Short takes, pt. 14.

Or, "What did I order from Induna today?"

Jiban Maran(1939) - Hit "add to cart" on a whim since it was from the 30s, and the plot sounds like the kind of melodramatic pap I usually enjoy.

Kaun? Kaisey?(1983) - I sort of blogged about it here.

Bahu Ki Awaaz(1985) - A film about dowry deaths. IIRC, the movie poster for this was shown briefly during a documentary about bride burning that I watched in college.

Zulm Ka Badla(1985) - The plot sounds female-oriented, and Anita Raj looks very pretty in this song so I thought, "What the hell?"

Anokha Andaaz(1995) - This used to be aired pretty frequently on what was then known as the International Channel. (The name was later changed to AZN. Don't know what it's called now since I no longer get that channel.) Manisha Koirala is absolutely gorgeous in this flick. I've wanted a copy of this film for ages.

I passed on: Sab Choritra Kalponik(I was curious to see Bipasha Basu in a Bengali movie, but decided to hold off for now); Clerk(from what I've read, it's a hot mess, and not in a good way); Prem Qaidi(I decided I didn't want to see Lolo's debut that badly); Dil Ka Sathi Dil(dubbed Hindi version of Madanolsavam. I'd rather have the original); Dekha Pyar Tumhara(maybe later); Masterji(I'd rather watch the original Telugu version--I forget the title--first); Dulari(it sounded like something I might want to watch, but I was afraid it would just end up collecting dust. Maybe next time).

ETA 01/05/10: Thanks to my sudden renewed interest in Madhubala, I ordered three more movies, including Dulari. The other two are Rail Ka Dibba and Singaar. I wanted Tarana as well, but it's out of stock.

Now that I think about it, I should've checked for Neel Kamal--well, I just did, and it's not listed. I found three songs on YouTube, though: "Kal Jamuna Tat Par", "Bhool Jathe Hain", and "Jawani Agar Haae".

ETA 01/21/10: I found Shammi Kapoor so appealing(in spite of the pencil-thin moustache) in Rail Ka Dibba that I ordered An Evening in Paris. As an added bonus, Sharmila Tagore dons a bikini--yay!

I also got Police, starring Madhubala. I thought she looked great in the YouTube vids on this site(scroll down to the "Chale Hum Kahan..." video), so I "had" to get it, just as I "had" to get Ek Saal after skimming this review. I've changed my stance on Madhubala. Before, I thought she was "pretty, but not all that", but now I think she was damn gorgeous. Maybe I should've gotten Badal as well. Perhaps I'll order it when/if Tarana becomes available.

Last, but not least, Teesra Kinara, "a drama packed romantic story that revolves around the love triangle of three persons", according to this site. Raj Babbar gives me the creeps, but Anita Raj is in it, as well as Smita Patil, so I figure it won't be that bad.

I wish Induna carried Tamil films so that I would have a (hopefully) cheaper alternative to Bhavani and Anytamil.

ETA 01/27/10: Got my stuff yesterday. I'm so glad I finally ordered from Induna. Again, if they carried Tamil DVDs and/or VCDs, a miniscule part of my life would be complete.

Watched Zulm Ki Badla this past Saturday. Not bad, and Anita was featured rather prominently. She and Sridevi look great in black. In fact, I was reminded of Sri in Sherni as soon as I spotted Anita in her black get-up.

Bahu Ki Awaaz is very heavy. Watching Swaroop Sampat getting tortured was not fun. I realize it's a "social drama" and all, but still...the older I get, the more lightweight I prefer my viewing and reading material to be.

Jiban Maran was a not-bad viewing experience. I felt ridiculously thrilled to be viewing a film from 1939.

Kaun? Kaisey? was pretty awesome in a "sourced-from-VHS-god-I-love-the-80s" sort of way. Didn't really pay attention to the plot, just enjoyed looking at Anita Raj and watching Mithun(not a fan, but I think he has a larger-than-life screen presence that's interesting to watch). Will have to give it another viewing soon.

ETA 01/28/10: After one viewing of Police I've decided that I'm in love with Madhubala and that I "have" to order ALL of her movies. I probably won't do that, but I certainly feel like it, just so I can see MOAR of her.

And Sharmila Tagore? From the second she appeared onscreen in An Evening in Paris the following line from the song "Venus" popped into my head: "She's got it, yeah baby, she's got it!" Her daughter Soha, however, does NOT have it. Saif might have it, but I think I'm feeling kindly towards him just because he's with Kareena. Anyway...I must do a write-up on An Evening in Paris once I've watched it properly.

P.S. I ordered Vamsi and Desamuduru and hopefully, I'll do posts for those films as well. I've gotten so used to not blogging, but maybe I should get back into the habit, just to keep what's left of my brain active.

Aag(1948)

When I first saw this in Nehaflix's "Back in stock" section I wondered, "Why is it $15?" And then I thought, "Oh wait, I can probably get this from Induna for a lot less!" (And I can. And most likely will, once my other order arrives.)

The only reason I have a smidgen of interest in this film is because A) Raj Kapoor was very good-looking in his youth and B) physically, he reminds me of some of my father's male relatives. I don't know what this movie is about, and I don't really care. Nor am I bothered by the possibility that it could very well suck. I'll just act like my father and automatically deem it "good" simply because it was filmed in black and white ;)

I feel like I should acquaint myself with some of Raj Kapoor's other late 40s and early 50s titles, for shallow reasons mainly, and also to have a bit of variety in my viewing habits.

Short takes, pt.13.

AKA "I FINALLY ordered from Induna!"

This is what I bought:

Abodh(1984) - Madhuri's debut. I didn't quite blog about it here. I wish Gaja Gamini had also been in stock, but it seems to be permanently out of print.

Dev D(2009) - The DVD was out of stock, so I got the VCD. I hope I like it. If not, I can always stare at Kalki Koechlin's lips.

Dil Ki Rani(1947) - Madhubala's first movie. A blogger who watched this wasn't impressed, but that didn't deter me. I usually find something likeable about the films that most people hate.

Kidnap(2009) - I read about it on ajnabi1977's blog, and since it was only $1.67, I thought, "What the heck?"

Yeh To Kamal Ho Gaya(1982) - YAY!!!! FINALLY!!!! I hope the Eagle VCDs don't act up as badly as the DVDs. I posted about it here.

Zara Si Zindagi(1983) - Once again: YAY!!!! FINALLY!!!! Here is my original blog post.

The shipping and handling charge was $20.93 for $7.93 worth of movies BUT, at least I was able to get four movies I've been really, really wanting to see for the longest. And if the shipping is super fast, that's another bonus. Plus, I would like an alternative to Nehaflix and the occasional Amazon seller for Hindi movies, particularly ones that aren't yet available on DVD. So, I will keep my fingers crossed and hope that I will be pleased enough to make more purchases from Induna in the future.

ETA 11/23/09: My movies arrived today. Celebrate me! All of my discs were nicely packaged. I hope they play okay. I'm already thinking of other titles I'd like to order.

ETA2 11/23/09: I tried all but the Dev D and Abodh discs and they play fine, even the Eagle VCDs. Quick and/or shallow thoughts:

Zara Si Zindagi - It's not a bad viewing experience, as long as I remember to not compare it to the original, Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu.

Yeh To Kamal Ho Gaya - Hannah Mitchell is not quite as beautiful as I initially thought, and her acting sucked; still, I'll take her over that seemingly stoned French chick in Sattam En Kayil.

Kidnap - Minissha I'm-too-lazy-to-Google-her-last-name is bearable only when she's wearing skimpy clothes. I don't know how old she's supposed to be in real life, but playing a 17 year old? Ha! More like "17 going on 29 or 30". Her Britney Spears circa 1999 number was amusing for about a minute, then I had to hit the "skip chapter" button. Imraan Khan looked good. I want him to kidnap me. I bet we'd have all kinds of fun together. **shifts eyes**

Dil Ki Rani - I found it watchable enough, probably because I had zero expectations and didn't concentrate too hard. I have a feeling it will make frequent appearances in my DVD player. (Aside: It seems like the type of film my dad would enjoy.)

ETA 11/24/09: I looked up whatsherface on Wikipedia and she was allegedly born in 1985. Maybe she really is 24 but to me, she doesn't look a day under 30. From the neck down, she's fine, but her face makes me wish Hansika Motwani had been cast instead, simply because she's actually a teenager, even if she doesn't look it. Anyhoo...

Imran...mmmmmmm. I'm not a fan but I find him pretty hot in Kidnap. Isn't he in Luck with Shruti Haasan and FILF co-star Sanjay Dutt? Yeah, I think so. Not that I want to see that movie, but I just remembered.

From what I've seen so far, it seems like a decent Saturday night timepass, the kind of flick you watch when there's nothing else on the tube. And it was under $2 so it's not like I wasted a bunch of money on it.

I gave the 2nd disc of Dev D about twenty minutes of my time. I liked what I saw but the soundtrack gave me a headache, as did the commercials at the beginning of the disc(luckily, I was able to skip through them). I hope the DVD comes back in stock soon so that I won't have to always get up to change discs.

Short takes, pt.11.

AKA "Possible 'oldies but goodies' I stumbled across while browsing Nehaflix".

Hum Bhi Insan Hain(1948) - I feel like I'm missing out by not watching more movies from the 40s and 50s. I must be getting like my dad and longing for "the good ol' days" of black and white films.

Badal(1951) - I thought about ordering this for Madhubala, but then I remembered the other movies I ordered that I haven't yet gotten around to watching. (Howrah Bridge, Mr. & Mrs. 55, and Jaali Note, in case you're wondering.)

Bahar(1951) - For some weird reason I feel like I should watch at least one of Vyjayantimala's movies.

Shama Parwana(1954) - I know nothing about Shammi Kapoor, but I like the shot of Suraiya on the DVD cover.

Railway Platform(1955) - **shrug** The title is almost intriguing enough for me to want to take a look-see.

Paying Guest(1957) - I immediately thought of the just-released Paying Guest(s) with Sayali Bhagat, Riya Sen, Neha Dhupia(?), and some actors I'm too lazy to remember or Google. This version stars Dev Anand and Nutan.

Dulha Dulhan(1964) - Sadhana and Babita were cousins, right? Sadhana was no slouch, but I think Babs was prettier.

Anari(1975) - I'm not a Shashi fan, but I thought he was nice-looking in his youth. Sharmila Tagore was and still is hot, IMO.