tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post5154352390754455574..comments2023-11-10T08:26:51.182-06:00Comments on Beth Loves Bollywood: a primary source document on the occasion of his 72nd birthdayBeth Loves Bollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-49724039314576083112010-03-21T23:34:47.269-05:002010-03-21T23:34:47.269-05:00Asli - SO YOU DID! I am hopeless - do forgive! :) ...Asli - SO YOU DID! I am hopeless - do forgive! :) I hope to watch the whole thing sometime soon :)Beth Loves Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-53981031945878154622010-03-21T23:33:34.881-05:002010-03-21T23:33:34.881-05:00Glad to see that you have finally found this inter...Glad to see that you have finally found this interview. I don't know if you remember but I wrote to you a while back about this. I told you it was part of the 'Bombay Superstar' program on Rajesh Khanna.<br /><br />Anyway, I know you are a die-hard Shashi fan - your blog posts gave that away : -)<br /><br />If you do get time, please check out the whole of the program on YouTube & I'd love to get your comments also.<br /><br />Here are the links to all the parts :<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWmucHoZN3U<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3XCYEM7Wc4<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO5osyRFz5M<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Yes8lcdOg<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpw2qZgZzO0<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJgOU7djrt8<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrIte5mYZMM<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyOnlfuXcIU<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlrN4Sj5zZM<br /><br /><br />Asli Jat<br /><br />P.S. My YouTube username is Pavitra66Asli Jatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-68133559000549821142010-03-19T09:16:15.437-05:002010-03-19T09:16:15.437-05:00Amrita makes excellent points. One big reason I ha...Amrita makes excellent points. One big reason I haven't been interested in old or new Bolly is back in the 70s, except for the glamour we had access to all the things the stars had and more since we were also educated. And now, the dream factory may have shifted to San Francisco and the golden gate backdrop but you know, I *lived* in SF. But the dance and song extravanganza is still good and whatever they remove, that should not go.sophynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-58513592601451024792010-03-19T04:28:52.335-05:002010-03-19T04:28:52.335-05:00Like Adee said, the realities haven't changed ...Like Adee said, the realities haven't changed much. And there is still quite a large population of the impoverished in India. So in that context I agree with what Shashi is saying. There is also the factor that Sophy mentioned. Shashi must have had to explain this so many times to people who didn't know bollywood very well and so one does start sounding like a stuck record.<br />And Beth as you said earlier that you don't think he quite believes what he's saying...I think so too. Because I've always had the impression that Shashi was not much into the typical bollywood masala fantasy thing. He got into it for the sole reason of making a living; he was more interested in theater. And also because the films that he produced like Vijeta, 36 Chowringhee Lane and even Junoon (I haven't seen it but from what I've read about it) and even some that he acted in like Householder, Basera, Ijazat had social realism to some extent.<br />But, oh well, I don't disagree with what Shashi is saying here.Richanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-12081447071281126092010-03-19T01:23:25.182-05:002010-03-19T01:23:25.182-05:00Bollyviewer, I know :-( It's easy to disregard...Bollyviewer, I know :-( It's easy to disregard what is put out about them in print but when it comes out of the "horse's mouth" as Kaka says in his inimitable accent in 'Anand', then oh how they shatter all those beautiful illusions, remind us of feet of clay, etc. There was an interesting debate on Indian TV some weeks ago during the fracas with Shahrukh and the Shiv Sena and the Big B's utterances in this regard and someone commented on the folly of equating their screen personas with what they are in real life. Of course, fools like me are always disillusioned :-)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05566893501664758112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-82205187702118351072010-03-18T22:37:23.527-05:002010-03-18T22:37:23.527-05:00Oooooh! I love the way he talks. *drool* I need a ...Oooooh! I love the way he talks. *drool* I need a bib. :P<br />Thank you, Beth!Kananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07935768144479233027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-68896329795525968462010-03-18T14:49:30.380-05:002010-03-18T14:49:30.380-05:00Oops! For some reason I've always thought of J...Oops! For some reason I've always thought of James Bond as a Hollywood production!!! Lets substitute the <i>Terminator</i> series or the <i>Die Hard</i> series for Bond, then. Or maybe not! At least Bond provides tons of eye candy (like Bollywood) and you cant level that accusation against the Terminator.<br /><br /><b>Suhan</b>, did Shashi actually say that a poor man's only entertainment is his wife or the movies? EEEEEEKS!!! That just strengthens my already firm resolve to stay away from celebrity interviews and gossip.bollyviewerhttp://bollyviewer-oldisgold.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-4487116705607647432010-03-18T14:31:02.117-05:002010-03-18T14:31:02.117-05:00I think he's repeating the industry line. This...I think he's repeating the industry line. This is how they STILL justify the budgets, the sets, the locales, the fantasy, the singing and dancing - anything you want to ask about Bollywood, the answer is: "We're in the business of selling fantasy to those who can't afford it". <br /><br />Unfortunately for a number of the old guard, an increasing number of Indians can now afford it so they better come up with an alternate line pretty quick. <br /><br />But you know, if I have to hear the party line, they couldnt find a better spokesman than Shashi. Deelish! I mean, he IS a movie star. Even perfection has its limits and I guess its a bit too much to hope that he'd also be humble and honest about stardom while simultaneously reaching across time and setting fire to our pants with his sheer awesomeness.Amritahttp://indiequill.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-66672519038637067852010-03-18T11:20:58.907-05:002010-03-18T11:20:58.907-05:00I've watched a bit of the beginning of this, a...I've watched a bit of the beginning of this, and Rajesh Khanna also comes across as if he's sort of blowing some smoke, too. It makes me wonder about the interviewer, and the types of questions he asked to get these responses. (It also doesn't help that the BBC interviewer totally reminds me of an Eric Idle-Monty Python character.)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10726124891099207337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-35506416134968652302010-03-18T10:54:21.182-05:002010-03-18T10:54:21.182-05:00Well, the version of the documentary "Bombay ...Well, the version of the documentary "Bombay Superstar" that I saw actually starts with Shashi Kapoor saying "For the average Indian male, films are the cheapest form of entertainment besides his wife" and he's quite serious when he says it. All you can hear in Part 1 that was uploaded on youtube is "...besides his wife".Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05566893501664758112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-9382980047755804842010-03-18T09:03:59.885-05:002010-03-18T09:03:59.885-05:00Adee - I appeal to Helen often :)
The absence of ...Adee - I appeal to Helen often :)<br /><br />The absence of conversation about he multiplex audience struck me as well - one sure sign of social change.<br /><br />bollyviewer - Yes, there's definitely that tone as well. But also it's 1973 in this clip, and the days of Hollywood musicals, which to many eyes are probably the closest western equivalent of mainstream Indian cinema, are several decades ago. Of course you are right, that many Hollywood films are escapist (including primarily British films like Bond!). I think it's hard to detach enough from what you're used to to see it in different ways - I know that immersing in Indian films has made me look at American and other western movies differently. Let's hope this interview got some food for thought out of this!<br /><br />This conversation reminds me of one of the things I liked in SRK's interview on NPR last month, when he said "You have films where the President of the US fights off bad guys and people blow up asteroids, and you call OUR films fantastic? We just want to sing and dance and get good jobs." Oversimplified, obviously, but a fair point!<br /><br />sophy - Agreed, doubtless that is a factor. His indulgent tone might be as much for the interviewer as the subject!Beth Loves Bollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540154833326987567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-19810278596567063942010-03-18T08:29:34.155-05:002010-03-18T08:29:34.155-05:00I too felt it's a line. Maybe poor Sash has ha...I too felt it's a line. Maybe poor Sash has had to explain Bollywood to westerners and after the 756th time this is what it sounds like.sophynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-60147887476561805802010-03-18T04:12:27.599-05:002010-03-18T04:12:27.599-05:00You know what strikes me more strongly? The narrat...You know what strikes me more strongly? The narrator/interviewer saying that Indian audiences are in no position to enjoy social realism in their cinema, <i>unlike Western audiences</i>. The only Western counterpart to Indian cinema, in terms of number of films and diverse audience, is Hollywood. Are Hollywood films so much more realistic than Hindi films? Has anybody made a similar connection between poverty and the success of what one can only call escapist fare, like the James Bond films, for example?bollyviewerhttp://bollyviewer-oldisgold.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15977843.post-6082417115971984612010-03-18T03:06:06.744-05:002010-03-18T03:06:06.744-05:00hahaha with Helen as ur witness, u ll have no pain...hahaha with Helen as ur witness, u ll have no pains securing a bail :D nahiiiiiii<br /><br />u r right. the realities have not changed much. for the impoverished lot that Shashi talks about. but there is also the new India that today's generation of filmmakers are talking to. some call it the 'multiplex' audience, some by other names. it all started with 'Dil Chahta Hai'. hope to hear from u about this phase also.<br /><br />great article. will keep on reading.delhidreamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04613041484425960760noreply@blogger.com