Talking to the other I

I have watched the entire seasons of F.R.IE.N.D.S. so many times in the past 5 years and yet, I have been watching the friendship day special all-day long F.R.I.E.N.D.S. marathon on Star World all day today. Similarly, I've written so many times about F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and yet, here I am again... leaving all the work pending, to steal a smile from time - for me and for F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or rather, for friends!!

Although, This is how many times I have written about F.R.I.E.N.D.S., something else warrants at the moment... I need to talk to the other I.
Friday 7 March 2008  Thursday 11 September 2008  Tuesday 16 December 2008  Friday 6 February 2009 Sunday 20 June 2010  Monday 11 October 2010  Tuesday 19 April 2011

So you'd remember all those friends' names, right - all the ones I can take and also the ones I cannot? I know you would. After all, you are the only one, who has been with me from, like, forever!! And I know you held up really great yester-night, when I got high! I cried a lot and I talked a lot. I missed all the ones whose name I can take and also the ones I cannot.


I know that you were standing firm within me and you held me in your arms real close. I really wanted to break down then but you held me up. I remember I wanted to break down once or twice years ago and you held me up then as well. I don't know whether to curse you for holding me up to live again and die again and again or to say thanks for holding me up to die again and live again and again!! You know the other I, whatever it is, I love you and I hate you in the same breath... just like all the ones whose name I can take and also the ones I cannot.

I know it makes for a very bad, sad, and confusing reading on a happy F.R.I.E.N.D.S.H.I.P. Sunday but there is a reason to it. Remember once someone had said that if I ever want to get high, they will not let me!! Remember once someone had said that if I ever cry, they'll come and hold me!!  Remember once someone had said that if I ever talk a lot, they will talk more!! Well, I am still waiting for them... there is no sound... there is no sight... there is no hope... there is just me and there is just the other I.

हमारे ज़माने में तो....

You'd often hear people saying that these are such bad times and that "हमारे ज़माने में तो...." - in our times, everything was hunky-dory. I always try explaining that it is not greatly so but mostly to no avail. Few days back, I again got in a similar argument with a senior. And that was when I decided to put it straight on record. Since the argument was about indecency in Hindi films these days, here is what I had to say:

Kissing - The latest kissing scene in 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' or cheap 'chumma-chaati' of Imran Hashmi, from where it all originated? Take a guess - 2005? 1995? 1980s? What about 1929??

The first Indian film to have a kissing scene is from the pre-talkies era. Here is what it looked like - Seeta devi and Charu Roy in "Prapancha Pash" of 1929
And how many Indian films have a four-minute long kissing scene? Well, I don't know how many but I know the first one - Devika Rani and Himanshu Ray in "Karma" (1933) had a 4-minute long kissing sequence.

hmmm.... so that was about kissing. What about short dresses - Mallika Sherawat or Mamta Kulkarni? Zeenat Aman or Parveen Babi or Dimple Kapadia? The first bikini in Indian films was from graceful, sophisticated, and established star - Sharmila Tagore, who sported a bikini in 1967 for "An Evening In Paris" and later, posed in a bikini for Filmfare magazine also.

Need I get started on 'nudism'? Besides all the lovable great flicks (like Awara, Anari, Shree 420, and Jaagte Raho), Raj Kapoor is also credited with actively promoting nudism in Indian Cinema. For example, near-nude Simi Garewal in "Mera Naam Joker" and Mandakini in "Ram Teri Ganga Maili"or semi-clad Dimple Kapadia in "Bobby" and Vyjayanthimala in "Sangam".

Enough about scenic beauty... next crib is always about music and songs. I guess there is no denying that the old Hindi film music and lyrics were different. But that is that. Purists raised their voices then upon mixing Hindi and Urdu, much the same way they do today upon mixing Hindi and English. Although I am no great fan of contemporary Hindi film songs, I cannot accept a blanket conclusion like all the new songs are bad and all the old ones are really poetic beauty. But since these old-ass "हमारे ज़माने में तो...." -walas won't accept it, let me quote some examples.

C-A-T CAT, CAT Maane billi - Dilli Ka Thug (1958) must be a real poetical voyage, isn't it? What about the song that goes like - Aana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday (Shehnai, 1947) and has lines like "aao haathon me haath le walk karen hum, aao sweet sweet aapas me talk kare hum" (read / watch full song here). So unnecessary mixing of English in Hindi songs cannot be blamed upon the Hinglish generation, right?

Further, Aarambh Hai Prachand - Gulaal (2009) or Goonje Gagan Goonje - Godmother (1999) is really deprived of any valor, isn't it? The real poetic songs were written by Kavivar Pradeep only. Let's see what he wrote for Nastik (1954) - "Dekh tere sansaar ki haalat kya ho gayi bhagwan". What a beautiful composition... the only problem is, it goes on like - "aaya samay bada bedhanga / aaj aadmi bana lafanga / kahin pe jhagda, kahin pe danga / naach raha nar hokar nanga". If this is not 'tukbandi' of lowest order, then what else is?

Simply put, there are as much rotten apples now as were back then. Over time, we have weeded out the junk and happily forgot about that, whereas all that is latest is yet to be weeded out. If you still don't appreciate the difference, let's listen to few more songs (click for youtube links) and then judge for oneself!!

Meri bhains ko danda kyon mara - Pagla Kahin Ka (1970)
Cheel Cheel Chillake - Half Ticket (1962)
bekaraan - 7 Khoon Maaf (2011)
Tere Sawalon Ke Wo Jawab - Manorama 6 Feet Under (2007)