Need I write any intro to this one. The title is pretty self explanatory. In the 20 years or so of Indipop [ that's a fair assumption right? ], we’ve had some really massive hits. But once in a while, there comes a hit to sweep all of us off our feet. And then, we don’t get to hear of that artiste ever again. Until they appear in regional channels judging (and in some cases – hosting and even participating ) reality TV shows, or appear in the left corner of some Page 3 party. So either they get busy in the scripted reality, or get seriously involved becoming social. Doesn’t matter where they eventually ended up, this list explores ..

The 10 ‘One Hit Wonders’ of Indipop.

10. Paisa – Agosh

Such a shame that this band churned out just a single hit when it showed so much promise with this single. The video is a very clever parody of the many flavours of brands consuming our lives. A very smart take on consumerism, Paisa, or as you would remember – Mujhe Mil Jo Jaaye Thoda Paisa – is narrated by an unsuccessful Kavi, sitting in a tea-stall, and speaks of what he’d do if he had money. His desires range from celebrating Sunday from Friday night, decorating his car with Disco light, having a beautiful Biwi, and even his Kids would have their own TV (noble thought). But the most simple, yet beautiful line here is – Hum bhi honge unke jaise ( We’d also be like THEM ) – Kind of shows the frustration of the struggling lower middle class, which looks at the ridiculous affluence of the high society and its glam sham. Musically, this is a brilliant fusion of rock and Carnatic – listen to the sweet Guitar solo. Very very awesome!! [ Video Link ]

The list continues after the jump.

9. Kahin Karta Hoga – Anamika

Almost 4 feet something Anamika, splashed on our TV screens, and every channel beamed this song. What I didn’t realise then was that this is a remix of a very old Biswajeet song from the movie Phir Kab Milogi (1974), originally sung by Mukesh. The new version features a high heeled Anamika trying to do a sort of a Swayamvar and trying to select from Red Indians, to Kung Fu masters, to futurustic Robots? And finally settling for a Desi dude – kyunki – Jaanii, Dil Hai Hindustani !! Unfortunately, we did not hear back from Anamika after that – perhaps, she lived happily ever after with some desi dude. Oh, she did make some appearances as guest judge on Boogie Woogie, and a minor hit remix of - Se Hooooo Tumko Piya, Dil Diya Kitne Naaz Se, but that video disappeared like Tushaar Kapoor’s PR manager. [Video Link]

8. Ae Sanam – Abbey

This video created a rage of jerking heads throughout the nation. If you have seen the video, followed it back then, and the parody created by the Jaffreys n Behl trio, you’d certainly know what I mean by the jerking head. If you haven’t, try watching the video, and I think it is pretty obvious. The track is a very groovy techno mix and Abbey’s vocals are crunchy, rough and crisp. The non-stop unedited feel in the video, shot in a steel manufacturing factory was a trendsetter back then. And this was also the launch vehicle for Abbey, who went on to sing the male vocals on RGV’s Company hit item number – Khallas. But what happened of Abbey after this? [Video Link]

7. Ek Rahen Eeer – Big B

Not even Big B could escape the curse of the One Hit Wonder. The album Aby-Baby remixed by Bally Sagoo was a big hit. And its two highly promoted singles were the talk of the nation then. One of them - Kabhi Kabhi - a remix of the Sahir Ludhianvi/ Khayyam / Lata Mangeshkar original mixed with Big B’s narration of the poem featured in the movie. The second hit single – Ek Rahen Beer, is a poem written by Mr.Bachchan’s father – Harivansh Rai Bachchan. It basically featured Big B rapping in the video about these three kids – Eer, Beer, and Phatte and their many exciting adventures. Choreographed by Prabhudeva’s brother Raju Sundaram, and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the video’s stylish presentation and interesting special effects were nothing less than brilliant. It was also the time when Big B’s BPL ads were doing the rounds on telly (remember, him walking out Piccadilly Circus, and then on the roof, speaking of Believing in the Best? ). But after the success of Aby Baby, Big B has not done another album, or even a single. [ Well, he sorta did a collaboration with Adnan Sami on Kabhi Naee.. but meh! ] [Video Link]

6. Chandu Ke Chacha – Aasma

Channel V’s second popstars with the Kudi aur Mundo ka funda fizzed for a while. At least with the initial release of first album. Imagine, months long audition process to select the nation’s best popstar group, and then you end up singing – Chandu Ke Chacha Ne , Chandu ki Chacha Ko… how lame! No wonder, this was a big hit. The only thing that was memorable about the whole Aasma episode of Channel V popstars was Simpoo Sir’s ads of the Popstar – with the awesome aping of Kumar Sanu’s nasal notes (see video here), and the Kudi aur Munda, Popstars ka Naya Funda. Everything else was meh! Aasma did try to follow up with a single for the OST of White Noise – Mere Saiya Mere Balma. Does anyone remember that?
[P.S. I haven't included Viva here, because they at least had a respectable second album with that awesome techno track - Ye Pyar Nahi to Kya Hai Jaana ] [Video Link]

5. Mohabbatein Lutaunga – Abhijit Sawant

Speaking of reality talent hunt shows, why forget the most popular one – Indian Idol. I know there have been a lot of products from these shows who are forgotten faster than Rakhi Sawant’s last national breaking news headline comment. Be it Debojit Saha, Onek Dhar, Toshi, Rahul Vaidya, Qazi Touqeer, Ruprekha, Prajakta Shukre – the list is endless. But of course, the crown in this genre has to go to the one to begin it all – Abhijit Sawant. As the first Indian Idol, he arrived with a bang with that ‘oh-I-am-so-obliged-to-be-here’ song ‘Mohabbatein Lutaunga’. The nation certainly took notice. He toured and toured cities, towns, villages, in India and abroad. And round 1 was completed. Nothing cool came up for Round 2 unfortunately. Abhijit Sawant since then, was seen in Reality TV shows – competing, hosting and singing in between – onstage, and even in drag. [Video Link]

4. O O Jaane Jana – Kamaal Khan

This one was a rage of national proportions. London return, Kamaal Khan’s catchy guitar melody caught the ears of the nation and he was a national phenomenon after that. His track was also given the Bollywood treatment, now famous as that shirtless song. A second single from the same album followed – Kya Yehi Pyar Hai. And then Kamaal Khan was never to be seen in the Indipop circle. His second single – Suno To Deewana Dil featured Riya Sen , but never managed to climb the heights of Indipop charts. He can be heard these days playbacking in certain Salman Khan movies such as – Maine Pyar Kyu Kiya (Laga Laga Laga Re). Just for fun, check this out – Sonu Nigam mocking Kamaal Khan [Video Link]

3. Breathless – Shankar Mahadevan

Ok, this is here just because of technicality. Of course we are surrounded by the music and melody of Shankar and the trio – Shankar/ Ehsaan / Loy. But for Shankar as a solo pop artist – this was it. His single attempt at being a solo artist was accompanied by Javed Akhtar’s lyrics. The song speaks of the ‘one’ which brings colourful changes to one’s life – Koi Jo Mila To Mujhe Aisa Lagta Tha, Jaise Meri Sari Duniya Mein Geeto ki Rut, Aur Rango ki Barkha hai, Khushboo ki Aandhi hai

(Attempt at translation: When I met that ‘one’, I felt as if my whole world was in a climate of music, there is a rain of colours and a storm of fragrance) – - awesome foreplay with words don’t you think?

Such a shame that the duo – Javed saab and Shankar did not attempt at going independent and non-Bollywood soundtrack again. The occasional collaboration of Shankar with other artistes such as Alka Yagnik or Taufiq Qureshi (Rhydhun , oh man! I need to get back to listening Rhydhun again ) have given us some really memorable melodies, but c’mon, don’t you think a solo album again by Shankar would be so awesome? [Video Link]

2. Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat – Aslam , no Shibani

This is again one of those lucky tracks to have enjoyed maximum airplay in its prime. Featuring Shibani Kashyap and a very muscular Nakul Kapoor ( then famous as the bungee jumping Thums up dude ), the video to this song was shot in the picturesque backwaters of Kerala (Alleppey?). And then, the cheesy storyline to accompany the lyrics – Girl taking dips in the sea, boy sees girl (gets turned on), but to avoid being termed a pervy, wears a black glass and poses to be blind. Girl accidentally bumps into boy later to find out boy is not blind and argues. Later, girl sees boy helping small girl, and gets so impressed that she falls for him. Wait wait…whaaaa????  And then, they pose in extreme hues of blue, much like a Kamasutra condom ad. Ok, no time for arguments here; the video is only 5 mins long. And oh, there are some angrezi lyrics to end the song too.
But yaar, what happened to Aslam after this? Shibani had him with Ketchup  [Video Link ]

1. Chui Mui Si – Milind Ingle

The father of all One-Hit-Wonders. This one comes from the house of Rajshri Productions – yes, the one who gave us Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (and everything after that never happened , NEVER HAPPENED !!!). In true Rajshri productions style, this musical movie was revealed with each song serving as a 5 minute episode of the big wedding video. Featuring Abbas and Preeti Jhangiani and the clip teddy bear ( awarded the 1st runner up merchandise of all time, second to – the Friends cap in Maine Pyar Kiya ), this video is usual Bollywood fare. Oh, I completely forgot to mention – Milind Ingle. He sort of made an appearance after Ye Hai Prem ( the album where Chui Mui Si features ), singing a track called – Main to hu ek rasiyaa (which sank like 15 Rakhi Sawants tied to one Ravi Kishan and a massive stone). But none of us can deny the amount of cultural uproar and impact that Ye Hai Prem (as an album) and Chui Mui Si ( as a pop video) had on us. It catapulted the career of Preeti Jhangiani until she decided to throw it all away by doing movies such as Chaahat: Ek Nasha and Aan: Men At Work. We still are quite optimistic of yet another musical episodic saga from the house of Rajshri to invade our screen space. [Video Link]

So there you go, those were the 10 one hit wonders of the Indipop world. I am sure I have missed some. Shout it out in the comments, and for a change, please show some love – Retweet, share on Facebook, Digg, stumble. Come on!! Don’t be shy my honey! Oh Rouge – dammit. Maybe next time.

When the world is busy fighting the evils of capitalism and the double-faced monsters of austerity, Viacom 18  and Endemol India have conjured up this much bigger evil of unleashing the  Hydra version of Bollywood’s biggest slut – Shakti ‘Aaoo’ Kapoor, and has given him 11 “laundiyas” to play with. If you think that with that comment, I just objectified women, then you should check out how Colors is actually promoting it. Ladies and Gentlemen, quite against our initial apprehensive thought that this reality TV series would make it to its 5th incarnation, Bigg Boss Season 5 is here. And with national media covering every move, there is just no escaping this absolutely unnecessary and unwanted television show. Producers are just happy creating more TRP by means of the outrageous characterisation of the “Reality TV” versions of these “has-been” and “wannabe” celebs. And we as a nation, are happy to keep tuning in, no matter how much we continue to despise it.

Although I can’t believe that I am actually writing about something I absolutely hate, I have to keep reminding myself that this is for the greater good of stopping as many people as I can from watching this show. So, if you care to survive through this shit-storm, then hit the jump as we discuss through the Season premiére of Big Boss Season 5.

As you might have seen (or failed miserably to avoid not seeing) the promos, there’s Shakti Kapoor having the time of his life with 11 women. For the first time in the history of mankind, the scale of man:woman ratio has tipped on the female side (unlike Engineering colleges and B-Schools). But that is not quite the first shock that you get in this year’s lineup. Apart from the inclusion of Shakti, there is hardly anything left to talk about. Yes, the channel is promoting it as the headline churner machine that it was in the previous seasons, but this list of fairly unknowns are just no match with what the rumour mill has been talking about. There is no Madhuri, no Mike Tyson, and no Shakira (I can’t reveal my sources).

This year’s lineup has neither any Kamaal R Khan equivalent, nor anyone who can pose to be a Dolly Bindra. But most importantly, there is no real oomph to the show. The strategically and numerogically placed extra ‘G’ in BIGG BOSS, somehow only translates into Gandupanti this season. What can we say about the lineup of ladies -

Wife of a Criminal, a Eunuch, One Hit wonder erstwhile popstar, the lady who lifted her red skirts in slow mo, TV hosts and VJs, and the rest can be categorised under – “No one doesn’t care to give a single fuck about them”.

On the other hand, the hosting lineup is bigger than ever. Salman is back in the host avatar, and has bigger bicep-ed and flabbier bellied Sanju baba helping him out as co-host. They enter in matching leather jackets and bikes and flash a glare here and a stare there. The budget of the promo video looks more than what the producers agreed to spend on bringing together this year’s line-up of housemates. And when you think that Salman-Sanju jodi will bring a good sense of comic jugalbandi twist to the show, Sanju baba disappoints. There’s hardly any chemistry flying across, and seems Sallu’s comic second half from Chal Mere Bhai has evaporated in this TV version. Would it have been a better idea to get Arshad and Sanju do some Munna-Circuit version of TV instead? Wishful thinking.

The opening episode, as per tradition, had its fair share of opening acts, but nothing magnificent enough even by TV awards shows standards. There’s the obligatory promotion of Sanju’s next film – David Dhawan’s Rascals. And by the time all the contestants get settled in the house, you realise that Shakti Kapoor is the most high profile celeb in the list. And THAT pretty much sums it all up.

Will I be watching the show? Abso-fucking-lutely NO! But yes, like all the voyeurs of Bigg Boss out there, I’ll be looking out for what’s everyone tweeting about.

Prior to the year 2001, Indian cinema screen space was primarily occupied by the run-of-the-mill popcorn entertainers, mildly interrupted by the multiplex movie – an attempt to cater to the urban audiences who were fed on MTV, Star World and international sitcoms. The Bollywood blockbuster had turned into a potion of ingredients best known to the ones who incorporated the star sons and daughters, copied scripts from Hollywood blockbusters, diamond merchant producers and South Indian technicians into the perfect recipe. Most often than not, these recipes failed, with only those suceeding at the Box Office which genuinely appealed to both classes as well as masses. The top list from the entire decade of the ’90′s-produced’ blockbusters consisted of DDLJ, DTPH, K2H2, KNPH, HDDCS and other multi-worded titles, delving deep into the world of romance and romantic storylines spicened up with sub-plots of obstacles to romance such as a father who is never pleased with a love marriage. The time was nigh for the recycled storylines to be discarded and to embrace new ideas and challenging scales of storytelling.

The year 2001 marked the rising of a new sun in the horizon of Indian cinema. June 26 2001, things were about to change dramatically. LAGAAN was released and in every sense of the term, it was a game-changer.

In this post, I will be  discussing about LAGAAN and how its influence can be seen in today’s Indian cinema. The magical glow of this cinematically brilliant masterpiece still shines bright even today, 10 years after its release, and here’s why.

THE SCALE:

Let’s first focus on the sheer scale of this project. Now, I am not at all saying that grandiose elements have been absent from Bollywood. Right from K.Asif’s palatial sets in Mughal-E-Azam to the very 90′s Nitin Desai and Sanjay Bhansali Rajasthan recreation Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bollywood has always been renowned for its ‘larger than life’ image. Even in family dramas of Karan Johar, the main hall staircase would beat the British Museum staircase hands down. But that is not quite exactly the same kind of scale that I am talking about here.

Lagaan’s scale is depicted in terms of its magnitude of imagination. The canvas for this painting spanned from the Victorian palaces in the British Raj period, to the rural huts made of clay in Champaner. The villages and their daily lives, the law and order system managed by their Sarpanch and Panchayat, and also their loyal service to the Maharaj of Champaner is depicted effortlessly in the background without any dialogues. The oppression and tyranny by the Raj is narrated to minute scenes that weave in seamlessly. And the beauty of rivalry shines through the arrogance of Capt.Russell and the heroically challenging nature of Bhuvan.

And there is the ensemble cast laid out as smartly as a masterstroke. A brief description of the wonderful cast can be read in my other Lagaan post : The LAGAAN ensemble – LAGAAN XI and more.

The second big scale that I am talking about is obviously the extras that were brought from various villages to be featured on the climactic showdown moment of the movie. It is now famously known as – The day of the 10,000. The logistics involved with handling 10,000 villagers, their food, their clothes, their exact placement and of course the desired execution of the scene – that in itself deserves a big round of applause. It indeed is awe inspiring for future generation of directors to attempt something similar or on this scale.

It probably even enabled Ashutosh Gowariker to be able to dream of bigger projects such as Jodhaa Akbar.

OSCAR HUNGRY KYA!

LAGAAN made it into the final 5 nominations for the Foreign Film category after a very long absence from the list. The last Indian movie to feature on the final 5 list was Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay in 1988. With this ‘victory’, it certainly opened up Bollywood to the international market more than before. People became more and more curious about the Indian film industry which apparently churned out more movies than the better known Hollywood. Back home, things were changing. Over the next coming years, contending for the Indian entry for the Oscars became more than just a movie competition. Things even took a political turn.

Just have a look at the list of Indian entries for the foreign film category in the 90s – It includes one Malayalam movie (Guru), 5 Tamil movies (Anjali, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal, Indian and Jeans- jeez! what were the selection committee smoking? ), 4 Hindi art-house movies ( Bandit Queen, Rudaali, Earth and Hey Ram) and just one Bollywood mainstream movie – RK Films’ Henna.

I believe that I am not wrong to say that ever since Lagaan made it into the final 5, the perception of Oscar being the ‘unattainable’ awards has faded. More and more movies invested in making themselves visible, not only to the NRI audiences but also to anyone and everyone who loved cinema. The global image of Bollywood had dawned. No, I am not saying it all started with Lagaan, but Lagaan surely was a huge step forward ( at least from sending Jeans to the Oscars).

TECH-NICHE:

In one of the interviews, Aamir Khan commented about how Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar (both accomplished directors in their own rights) warned him to keep away from two things in Bollywood whilst making movies – single schedules and sync-sound. Aamir now looks back at that comment and replied that these directors now implement the same techniques in their movies.

For the uninitiated, single schedule means shooting the entire movie – from start to finish – in a single schedule. Typically, that would mean every single cast and crew member to be completely committed to that single project at that time.

Sync sound means recording the sound as and when the performances are been recorded. In other words – no dubbing.

Both of these techniques were infamous for the various challenges they posed in terms of managing teams, crews, cast members, and delays etc. LAGAAN’s single schedule shooting was located in the remote village of Bhuj in Gujarat. The challenges with the windy weather, the heat, and all crew members being together at one single place meant that the assisting team had a massive project management task in their hands. And it almost is a lesson for aspiring filmmakers. I vividly remember Asst.Dir Apoorva Lakhia saying it in the making documentary – This is going in my resume

KAHANI THODI HATKE:

Let me try to give this a shot – A story of British ruled India where villagers of Champaner are taxed. It hasn’t rained for the last two years and hence farming hasn’t been very fruitful. A group of villagers led by Bhuvan visit the palace to appeal for tax relaxation. Arrogant British Captain Andrew Russell challenges Bhuvan and his villagers to a cricket match –  the stakes are – tax free if they win, or else three times the original tax. Bhuvan accepts the challenge, and with help from Capt. Russell’s younger sister Elizabeth (who is secretly in love with Bhuvan) overcome all odds to win.

But LAGAAN is so much more than just that. Under the main storyline of the victory of underdogs over obstacles, the many layers of complex human interactions in Indian society is also one noteworthy aspect of LAGAAN. Bhuvan’s strong opposition against caste division or the terming of a human as ‘achhoots’ is as heroic as the big victory itself. Gauri’s undying love for Bhuvan, even when the entire village is against him is what love stories are made of. And Elizabeth’s unrequited love is a tragedy on its own.

When Aamir heard it the first time from writer Ashutosh Gowariker, he said that Ashutosh had gone bonkers and such a movie couldn’t be made.

Compare this story with those of the 90s blockbusters.

DIL, Saudagar, Sanam Bewafa, Raja Babu, DDLJ, Raja, Raja Hindustani, Ishq, – Boy and Girl first fight, then fall in love. Parents are total bitches who won’t give in. But then badass Romeo and kickass Juliet triumph eventually.

Aaj Ka Arjun – Gori Hai Kalaiyan, Oppressor Thakur and rapist brother get Hero’s sister pregnant, Baby Guddu plays the Hero’s nephew, and Hero takes his Badlaa. <insert Maa Kasam> The above elements can be re-arranged in various combinations to reproduce as Koyla, Narsimha, Ghayal etc.

Get the point?

Of course, there were the Abbas Mustan suspense movies as well as the Mani Ratnam gems once in a while. But the traditional Bollywood plotline no longer existed. It was time for love stories to explore more than just revolting parents, and movies to explore the world beyond Karwa Chauths and Sangeet ceremonies.

AAMIR KHAN PRODUCTIONS:

One of the most important outcomes from the success of LAGAAN was the formation of one of the strongest movie production company of Bollywood – Aamir Khan Production. With the success of Lagaan, the movie company emerged as a powerhouse of movie making, equipped to make cinema with its heart in the right place and its eyes set on the target of creating brilliant cinema. The track record for the company has so much to say for itself – movies that succeeded LAGAAN’s mantle – whether as regularly Bollywood romantic as Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, or the poles apart documentarish – Dhobi Ghat, or even Aamir débutante directorial feature – Taare Zameen Par – with every movie the company has just got stronger and stronger. Although this can be termed as a passive impact of Lagaan, it should be noted that hadn’t LAGAAN succeeded the way it did, the future of Aamir Khan productions would have been questionable.

But above all these points, the biggest impact of LAGAAN was its sincerity towards its art. It was a collection of zealous individuals from all over the world coming together to create cinematic magic. Here’s just a taste of what the magic ingredients consisted of:

Bhanu Athaiya: Oscar winner costume designer, who designed costumes for the villagers as well as the Royals, and the British Captain Russell, and his sister Elizabeth Russell.

Anil Mehta: Cinematographer, who found the ‘diamond imagery’ in the desert. There’s heat and the heat-waves, but there’s also the unforgettable golden sunset view.

A K Hangal: Probably one of the most famous character actors of Bollywood. As Shambhu Kaka, his two lines in the entire script, speaks volumes.

A.R.Rahman and Javed Akhtar: Music and Lyrics – for more of this magic, go here [ The Soundtrack of Lagaan ]

There is still so much to be said and so much to be discussed about this movie.

But I would conclude by quoting what Suhasini Mulay ( who plays Yashodamai, Bhuvan’s mother) said in the making of Lagaan documentary – We ( the caste and crew members) are all misfits. In a society which works in the 9 to 5 work shifts, we are definitely misfits because we cannot work in that routine. We are lunatics who love this – making art.

God bless such lunacy exists for it made us witnesses to the magnificence of epic storytelling. If lunacy can indeed produce such gems, who needs sanity anymore?

[ This post is a part of the 10th anniversary celebration of LAGAAN , initiated by TheBollywoodFan, this is my contribution towards it.

Please check out my previous posts on Lagaan here:

• Soundtrack of LAGAAN
• The LAGAAN Ensemble - LAGAAN XI and more ]

There are not many movies in Indian cinema where you can name each and every character of the ensemble. It has been 10 years since the release of LAGAAN, and even so, the excitement and enthusiasm as well as the anguish and misery of the many characters of LAGAAN is as fresh and graphically vivid in my memory  as it was when I finished watching it the first time. The only other movie that can claim to have attained such a feat is (no points for guessing) the immortal blockbuster – SHOLAY. So why not reflect upon these colourful members who complete this massive painting of LAGAAN with their various shades.

Outside the LAGAAN XI:

Aakshvaani – Sutradhaar (Amitabh Bachchan)

The voice which introduces us to the world of Champaner, and also concludes the tale with the words – “Itihaas ke Panno mein kahin kho gayi hai” [ Lost somewhere in the pages of history ]

‘Maa’ – Yashodamai (Suhasini Mulay)

“Hey Ram! Bakhat se pehle hi khushiyaan!” [ Hey Ram, premature celebrations ]

The quintessential mother, but not Bollywood-ish. She sees the reflection of her lost husband in the courage and daring nature of her son.

[WARNING: Image heavy post ]

The King – Raja Puran Singh  (Kulbhusan Kharbanda)

“THAT’S called Kicking The Horse!”

The vegetarian King of Champaner, he is reduced to being a mere diplomat by the bullying forces of the Raj. The only thing he can do is comply to ever taxing demands of the Raj and deal with the arrogant Capt.Russell. The King’s jubilance in the villager’s victory is brilliantly depicted in his gesture, when he impulsively attempts to take off his pearl necklace to gift it to the villagers. Such a Royal!

The Old Man of the village – Shambhu Kaka (A.K.Hangal)

“Ye Tu Ne Kya Kar Diya Bhuvan” [ What have you done Bhuvan! ]

As the old man of the village, Shambhu Kaka has seen the ups and downs of life. He is very sceptical of the decisions made by Bhuvan, and hence questions him to reason his impulsive decision.

The commentator – Ram Singh (Javed Khan)

“Hum Jeet Gaye” [ We have WON! ]

He is the translator of Coach Elizabeth’s cricket lessons in English to Hindi. And when he is thrown out by Capt.Russell, he has a change in career to the loudspeaker holding first Indian commentator. His moment of jubilance gleams in his eyes and that mixed expression of happiness, celebration, disbelief and euphoria is one of the ‘moments’.

DESI-GIRL: Gauri ( Gracy Singh )

“ Bharosa hai mohe… tujh pe… tohri himmat pe. ” [ I trust .. you.. and your courage ]

She’s not the damsel in distress. She can very well take care of herself. She steers clear of the letches (Lakha) and knows how to go for her hero (Bhuvan). Although she does show lady-like characteristics ( as in being jealous when Bhuvan spends more time with memsaab Elizabeth ), but when it comes to love, she’s damn serious about it. She won’t let the memsaab hit the bell before she does, and can effortlessly make everyone jealous with her Raas Leela dance as Radha. Her undying love for Bhuvan is her strength as well as her weakness.

The coach – Elizabeth Russell (Rachel Shelley)

“Tum khel ke baare mein kya jaante ho” [ What do you know about the game? ]

The lady with the golden heart – she is what angels must be like. Even if it meant betraying her brother, her decisions are solely based on morality. She supports the right, and this meant that she’d give cricket coaching to the villagers, sometimes in a very secret service kinda way. But she remains unlucky in love. What a tragedy!

THE LAGAAN XI

Sardar Sodhi aka Deva (Pradeep Singh Rawat, aka Ghajini) – here’s something which sums him up:

“Agar gend phenkoon toh teeno lakdiyan di dhajjiyan udha doon. Aur jo agar kheloon toh gend nu cheer ke rakh doon” [ If its balling, then all three wickets should be destroyed. If its batting, then tear through the ball ]

~ On second thoughts, do you think that Deva is a bit violent. All he can talk about is tearing and destroying.

The jealous Lakha (Yashpal Sharma), who’d go to even betraying his own village to put down Bhuvan, but then he has a change of heart and eventually becomes a convert to Bhuvan’s goodness.

The angst driven Arjan (Akhilendra Mishra) whose only medium to vent out his frustration is to hit the ball as hard as possible.

The naggy neighbour in Ismail (Raj Zutshi) who is troubled by Bhura’s (Raghubir Yadav) poultry. Bhura is the guy you wanna consult about fielding – LAGAAN XI’s Jonty Rhodes. [Thanks to Darshit for the heads up]

Ismail, Bhuvan’s bachpan-ka-dost, who is as competent in Gulli-Danda as Bhuvan himself.

Goli (Daya Shankar Pandey) – Weird bowling action, but gives away the surprise with a grunt.

The ever-colorful Baba Guran (Rajesh Vivek) with his signature full toss deliveries and prophecies.

Bagha (Amin Hajee) – The mute drummer; catching is not his forte’ but he eventually overcomes his own fear. Has a thing for prematurely declaring rain as well as air-drumming. He’s as angst-driven and impulsive as Arjan. Calm down boys! Shaant Gadadhari Bheem…Shaant!

Sasurjee – Ishwar Kaka ( Vallabh Vyas) – lacks in stamina but he’s also the health specialist of the team.

Spin baller Kachra (Aditya Lakhia) – Bhuvan predicts that the team will win because of his ‘phirkee’.

Mukhiya (Rajendra Gupta) who is always sceptical of Bhuvan’s decision, but also secretly believes in his vision.

And finally, the young and restless no.12 runner, Tipu (Amin Gazi) who gets run-out.

And the captains of the two teams: -

Captain / Apna HERO – BHUVAN (Aamir Khan)

“ Toh phir saari alag-alag ungliyan ki muthi ban jaaye Mukhiya ji” .

He is the dude. He’s the leader with a vision and in whom the village of Champaner rely upon. He is a bit impulsive when it comes to making decisions, but at the same time, he is level headed and knows how to achieve the goals. A charmer by nature ( C’mon he swooned both the Desi-Girl and Videsi-Laundee!), he is got exceptional leadership skills. He knows how to influence people and manage them. Not to forget his ‘Udit Narayan’ vocals and excellent choice in Dhotis. He knows his Hindu mythology very well (remember he explained how Lord Krishna and Radha weren’t married to each other). He is also progressive in mindset and hence, opposes irrational and orthodox cultures such as caste-division and stands by his decisions. Even the Mukhiya knows that Bhuvan is his successor.

Mr. BAD MAN – Captain Andrew Russell ( Paul Blackthorne )

” Dugna lagaan doge ki shart manzoor hai ? “

He is the arrogant British oppressor. The intoxication of power resides in his head, and he sees everybody as his slaves. He takes his cricket seriously, and would go to any length to winning it – especially when the stakes are high. So be it hitting opponents with bodyline deliveries to make batsmen out with hit-wicket, or employing moles to participate in the opponent’s team, Capt.Russell would do it all to win. A protective brother, and an even more proud person, it was indeed his excessive pride in his own talent which saw his downfall.

[ This is a post celebrating 10 years of LAGAAN. There is yet another post in this series to come, so watch this space . Special Thanks to TheBollywoodFan for his imense enthusiasm over the years for organising this annual blogathon event.  Re bhaiya.... Chhoote Lagaan! ]

My addiction with GIF creation has reached epic levels. And hence, I am insanely churning out more and more. As you know, my GIFs are being posted on Bollypop.in. And strictly for promotion reasons, I am announcing it here that a new section is going to be launched soon. (Look at those fancy words I am sneaking in here). So you guys are getting an exclusive sneak peek of Bollypop Moving Posters. This section, as the title goes, is called – Moving Posters. Have a sneak peak at the one below.

DEV D (2009)

There’s two more after the jump.

KAMINEY (2009)

And for a complete genre change, here’s some..ermmm KJo.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998 )

For more Moving Posters, follow the tag here on Bollypop.

REKHA- TOBER = REKHA + OCTOBER

All that’s awesome about Rekha, all throughout October.

[ Rekha ji rules the whole month of October, and not even Big B's birthday can overrule this . Coz I said so. Rekha turns 56 on the 10th of October, and we are celebrating her works and her streak of awesomeness, all this month on OKS and a whole league of Bolly blogs out there. For more on Rekha Month, follow the twitter hashtag - #Rekhatober. All blogs will be indexed on Bollypop.in and also watch out for the Rekhatober sidebar here. ]

Khubsoorat is a gem in every sense of the word. It is mindblowingly entertaining with effervescent enthusiasm of Rekha’s character – Manju and a brilliant ensemble cast which supports this enthusiasm. Brilliantly written and executed by none other than the maestro of middle-class common man Indian cinema – Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee ). I almost feel incapable of expressing correctly, how much I love this movie. It is beyond any comparison and any adjective to put it into words. So, I will just point out why I love this movie so much, and why I crown this as the BEST REKHA MOVIE EVER. Needless to say, this process will be aided by a big lineup of screenshots, so hold on to your seat-belts. I officially declare #Rekhatober open. Let the celebrations begin.

So many reasons to love Khubsoorat

P.S. Spoilers if you haven’t watched this legendary movie already. In which case, I suggest you to run like the wind and grab the DVD for this. And P.S.2 LONG POST.

Let’s begin with ..

Nirmala Gupta and the Gupta family breakfast

Dina Pathak rules this movie with her spot-on portrayal of the strict-mum of the house –  Nirmala Gupta. Not even her husband is spared from her disciplinary code of conduct. Everyone eats breakfast together, and at 8.30 am in the morning. And no one dares to make the dining hall dirty. And if someone does it, he/she has to rectify it. Not even her husband is allowed to break the rule. It all establishes the fact that the Guptas are a very disciplined bunch and the head of the family is Mommy Nirmala . But well, Dadamoni cannot let go of his playful naughtyness

And in the opposite corner, is the Dayal family..

Exactly poles apart from the strict and regulated Guptas, the Dayals are a happy rhyming bunch, dropping limericks in their daily speech. The daughters – Manju (Rekha) and Anju and their dad (Ram Dayal ) discuss daily politics in rhyme (how awesome is that, and what a wonderful introduction scene. Jeeyo Hrishida!) Not to forget, even their house cook – Ashrafi Laal (Keshto Mukherji ) contributes to this awesome rhyming atmosphere. Baajre ki Roti aur Masoor ki Daal

Sun Sun Sun Didi tere Liye

Anju’s rishta comes along, by the help of common friend – Uma Shanker, who never shys away from ‘taking guarantee’ [You'll know this if you have watched the movie ] . Manju is not happy that Anju agreed so readily to the whole ladkewaale dekhne aa rahe hai scenario. She says – Aay Haay! Ye Kyun Nahi Kehti ki Shaadi karne ke liye Tadap rahi hai [ Why don't you say that you're dying to get married! ] . And she promises that she’ll dress up her sister in a Banarasi brocade wali sari to make her look like – Jhamila Baano’s Qawwali. Whoever wrote those lines is a legend for me.  And of course, this whole song that follows, reminds me of the scene from Sholay, when Jai goes to Chachijee to ask for Basanti’s ‘haath’ for Veeru.

You know, how he sells Veeru with all his talents and habits in geometric progression. Gulzar made that into this song.

The Ladki dekhne waali scene.

One of my favourite scenes in this movie. But then, there a lot of such favourite moments in this movie. This is the scene where the Dayals have come to do some rishta-pakka business between the second son of the family – Sundar, and the eldest daughter in the Dayal family – Anju. Check out how Jagan (Ranjit Chowdhry ) quickly responds to what his strict mum had instructed –  Humare Yaha Striyo ki hi Zyada Chalti hai . Always gives me a chuckle.

And when  Jagan refuses any Mithai for his Pappa, Dad Dwarka Prasad Gupta ( Dadamoni Ashok Kumar) gets angry and calls him – Maa ka jaasoos ( Mum’s spy )

Oh, don’t forget, how when Dwarka Prasad asks the Dayals to hurry up a bit, and when Ram Dayal cries out loud to the girls to get ready soon, Dwarka Prasad is surprised by the volume levels at which the Dayals communicate

Let the invasion of Manju begin

Manju and Papa Dayal are feeling lonely. Even Ashrafi Laal feels sad that the Kafiya routine can’t continue. So, Manju sets off to pay a surprise visit to her sister’s Sasuraal. And bam! She  makes a cracking explosive entry. Please give it up for immortal lines such as – Mooh hi Dhula hua hai Auntyjee

And of course, the cracking clash of the titans in the kitchen over Apple kheer.

Jagan

Ranjit Chowdhury as Jagan is one of the major reasons why I love Khubsoorat. His portrayal of the rough-haired, lanky and careless Jagan is spot on. And the perfect comic timing with smart lines such as – Maine to Shaadi kar li hai… Sangeet se make me chuckle every time I watch it.

Also, Jagan and Manju form a very strong and cracking alliance to crack down what all the other members of the Gupta family secretly enjoy doing.

Bridge

Everyone who plays Bridge knows about the addiction, irrespective of whether it involves gambling or not. And I can pretty much trace back my roots, as in what inspired me to learn playing Bridge, to this movie. I loved it how all the sons in the Gupta family secretly play Bridge after work, and how opportunist Jagan got to make a profit out of the situation On the other hand, the Dayals are pretty bindaas about their Bridge skills. Needless to mention, Anju and Manju are manipulative smart gals with their Hukum ki Mem and Do Chaar Paan moves

Piya Banwari

All you people already know about my undying love for this song. To read more about this, hit this post link where I have written in more details  about this song, and my love for it.

But for the uninitiated, let me just quickly add that this is probably one of Panchamda and Asha Bhonsle’s best tracks, and coupled with Rekha dancing Kathak on it with Shashikala and Dadamoni Ashok Kumar rhyming the bol – Khelata Bhuja Melata , Lapata Jhapata Radha, Chandra … Main Haari Jaa Jaa Ri –  all of it narrates the beautiful Ras Leela between Lord Shri Krishna and Radha and the Gopis in a very lyrical way.

Kaayda Todke

Who doesn’t love a rebel song? Yes, Sampooran Singh aka Gulzar saab had already been there , done that grunge thing of the 90′s in the Bollywood of 80′s  - Kaayda Todke, Socho Ek Din. And yes, Rekha sang this one. You didn’t know that, did you?

Of course, this is not about breaking the guitar, being suicidal or getting burnt out kaput. It’s more about ermm… floating cookies, rivulets of milk and trees bearing chocolates as fruits. Same difference!

Chaai to Cheen Desh ki Tulsi Hai

This HAS to be the dialogue of the millenium. It happens when Manju is in the kitchen when Nirmala Gupta asks if she’s like to eat something. Manju requests her for a tea. Nirmala answers back – Is this the time for tea?

Chai to cheen des ki tulsi hai

Awesomeness download- 100% complete.

Manju’s PR Skills

If you look at it from a managerial point of view, Manju’s people convincing and public relationship skills are impeccable and unmatched. How she handles all of the Guptas is beyond me.

She smartly manipulates her own likings to match and sometimes uncover the hidden likes and dislikes of the controlled and disciplined Guptas. She does not even spare her future Sasurjee Dwarka Prasad Gupta, by pataoing him with her affection for gobar and manure All thanks to Jagan for insider information. All this,  while she secretly falls in love with Indar. Maate, aap dhanya ho ! And if you still are not convinced about Manju’s PR skills, I’ll give you this duh look of Jagan.

Love blooms

Speaking of love, although the romance and the love-hate relationship isn’t necessarily the centre of gravity of this plot, yet, it is quite essential. To be noted here is how romance can happen over a game of carrom-board.

Man, this movie does preach the message of the importance of extra-curricular activities and sports .

Climax

And once all the hidden Niyam Tod do campaign is exposed, Nirmala Gupta confronts Manju . And all this happens whilst all the members of Gupta family have to leave for a particular event. But Dwarka Prasad suffers a heart attack, and Manju proves that she excels in being a Bahurani too. Oh, and she gives a good ‘verbal spanking’ to Pune’s best heart specialist – Om Shivpuri. And did you see that frame of 1980′s Pune Railway Station.

[ Aankh mein aasoo aa gaye ]

Climax dialogue - Manju refuses to be called girlfriend by sasurjee

I am kind of exhausted of pointing out the many reasons that make this movie such an awesome masterpiece. So, I am just gonna lay back, and let the GIFs take over. Let’s just sit back and let Manju take over.

And of course, this post will not be complete without Dadamoni’s awesome confrontation of Nirmala Gupta with…

And then, of course, the most important character of the movie – you know, Nirmal Anand !!!!

Gimme a shout if you discovered any further reasons that I could add to this mammoth list. Now, let me go back and play Piya Banwari again!

And OKS wishes

A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to REKHA

*************************************************************

If you liked this post, please feel free to share this post on facebook and twitter, et al. Cheerio!

OH MAGADHEERA! Thy canvas is so large, so bright and so beautiful. I give in to your might and surrender myself and my senses too. Painted in testosterene, and splashed with everything that is majestic, masculine, and mind-fraking, Magadheera – you blow me away. Quite literally. Every. Single. Time.

Just as I sat down to the starting credits of Magadheera, the brief teasing images over the sounds of clashing swords and the voice of a warrior screaming Bhairava, leaves me with an intense feeling of anticipation. The sense of urgency, and the curiosity to see events unfold grips you completely. And this is what exactly keeps me glued through the entire length of the movie even though, the pace isn’t as steady.

To begin with Princess Mithravinda and our warrior Kala Bhairava are injured badly and almost breathing their last. But not done yet until they some love. And then gravity strikes, but Kala Bhairava flings himself with a launch velocity. Coupled with an intelligent lift-drag air-resistance formula, Kala Bhairava cleverly defies laws of physics to get closer to Mithra. But not quite close..sigh!

Flash forward to 400 years now, and our warrior has turned into a dude who wears Ferrari shoes and races bikes for a living. Yes, this is a world where our dude is tormented by chupudhee chapadhee Mumait Khan who hides her earnings in her supposed cholee. And to retrieve it, an item number must follow with special nods to a CGI edited papa Chiranjeevi. Oh, and before that, Mumait Khan gives a boobie shockwave which turns everyone into stone. Not kidding! And this my friend is only the first 15 minutes of the movie. Phew! You just get to sense a teaser of the possibilities of the remaining parts of the movie and how this could actually be the inspiration behind Scott Pilgrim – An Epic of Epic Epicness. Yes, that pretty much sums it up quite right.

Whoa. Let’s explore the remaining 150 minutes with the infinte screencaps below. Keep up with me, and don’t get lost, but do feel free to lose yourself in the beauty of Magadheera. WARNING:  Long Post.

Item number done. Whistles blown. Hero now approaches his destiny on a rainy day where a mere touch with his ‘bandee’ – Indu, generates electricity of the fluorescent kind. Now there’s a lot of flirting going on here. And instead of me getting annoyed at Indu, I just keep convincing myself – this is for the greater good innit. The greater good of keeping me waiting as my neurons get fried over silly incidents – such as Indu falling in love when she sees the dude beat the shit out of rowdy eveteasers. The ‘confusion’ game continues until the dude cleverly decodes it by another ‘conduction’ incident. What we as audiences are left is to watch another awesome song to unleash which sports lyrics such as – The rain can touch you and so can the light, then why this indifference with me.

Add to that, some metaphoric splitting of water streams, and we have already covered all aspects of physics – from gravity, air drag and lift to fluid mechanics. And add some beautiful dusk shots, what’s there not to love.

But whilst the dude is still wondering why this conduction electricity keeps occuring [ and possibly very concerned about how he's gonna make love ], Indu’s Appa makes a deadly entry, just to be completely pwned by a super throat-choking dude move.

And oh BTW, the villain guy – Billa is ever horny and is also quite good in calculating projectile ranges in javelin. This movie is turning out to be so much more educational than I expected. Billa kills anyone at will, and is a rich royal dude [ going by his blue Sherwani and lovely turban ]. But he is very superstitious and keep visiting that Aghora Baba who educates him of the reincarnation theory. This leaves him no options but to lust over Indu. But what he doesn’t know is that Kala Bhairava, even in a plasma state, won’t let him do THAT.

Conspiracy theory kicks in, and silly Indu falls for it. Villain and Hero fight, cars explode, choppers appear with Rajputana aviation painted on them, and the prophecy comes alive – the birds shall fly away, the bright Sun shall turn Black, and the dude shall appeareth like a volcano. And so he does.

And with a sequence involving helicopter hanging, the dude tries to impress Indu. But yet again, the conduction electricity and gravity lets our dude down [ literally ]. Now he’s freefalling at 9.81m/s2 and simultaneously getting flashbacks from his distant past. And from that great height he could have been crushed, but he’s saved fortunately by the buoyancy and density of water. Phew!

And one of the best Intermissions EVER hits us right in the face… and all I can do is exclaim – OMFG!!! This is bloody exhausting. And the awesomeness doesn’t seem to stop. Rather, the GAME has just begun.

We’re back from the Intermission just to be rewinded centuries back and we can see the Eastmancolor version of the dude’s Sepia toned hallucinations that he has as an affect of those conduction shocks. So there’s the prophecy of the aligning planets causing trouble and some Babar-esque emperor Sher Khan trying to invade Udaigarh.

And amongst this, there is a Buzkashi like competiton between our dude, who is now called Kala Bhairava [ whatta cool name ] and the C-i-C Billa [ Jo Apna Mooh Nahi Rakhta Khulla ].

Some breathtaking action scenes in a white desert near Udaipur or in Ramoji Film city with a Quick Sand gulping down people and carts, adrenaline levels are surely very high. Gandalf’s Shadowfax can retire now as Badshah saves the day. And by the rules of filmi-politics, Kala Bhairava wins the race, the crown princess before a colosseum filled with CGI cloned people. And shame shame for Billa.

Time for a mindnumbingly beautiful song replete with percussions, metaphors, and flowing garments. How can I stop loving thee. The aerial shots and the sheer scale of the poor CGI effects impress me. Ashutosh Gowariker has a lot of things to learn.

But the Royal Purohit reminds us of the danger that is knocking on the door. The planetary alignment needs to be dealt with and hence, the princess and the bunch of royal dudes and dudettes along with Kala Bhairava and the Purohit head to the place where the Puja is to be held. Now look at that huge idol of Lord Shiva – how magnificiently grand is that! And this is where the Princess decides to let her emotions take over. But not for long, coz Billa aided by Sher Khan are here to interrupt.  And naughty Billa wants the Princess to give him a lapdance. Very wrong Billa, you’re gonna be so screwed…twice. So, let the games begin and the bodycount too.

Our dude proves time and again why he is from the Bhairava clan by slicing, dicing and gliding over the Shaitan ki Fauj who IMHO resemble the orks minus the bad teeth. Kala Bhairava even takes a sort of an Avatar of Lord Shiva (?) with all the multi-arm and multi-weaponry. You have to see it to believe it man!

Long story short – Sher Khan is impressed, but he has given his word to Billa. So Billa takes over..sorta..only to be totally pwned by our dude Bhairava. But before getting destructed, Billa stabs Monica Seles…I mean Mithravinda. Bhairava is not happy, so have a look what he does. A very serious observation here is that the blood splat count here is more than the battle between the Persians and the Spartans – don’t you think?

And now, we are back to the scene 1 of the movie – rememeber – gravity, air drag and lift and sky-diving in Crouching Tiger style – which means its end of flashback. And we are back to the present. Our dude has regained consciousness and finds himself in the jaal of Soloman, who is a reincarnation of Sher Khan. WHOA!!! Kya idea hai Sirjee

Soloman is a fisherman, who wears only Satin shiny Violet shirts, believes in the Dawaa of the Bottle, and also hires Kim Sharma for an Item Number, featuring Daler Mehndi on the vocals. Zara Bol pe dhyan dijiye – Zorse Zorse..Zoorse Zorse

Now our dude is under the influence of alcohol, and so he hallucinates Kim Sharma as Indu or his Mithra. So he didn’t really cross the line of morality by splashing water at her and sliding that broken bottle all over her.

And just before the dance completes, Solomon offers the dude his Karizma, and the roadie dude rides the bike, walks through the desert to finally reach the palace where Mithra/ Indu is staying along with Billa [ by this time I have forgotten his present name]. Now there’s a lot of stuff happening here, but let’s just cut to the climax .

The mission is to make Indu realise about her previous incarnation – and so Bhairava brings her to the same spot from where she fell. Kinda smart you see, the whole story wraps up nicely at the same spot. But not that easily. There are explosions, more Bhairava vs. Billa action, and some actions which will give Die Hard 4.0 a run for its money. But you know what happens in the end right.. right!!! Oh yeah, there is an awesome flashback of the kickass killing of Billa 400 years back.

I know this has been sort of a narrative accompanied by spoiler screenshots. But that is exactly the whole point. I just wanted the unveil the beauty of Magadheera to everyone through this, and possibly set the mood for how you should enjoy it in the most possible away. What I enjoyed most about the movie is its unashamed sense of fun and entertainment. Everyone involved in the movie knows it, and this is what has been missing from all of the Bollywood movies. Magadheera is exactly what Salman Khan would’ve dreamt of Veer to look like. Instead, Veer takes itself too seriously and ends up right where it is – in the crap disposal bin.

I am sure of Ram Charan’s rise to superstardom must have been easy-peasy after the release of Magadheera. And you can tell. He is in the zone – with the swords and spears as well as the sweet and corny routine of song and dance. Right now, from the top of my head, I cannot think of anyone from Bollywood who’d be able to do this in a Hindi adaptation. And seriously, I cannot even think of an able director for such a magnum opus.

Ashutosh Gowariker ? He’ll possibly take 2 years to research it and make it another history lesson starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. And the audience will clap when Ash falls from the clip and then pray that she never gets reborn.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali? He’ll pay extra details on the palatial decorations and painstakingly sit for days and months with Nitin Desai and Neeta Lulla for the dress design. Salman Khan would play Bhairava and Jackie Shroff with eyeliners would be Sher Khan. You see where I’m going. For the role of Indu, Salman would pick a lookalike of his latest girlfriend – whoever it’ll be after Katrina.

Anywho, before this turns into a mindless ramble, let’s wrap things up. I’d like you to go straight away and buy, borrow, steal the DVD/ Blu Ray if you haven’t seen this. Trust me on this one.

To conclude, I’d just say, if this is what Telegu cinema promises, then Bollywood should just sit down and learn.

The year was 2001. Jhamu Sugandh and Aamir Khan Productions’ ambitious project – Lagaan, had just released its publicity material on TV. In an age of no-twitter and zero-presence of social networking sites, TV trailers and theatre publicities were the only way to go. The first trailer was indeed very intriguing. It only showed an incomplete political map of India, and a Rupee coin rolling over it. The heavy beats of the percussion filled the air, and as the short teaser concluded, the anticipation levels were soaring high. As I look back to that period of pre-Lagaan release, I feel an intense nostalgic rush filling me with smiles.

Lagaan was released and was widely loved and adored by audiences and critics alike, locally and globally. It has been 9 years since, and even then, the melody of Lagaan’s soundtrack, the drum beat and the passionate voices of the villagers of Champaner continue to linger in my head; all of them crying out – Re Bhaiyya Chhoote Lagaan!!

So, on this 9th anniversary of one of the most uplifting pieces of cinema ever, let’s celebrate the music of Lagaan – one which not just serves as a Bollywood routine element of the movie, but also a medium which translates a thousand emotions in a single line. The music of Lagaan transcends many levels and goes beyond the limits of boundaries, languages and cultural differences. A.R.Rahman scores, arguably, one of his career’s best soundtrack, and the translation to screen is equally breath-taking.

So hit the jump to experience with me, and celebrate the magic of the soundtrack of Lagaan – Once Upon A Time in India.

1. Ghanan Ghanan

The first song which was shown in the teasers, this was certainly a crowd-pleaser. Javed Akhtar’s playful lyrics speak about  villagers who haven’t seen the rain in a while. How these villagers of Champaner react to the appearance of the clouds and their jubilance at the onset of the rain makes ‘Ghanan Ghanan’ a very different song in its own right. Bollywood has seen a lot of songs being written on rain, monsoon, rainy season etc. But nothing about the happiness and even the curing of all troubles by rain. Rain is treated almost like a healer in this song.

The lyrics beautifully weave the sounds of the thundering clouds into words e.g.

Ghanan ghanan ghir ghir aaye badra
Ghane ghan ghor kaare chhaye badra
Dhamak dhamak goonje badra ke danke
Chamak chamak dekho bijuriya chamke

It was also one of the most difficult songs to lip sync as shown in the making video. This was due to the entire ensemble cast singing portions of the song in perfect unison and in the correct order. A brilliantly simplistic choreography by Raju Khan uplifts your mood every single time you see this video; not to forget when Shambukaka, the legendary AK Hangal, dances to Kaale Megha Kaale Megha ..Paani To Barsao.

I know you can’t resist anymore, so go hit the YouTube video link . Do check out Raghubir Yadav’s happy face when he spots the Badal

2. Mitwa

This song begins with a simple lesson of life in the voice of Sukhwinder Singh – Sach aur Saahas hai jiske mann mein, Anth mein jeet usee ki hoy [ One who has truth and courage in one's mind, emerges victorious in the end ]. This track oozes encouragement and positivity in every single word. And there is so much upbeat-ness in the percussions and the whole vibe of the song, that you can’t help feeling elated with joy, with happiness and feel motivated.

Iss Dharti Ka Hai Raja Tu, Ye Baat Maan Le Tu ,
Kathinaaee Se Takra Jaa Tu, Nahi Haar Maan Le Tu
O Mitwa Sun Mitwa, Tujhko Kya Darr Hai Re,
Dharti Apni Hai, Apna Ambar Hai Re

[ You are the King of this Earth, Agree to this
Face the obstacles, Don't give in to failure,
O my friend, listen to me. What are you afraid of?
This land is ours, and the skies too. ]

And when such beautiful lyrics are sung in the mountain-dew fresh voices of Alka and Udit jee, and when Aamir Khan in a dhoti does the kamariya matakna wala movie, you really can’t help fall in love with this.  YouTube video link.

3. Radha Kaise Na Jale

This is as brilliant as it gets. A recreation of a mythological event – Lord Krishna’s Raas Leela with HIS Gopis, and Radha feels jealous about it. All of these emotions set against the backdrop of Gauri’s feelings for Bhuvan, and how she feels left out as she feels needy – to be loved by Bhuvan. A beautiful parallel between the flirtatious Lord Krishna and HIS naughty ways to tease Radha, and Radha’s many complaints against HIM. Sung by Asha jee and Udit jee and exceptionally choreographed by Saroj Khan, Radha Kaise Na Jale is a brilliant folk track layered with various traditional instruments viz. Pakhawaj, Veena, and a lot of accompanying strings.

My favourite bit of the song – second verse when Asha jee goes – Kaanhaa Ke Ye Jo Naina Haii.. Chheene Gopiyo Ke Chaina Haii..just before the line – Mili Najariya, Hui Baawariya. I hope you get how it varies from the first verse. Listen to it all here – YouTube video link.

4. Lagaan

This is a collection of the background score which is used in different strategic points of the movie. But it is not just that. If you listen to it just by itself, as a piece of music, it has its own beautiful intricacies unveiling its different shades and colours as it grows on you. It begins with the blowing of the traditional royal trumpet. The piece has a lot of strings instruments besides the traditional Sitar. The initial humming is the tune of – Jo Suno To Kahe, Prabhuji Humri Hai Bintee … from O Paalanhaare. And then it is followed by a powerful Church Choir arrangement which cleverly switches to a Violin solo and then heavy beats as the chorus sings out – Re Bhaiyaa, Chhoote Lagaan in a loop. Get back to me if  the beat doesn’t stir you.

5. O Rey Chhori

My favourite of the entire soundtrack. I know it is so difficult to choose one, but I chose this for my Best of Rahman list. This one is my favourite because -
a) A.R. Rahman skilfully switches back n forth between  the village rural track and the Victorian Waltz sound and you don’t even notice because its all blended so perfectly; as if they were meant to co-exist.
b) Vaibhavi Merchant’s romantic choreography aided by an awesome special effects job.
c) Anil Mehta’s stellar cinematography. Have a look at this one.

d) Javed Saab’s wicked usage of rural lingo – e.g. Kaaran, Jabaan, Prem Nagar Ke Baasi

YouTube video link.

6. Chale Chalo

Quite obviously so, this is one of the cricket anthems of India now. It infuses elements from Tagore’s ‘Ekla Cholo’ into the lines – Ekaa Badhta Hi Jaawe, Chale Chalo. There’s brilliant usage of cellos in the song which give a deeper and more serious vibe to the song, rather than a yuppy or a catchy tune. In the signature Rahman vocals, the verses explode into a powerhouse song as the words go – Dharti Hilaa Denge, Sabko Dikha Denge, Raja Kya..Parjaa Kya.. [ We'll shake the earth, We'll show everyone - The King and the public..]

And as the song itself shows the unity of the Lagaan XI whilst it trains and toils for the big day, the climax of the song picks up its tempo, as the villagers sit together to celebrate. And so do we, just like normal blokes from Champaner do.

YouTube video Link.

7. Waltz for a romance

This is another instrumental piece from the soundtrack and is a brilliant classical piece by itself. It showcases why Rahman is known as the ‘Mozart from Madras’. The track is played when the British dance ballroom scenes are shown, and it also serves as the interlude in O Re Chhori, when Elizabeth dreams of dancing with Bhuvan. Poor thing, she never gets to dance with him for real.

8. O Paalanhaare

And to end the soundtrack, this one is a killer. I don’t have any other words to describe it. It may have words which suggest a particular religion; words like Prabhuji, Jag ke Swami etc. And even though this song has been filmed in a temple, I have not a single trace of doubt when I say this, that this song transcends any sort of religion and names with which we call the Divine. I have always come back to this song – even though I am not a Bhajan kinda guy. Because it gives me strength, it gives me hope, and above all, it lets me release myself and just let things be – in the hands of the one who knows it all, who handles it all in his own way.

O Paalanhaare talks to me, and I am certain that it does the same to all of you who listen to this track. A brilliant Bhajan with minimal arrangement-in the voice of Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan. The situation depicted is of Champaner’s villagers who are on the verge of losing, and they have nothing more to do than keep the faith and pray to the Almighty to help them, to give them the strength to emerge triumphant. And as the track progresses, when you see the crowd clapping along, you not only connect with the innate desire to win and the underlying emotion, but you also feel the labour of love of the director – Ashutosh Gowariker. All of it culminates in this one moment.

Youtube video Link.

And of course, since – Sach aur Saahas hai inke mann mein, Anth mein Jeet inhi ki howe…

Hum Jeet Gaye!!!!!

Special mention to : TheBollywoodFan who is IMHO the biggest Lagaan and Aamir Khan fan there ever is . This is my post for the Lagaan Week 2010. Go check out TBF’s brilliant cake for the Lagaan anniversary.
Also check out these awesome Lagaan Week posts by Darshit, Shell, Sitaji and Shweta. And of course, don’t forget to pour out your emotions in the comments section, on anything about Lagaan, especially the music. Cheerio!!