tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post405357729937510034..comments2024-03-24T08:18:33.058-04:00Comments on Conversations Over Chai: Utsav (1984)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-2968608725998213962012-11-08T18:19:14.026-05:002012-11-08T18:19:14.026-05:00 I'm a Rekha fan too. But she's a very car... I'm a Rekha fan too. But she's a very carefully constructed image. :)Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-75034913312913408302012-11-08T18:13:34.215-05:002012-11-08T18:13:34.215-05:00 I am quite sure it's besan and I felt that th... I am quite sure it's besan and I felt that the bathing scene was erotic. The film would lose out if it was cut. But then I watched the movie on TV (late night, uncut and alone), so that was OK. I am a Rekha fan, I feel that even her fingernails are lovely and really couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. Nalini Inoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-43680478721262851362012-04-02T10:41:49.510-04:002012-04-02T10:41:49.510-04:00:) I'm all for that one!
I don't know ab...:) I'm all for that one! <br /><br />I don't know about ancient India, but in old England, women were allowed to take lovers as long as they were discreet about it (and of course, as long as they provided their husbands with a legal heir).Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-22236521702754126122012-04-02T10:17:25.778-04:002012-04-02T10:17:25.778-04:00Besides, the idea that a husband and wife should m...<i><br />Besides, the idea that a husband and wife should mean all-in-all to each other is a very modern idea</i><br /><br />Ah..those good old times! But seriously, it should also have been allowed the other way round where a woman should have been free to have a lover (what's the male equivalent of a mistress?), a bit like <i>sambandhams</i>...E Pradeephttp://epradeep98.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-86759493633565765372012-04-02T10:09:21.653-04:002012-04-02T10:09:21.653-04:00LOL. Re: the post - I don't want to slander my...LOL. Re: the post - I don't want to slander my family any more than I've already done!!<br /><br />I remember my brother bringing home some weird movie which the videowala had given him; as soon as he put into the VCR, <i>ammachan</i> also sat down to watch. The FF button was used to its maximum. My brother finished watching it in 20 minutes flat!Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-51644678934747546582012-04-02T09:55:24.640-04:002012-04-02T09:55:24.640-04:00I must be giving people a very weird idea of my fa...<i> I must be giving people a very weird idea of my family! </i><br /><br />Yeah..totally:) Utsav, Blue Lagoon hmm...calls for a post on the list of all such 'family' movies that you have watched together:)...E Pradeephttp://epradeep98.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-11315078425050439842012-04-02T00:53:54.605-04:002012-04-02T00:53:54.605-04:00Aesthetic sense is not exactly directly proportion...<i>Aesthetic sense is not exactly directly proportional to watching something not so comfortable at home, I suppose:)</i><br /><br />:) I wouldnn't know. But then, we ended up watching <i>Blue Lagoon</i> at home with a full house, including my grandparents, who quite liked the film. We had a very interesting discussion about it afterwards. (I know. Sigh. I must giving people a very weird idea of my family!)<br /><br /><i>BTW, was it not surprising that Charudatta's wife was not too perturbed to see her husband's mistress? Ultra-progressive:)</i><br /><br />Not really. In those times, it was considered quite natural for a man to have a mistress; it was a matter of pride. <br /><br />Besides, the idea that a husband and wife should mean all-in-all to each other is a very modern idea.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-86365960601038950842012-04-01T23:47:05.688-04:002012-04-01T23:47:05.688-04:00Alright, I stand corrected that it no longer has t...Alright, I stand corrected that it no longer has that reputation but I suppose it did once upon a time.<br /><br />Aesthetic sense is not exactly directly proportional to watching something not so comfortable at home, I suppose:) Guess, the sooner we were done with the scene, we could have proceeded with the rest of the movie which had lots more in store.<br /><br />BTW, was it not surprising that Charudatta's wife was not too perturbed to see her husband's mistress? Ultra-progressive:)E Pradeephttp://epradeep98.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-32073623741844670682012-04-01T14:40:13.518-04:002012-04-01T14:40:13.518-04:00I don't think Utsav has that reputation any mo...I don't think <i>Utsav</i> has that reputation any more. If it ever did. As I said, there were whole families in the theatre when my father and I went to see the film. I saw it again in Bombay, during a Shashi Kapoor retrospective, and from what I remembered, there weren't any cuts at all. <br /><br />Why did you want the besan-bathing scene (interesting description) cut? I didn't see anything wrong with it, no, not even when I watched the film with my grandparents. : - ) It was shot quite aesthetically.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-27751848546026661752012-04-01T14:36:19.200-04:002012-04-01T14:36:19.200-04:00I did, Pradeep, and as I mentioned earlier, it was...I did, Pradeep, and as I mentioned earlier, it was strange because this was quite a run down theatre and the posters plastered around town had the 'bathing scene' prominently displayed. I think, things are getting worse now.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-85268765649815133512012-04-01T13:07:16.419-04:002012-04-01T13:07:16.419-04:00You managed to escape the catcalls and nuisance va...You managed to escape the catcalls and nuisance values in theatres in Kerala when seeing this? Sangeetha and I saw the new 'Rathinirvedam' in PVR last year and we got into a quarrel with the idiots who had paid 250+ for the tickets but were only interested in passing lewd comments and making an ass of themselves in the theatre, even though there were enough families in the audience. And you'd think that the audience now would be mature enough not to view the movie in the same light atleast 30 years later!E Pradeephttp://epradeep98.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-50254275596469080292012-04-01T13:02:20.037-04:002012-04-01T13:02:20.037-04:00The tragedy of 'Utsav' is that the movie f...The tragedy of 'Utsav' is that the movie finally came to be seen as Kamasutra or porn type movie instead of the actual Sanskrit play it was based on but it must helped the producers of the marketers equally well, so maybe it was not such a bad thing after all. The fact that it was a political movie that was critical of the governing body interests me and it's possible that the movie may have undergone censor cuts if it were released say 10 years earlier, during Indira Gandhi's times. <br /><br />It has been shown on TV quite a few times and I remember seeing it then, hoping that the besan-bathing scene gets over soon or is cut but curiously, it was shown on TV and I assume that none of it was censored. Shashi Kapoor was a brave producer and deserved better but then he'll remembered for many of his movies he produced, I suppose..<br /><br />It is an interesting star cast with Amjad Khan as Vatsyayana and Shashi Kapoor as Samsthanak. Looking at the frame of Samsthanak in the movie, it would have been tempting to switch the roles. WIll be difficult to think of anyone else but Rekha as Vasantsena and as for Shekhar Suman, there's almost universal agreement on his wooden face in the movie:) E Pradeephttp://epradeep98.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-67232033148742662242012-03-28T14:03:52.770-04:002012-03-28T14:03:52.770-04:00Welcome to my blog, Lakshmi, and thank you for com...Welcome to my blog, Lakshmi, and thank you for commenting and the compliment. <br /><br />I hear stories like yours and Sridhar's and think to myself that my father must have been unusual - I watched this (and many others) in his company. :) <br /><br /><i>The film was like a gorgeously illustrated storybook that sprang into animated action... :)</i><br /><br />What a perfect description! Yes, it was <i>exactly</i> like that!Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-80901788026397722152012-03-28T12:57:03.675-04:002012-03-28T12:57:03.675-04:00Lovely write-up, Anu. I remember 'Utsav' b...Lovely write-up, Anu. I remember 'Utsav' being one of the movies that you couldn't exactly own up to watching (let alone enjoying!) as a youngster... hehe, confusing adolescent times! As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Wonderful music, great casting, costume design... and funny too! The film was like a gorgeously illustrated storybook that sprang into animated action... :)Lakshmihttp://locks.livejournal.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-56230903509915135052012-03-26T18:51:51.680-04:002012-03-26T18:51:51.680-04:00Did he have an explanation for all that sensuality...Did he have an explanation for all that sensuality (as you put it)? Or did he just decide that since he had taken you, he might as well put a good face on it? :))Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-48153654974669542362012-03-26T08:50:36.673-04:002012-03-26T08:50:36.673-04:00Ha! My father took me to see this film, much to th...Ha! My father took me to see this film, much to the disbelief and envy of my classmates. Of course, I don't think he realised there was so much sensuality on display. :)) They showed it here in 2001 as part of a Rekha Retrospective, and I watched it again. Still as good as I remembered. Lovely film, and kudos to Shashi Kapoor for backing something like this.Sridharnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-60679909829049235782012-03-22T13:57:13.503-04:002012-03-22T13:57:13.503-04:00My father took me to watch this film, and I rememb...My father took me to watch this film, and I remember my classmates' saying "Your father took you? It's such a daring film!There was nothing 'daring' about it; it was an exquisitely made film, with lovely, lovely songs!Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-77720112190666945082012-03-20T20:41:25.569-04:002012-03-20T20:41:25.569-04:00 It's a perfect description for this film, Shi... It's a perfect description for this film, Shilpi. :) That's just what it is.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-46999494877826346032012-03-20T02:11:30.842-04:002012-03-20T02:11:30.842-04:00This film was a masterpiece, I really loved it wou...This film was a masterpiece, I really loved it wouldn't be wrong to call it a wonderful piece of art, don't you think?Shilpi Bosehttp://www.itistastyma.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-8347095825380539962012-03-19T08:07:43.522-04:002012-03-19T08:07:43.522-04:00If it was on television, I can guarantee it was ch...If it was on television, I can guarantee it was chopped mercilessly, Neha, so be glad you didn't watch it then. Do watch it now, though. It's a wonderful film.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-46436764353641834772012-03-19T08:06:48.514-04:002012-03-19T08:06:48.514-04:00No worries, Tina. :) I'm glad Rishi's pare...No worries, Tina. :) I'm glad Rishi's parents enjoyed the songs. Do put <i>Utsav</i> on your to-watch list. It's worth it. The other actress is Anooradha Patel; she is Ashok Kumar's granddaughter. She acted in quite a few films, then left to open a finishing school. <i>Ijazat</i> and of late, <i>Jaane Tu, ya Jaane Na</i> come to mind. Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-26491805694254018012012-03-19T02:31:16.484-04:002012-03-19T02:31:16.484-04:00Rekha is so gorgeous in this film, but you know wh...Rekha is so gorgeous in this film, but you know what? I remember having seen bits and pieces of it; it was on television once (unbelievably) and my mom wouldn't let me watch it because it was "for grown ups" hahaha.. she wouldn't mind now though :)Nehanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-88806880848641641162012-03-18T19:41:21.725-04:002012-03-18T19:41:21.725-04:00I have been reading your posts, Anu, with great re...I have been reading your posts, Anu, with great regularity, but have had nothing to contribute when it came to old Hindi songs - though Rishi and his parents have been playing all ths Suraiya, Shamshad Begum songs. My in-laws were so thrilled to find some old (and as they said, not-so-well-known) songs that they remembered. <br /><br />I haven't seen Utsav and your screencaps make me want to. Rekha looks so beautiful, but so does the other actress. Did she act in anything else?Tinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-17657153607422401432012-03-18T12:09:10.652-04:002012-03-18T12:09:10.652-04:00Thank you, pacifist. You should get your hands on ...Thank you, pacifist. You <i>should</i> get your hands on this one. It's wonderfully detailed, and the plot is not as complicated as it seems. Karnad did a great job of pulling in all the disparate strands together.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309362817539389132.post-35682635895831998482012-03-18T12:07:20.017-04:002012-03-18T12:07:20.017-04:00More often than not, none of these people even bot...More often than not, none of these people even bother to check the facts, Madhu. I'm sure the twit who wrote that article hadn't seen the movie; he/she/it must have written what someone else said.Anu Warrierhttp://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com