The 80s were certainly not the greatest period in Hindi
cinema. There were a few bright spots here and there, but overall, the decade was dominated by mindless action movies and regressive ‘family
dramas’. But this era also saw the rise
of one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic female actors –Sridevi. Having made the
Bombay film industry sit up and take notice with her histrionics and comic
timing in a slew of forgettable southern remakes and male-dominated ‘action’
films opposite ageing stars like Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra and Amitabh Bachchan,
she cemented her stardom with her first ‘woman-oriented’ role in Nagina.Directed by: Harmesh Malhotra
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Starring: Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor,
Sushma Sreshta, Prem Chopra,
Komal Mahuakar, Jagdeep,
Amrish Puri
Conversations Over Chai
Come in, sit down, converse...
26 July 2025
Nagina (1986)

20 July 2025
My Favourites: Rajendra Kumar Songs
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20.07.1927-12.07.1999 |
After struggling through the previous two posts, I felt that I should let my blog fall into a decline yet again, and was wondering what I could write about that wouldn’t tax me too much. So, looking through my drafts and half-finished posts, I thought I could do a post on Sunl Dutt songs, and began compiling my favourite solos of the actor. It was only when I was halfway through the post that I realised I was a month too late – the actor’s birthday was in June. I was back to square one. Then I realised that there was yet another actor whose birthday was coming up, and soon. Rajendra Kumar. He's not one of my favourite actors, but I must be in the minority, since the actor held sway over countless hearts in his heyday.

16 July 2025
My Favourites: Guru Dutt's Songs
Guru Dutt’s birth centenary deserves more than a passing review. I’d initially thought I would make a list of Guru Dutt’s songs – songs that were picturised on him; songs that were happy and romantic instead of being bitter or cynical. But Dutt had never positioned himself as a romantic hero. And while he was competent (and convincing) in the romantic ballads, that didn’t seem enough. Yet, he had a very well-deserved reputation as a ‘song director’. So much so, that even in films directed by his associates, he filmed the song sequences. So, I decided to change tack and examine all the song sequences in his films. This meant that I could widen my net from songs that were only lip-synced by him.

09 July 2025
Kaagaz ke Phool (1959)
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Directed by: Guru Dutt Music: SD Burman Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi, Shailendra Starring: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Baby Naaz, Johnny Walker, Veena, Minoo Mumtaz, Pramila, Mahesh Kaul |
Earlier this year, I missed Raj Khosla’s birth centenary. Today is the birth centenary of his mentor and friend, Guru Dutt, a luminary in his own right, and someone who has contributed his mite to the golden age of Hindi cinema. It seemed only fitting that I acknowledge and celebrate this milestone.
The question was, how? Do I write about him under ‘The Masters’? Do I curate a list of songs, given that he was an accomplished song director? Or do I review one of his films? (I have reviewed my favourite Guru Dutt films before – Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55, which is a guilty pleasure, and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, which, though not directed by him, had his fingerprints all over it.)

08 April 2025
My Favourites: Manoj Kumar Songs
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24.07.1937-04.04.2025 |
As long-time readers of my blog know, I’m not a fan of Manoj Kumar. His pop-nationalism scarred my senses; the regressive roles of women in his films annoyed me, and his films never resonated. As an actor, while he initially was earnest and could be quite charming, his mannerisms soon took over to a point where he was a caricature of himself. Yet, as a scriptwriter, filmmaker, editor, and yes, even as an actor, Manoj Kumar left a legacy behind that’s worthy of being commemorated.

27 March 2025
Dekh Kabira Roya (1957)
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Directed by: Amiya Chakraborty Music: Madan Mohan Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan Starring: Anoop Kumar, Daljeet, Jawahar Kaul, Ameeta, Anita Guha, Shubha Khote, Sundar, Shivraj, Praveen Paul |

19 March 2025
Madcap. Mystic. Magician.
Writing
a biography of any eminent personality is an enormous task. To do so without
turning it into hagiography is a task that defeats most who attempt the task.
When faced with a 554-page volume that purports to be ‘The Ultimate Biography’,
one is left to wonder at the audacity of any biographer to claim that theirs
is, in fact, the ‘ultimate’ anything. However, authors Anirudha Bhattacharjee
and Parthiv Dhar, explain why they chose that title, and the explanation is
disarming.
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, a long-time online friend, two years ago. For various reasons, I didn’t read the book until very recently. That too, after Anirudha messaged me to find out if I’d even read it!

15 March 2025
Meiyazhagan (2024)
I haven’t really been watching films or reading many books lately; hence, the surfeit of song posts. But recently, my husband, flipping through the movies on Netflix, chanced upon Meiyazhagan (loosely translated to ‘Truly Handsome’ [Edited]). I had heard positive reports of the film, so,curled up on the couch next to him, I decided to stay and watch.

09 March 2025
My Favourites: Flower Songs
Kerala, where I am at present, is sweltering in unseasonal heat with temperatures soaring up to 38o C with a real feel of 40oC. While, my hometown in Northeast US is shivering at -3oC with a real feel of -9oC; wind chill not counting. Mother Nature has a crazy sense of humour.

28 February 2025
My Favourites: Romantic Duets
Once I got on to the romantic bandwagon, I decided to plunge headlong into romance during the month of February. I have already posted two lists of romantic songs, both solos and duets, featuring Shammi Kapoor who, for a generation, personified romance on screen. But he was scarcely the only one. The history of Hindi films is replete with love stories; but, even if the films were not particularly focused on love, romance was still an integral part of their narratives. So, indeed, was music. And thank heavens for that!
