Book/Film Reviews

The Master of Musical Comedies C Ramchandra and his ‘Patanga’ (1949)

Patanga (1949) January 12, 2015

A tribute on C Ramchandra’s birth anniversary January 12 (12 Jan 1918-5 Jan 1982) In my simplified history of Hindi film music, when I move from RC Boral-Pankaj Mullick to Anil Biswas to Naushad, it would be quite unfair if I miss C Ramchandra. The Great Maratha (in the sense of one belonging to Maharashtra) […]

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The Jewel in the Crown of Naushad: ‘Rattan’ (1944)

Rattan January 1, 2015

SoY celebrates 2015 as the Year of Naushad in the 75th Anniversary Year of his debut If I were to write the history of Hindi film music, it would go as follows. Once upon a time there were RC Boral and Pankaj Mullick. Then came Anil Biswas. He was followed by Naushad, who in a […]

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A ‘serious’ review of Sangam (1964) in its Golden Jubilee Year

Sangam March 17, 2014

Raj Kapoor overturns Bollywood triangle to convey profound social messages Reviewing a film is not a joke unless you are Madhu, Anu or Memsaab Greta. Then, why am I venturing into a field in which I have no expertise, and why Sangam? Review of a Bollywood blockbuster like Sangam suffers from both the ends. At […]

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Well Done Abba: Mainstreaming of the ‘Muslim’ in Hindi films

Thumbnail image for Well Done Abba: Mainstreaming of the ‘Muslim’ in Hindi films June 7, 2010

You would be hard put to recall a mainstream film whose hero bore the name Salim, Javed or Asghar – unless it was a ‘Muslim’ film.  You might think of the student-poet Anwar (Rajendra Kumar in Mere Mehboob, 1963) plaintively singing Mere mehboob tujhe meri mohabbat ki kasam in the college farewell function, which was […]

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