Jodhaa Akbar, Mughal-E-Azam

Hello All! Back with some reviews, songs and what not!

First on the list is Jodhaa Akbar directed by Ahutosh Gowariker(also directed for Lagaan). I had been waiting such a long time to see this film, that my excitement almost eclipsed any other type of perception I had, lol! There was alot of buzz around this movie, especially, the disagreements as to whether or not Jodhaabai had actually really existed and had been Akbar's wife. I love history and the more accurate the better, but sometimes you just have to let go and say "So what!". And that's exactly what I did. The direction, the settings and the costuming were absolutely breathtaking. The bit parts were done excellently, especially the part of Chughtai Khan, played by Rajesh Vivek(who very notably appeared in Lagaan and Swades). But perhaps, because I really feel him to be an actor who has alot of yet unseen potential, I could be a bit biased, haha. However, when it comes down to the question of who carried the film, Jodhaa( played by now, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) or Akbar, Akbar has to be the answer. I felt as though Hrithik Roshan showed a new side to himself in this film. He wasn't dancing like he normally does in most films and the seriousness and devotion to this character really shone through. I was, quite simply put, impressed. The music, composed by the talented A. R. Rehman, was beautiful and didn't detract from the film but, rather, added to the poignant moments. Definitley a must see!

Next, a film which has been on my mind, even through watching other films. The ostentatious, dramatic, and moving period piece, K. Asif's Mughal-E-Azam. This is the first film that I saw Madhubala perform in and ever since, I have been craving for more. Her bittersweet performance as Anarkali showcased her astounding beauty and grace and completely captivated me. But on screen, her presence could only be rivaled by that of Prithviraj Kapoor, the patriarch of the Kapoor family, acting as Emperor Akbar. These two carried the movie's storyline and whose dialogs were particularly moving. Dilip Kumar did a decent job of Prince Saleem, but in any of his other films, I have no affinity for him whatsoever. The music for this film was fantastic and I just have to show my top 5 favorite songs.

5. Mohe Pangat Pe


4.Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat Aazmakar


3. Mohabbat Zindabad


2.Ye Dil Ki Lagi Kum Kya Hogi


1.Pyar Kiya Tho


Heads up if you want to get closer to the Big B himself, check out his blog, "Big Blog" through the link under "Blogs I Like".
Enjoy!
Globalchic signing off!

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Playing Catchup!

Once again, I have slacked off on my posting, thinking that visitors to my site will magically appear, lol! Since I last posted I have watched an assortment of films, which will be reviewed in the following post(s). So let's not waste time, shall we?

Let's start off with a movie which starred two of my old school favorites, Mehmood and Asha Parekh. The movie being, of course, Love in Tokyo. The main couple is played by Asha and Joy Mukherjee, whereas Mehmood and his lady love are basically comic relief. The story begins with Ashok (Mukherjee) being sent to Japan to reclaim his now orphaned half-Japanese, half-Indian nephew under the command of his steely mother Gayatri Devi (played by Lalita Pawar, who acted the part of Shammi Kapoor's steely mother in Junglee). However, the nephew, by the name of Chi Ku, refuses to leave Japan and runs away, only to encounter Asha (Parekh), who is also running away because her uncle is forcing her to marry the wicked Pran (played by, you guessed it, PRAN). The music was decent, the only two songs that I really liked were "Sayonara", which in the end, was a bit overdrawn and "Koi Matwala Aaya Mere Dware", which has the lovely Asha dancing in a classical setting. Family drama, silly escapades and a hilarious masquerade ensues. If you don't mind winding story lines, have some time to spare, and just want to watch a cute bollywood classic, Love in Tokyo is the movie for you!

Next up, a film, which I put off way too long seeing is Chak De! India. This film deserves all the praise it has so far received. No winding blah blah blah, just straight to the point of telling this inspiring tale of a women's hockey team that no one believed in. No actual singing or dancing, but the standout song is the title song for sure. Shahrukh Khan gave one of his best performances yet, as a broken, but brave ex-national team captain, Kabir Khan. He gave his full attention to this character and didn't play Kabir as overemotional as he can tend to do with some of his roles. All the hockey team actresses did their parts well, my favorite however, would have to be the character of Balbir(played by Tanya Abrol) for her comedic relief, Komal (Chitrashi Rawat) for her fierce attitude, Soimoi (Nisha Nair) for her "ho" (watch the movie and you will find out!), and Preety (Sagarika Ghatge) for her determination. If you want to get inspired, pumped up, and to have a few laughs in between, this is the movie for you. If you haven't seen it, go check it out!

Last one for today, we will discuss a Yash Chopra Forever Classic, a film which achieved many firsts in Hindi film history,most notably, the then taboo discussion of extramarital affairs. The film is of course, Silsila, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar,the always graceful and beautiful Rekha, and Shashi Kapoor. The story begins with two brothers, Amit(Bachchan), a playwright, and Shekhar(Kapoor), an Indian Airforce Pilot. The former is just beginning a love affair with Chandini (Rekha), while the latter is informally engaged to wed Shobha( Jaya). However, tragedy strikes and Shekhar is killed in the line of duty and through unforeseeable circumstances, Amit feels it is his duty to marry Shobha in the place of his brother and break his love for Chandini, which devastates her. However, as fate would have it, Chandini and Amit meet once again, but now both are married and are in quandary. Do they let the past stay the past or do they rekindle their passion and risk losing face? The songs and music are decent, though nothing of note, besides the song"Neela Aasman" and the version of it which is sung only by Chandini. I enjoyed the story line for the most part but I felt that somehow the ending didn't fit quite right. However, I will let you decide and experience Silsila for yourself!

(PS-the above song titles are links to their music videos on youtube)

Look forward to a long post next time on two films dealing with the Mughals AND another post on a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, can you guess what they are?! Comment below!
Keep reading on!
Globalchic Signing Off!

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Review of Nine Parts of Desire and a bit of B&B!

First off today I am going to start off with my book review.

Geraldine Brooks', Nine Parts of Desire: The Secret World of Islamic Women is a captivating report on the lives of various Muslim women in various countries where Islam is the predominant religion. In her journeys to diverse countries in the Middle East from the fundamentalist Islamic Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, to the more modern and liberal state of Jordan, she encounters a variety of women of all ages, from all walks of life and all with differentiating ideologies about Islam and their place in the religion spread by the Prophet Mohamed. In each country she discovers a new way of looking at Islam and an increasingly complex aspect of women's role in an Islamic Society. In Egypt she works with a woman, who from one day to the next sheds her western clothing to wear the hijab at the encouragement of her veiled Koranic study teacher. The most notable and commendable quality of her descriptions, is the fact that she rarely either condemns or condones her experiences, the people she encounters or the teachings of Islam themselves. Rather, her writing allows the reader to form his or her own opinions. Brooks' tales of struggles and triumphs of Muslim women are at the same time, uplifting and full of hope as well as frustrating and tragic. The complexity of Muslim women's issues are neither diminished nor exaggerated, but are seen in their true light. Though this book was published approximately 10 years ago, I feel much of what Brooks reported still has value and continues to hold true for many "Islamic" countries today. This book speaks on many long held ideas that those outside Islam have, as well as commenting on the views and traditions some Muslims uphold. I would certainly recommend this book to those interested in Women's Studies, Islam, the Middle East, or those who would merely like to learn more about a world outside of their own.

To purchase or find out more about this book on amazon.com click here

Alrighty, now I am going to talk about a film that is not the newest, but not the oldest. Because, you see, in this world there are two kind of people, those who have not seen Bunty Aur Babli and those that have. Me, I belong to the second kind. Yes people, yours truly FINALLY saw B&B!! And all I can really say is that I loved it! The dialogue was never too drawn out or too dramatic. The movie doesn't slow down and keeps up the pace all the way through, keeping you guessing. Abhi and Rani, made a very cute couple and the Big B himself gave an interesting performance. I really enjoyed seeing Abhishek and him act opposite each other.Naturally the fact that real life father and son were playing cat and mouse, planted itself into some of the dialog. I enjoyed all the songs, though seeing Big B rap was a bit strange, lol, and the matchy-matchy outfits that were going on in Nache Baliye.......not so good. But, there may be some who will disagree, so check out the vid below and leave comments as to whether or not this was Hit or Shit!
Much Love & Till Next Time,
Elizabeth

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Yes I know it's been a while.....AGAIN!

Hello All! I haven't posted a blog for a while now, due to stress, time constraints, and other irritating factors. Since then I have seen several films, although none are recent releases. I saw Sholay, which apart from the long drawn out fight scenes, with plenty of "dschoom, dschoom" to go around, was wonderful. Hema Malini was sweet enough, but I was more drawn to Jaya Bachchan's nee Bhaduri's character, the young widow. Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan acted the excop and villian to a tee. But naturally the comedic and dramatic duo of Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan stole the show! My favorite song of the whole movie had to be Yeh Dosti Ham Nahin.



I also watched Dilwale Dulhaniye Le Jayenge and although this was my second time watching it, I loved it even more! Kajol is one of my favorite bollywood actresses and she was too cute in this film. I loved ALL the songs especially Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna, cause I'm a sucker for boy vs. girl dances, LOL!



And then, just this Saturday, I watched Provoked with Naveen Andrews, Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane and of course Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan. For the first time, apart from Devdas, I really connected to Ash in this role. I felt like she really became one with the character of Kiranjit Ahluwalia and Naveen Andrews was completely the guy you wanted to hate. Check the trailer below if you haven't seen it and check out the film at your local Indian Store, Blockbuster or whatever movie rental service you use.



If you guys all think that all I do is watch movies all my life you are mistaken, I actually just finished reading two books by the author Jean Sasson, Princess and Princess Sultana's Daughters. Since finishing these two books, I have become SO MUCH more thankful for the freedoms that I enjoy everyday. Princess, begins telling the story of Sultana during her childhood. It is very important to note that Sultana nor are any of the other names of people she knows and family members are their real names, because of the fact that if it ever came to be known, who opened up and told about the secret life of the Saudi royalty, the people, and most importantly about the lives of women, her life would most certainly be ended by death. She is the youngest of ten girls, by ONE of her father's four wives, and was always head strong and in search of why things were the way they were. As was foretold, she became an enigma to herself and those around her. Her story is continued and that of her children is told in Princess Sultana's Daughters. I am looking forward to reading the third book in this trilogy, Princess Sultana's Circle. However, I must warn, that although these books are uplifting, they contain tales of horrible acts, largely of sexual and physical abuse towards women. This is not a book for those under 14. I would encourage men to read this series as well, to perhaps gain more insight into the female mind and more interestingly perhaps, the female mind under a veil in Saudi Arabia.

For your convenience, I have provided links to amazon.com for both of these books, please click on the title you are interested in to find out more.
Princess
Princess Sultana's Daughters

I am currently reading Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks, and it is turning out to be quite a fascinating read. But I will save a full report for when I have completely finished the book.

Till next time, much love and I hope for more readers of my blog!
-Elizabeth


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Long Time No Blog!

Hey! Sorry, I know it's been a while. I've been working on trying to find a job, however without luck so far. However, I have had time to do some Bollywood watching. I saw Taare Zameen Par, which I absolutely loved. It has a great message, great acting and good music. I loved Darsheel Safary, who plays the young dyslexic boy, Ishaan. I also saw Om Shanti Om, which anyone who is a "filmy" buff will love. It brings together the heyday of b-town and the present glitz. The songs and dancing are amazing. Deepika Padukone is beautiful and graceful as Shanti. SRK is well......let me say this, he did a great job in his first life as Om, however he became somewhat oversexed in the second half. So here for your entertainment is one of my favorite songs from TZP "Maa" and "Dhoom Taana" from Om Shanti Om.





Till next time!!

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Non, Je ne regrette rien!

Bonjour mes amis! Aujourd'hui je vais parler d'une filme superbe, en France, La Mome, mais, surtout le monde, La Vie en Rose. C'est l'histoire de la vie d' Edith Piaf nee Gassion. Alright for those of you who dont understand French, I was talking about a wonderful film La Vie En Rose, which tells the about the wonderful and crazy life of French songstress, Edith Piaf. This film is a must see for serious cinemaphiles and fans of Edith. Whenever there are biographical films there is often the chance that the actor performs a pure imitation, however Marion Cotillard becomes wholly and truly Edith. The makeup is fantastically done, her appearance is completely believable. The film is artistically put together, so that not only are you drawn into her life, but you are kept on your toes while watching, you never know what you will see next.
Till then, Globalchic signing off!

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MELIKESALOT!

Today I finally saw Spamalot! Ok, so it wasn't the original cast, but for any of you who enjoyed Monty Python's and the Holy Grail, it is DEFINITLEY a must see. They didn't ruin any of the jokes or the originality that the film had, but rather elaborated. If any of you are worried about not seeing any of your favorite characters from the film, its not an issue- Tim, The French, The Holy Hand Grenade and the singing boy in the tower are all here. I just loved it and bought a souvenir brochure and of course, a pair of coconuts. Anyhow, I think for today that will be it. Enjoy!

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