digress…).

Where do I begin to describe what I love so much about this film? First, let me start with RD Burman's fabulous music… this film is often rated as having one of the best soundtracks ever in Hindi cinema… and I have to say that the songs are marvellous – they are each memorable, each different, each so right for the film… and every time I listen to them (and sing along) I love them more… I could never tire of them.

"Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara" – I once described this song as an orgy and I can think of no better description for it… it's long, it's delicious, it's rich, it's indulgent, and it just keeps going on and on… just genius from start to finish… almost 10 minutes long, and just… delicious…. Then there's the touching "Teri Hai Zameen, Tera Asmaan", guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye, especially when the child falters emotionally in the middle of the song and the teacher goes "gaana bachcha, haan…" This one is completely calculated in its desire to wring emotion from you, but on this occasion, I really don't mind being manipulated. There's also "Meri Nazar Hai Tujhpe", beautifully picturised on a graceful Hema Malini and a fiery Parveen Babi, with Dharam and Vinod Khanna paying delightful homage to the ladies; as well as Dharam and Hema's cute number, "Vaada Haan Ji Vaada"... lovely song.

But the track that made me fall in love with this film and with Dharmendra is "Pehli Nazar Mein Humne"… oh my, this song (and the picturisation)… I could talk about it for hours… I could listen to it for ages (and believe me, I have) – I love how all the singers perform it in unison, then the male voices, then the female, then all in unison again etc, and there are no solo parts… I could watch it for ages (done that too) – I love the "natural" playful tone of the picturisation, with minimal choreography (and bicycles AND a train!! I can't believe how excited I am over bicycles and a train!)… I just can't explain the depth of my love for this song… technically it's not even the best song on the soundtrack of "The Burning Train". But boy, does it do something to me…

“Pehli Nazar Mein Humne” is as good a place as any to start to talk about the things Dharmendra just does throughout this film. Things that just devastated me the first time I saw it… there's just something about him… in "Pehli Nazar Mein Humne", the ladies (Parveen and Hema), are dancing gracefully, Vinod Khanna is cool as ever, strutting his stuff with those superfine brown eyes… but Dharam… Dharam is not dancing (he can't dance), he's not strutting (he's just not the strutting type, you see), he is just laid-back and relaxed, just kicking it with his crew, but he has such presence, and I just cannot take my eyes of him… and he's like that throughout the movie…

That look in his eyes at the start of the journey, a look of nostalgia mixed with frustration; then way the hurt on first seeing Seema later changes to a fiery, resolute desire to help the people on the train; the way he crushes that glass; the way he flicks off that guy's feet from his seat; the way he brushes the confetti off his hair and eats the sweet at the engagement ceremony; that throaty voice, the way he says "Sunno Seema, I love you", "Tell him thanks", "Seema, kya hua?"… from the first moment I watched this film, I just wanted to be Seema… yes, I'll admit it, I was jealous of a fictional character played by Hema Malini… ridiculous…but powerful, because this impact hasn't waned even a tiny bit since I first saw this film months ago. If anything, it's waxing even stronger…

Next up is "Deewaar"…

'JUGNU'... Hope it gets better

After a long period of inaction in terms of Dharmendra movies, it finally seems like things just might be looking up for me. After a long wait, I finally got my ‘Chupke Chupke’ DVD, although I haven’t had time to watch it yet, and might not get round to it for a while. It’s great to know I have it, though.

By sheer happenstance, I recently also found (during one of my random DVD/VCD raids near my office) a copy of ‘Jugnu’, another Dharmendra film from way back. I watched a few minutes of it last night. ‘Jugnu’ stars Dharam, Hema Malini, Prem Chopra and the Pran-tastic one. I quite like Pran, his roles are always fun to watch. Anyway, from what I saw of ‘Jugnu’ last night, hmm… this just might be a bad movie. I posted a quote on this blog a while back from a Hema Malini interview, in which she said she regretted not making more movies with Dharmendra (and establishing themselves as a romantic couple). Maybe she was wishing they could have done more with films like ‘Jugnu’.

I loved Dharam and Hema as a couple in ‘Sholay’ and ‘The Burning Train’ (the film which made me fall in love with Dharmendra)… but I gotta say it’s not looking too promising for ‘Jugnu’. I’m only like 20 minutes in, but the film just seems to fall flat. Dharam is playing the clever conman and master of disguise that we’ve seen done in really good old movies like ‘Do Aur Do Paanch’ and newer ones like ‘Bluffmaster’ and ‘Bunty aur Babli’, but… he doesn’t seem to be doing it that well. He just seems really naff and a bit annoying.

Hema, looking very beautiful as always, is playing the independent, headstrong tomboy stereotype, and she seems to be doing ok… but it’s not really working for me. So far, the parts that are supposed to be clever and funny are just… not. They’re just silly, and not even in an interesting or amusing way. The film appears to be really badly scripted – the story is making absolutely no sense and the scenes are just plodding along. I really hope things pick up in ‘Jugnu’, otherwise I might just have to write this one off as a bad Dharam movie, which would be sad... although, hey, at least I'd have one more movie to add to my list of the Dharam movies I've seen.

On the plus side, ‘Jugnu’ features music by S. D. Burman… which I’m looking forward to because I recently heard about him from Carla. So far, the background music has been mildly interesting, and I’ve listened to only one full song, which Dharam’s character does with a group of schoolchildren on Independence Day. I didn’t really notice whether the song was good or not, because the picturization was so cheesy and… not very likeable. Hopefully, I’ll enjoy the music more when I watch the rest of the film over the next few days.

MEMORIES… A POST HEAVILY ‘INSPIRED’ (IN TRUE BOLLYWOOD FASHION) BY MAJA

I’ve just been over to Maja’s blog, and she has some wonderful retrospective posts (with, as usual, awesome pictures) about what this year has been like for her, in terms of both Bollywood and blogging.

As it’s the end of the year and I’m feeling a bit warm and fuzzy today (must revel in it while it lasts), and also because I think Maja’s idea is absolutely brilliant (and the best tribute to a good idea is to emm… ‘borrow’ it), I’m going to do a little reminiscing and recapping of my own… although, needless to say, this post will be much more uninteresting and less cool than Maja’s.

2006 is my first year as a blogger, and I’m still fairly new on the block. I’ve been blogging for a few months now, and my last post was my thirtieth on this blog. I’ve really enjoyed blogging, it’s been a lot of fun (and a huge learning experience). I think my Bollywood blog has enhanced my love for and delight in Bollywood movies. I crack myself up, remember things I’ve really loved (or hated) about the movies I’ve seen, talk about my observations with others, and generally just have a lot of fun. Another really cool thing about becoming a ‘Bollyblogger’ has been the opportunity to discover and read brilliant blogs by other Bollywood-lovers.

I had just set up my other blog while, in the course of wandering aimlessly around blogworld, I stumbled upon Akshaye’s girlfriend’s blog. I’d been there before, in its infancy, when Beth had seen only a few Bollywood movies, and was thrilled to see how much it had grown and how much Beth really does love Bollywood. After reading some of her posts, I thought to myself, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to have a Bollywood blog dedicated to your current Bollywood favourite person, Dharmendra?’ So Beth, thanks for the inspiration. (Do I have NO original ideas of my own?)

Beth (via her sidebar) turned me on to other fantastic blogs which have now become frequent pitstops for me: Hrithik’s girlfriend’s blog, Abhishek’s girlfriend’s blog, Jhaji’s blog, Sheetal’s blog, Aparna’s blog and others. From that point, I discovered many other brilliant blogs – see my sidebar for my full (and ever-increasing) list of faves – most recently the-Shabana-Azmi-fan’s fantastic site. It’s been a lot of fun – but I think I’ve said that already. I love reading these bloggers’ news, reviews, views and impressions – both when they are similar to mine (sometimes uncannily so) and when they’re totally different (like: "What? You really don’t like….? I love it/him/her".)

It’s been a big Bollywood year for me – I’ve seen a LOT more Bollywood movies than I did last year, and I’ve learnt a lot more about Bollywood – although I’m still pretty much an ignoramus in many ways. I realise that there’s a lot about Indian film that’s inaccessible to me because of language and cultural differences (although I’ve found some parallels between my culture and Indian culture). While I’m a big fan of the whole ‘so much of our human experience is universal’ idea, I also recognize and enjoy the existence of that wonderful, complex thing called diversity.

Sometimes I wonder if I sound shallow and dumb (and quite possibly irritating) to any ‘authentic’ Bollywood fans (people who see the ‘big picture’ and appreciate all the contextual background stuff) who may stumble upon my blog. It’s something I wonder about now and again – have I become one of those annoying people who try to fit in ‘by force’ (Nigerian-ism for doing something ‘at all costs’, even when it’s not even working), and who then proceed to turn into insufferably arrogant creatures who think they know more about the lay of the land than its inhabitants? (A guy I met during my studies in England who’d spent a year working in Africa, and proceeded to spend over an hour trying to convince me that he knows more about Africa than I do, readily springs to mind…he was such a prat!)

Well, if I have fallen into the trap of becoming an ‘irritee’ on this blog, I guess my only defence is that it was unintentional. The aim of my blog is to express a very particular perspective on Bollywood – that of a Nigerian twenty-something (with certain personal preferences and probably a few unacknowledged prejudices) who just happens to adore Bollywood. I’ve tried to keep things as light-hearted and 'me' as possible, and to own up to my high level of ignorance (I’m just a Bollywood fangirl, enthusiast, aficionado and addict – I’d say I was a ‘buff’ too, except I hate that word. I’m definitely no connoisseur). Anyway, please do forgive (and feel free to correct in future) any slip-ups I may have made in this area.

In her post, Maja put up her 5 favourites ('hall of fame') and 5 least favourite ('hall of shame') Bollywood movies for 2006. I tried to do that, but it was too hard! I was coming up with like 10 movies in each category. So, being a lazy girl today, I’m going to do only one each.

‘DON – THE CHASE BEGINS AGAIN’: Seeing ‘Don’ (2006) was the high point of my Bollywood year, NOT because it was the best Bollywood movie I saw this year (it wasn’t – but don’t ask me which was), NOT because it stars one of my favourites (although I do love my SRK), and NOT even because I really, really enjoyed it (although I did – I absolutely loved it – but I enjoyed a few others more). It’s the high point because it marked a number of ‘firsts’ for me. It was the first Bollywood movie I’d ever seen on the big screen, which is a whole different experience from watching DVDs at home. It was the first movie (of any kind) I’d ever seen in a Nigerian cinema, which was long overdue. It was also the first time I met my fellow Nigerian-fan-of-all-things-Indian, which was very cool, because she’s a sweetheart. It was a very memorable afternoon, and I look forward to others like it in 2007.

‘INSANIYAT’: Watching the first 5 minutes of ‘Insaniyat’ (starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sunny Deol and just about everyone else in Bollywood) was pure torture – and hence the low point of my Bollywood year. I just couldn’t watch any more of it… which is very unusual for me, because I HATE to not finish a book or a movie. But after just 5 minutes of watching a tired-looking Amit-ji kicking bad guys’ behinds in ‘Insaniyat’, I completely gave up and NEVER plan to continue. It was that painful. So ‘Insaniyat’ joins ‘Pyaar Kya To Darna Kiya’ on the illustrious list of Bollywood movies I’ve been unable to finish. I usually ‘never say never’, but… NEVER!!!

So, it’s been an interesting, educative, and most of all a FUN, FUN, FUN (till my Daddy takes my T-Bird away) year in Bollywood for me… to sum up:

I’ve seen some really good movies
(And some awful ones)
I’ve ‘met’ lots of cool people
And read lots of cool blogs
I’ve had (more than) my fair share of crushes
And I know this is a very crappy poem so I’ll end it here –
All that’s really left to say is: ‘Bring on 2007!!’

(PS: My copy of ‘Chupke Chupke’ just arrived…yayy!)