Remembering Yash Chopra

Yesterday/two days ago was Yash Chopra's B-day so in honor of it, I wrote a little tribute post

Yash Chopra, the master.

Here's a stunning montage of his heroines set to a monologue by him about the beauty of women.

The man was a craftsman. He was so skilled in creating a well balanced formula that yielded gorgeous, classic Bollywood cinema. Nobody did/does it like him.

Here's an example of what I, personally, believe to be Bollywood perfection. Spot on music, the melodious Lata crooning Sahir Ludhianvi's (what a master of words) beautiful lyrics poetically blended with great cinematography on the enchanting Rakhee subtly emoting. He encapsulated the beauty of Desi culture effortlessly. Perfection. Watch.

A while ago Yash Raj Films teamed up with Karol Bagh Saree House and created the label Diva'ni. In honor of the late showman's birthday, the label held a show where nine of his leading ladies walked the ramp with Shahrukh Khan as host. 

(source: Missmalini.com)

More pics and quotes from the event after the jump:

But Why

Whether you hate or love Indian films (particularly Bollywood) we all have an opinion, but irrespective we all secretly do wish  Oscar-worthy movies came along more often and finally we got a good chance with The Lunchbox, but India so wonderfully failed to nominate it. Waaaaah. Here is a rediff article written by Aseem Chhabra explaining the sad situation. It's lengthy, but worth the read. Before that, have a looksies at a social media snapshot of what everyone was saying about The Lunchbox.

 

(source: twitter.com/daftari)

Aseem Chhabra is heartbroken that India overlooked the acclaimed film,The Lunchbox, as its Oscar nominee.

Two weeks ago, I sat at the Starbucks coffee shop inside the Chapters bookstore on John Street in Toronto. Anne Thompson, the influential critic, columnist for Indiewire, was seated on the same table next to me. She had just seen Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox at a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

She liked the film so much that she wrote a piece in which she said: 'In all likelihood, India will submit yet another big-budget Bollywood film for the Oscar.' But she added that India would do well to pick The Lunchbox. 'It has heart, ' Anne felt.

On Saturday many film watchers in India and abroad were shocked to learn that the Film Federation of India did not select The Lunchbox as India's official entry, instead we heard that a Gujarati film, The Good Road, willrepresent the entire Indian film industry in the foreign language Oscar race.

But Why

Remember that one time when Rani Mukherjee's rendition of Happy Birthday in K3G was the worst/most comical thing ever? Well, something finally trumped it and it's not even fiction.



To quote VJ Juhi Pande, "Marilyn Monroe spins in her grave."

I can't.

P.S. This is what Narendra Modi (a candidate for prime minister) looks like.

Btw, this is the woman who (unfortunately) kind of successfully sold herself as the face of Bollywood in LA. I hope damage control has been done. I have had a(n almost irrational) distaste for Mallika since she debuted and this new debacle certainly doesn't help her case. Worst PR stunt ever.

Trailers, Promos and Friends: Ramleela

If Sanjay Leela  Bhansali (of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas fame) and Vishal Bhardwaj (of Omkara, Kaminey fame) had a baby, the world would get this:

You want old school colorful Bollywood? Check. You want nitty gritty non-flakey acting? Check. There is a lot of promise that comes with this trailer, but given SLB's last two films it will be hard to say if he manages to balance the drama and opulence. If anyone can, it's him. I guess the man heard me when I said I miss vintage Sanjay. This movie could really help bring him back into the game as long as he doesn't get caught up in trying too hard and if the "mature" content is handled tastefully-- very tricky terrain.

A long time ago when Kareena was signed for this role, I was very fangirl stoked to see her work under Bhansali and then she was replaced with Priyanka and I was still really stoked and then she was replaced with Deepika and then I got confused. Then future projects of Deepika began to surface and she was slowly building a strong resume and by 2012 it was very obvious that 2013 was going to be the year of the Deepika. Ramleela might just be the movie that confirms her position as a top actress. Ranveer Singh has done nothing, but well for himself and I have no doubt this film will only prove once again why he's the next big thing. Though Priyanka was replaced it's believed that she'll still be appearing in a song. Holla.

One thing is guaranteed though, as with all SLB films, this thing is going to be aesthetically flooring especially with the undeniable chemistry. We'll have to wait until November 15th to see.