Belly Dance

 India Today: Desi girl flaunts toned midriff while performing belly dance on Manike Mage Hithe. Viral video.

Lag Ja Gale - Bipasha Das From Nadia

 

When Robots Take Control - Story By Satyajit Ray

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2mqIgdae5I&feature=youtu.be

Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se

Sambhy, Sudha Malhotra, Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Amrita Pritam

• http://chandusheth.blogspot.com/2014/01/sahir-ludhianvi-amrita-pritam-sudha.html?m=1
• https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2015/dec/9/259/how-sahir-ludhianvi-and-sudha-malhotra-created-magic
  

Nachiketa Ghosh - Top 10 Songs - Bengali

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BI235zB1ZA&feature=youtu.be

Picks from the Top 10

1: Nishi Raat Baanka Chaand Akaashe

4: Neer Chhoto Kshati Nei

5: Aaj Du Jone Mondo Hole

7: Ek Baisaakhe Dekha Holo Du Jone

Kaun Hai Jo Sapnon Mein Aaya - Elvis And Rafi

https://youtu.be/46aqboQfKak

Dance Steps

Aruna Irani's in Caravan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3jEuMMUMhY&app=desktop

Very nice, and high energy. Like Sadhana.

From Bobby, Mein Shaayar Tho Nahin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmeMg-gm1Us&feature=youtu.be

Rajakumari And Rajamma

TR Rajakumari And MV Rajamma both were born around at the same time and died also around the same time. And they both look similar. Very good looking.

NCW And Raped Woman And Salman - Euphemisms And EuDontSayMisms

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/lifestyle/showbiz/live-salman-khans-raped-woman-remark-sparks-outrage-on-social-media/291554/:  How insensitive of Salman to say that he felt like a raped woman while shooting for a movie. 

What he went through while shooting was just a physical pain which in no way equals the emotional pain and humiliation that a raped woman goes through. What he did was of his own volition. While in the case of a rape it is not consensual. 

How could Salman even think of using such an analogy? His remark is indeed unfortunate. How could a self respecting man say such a thing about a self respecting woman, as some of the people in the article have commented.

That brings me to a related question.

What are the rules while using analogies? Which analogies are kosher and which are in poor taste?

Anything to do with minorities or women or children are not acceptable. It doesn't matter if it explains things better. Ends are not justified if the means are wrong. Especially when the Means is insensitive to certain people. Here are some examples:

• "Kitna buzdil hai wo! Chooriyan pehenni chahiye us ko" - no no, not allowed
• "This man is very childlike. He has the IQ of a 7 year old" - no no again
• "The woman is an amazon" Hmm may be ok but still perhaps better avoided.
• "I am aching in every part of my body. I have been hit and punched and squeezed.. I feel like I have been living the past hour in a washing machine." This is fine, though it seems very much like what Salman said, the reference is to a washing machine and not to a woman.
• "tu ek baap ka aulaad hai tho.." -  dangerous territory. Though there is no direct reference to women here one can still sense an insult that is being conveyed. Though I am not sure whether two men can ever contribute half a Y chromosome each in the making of a baby.
• "You are bleeding all over. Didn't you wash yourself? Don't you ever look at your face after you shave?" - this is ok even when a woman says this to a man who is not a close relative. But no, a man cannot say something similar to a woman who has a noticeable stain.. Repeat cannot.

 Published on

6/21/16, 1:08 PM

India Standard Time

Crazy Guys Like Me

What is it about the blind colonel (Al Pacino) in The Scent of a woman, Jack Nicholson in As good as it gets, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump? Their characters are so close to me.

I was watching Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. He is a guy who not only has a funny walk but is a simpleton also - generally unfit for most things. Once he is incarcerated and the jailor tells him that he is being freed. Charlie is aghast and asks the jailor if he couldn't stay longer there, he liked it so much. Charlie had such a wistful expression on his face.. 

Later when working with a plank he hammers it and sends a docked ship, held in place by the plank, back into water - with other workers watching in shock.

Why do I like Charlie and Amol (the one in Choti Si Baat, Golmaal, Naram Garam etc) so much? Doppelgänger?

On to a  different subject... "Agar aulaad aise hote hain tho humein nahi chahiye aulaad" - Paresh Rawal in the movie Baghbaan. There is a small tree (should I call it a tall plant) outside my house. When I water the plants in my small garden I water the small tree outside also.. I call that tree Alok - the character in Baghbaan. Amitabh writes something in Baghbaan that gets an award.. Or so the theme goes. Very similar to the theme in Anand  in which as Bhaskar Banerjee he gets an award. Behind the award, behind his speech is the entire film (Anand).

Amitabh has acted with all the Khans. And I have seen him with SRK in Veer Zara with with Salman in Baghbaan. And he provided a voice over in Aamir's Lagaan (and Saif's Parineeta). Surprising,  I have seen all these movies and enjoyed each one of them.

Published on

1/13/17, 1:14 PM

India Standard Time

I Discovered Henry Daniel

I was listening to a song from a movie I love "Malarendra Mugam Indru" sung by LR Easwari in Kaathalikka Neramillai. It had a male yodeling and I wondered who the male yodeler was. A little bit of googling later I found the name, Henry Daniel.

Now I was surprised. What was a Henry Daniel doing in that song? It's not a run of the mill name in Tamil movies of that era. So a little more googling on the name led me to some more information.

This post seemed to indicate that this man Henry Daniel was a piano player who worked with MS Viswanathan and his piano can be seen (heard) in these songs: "Paartha Gnabagam Illayo", "Enna Enna Varthaigalo", "Manithan enbavan theivamagalam", "Kann Pona Pokkile". 

I am impressed. I love each of these songs.

I found another Christian Sebastian D'Souza who seems to have contributed to the great melody of Shankar Jaikishan.  Look at the list of songs in Sebastian's wiki link.

And a few days later (Oct 6th 2016) one more christian PL Raj who choreographed some really nice dances songs as per the wiki link.

Published on

2/13/12, 7:13 PM

India Standard Time

Tu Pyaar Hai Kisi Aur Ka.. Tujhe Chaahta Koi Aur Hai

I was watching the movie Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin. I heard the song Tu Pyaar Hai Kisi Aur Ka.. Tujhe Chaahta Koi Aur Hai. I was reminded of another song with a similar theme. 

Raha Gardishon Mein Hurdam from the movie Do Badan. Lyrics here.

Yeh humaari badnaseebi ji aur nahi tho kya hai. Ke usike ho gaye hum jo na ho saka humaara.

As usual I started comparing the two songs. One from 1991 and the older quarter of a century back - from 1966. Nadeem Shravan the MD of the newer one and Ravi, that of the older one.

I hardly even listen to the lyrics. It's the music (tune) that interests me and the voice to some extent.

The older song is one of my favorite songs. The newer one... hmm can't say much about it.

 Published on

6/29/16, 2:35 PM

India Standard Time

Navratri Bingley

There is a movie called Navratri in Tamil which was made in the 1960s. It was remade in Hindi as Naya Din Nayi Raat with Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri in 1974.

The heroine's marriage gets fixed and she is love with a college mate. She runs away from home and meets various other people in the course of 9 days (of prathamai to navami of Navratri) all 9 are other roles incidentally performed by the same hero. Those roles could have been performed by any other actor. Finally, the heroine  returns home and finds that the groom found by her parents for her was none other than her lover.

There is a friend of mine who loved someone at the age of 13 who was a Bingley. She dreaded a Bingley. She ran away from him and subsequently found 8 other men who also were Bingleys. Finally she met a man of her choice and at last she was happy... until she found that the last was a Bingley too. 

Let this be a guiding rule for all those romantic girls who run away from something awful in the hope of finding the ultimate. Often the ultimate turns out to be no different from the initial. Imagine running desperately across time / space to reach the point you started from.

Published on

10/16/12, 11:25 AM

India Standard Time

Elegance In Movies

Sometimes I wonder what elegance is.

I thought Sadhana is in the song Aap Yun Hi Hum Se Agar Milte Rahe in the movie Ek Musaafir Ek Hasina (1962, MD: OP Nayyar).

And quite a few others. May be I will list them as I remember.

Published on

6/23/16, 4:45 PM

India Standard Time

Movies Based In Goa

The following movies come to mind. I have watched each of them umpteen times.

1. Singham
2. Drishyam
3. Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na
4. Ek Duje Ke Liye
5. Saagar
6. Bobby
7. Dhamaal: Copy of It's a Mad Mad Mad World

Additional reading:

http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/bollywoods-10-great-movies-set-in-goa/20140910.htm

Published on

3/18/17, 10:50 AM

India Standard Time

Some Nice Pictures Of Actresses and Videos

Some pictures of actresses that I like (none of these pictures/videos was taken by me):

Audrey Hepburn: http://www.blogjava.net/images/blogjava_net/jcat/Audrey%20Hepburn.jpg

Ingrid Bergman: http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Bergman,%20Ingrid/Annex/Annex%20-%20Bergman,%20Ingrid_04.jpg

Poonam Dhillon: http://www.10ka20.com/img/poonam-dhillon-1.jpg

Waheeda Rehman: http://www.surfindia.com/celebrities/bollywood/images/waheeda-rehman.jpg

Nutan: http://www.bhavakuta.com/images/bollywood-actress-images/Nutan.jpghttp://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTinvedBmcBoVCooUQiHAesM3CWKuTy1dD4iNOe_alG8Gor2BU&t=1&usg=__BXVqW24iVO5U_ZJc51P6t0W3JJ0=

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZcGyekdGn1HYu-7_d8oMZK69_t-EKggEfOYPqcfbWX_gll3Y&t=1&usg=__Vu3dlfIcQHeq_eJCxXAGE2og_88=

Nanda: http://www.timescontent.com/tss/photos/preview/21824/Nanda.jpg

Juhi Chawla http://www.india-forums.com/images/celebrity/l_241.jpg
Devyani: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ-lKgSWQ6Oi79iZcIrb2QyVcicaj9P64R2REUwCU7th4m1n-jRJoVQTglOLqUsL3be3zrOm8ZNW5fjr-Q_ZVF8qTsqMewBMJCggKacILK74Xy1mrt903pUrZXDIZRhbsLXHQsIBkDT4/s400/original_Devyani_4921145899f8d.jpg

Soundarya: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTspaXDLC5YpO0H7wttaLjZKMZ1PJER6Ks3Z71Jk0WMnZx_YOA&t=1&usg=__tWqxSu9_wFsPS9mDZ0UL2fk58hc=
Farida Jalal http://www.thelatestnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/farida-jalal.jpg
Rakhee (not Sawant) http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqp6T_GF7YM1rD82eXMVWL3udt0nUykJXQPKU4MuCfP6BeC6g&t=1&usg=__-iNcZEklHWw22kV07qSIu0VGudY=

Hema Malini: http://l.yimg.com/t/movies/movietalkies/20070813/10/hemamalini-4b-1_1186980678.jpg
Jayasudha http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQn5EoT-Vt3i-639HExSD7blSDZWKYuM5-X8RzGbKTS-QXii9k&t=1&usg=__P14fXFhUZywfa_OV_cthNQVRRoA=
Nadhiya (Zarina Moidu) http://www.extramirchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/nadhiya_photo.jpg and Asin http://www.letsknow.info/wp-content/images/2009/07/asin-thottumkal.jpg

(And of course there are Sadhana and TR Rajakumari whose pictures are already there in the blog at the top.)

Most of them have a very sweet and gentle face which is so nice to keep looking at. Femmo will understand what I mean. Hema Malini and Waheeda don't fall under this category but they are striking in their own way.  Hema has sharp features. I really need to reflect on Waheeda. 

Old pictures of Aishwarya Rai: http://www.cosmopolitan.in/celebrity/a9527/the-10-beautiful-and-rare-pictures-of-aishwarya-rai-from-her-modelling-days/

Some interesting videos:
Driving in India: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM

India Rising (a nice documentary on India): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ1O9NlnugE
An interesting dance (Nice CT): http://www.indyarocks.com/videos/Best-Dance-521639 

A blog on actors: http://indianactressclub.blogspot.in/

This is an artwork containing a nice picture of many Indian actresses. A friend sent me this.

Published on

9/9/10, 1:21 PM

India Standard Time

Konkani

A friend recently told me that Konkani was one of the oldest languages of India - older than Tamil, Hindi etc.

This was too strange to digest - so I thought I will look it up. Some links I went through are listed below.

• www.kamat.com/kalranga/konkani/konkani.htm
• http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/konkani/swomen.htm
• http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/konkani/antiquity_of_konkani.htm
• http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/konkani/faq.htm
• http://www.omniglot.com/language/articles/konkani.php
• http://controversialhistory.blogspot.in/2007/09/myths-of-konkani-language.html: As per this link Konkani evolved from Shouraseni Prakrit - which is from the days of Jainism. This link seems to be very good.
• http://www.gsbkonkani.net/OurHistory.htm
• http://vishwakonkani.org/konkani/people/
• Common phrases in various south indian languages including Tulu, Konkani, Marathi.

Additional reading:

• List of famous Konkani people: http://www.famousfix.com/list/konkani-people
• http://www.goaholidayhomes.com/information/learn-konkani.html
• http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/konkani/konkani.htm
• PhD Courses in Konkani: https://targetstudy.com/courses/phd-konkani.html

Many Women In Naveen Nischol's Life

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1060507/asp/look/story_6188369.asp - excellent gossip material

Singapore Fines And Expels Tamil Imam

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/singapore-expels-imam-for-divisive-speech/article17784563.ece

This is interesting and good news - wish we could do it in India too when people indulge in divisive speeches. Or is one supposed to have such freedom of expression? In case of the imam in Singapore he was expelled. 

What does one do when a citizen of the country does the same thing - for example when Muslims in UP plot jihad against Indians as a friend of mine, who is from UP, told me? Where do you expel them to? To Singapore?

South Indian Movies Too Crass And Loud

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/baahubali-2-the-ghazi-attack-enthiran-raees-kaabil-jolly-llb-2/1/885084.html