Ghar [ Home ] is one of those movies which I have heard more than seen. I know it has Rekha and Vinod Mehra in the lead roles, and I know it has one of the most memorable songs ever in Indian cinema. But, apart from catching up with the songs, I had known or seen very little of the movie. And now that I have seen it, I find it quite pleasantly surprising, on how brilliantly subtle and sensitive this movie is. Ghar is directed by Late Manick Chatterjee [ contrary to the misconception that Gulzar directed it]. Be it the polka dots on Vinod Mehra’s shirt, or Vinod Mehra’s mentioning of the 1970′s movie Sunflower [the one where De Sica directs Sophia Loren]; being a movie of the 70s, this movie is filled with references of that period. But that is just me being a bit too inquisitive about that period. Ghar, as a movie, captures an intense husband-wife relationship which struggles through an unfortunate incident. And when you see Ghar, you get the realisation that it does not take huge mansions or eye-blinding visuals to tell a story, when simplicity does it all so perfectly. The title here is a metaphor which plays at different levels. It refers to the initial premise of the story, when the couple faces difficulty in finding a proper home to settle down. But it is also refers to the home shared by the hearts of two lovers brought to the test due to an unfortunate incident. The home which provides shelter also becomes a space of insecurity and grief. All of this is revealed in layers in the plot, and I won’t keep pondering over it. Oh, there is so much to talk about. Brevity has never been one of my skills, but I will do my best to keep my praises short.
SYNOPSIS: **SPOILERS** AVOID IF YOU WANT TO KNOW IT FIRST HAND!
Also after the Jump: The Immortal and ‘Second to None’ Soundtrack of Ghar
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![Aandhi [1975] Montage](http://uploadpix.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/aandhi-title1.jpg)
With the result of the general elections been declared, and the UPA Sarkar acquiring a ‘Bahumat’, it certainly calls for a Bollywood treat and what better than Aandhi [1975].
Gulzar’s Aandhi could not have been more controversial. The subject matter evidently shows reflections of the lives of Indira and Feroz Gandhi, and it was released at a time when India was reeling under emergency (1975). But how could I have known; I was not born then. Watching Aandhi today in the year 2009, only brings me memories of the first time I heard the haunting melodies that this movie had to offer. Yes, I did watch this movie before but, never did I watch it with a mature understanding of Indian politics, the issues surrounding it and the sensibilities that this movie portrayed . But having watched it now, I can say Aandhi definitely sums up to a very compelling drama of a movie where political inclination and ego clashes between a man and a woman leads to a family’s disintegration. It echoes the feelings of Abhimaan, but with a political twist. [Continue Reading…]
Nostalgia is a great feeling. Especially when it takes you back to those days when you started listening to music. In my case, my musical education started with my Dad playing tunes of Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd.Rafi in our old Philips Audio Cassette Player. I can’t remember how old I was at that time, but those were the tunes which still give me chills when I listen to them. This new tag of Rewind is entirely dedicated to the ” Shwet Shyam” ( Black and White ) and the EastmanColour generation of Hindi Cinema; to the Rangolis and the Chitrahaars; to Shammi Kapoor, Sadhana, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Kishore Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Nargis and the immortals of that era.
Dad’s audio cassette collection had only three brands: HMV, EMI and T-Series (only for the Anup Jalota bhajans). And all the “Best Of” collections were often on HMV. One of these collection cassettes was a Best of Lata which had the song: O Sajana from the 1960 movie by Bimal Roy, Parakh. Dad also had the Bengali version of it: Naa Jeona. A brilliant composition of Salil Chowdhury, O Sajana finds glory in the lyrical simplicity of Shailendra and the immensely moving voice of Lata Mangeshkar. And then, coated with the innocence of Sadhana, this is when immortality is achieved on earth.
My favourite part of the song is in the second verse:
“Aise RimJhim Main O Sajan,
Pyaase Pyaase Mere Nayan..
Tere Hi …Khwaab Main…Kho Gaye..”
(Attempt at Translation: In this rain, O my Love; My eyes are thirsty; I am lost in dreams of you)
The Bengali version has an entirely different meaning, when it comes to the lyrics.
‘O Sajana’ talks about longing for one’s love in the rainy season. Whereas, the Bengali version: Naa Jeona talks about asking one’s love not to leave.
A bit from the Bengali lyrics:
Aami Je Tumari Shudhu, Jeebone Morone
Dhoriya Raakhite Chaahee Noyone Noyone
(Attempt at Translation: I am only yours in life and death, I wish to hold you in my eyes)
Simply put, it is just one of those legendary compositions that can never be recreated.
AFTER THE BREAK: The 3 , yes 3 versions of the song.
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O Re Paakhi…O Re Paakhi resonates in my ears and as I sit down to write the review of Sudhir Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chand, all that flashes into my eyes is the wet paint of the film sets, the halogen flood lights, the larger than life posters, and the filled theatre screenings of 1950’s -1960’s Bollywood, build perfectly to the last inch. Khoya Khoya Chand is sincere, honest and almost perfect in technique but unfortunately what starts off as story telling ends up being a history lesson. It is so much like a long lecture which started as being interesting and colorful, until the colors became repetitive and started blinding my eye. Of course, I’d stand up and applaud the technicians of the movie again and again throughout this review for making it almost feel like being seated in a Time Machine and getting deported to an era of the pot-bellied Producer getting bullied by the Superstars, the sleazy divas, the “favourable” Superstar, the struggling writer, the non-compliant industry-outsider director, the run of the mill dialogues and screenplay and the mom accompanied struggling wannabe. All of this and much more is taken care of perfectly and this is no small feat. What OSO (the other tribute to Bollywood movie, yeah the more commercial one) tried to attempt, Khoya Khoya Chand has achieved all of that and much more and it effortlessly makes us believe in Sudhir Mishra’s vision of the Black and White era of Indian Cinema. [Continue Reading…]
