There is absolutely no way to really represent all that there is to love about S.P. Balasubramaniam. That booming, powerful, distinctive voice really speaks for itself. I've been to three SPB Concerts in my life, and loved every moment of each one. I would totally go to a million more. I remember the first time I was sitting in the auditorium for his concert ... I closed my eyes as he started singing and inexplicably, Salman Khan's face flashed before my eyes. Damn Raamlaxman! Their use of SPB as the 'voice' of Salman in films like Maine Pyar Kiya, Patthar Ke Phool, and Hum Aapke Hai Koun has permanently fixed a Salman=SPB equation in my mind, even though I don't think it actually suits him at all. You'll note that the end of my playlist below is heavy on Salman songs ... I couldn't help it!
So when Githa of Words from a Lotus mentioned that she was doing SPB Day, I immediately started trying to compile my favorite songs. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am SUCH a fan of his that it was absolutely impossible for me to do so in a day. So many, many days later, here is my humble playlist of favorite SPB songs. This is by no means a comprehensive list, I'm sure there are many more that I've forgotten, but these were definitely the ones that came to mind first!
I've started with Telugu, Tamil and then Hindi - so it's not quite in a 'real' order, just by language. Enjoy the voice of this LEGEND!
My Favorite SPB Songs Playlist: - Shankara Nada Shareera - Shankarabharanam (1981) - Nada Vinodamu - Sagara Sangamam (1983) - Mannil Inda Kadhal - Keladi Kanmani (1990) - Ilaiyanila - Payanangal Mudivathillai (1982) - Pani Vizhum Malarvanum - Ninaivellam Nithya (1982) - Pothi Vecha Malligai- Mannvasanai (1983) - Punjai Undu Nenjai Undu - Unnal Mudiyam Thambi (1988) - Kala Kala Magam - Punnagai Mannan (1986) - Guruvayoorappa - Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal (1989) - Rathiriyil Poothirikkum - Thanga Magan (1983) - Priya Priya O Priya- Kattabomman (1993) - Devi Sri Devi - Vaazhve Mayam (1982) - Rum Bum Bum - Michael Madana Kamarajan (1990) - Mettupodu - Duet (1994) - Madathile - Veera (1994) - En Veetu Thottathil - Gentleman (1993) - Oruvan Oruvan - Muthu (1995) - O Maria - Saagar (1985) - Dil Deewana - Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) - Aaja Shaam Hone Aayi - Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) - Tumse Milne Ki Tamanna Hai - Saajan (1990) - Tumse Jo Dekhte Hi Pyar Hua - Patthar Ke Phool (1991) - Sun Beliya - 100 Days (1991) - Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya - Love (1991) - Aaja Aaja Give Me A Kiss - Love (1991) - Pehla Pehla Pyar Hai - Hum Aapke Hai Koun (1994) - Teri Hi Arzoo - Chandramukhi (1993)
ARGH. So I totally suggested to all my BollyBlogging friends that we should do Vikram-posts on Sunday April 17th in honor of his 45th birthday. And then in the midst of traveling home to visit my mom in Michigan, I wasn't able to do a post yesterday. There were some fabulous tributes to the brooding, masculine, sexy Vikram yesterday which you should definitely check out:
My friends, I failed you all yesterday. And it's not from any lack of Vikram lust love. I absolutely adore Vikram ... as evidenced by my earlier Primer on Chiyaan Vikram. In it I describe my favorite Vikram movies, and a little about his incredible appeal.
Since there's no time to do a full movie recap or anything very deep or profound (Mom's household means non-stop guests and dance classes going on), I will leave you all with this intense moment from Kadhal Sadugudu which I ALWAYS think of when I think of Vikram ... mmmm ... (how jealous am I of Priyanka Trivedi???):
Happy birthday John Kennedy Vinod Raj aka VIKRAM aka RAMPWALK REMO aka RAINBOW REMO, you sexy beast you!
Ahhhh - this song. I was addicted to this song when it came out. It's so soft and dreamy and romantic! And I was also battling a major crush on the puffy-haired, super-moustached Ajith Kumar at the time. This is the Ajith that I loved ... the lover, not the fighter! In more recent years he's become an action hero ... probably because he packed on pounds when he married Shalini and couldn't play the young lover boy anymore. But I found him totally adorable back in the day. Of course, he always played the "nice guy" (except for maybe the evil brother in Vaali and the rough-exteriored role in Amarkkalam), so it was easy to fall for him.
And then of course there's my girl Simran! She's rocking the 90s outfits in this and looking super-glam. She's one of the few South Indian actresses (ok I know, she's not really South Indian, but she was a Tamil movie star!) that could really, truly ACT. I mean REALLY ACT. Check her out in Kannathil Muthamittal if you don't believe me. She's phenomenal! But back in the day, she was the glam queen of Tamil Cinema. And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't she the one that started the trend of (relatively) slim actresses in Tamil movies?
Anyway, this song from the movie Aval Varuvala (based somewhat on Sleeping with the Enemy, remade in Hindi with Esha Deol as Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche) was one of my absolute favorites in the late 90s. Of course the picturization is not at all what I had in mind. I was thinking paavadai-thaavanis and sarees, but hey, it's Simran, and she looks great in whatever.
Music was done in a typical tamil style by S.A. Rajkumar, and the song was sung by my absolute favorite singer Hariharan ...
The lovely Nicki of Hmong Chick Who Loves Indian Cinema and I were tweeting back & forth about our favorite dancers in Indian Cinema, which got me thinking about my favorite CLASSICAL dancers in Indian Cinema ... and since list-making is my favorite thing EVER, of course I had to compile a list and share it!
Now though the people on this list have legitimate Classical Dance training, it's rarely represented in their films. There's Classical Dance, and then there's FILMI Classical Dance, which is usually a slightly grotesque version of the real thing with exaggerated movements and expressions. Filmi Classical also always has a generous helping of hip-shaking and unnecessary hand/finger flourishing. I get annoyed by it, and yet, I seek it out. It's always nice to see Classical Dance represented in films, but then when it gets tarnished or cheapened I get angry.
Still, there are some Actors and Actresses that always show that little extra skill in dancing, and it is indeed because of their Classical Dance training. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Kamal Hassan He's definitely my #1 favorite because he was SO compelling and strong when he danced. Also Bharatanatyam is made for a male body (Nataraja was the Lord of Dance after all), and it falls more naturally on the male structure. Kamal Hassan definitely made it look effortless and graceful yet 100% masculine. Here he is in a gorgeous item from Sagara Sangamam:
2. Shobhana I think Shobhana is one of the most spectacular classical dancers from films. She is utterly elegant and beautiful. I do have ONE problem with her and that's that she doesn't complete her movements, but I fault the choreographers and film directors that try to make her dance so fast. Her dance style is also REALLY different from the kind I learned - hers is more flowy and influenced by ballet, but one of my best friends also learned from Smt. Chitra Visheshwaran (Shobhana's Guru) in Chennai and she dances with this same style, so I gained a great appreciation for it. Shobana won the National Award for her performance as the possessed dancer in Manichitratazhu (the Malayalam original of Chandramukhi and Bhool Bhulaiya):
3. Vyjayanthimala I gained my love for Vyjayanthi from my mom who was an uber-fan and used to prance around Mumbai spouting her dialogues at 'roadside romeos' that tried to tease her and her friends. But she is indeed a spectacular dancer and unbelievably gorgeous in full Bharatanatyam costume. She is also incredibly versatile and has one of the most expressive faces in Indian Cinema! Check out her display of dances from all over India, ending with the Thillana in Bharatanatyam from Ladki:
4. Vineeth I haven't seen a TON of Vineeth, I'll admit. I remember him from Kadhal Desam, most famous for the Rehman song "Mustafa Mustafa Don't Worry Mustafa". It wasn't till much later that I realized he was a classical dancer! As well he should be, since he's related to late Actress/Dancer Padmini and Shobhana as well. He's a student of Dr. Padma Subramanyam and has that more flowy style associated with the Vazhavoor style of Bharatanatyam. You might recognize him from the Rajnikanth blockbuster Chandramukhi and it's Hindi remake Bhool Bhulaiya. I get an instant crush on any man that can do classical dance and maintain the masculinity of it (it's rare these days). And he also looks like a young Kamal Hassan. Whenever I mentally choreograph classical-based film duets, I always picture Vineeth as my partner. Here he is strutting his stuff in a live performance:
5. Madhuri Dixit I don't even need to explain Mads. Everyone knows that she is one of the most brilliant dancers in recent Bollywood years. Her Kathak training is evident in every kind of dance she does, but she has also had ample opportunity to show off her Classical Dance skill. I always remember her joy and exuberance in the Kathak practice scene from Dil To Pagal Hai, but I think her Magnum Opus is definitely her grand scale performance in Devdas said to be composed by the great Pandit Birju Maharaj:
6. Padmini Padmini Aunty was a regular visitor to our house in my childhood as my mother was very close with her family. My mom is always saying that I remind her of Padmini or her sister Ragini when they were young. Since I'm the youngest of three sisters, my mom used to often call us her own Lalitha/Padmini/Ragini. But before she was the gravelly-voiced, laughing Aunty at our house, she was a featured classical dancer in many, many films. I always feel that the choreography they gave her was absolutely ridiculous, but she certainly gave it her all! A student of the famous Vazhavoor Ramaiah Pillai, she had some very solid training behind her. One of her most famous roles was in the Tamil movie Thillana Mohanambal in which she played a noted dancer (*the video below does not feature the original singer) -- points if you spot Manorama as "Jillu Jillu Ramamani":
7. Meenakshi Seshadhri I miss the 80s. And Meenakshi was an actress that actually had a strong background in Classical Dance but very, very rarely had an opportunity to showcase it. One of the moments where she got to show off what she could do was her Tandav Dance from the amazing movie Damini. Incidentally, she currently runs a dance school in Texas somewhere. Here she is performing "Madhuban Mein Radhika" at a live performance in Dubai:
8. Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Aunty was another friend/colleague of my mom's and I of course love her dancing because she learned from our same Gurus in India - the one and only Gurus of Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kalamandir in Mumbai, particularly Guru Mahalingam Pillai who I was lucky enough to study under in the early 90s. Though my favorite performance of hers was much later (Mahaan - 1983), her earlier films have wonderful displays of dance that really show her talent. You can see her dance training shine through in items from Neel Kamal, Guide, and Teesri Kasam. Here she is in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1961):
9. Komal Mahuvakar She's virtually unknown, but I totally LOVED this girl. She couldn't have been more than 15 when she starred in the Rajshri film Payal Ki Jhankar which was ALL about dance (and therefore is one of my favorite movies of all time). I never saw her in much after that, though she had a small role as one of the household children in Khusboorat (she briefly dances in "Piya Bawri"), and I vaguely remember her in Nagina. I guess she moved down South later and starred in Tamil films like Michael Madana Kamarajan under the name "Roopini". But Payal Ki Jhankar is definitely her career highlight. The dancing is filmi-classical for sure, and often sloppy or odd-looking, but there is some definite training behind it. I loved her in "Dekho Kanha Nahin" (she's not the girl dancing at the beginning, you have to forward a bit to get to her part), and you can see her schooling her co-star in the Jugalbandi Dance-Off "Kar Singar". Check her out, looking extremely pretty in pink:
10. Hema Malini Hema Malini may be a bit of an obvious choice, being well-known for being one of the best classical dancers in Bollywood. I've seen her classical dance productions on stage when they toured in the U.S., and I have to say I was less than impressed. However she's done enough beautiful work on-screen for me to appreciate her, and I also appreciate the work she does to promote Classical Dance. She also got some of the best classically-based songs in Indian Cinema,in movies such as Mrig Trishna, Mehbooba, Abhinetri, Kinara, Lekin and so many more. Here she is dancing with her daughters in a live stage performance (does anyone else think Esha looks like Deepika Padukone in Odissi costume?):
11. Aishwariya Rai Ash is also slightly obvious, though I don't necessarily LIKE her as an actress or consider her one of my favorites otherwise. I do always appreciate her dancing. She is trained in Bharatanatyam and I remember reading somewhere that she had trained up to arangetram level (professional debut) but didn't complete it. She is a natural dancer and lovely to watch! I always love seeing her dance and wish they would really showcase her full ability like they did for Hema Malini and Madhuri Dixit. Umrao Jaan gave her a great opportunity to show her classical training, as evidenced by many of the clips in this fan-made video on YouTube (v. well done!). Here she is in my absolute favorite Aishwariya movie, the Tamil film Kandukonden Kandukonden (inspired by Sense and Sensibility):
12. Prabhu Deva Prabhu Deva may seem like an odd choice, but he IS indeed trained in Classical Dance and quite skilled at it. It's probably what gives him such an edge over other amazing dancers like Lawrence and Vijay. We almost NEVER see it, although there is the number "Saravanabhava" from the HILARIOUS movie Kadhala Kadhala (also starring Kamal Hassan) - which I can't find anywhere on YouTube unfortunately. But here's a clip from Kadhalan in which his character is trying to learn Bharatanatyam to win over his ladylove:
Of course I should mention that there are many more famous Classical Dancers in Cinema, such as Kamala Lakshman, Gopi Krishna, Bhanupriya, Jaya Prada, Anjali Devi, Bombay Meenakshi etc. They certainly deserve credit for their brilliant work. My mom particularly loves Kamala Lakshman, and she performed with Gopi Krishna all over India and North America. But I just had to list my personal favorites!
For more on Classical Dance in Indian Cinema, I definitely recommend you visit the fabulous Minai's blog - her stuff is just brilliant!
So we're one day away from ENDHIRAN's release here in the U.S. and I for one am super excited. There's somewhat of a rush going to a new Rajnikanth movie, a feeling of exhiliration when sitting in the theatre with a bunch of rowdy Tamilians who will no doubt whistle, stomp and cheer for Rajni's entry ...
... which brings me to my list of Favorite Rajni Entry Songs. Tamil movies consistently have a 'Hero's Entry Song' - usually a fast-paced, all-male dance number that uses the lyrics or setting to tell you about the Hero's background and character. It usually shows the Hero in the streets with a gang of friends (and extras!) having a jolly time, making passes at girls (the girls usually stop to dance along for a while too) and generally being charming and exciting.
Rajni's Entry Songs are even more powerful because it's simply the first moment you see him on-screen - which of course HAS to be loud and thrilling! Often times the song will echo into his next film somewhere because they are so beloved by his throngs of fans. He usually walks/leaps/turns into his first shot and gives some sort of recognition to the audience - either a smile, namaste or wink - and the masses go WILD. It's freakin' awesome.
So after creating my list of favorite Rajni movies yesterday, I found myself humming some of his most popular tunes and decided I had to make a list, and as long as I was making it, why not share it? So here is my list of favorite Rajnikanth HERO'S ENTRY songs:
Vanthenda Paalkkaaran - Annamalai
Naan Autokaaran Autokaaran - Baasha
Oruvan Oruvan - Muthu
Athanda Ithanda - Arunachalam
Singanadipottu - Padaiyappa
Dippu Dippu - Baba
Devuda Devuda - Chandramukhi (re-peeeaaatuuuu!)
Balailakka - Sivaji
I can't remember if this is the first song in Kuselan (the tamil predecessor of Irrfan Khan & SRK's Billu), but it certainly is the best! This awesome song features tons of familiar faces and is a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the Tamil Film Industry:
Cinema Cinema - Kuselan
These aren't necessarily my favorite songs from these movies, just the ones that best exemplify the "Rajni Entry". I am waiting to see what happens when Rajni is first shown on screen in Endhiran. I can't wait! I am going to be on a family vacation during the release weekend, but I'm trying to figure out a way for all of us to go see it together.
So with the release of Endhiran this Friday causing so much buzz, I thought it was time to do a little primer on Rajnikanth (similar to my post on Vikram) ...
Most people can't help but be charmed by the story of Rajnikanth, a man from a poor background who had worked as a coolie and a bus conductor, who eventually became the 2nd highest paid actor in Asia (the first being Jackie Chan, naturally). He's an institution in Tamil Nadu, a star that the masses won't let fade, because they love him too much. What can be said about Rajnikanth? He's almost universally loved. Even though he's done a limited number of Hindi movies, he's always recognized for his style. He's been called the Baadshah of the Box Office - it doesn't matter what the subject is, who the director is, or who his co-star is ... Rajni's presence will drive fans to the theatres in droves. He is so beloved that the audiences of Tamil Nadu will reject any movie in which he dies!
Slate.com did this nice Rajni 101 article that I appreciated ... it wonderfully describes Rajnikanth this way:
This is Rajinikanth, and he is no mere actor—he is a force of nature. If a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be Rajinikanth.
That's pretty epic. As is the man it's written about. Here's another article about Why Rajni Rocks! Yet another great article published in the PR flurry of his latest release Endhiran (co-starring Aishwariya Rai Bachchan) lists some of the most popular Rajnikanth jokes (in the vein of the Chuck Norris jokes). CLICK HERE to check out the entire article, but here's some of my favorites:
Rajnikanth doesn't move at the speed of light. Light moves at the speed of Rajnikanth.
Rajnikanth never wet the bed as a child. The bed wet itself in fear.
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Rajnikanth lives in India.
Google won't find Rajnikanth because you can't find Rajnikanth. Rajnikanth finds you.
Rajnikanth doesn't need a visa to travel abroad, he just jumps from the tallest building in Chennai and holds himself in the air while the earth rotates.
You can check out some more Rajni jokes here. So obviously Rajnikanth is an institution and a legend in Tamil Nadu (and also in Japan!) ...
If you've never seen a Rajni movie, you definitely need to. Just don't start with Padaiyappa, you may not come back to us. However once you are sucked in, Padaiyappa can be fun! Especially the lines Abbas delivers in praise of Rajni - "What a man!" and "Illai, ungalakku vayasu ahallai!" (No, you haven't gotten old!)
He zoomed to popularity in films from the late 70s such as Moondru Mudichu and 16 Vayathinile, playing the baddie with such panache that you were drawn in despite the negative character. Even in Hindi films he was popular for his antics with sunglasses and cigarettes (flipping and flicking them with fabulous sound effects!), as well as his kick-a$$ mojo.
He's everyman, yet he's Superman!
He also became famous for his one-liners ... dialogues that he uses several times in his films until they become cult-classics ... much like the way Salman Khan used the line "Hum tumri jaan mein itna ched karenge itna ched karenge… ki confuse ho jaoge ki..Saas kaha se ley aur pade kaha se" in the movie Dabangg (2010). However Rajni's lines were a regional craze! The image below from Forbes India showcases some of his best ones:
So EVERYONE who's ANYONE will probably be checking out what Rajni (at age 60) has got in Endhiran, which releases tomorrow, October 1, 2010. But here's a list of some of my Top 12 favorite Rajnikanth movies:
1. Billa (1980) - an almost scene-for-scene remake of Amitabh Bachchan's Don, but it's an incredible ride because it's RAJNI man!
2. Thillu Mullu (1981) - another remake, this one is of Amol Palekar's popular comedy Gol Maal (1979).
3. Geraftaar - Hindi (1985) - the combo of three of my favorite actors, Amitabh, Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth, is too killer!And gratuitous cigarette flipping by Rajni also features prominently.
4. Guru Sishyan (1988) - great blockbuster comedy with Rajni and Prabhu. This hit was remade by Director Shakti Chidambaram in 2010 with Sathyaraj of all people, which I think is a travesty.
5. Chaalbaaz (1989) - obviously I love Sridevi, who is the ultimate star in this movie, but Rajni's taxiwallah character was really memorable and hilarious, especially his little sing-song "Aaj Sunday hai, to kya? Aaj hamare daaru peene ka day hai!"
6. Hum (1991) - Again this wasn't Rajni's movie - Amitabh was the star through and through, but it also had a powerhouse combo of Amitabh-Rajni-Govinda which made the movie AMAZING.
7. Thalapathi (1991) - again an amazing star cast, but the only one I really remembered was Rajni. And of course the awesome song "Raakamma Kai Thattu" featuring the beautiful Shobhana. How could they take such a great song and turn it into "Tu Tu Tu Tu Tu Tara"???
8. Annamalai (1992) - I think this is my ultimate favorite Rajni movie. It is HILARIOUS, and features Rajni with Khushboo (who had such a huge fan base in Tamil Nadu I heard they built a temple for her). We still use running jokes from this all the time ... such as "Prince?" "YES!" ... you just have to see it. I also LOVE the scene where there's a snake in Khushboo's bathroom and Rajni is terrified but has to save her. Just couldn't stop laughing!
9. Veera (1994) - I'm not sure why I loved this one so much, it could be because I totally love the actress Meena or the song "Madathile" ... the story takes a weird turn at some point and I absolutely CANNOT reconcile the end AT ALL, but I still enjoyed this movie in general. It was remade in Hindi by David Dhawan as Saajan Chale Sasural but Gharwali Baharwali also had that awkward, WRONG ending that Veera had. Veera also had a line-play on one of his earlier films ... a one-liner that my husband and I always say ... "How iiiis iiiiit? Suuuuuuuuper!"
10. Muthu (1995) - Another mega blockbuster that featured Rajni with Meena (who is just such an amazingly gorgeous lady, but god, do they ever stuff her into the most ridiculous outfits). Directed by one of my favorite comedy directors K.S. Ravikumar and featuring music by A.R. Rehman (the first time he did music for a Rajni blockbuster!), this movie was most memorable for the lavish song picturizations, especially "Thillana Thillana" (yes, I know they sampled that bit from Deep Forest). This movie was apparently dubbed for Japanese audiences and made Rajni a sensation in Japan!
11. Arunachalam (1997) - a kind of version of Brewster's Millions, but Rajni-fied! I tend to get the storylines of Annamalai, Muthu and Arunachalam mixed up, but honestly who cares? They're all awesome! Once you start watching you will get sucked in and love every sunglass-twirling, towel-flourishing second. Rajni was paired with Rambha and Soundarya in this one.
12. Chandramukhi (2005) - most everyone knows this one as the remake of the Malayalam hit 'Manichitrathazhu' or the inspiration for the Hindi 'Bhool Bhulaiya' ... this was a really over-the-top and yet perfectly intriguing film. Is it a ghost story? Is it a psychological drama? It seems even most reviewers aren't sure. One thing it has in common with Rajni blockbusters is a point where a character does an entire soliloquy about how amazing Rajni's character is. All Hail Rajni! Jyothika was also given a very prominent role, though she is opposite Prabhu instead of Rajni. Rajni is paired with then newcomer Nayantara (who hasn't looked the same - or worn as much clothing - since. I suppose it worked in her favor since she's now Prabhudeva's ladylove). Interesting how Jyothika had such a great run in Tamil Cinema before marrying Surya Sivakumar but never paired with Rajni! Then again, nor did Simran who was one of the top Tamil actresses in the mid to late 90s and early 2000s. Anyway, I don't know who would EVER consider Akshay Kumar to take on a role played by Rajni ... he simply couldn't carry it off.
Also very memorable was that when I went to see this film at the theatre, there was an aunty there wearing a nightie. Awesome.
So there are definitely some honorable mentions that didn't make my personal top 12, such as Andhaa Kanoon, Gair Kanooni, Padaiyappa, Baasha, Ejjamaan, Kuselan and many of his earlier films that have merits. These are just my favorites, the ones that I can watch over and over!
I am definitely excited for the release of Endhiran, even if I do think a Rajni-Ash pairing is absolutely ridiculous ... I have high hopes that this film will erase the disappointment of Sivaji and Baba. I will probably be shelling out for that $20 ticket, because when push comes to shove, I love me some Rajni.
I'm going to try and quickly throw together a post of the best Rajni-Entry-Songs from his films. It's a genre of it's own.
I hope you check out some of Rajni's films ... if you don't know where to begin, I'd recommend Annamalai and Muthu!
Also coming up in October - it's Rekhalicious October, spearheaded by @sujoysingha over at oneknightstands.net. Definitely check out his blog for some great stuff, and I'll be doing some special Rekha posts as well!
I did love this movie - the angsty Ajith, the lovely, delicate Shalini, their TRUE chemistry ... the bad guy who changes for love ... aah! It had great, catchy songs too - I love Satham Illatha Thanimai Kettaiand Unnodu Vaazhvadu. Even Sondha Kuzhalil Paadu started out annoying, but I ended up humming it too.
So here's Tamil dancing star Lawrence in his "item-number" from Amarkalam (1999), which starred Ajith Kumar and child-star-turned-heroine-turned-filmstar-wife Shalini:
When I first watched the Tamil-dubbed version of this movie back in the late 90s, I was completely entranced. I watched it over and over again, got my best friend addicted to it too, then got our mothers into it as well. It brought about a lot of deep conversations and debates about brahmin culture, feminism, family-bond, tradition, etc. Devaragam was a Malayalam-language film directed by Bharathan, starring Sridevi, Arvind Swamy and Nedimudi Venu. There's some question via online sources whether it released in 1996 or 1999, but the one consensus is that it was a huge flop.
I'm not sure why people disliked this movie. I seriously loved it. The acting was superb, the music gorgeous and the storyline typical of Malayalam films - a tearjerker. The brightest spot of the entire film was definitely Sridevi, as the beautiful Lakshmi.
Though a little Arvind Swamy never hurt anyone either:
RAWR!
The film opens with a young child climbing into a bullock cart and insisting that he also go with the cart to pick up the 'Shavundi' - a person who performs funeral rites and lives amongst the cremation grounds. Though essential to the funeral ceremonies, he is often considered frightening or unlucky. He certainly looks that way too - covered in ash and grime, sleeping in a bat-infested grove and given ominous background music. The 'Shavundi' and child begin talking in the cart ride to the funeral, and then a flashback takes us to meet Lakshmi.
Life for Lakshmi turns head over heels when Vishnu (Arvind Swamy), the new priest's son and priest-in-training, shows up in her village. Lakshmi is instantly intrigued by the new young man in town, as you can see towards the end of this beautiful (albeit not very devotional in nature with all the thumkas) dance, Tham Thanananam(LOVE her expressions at the end, starting at 3:53):
Lakshmi uses all her charm and nakhra to try and attract Vishnu, but he rebuffs her over and over. These scenes are some of the most memorable in the whole movie, and Sridevi is simply perfect in them. She captures the innocence and playful flirtation of a young girl PERFECTLY when she was well-past that age by the time this film was made. The scenes still play in my head as some of the most romantic I can remember in Indian films, I don't know if it's due to the soundtrack which is one of the most hummable tunes ever, or if it's the chemistry between the lead pair, or what. The dhaavani flying through the air, Lakshmi's expression as she offers milk to Vishnu, the amazing display of emotions that cross her face when she finds him watching her create Rangoli patterns, the especially notable "green kumkumum" scene, the way she relentlessly pursues him in such a bold way ... it all comes together in such a natural, appealing way. They tease each other much like the boys and girls in first grade do, pretending to be annoyed with each other when they really like one another. Usually these kind of antics are overdone in Indian movies, and yet somehow, I am totally charmed by these two.
Lakshmi catches Vishnu watching her creating a Rangoli pattern
Pachchai Kumkumum Scene - her acting is INCREDIBLE!
At one point she traps him and tries to force him to tell her what he said about her to a friend, and he launches into this beautiful description of a goddess-woman in Karivari Vandugal ... she is completely caught up in the romance and is literally lifted off the ground with pride ... until she comes crashing back to reality when he says he was singing about the Goddess Mother and not about her. This scene is a MUST watch:
Their love is solidified when Vishnu saves Lakshmi from near-death by tree. Or rather, tries to save her. See, she climbs up a tree to toss flowers down to her chattery group of friends below, when she glimpses Vishnu painting by the river (what a soft, sensitive soul he is!). In trying to get a better view, she slips and knocks herself out but is still stuck in the tree. The friends cry for help, and Vishnu comes a-running. He climbs up to save her, but the branches break and they both fall into the river ... and he lifts her up and carries her out in the cheesiest romance scene style possible, but I'm still all a-flutter because of the gorgeous soundtrack.
Vishnu saves Lakshmi from Death by Tree.
Then they're all dreamy-dreamy about each other, and the song Ya Ya Ya Yadava showcases Sridevi looking absolutely STUNNING (HOW MUCH did I want her lehengas in this, especially the yellow & purple one) - though I must mention my BFF's mom was amused that they turned a Brahmin into a Yadava for this song, but I didn't mind so much, my heart totally melts when he sings the "Oh Radhayai" part ... le sigh!:
Now somewhere the dreams cross into reality, and Vishnu and Lakshmi have completely fallen in love. The problem is, Vishnu is supposed to be a brahmachari. His time and attention has been devoted to Lakshmi, and this does not escape the notice of his father, who punishes him for coming to a puja ceremony late by making him stand outside in the rain at night and repeat sacred chants. However Vishnu and Lakshmi have already passed the point of no return, and their passion for each other is consumated in the BEAUTIFUL song Sisirakaala:
There is SO MUCH going on here. First of all, they don't just hook up out in the woods - they get MARRIED. Yep, they set a fire burning, make some garlands and exchange them. All you need for a bonafide wedding. And once they are married, they go for a LITERAL romp in the hay. But look at all the symbolism! He breaks her belt (chastity?), and she has her fingers all tangled in his poonal thread, but doesn't break it! She leaves his status intact!
Incidentally, the first time we were watching this movie, the local priest in our community happened to stop by for something or the other EXACTLY DURING THE SCENE THAT THEY'RE GETTING IT ON. WITH ALL THE FOCUSING ON HIS POONAL THREAD. Awkward, yes.
This is most definitely the films turning point - it's all downhill from here. Lakshmi's father's elder sister comes to visit, and as she practically raised him he is very indebted to her and falls all over himself to please her. But this time, her request is for Lakshmi to marry her son Parthasarathy. I know, they're cousins, but this is how things were done back in the day to keep money within the family. It's even still done sometimes in villages. When Lakshmi's father shows hesitation, his sister FREAKS OUT and shows how angry and betrayed she would be if Lakshmi married someone else. Finding himself unable to bear his sister's anger, Lakshmi's father agrees to the match.
Lakshmi tries to tell her father
Meanwhile, Vishnu's father insists that Vishnu himself must conduct Lakshmi's wedding with Parthasarathy, as he is unwell. And when Lakshmi tries to tell her father that she cannot go through with the wedding, that she already loves Vishnu, he locks himself in a room and beats himself in the head with a brass lamp, then practically sets the place on fire. When Vishnu comes to break down the door and save him, he begs Vishnu to give Lakshmi up and to follow tradition. The star-crossed lovers can't fight their fate, and Lakshmi is forced to marry Partha.
A gorgeous wedding song, I even used it for my entry during my wedding in 2005, though I was quite a bit happier than she is. But check out the loser Lakshmi has to marry ... and watch her face when she realizes who is conducting her marriage ... just unbelievable acting. Beautiful.
Now the complications have multiplied even further. To marry your own wife to another man is an utter, complete sin. With all the family pressures built on either side for these star-crossed lovers, can Vishnu go forward and conduct Lakshmi's wedding? Who curses Vishnu to become the 'Shavundi'? And can Vishnu and Lakshmi ever be together? And what kind of dude is Partha???
That is one scary dude.
There is no simple, uncomplicated ending for this tale, and though it does get extremely melodramatic and downright depressing, there is still something hauntingly beautiful about the love between Vishnu and Lakshmi. Also at well-beyond the eleventh hour, it is finally the woman who has to decide that she's DONE with putting up with tradition, expectation and everything else that has put her through so much misery. She blasts out at everyone with the strength she has left in her. But is it all too much too late?
This movie may not be the most astoundingly original story out there, or the happiest ending in the world, but the acting gives it some real meat. Particularly Sridevi in her transition from the wide-eyed, flirtatious young maiden to the hard-worn, devastated mother, makes this movie worth watching. Also the film has a rather snarky, funny portrayal of money-grubbing city priests in the second half that rang very true to me. This is perhaps not Arvind Swamy's strongest work, especially considering Roja and Bombay. His role is more subdued, especially compared to Sridevi's powerhouse performance. Then again, she has that way of stealing the show, doesn't she? Still he'd probably charm me into a romp in the hay too -- check him out:
Post-coital Vishnu ... Anantashayana indeed.
Not to mention the super-cool demonic special effects that denote his being cursed to a life of graveyard shift, literally.
But if none of that entices you, let me just say that Sridevi's wardrobe in the first half of this movie is to DIE FOR gorgeous. Lots of beautiful, traditional South Indian paavadai-dhaavanis, long braided hair with rakodi and malligaipoo (jasmine flowers), gorgeous lehengas in the Yadava dream scene, and gorgeous jewelry too.
Well anyway here we are, with Neetu Singh-Along almost upon us, and I'm still going on and on about Sridevi. I do still want to recap a few more Sri movies, and will definitely keep going, but the Neetu posts are starting very soon and I need to get to work on them. So please do keep an eye out for posts about Neetu and more Sridevi, coming soon!
Thanks for reading and I hope that if you've seen Devaragam, or if you end up watching it, you will share your thoughts with me! I know I'm in the minority when it comes to liking this film!
I never knew that all my favorite Sridevi movies from the early 80s were imports from Tamil/Telugu movies by the same director, K. Raghavendra Rao, until this SRIDEVIPALOOZA project, though I knew from the rustic settings of Himmatwala and Tohfa that they were most likely copies of South Indian movies. But one that I definitely knew was a remake was Masterji (1985) starring Sridevi and Rajesh Khanna, along with the usual suspects of Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Asrani, Aruna Irani, etc. The reason I was aware of this was because it's original, the tamil movie Mundhanai Mudichu (1983) starring K. Bhagyaraj and Urvasi, is one of my long-time favorite movies. Naturally we were excited when they remade it in Hindi, and even more excited when we heard that Sridevi would take on Urvasi's role.
The story is a village tale, far-removed from cities and justice systems. In this setting, everything from crimes to domestic spats, is settled by the "Panchayat" - a council of village elders. The story revolves around Radha (Sridevi), the daughter of the Head of the Village Council (Kader Khan). Radha is impetuous, sassy and rebellious.
She spends her days causing mischief along with her three best friends, who also happen to be three young boys (one played by a kid that pops up VERY often in Hindi Cinema, I call him Raju, and the third being Thavakalai, better known as "Little Superstar" the YouTube sensation). Radha is openly defiant of her father, and even accuses him to his face of having a mistress. Her parents want to marry her off as soon as possible, but Radha has her own ideas about the kind of man she is looking for.
While gallavanting about the village, Radha and the boys see a young man get ejected from a bus with his child. They come to find out that he's heading towards their village to meet Radha's father, and eventually find out that he's there to be the new Teacher at the village school. Radha, seeing him busy himself with the baby, assumes that the mother will arrive in town once he's found a home and settled in.
RK wears many fabulous outfits like this one, with copious chest hair exposed
The new Masterji soon becomes the target of Radha and the boys pranks, until Radha finds out that he's a newly widowed man, and is raising the child alone. Radha feels terrible about stealing from him, and apologizes profusely. Masterji covers for Radha with her father, and is very kind to her despite her antics.
Radha is shocked to find out Masterji is widowed
We quickly realize how good of a man Masterji is. In his classroom, a child is revealed to be severly abused by his stepmother. Masterji is very upset by this, and clearly thinks that he should never remarry because he doesn't want to risk his baby ever being abused by a second mother. His mother-in-law arrives to visit and urges him to marry his dead wife's younger sister so that the child can have a mother, but he refuses, saying that he alone will be both mother and father to the child.
Also when the abused child is tied up by goons and his stepmother does nothing to save him, Masterji steps in to do some dishoom-dishoom and save him. In doing so, he gets a good whack to the head and passes out in Radha's arms, getting some blood on her chest. Radha gets all swooney about this, and goes into this very psychadelic dream song.
*CLICK HERE* to watch the song "Jab Tanhai Mein Do Badan"
Much like many of the South Indian import songs of this age, there some sort of prop-motif going on. In this case, it's umbrellas.
Rajesh Khanna struggles through the very limited dance moves they put in there, but is looking like a dapper fatherly sort of dude. Sri looks gorgeous in the supremely sparkly, sequins, 80s-tastic dresses, but there is a sort of light missing in her eyes? Did anyone else feel this when they watched her in this song? The Sri spark that's so evident in her other performances is somehow flat here. I remember reading tons of Stardust articles back in the day about Rajesh Khanna and his ... ahem, interactions with his female co-stars. I can't help but wonder if something went down that wasn't too kosher for the Sri during the filming of this song. But she still looks stunning, especially in the green Little Mermaid type outfit.
Move over Ariel.
There are several side plots woven throughout. One being a totally unnecessary battle between a blackfaced (gahhh!) Shakti Kapoor and Asrani the priest for the heart of Aruna Irani (a flower seller). Masterji also campaigns to have another teacher brought into the village to teach the elderly folk reading and writing, which is met with scorn UNTIL the beautiful, young female teacher (played by Anita Raj) comes to town. Suddenly everyone's signing up for Adult Ed and humming Hot for Teacher.
Radha, seeing Masterji's hard working nature and kindness, is totally charmed and decides she is going to marry him. She proposes, which he brushes off rudely and without much serious thought. She approaches him again and again and he continues to reject her. Meanwhile her little friends fill her head with the idea that Masterji is cozying up with the sexy new teacher in town.
This is Radha's worst nightmare. Cootchie-cooing and chalkboard hearts
When she refuses to believe it, the kids decide to demonstrate for her what they are doing - in the HIGHLY disturbing song "Galon Par Yeh Kaise Nishaan". The sets for their dream rendezvous include life-size cutouts of famous Indian lovers, tons of instruments and a tota (parrot).
*CLICK HERE* to view the song "Galon Par Yeh Kaise Nishan"
Also, Anita Raj is wearing shortie-shorts and pink fringey boots. A rose plays the guitar, apples play the tabla and her hair plays the sitar. It's all in all a very WEIRD sequence. It ends very symbolically with grapes falling into goblets of milk (or very cloudy water). I have NO IDEA what that means.
Pink fringey boots!
Also highly disturbing is this sequence ... apparently the KIDS are describing all of this to Radha. What is up with these kids' fantasies???
Anita Raj goes behind a screen to undress ...
...and toss her silver glittery bra on the tabla?
So Radha decides it's time for drastic measures. She carefully tells the kids to pretend that she's said she was going to kill herself, and they bring Masterji running to stop her. They also arrange for the whole village, including the Panchayat to arrive on the scene. When everyone has assembled, Radha claims that she has lost her innocence, and when her family urges her to confess who she's sinned with, she points directly at who?
The next scene is very well done, although it's obviously far better in the Tamil original. Set to a score of heavy drums, the entire village is shown arguing with Masterji and Radha, fingers being pointed, Masterji having a mangalsutra thrust at him and her mother pleading at his feet for him to marry her daughter and save them from shame. I felt my gut twist a little for Masterji when they showed his mother-in-law and sister-in-law arrive on the scene and leave immediately after finding out what was going on.
Eventually the drums stop and Masterji lays his baby on the ground. He states to the crowd that he will agree to marry Radha IF she steps over the child and thereby swears on the child's life that what she's saying is true. Radha is shocked and afraid, but everyone pushes her, saying that if what's she's saying is the truth then she should go ahead and swear on the child. In a dramatic slow-motion scene, Radha does the horrible deed and steps over the child, swearing that her lies are true.
Now there is no other option for Masterji. He ties the mangalsutra on her and she moves in to his home, but that he doesn't mean he has to like it. No he absolutely doesn't accept Radha, no matter what she does. And she does a lot to try and get him to accept her, including a hilarious episode where she tries making an entire meal with drumsticks (vegetable) which is considered an aphrodisiac in some cultures. This leads to a lot of ... ahem ... *discomfort* for Masterji that night, and Radha makes it worse by singing the awful and inappropriate "Aankhen to Kholo Swami". The highlight of this song is the baby in the swami costume.
From there, the couples goes through a series of melodramatic events, some bringing them together, some driving them apart. With all of the lies and anger that Masterji feels, and with all the fear for his child's future driving him, will it be possible for him to forgive Radha. Can Radha find a way into his heart? And how far will Radha have to go to prove to Masterji that she will love his child as her own and never ill-treat him as a stepchild? And can they squeeze in a few more dishoom-dishoom scenes? Will Rajesh Khanna spend the entire movie looking bewildered about what he's doing in it?
It's difficult not to view this movie without comparing it to it's Tamil original, which is definitely superior. K. Bhagyaraj's Masterji is much funnier and more pathetic, so you definitely feel sorry for him throughout the film. And Urvasi's Parimala is incredibly innocent as compared to Sridevi's cheeky Radha. In fact, Radha's character overall is not likeable. She's spoiled, selfish, arrogant and disrespectful. Yet somehow with all those character flaws and despite the EXTREMELY messed up way she lied to get what she wanted (which bites her in the a$$ later), Sridevi gets you to root for Radha. The overall environment has a distinct South Indian feel. The overtly sexual innuendos and situations seem more ... vulgar ... somehow, in the Hindi version. And Thavakalai, who obviously could not be replaced or recast, has great difficulty with dialogue delivery in Hindi and his lines don't have the natural humor that they did in Tamil (he's still awesome though).
I'd still recommend it for the funny moments. And though Sridevi's performance overall isn't as convincing as Urvasi's (which I attribute to script/direction and not her abilities), she still managed to get me a bit choked up in certain scenes. And look at how gorgeous she is!
Though SRIDEVIPALOOZA ended on August 20th, there are still a few entries trickling in, so check out our Delicious and Tumblr links to stay updated!
