FOLLOW US ON:
GET THE NEWSLETTER
CONTACT US
One of the coolest Bollywood musical revenge action drama numbers, ever
09.07.2016
08:59 am
Topics:
Tags:


 
Hollywood and Bollywood play by rather different rules and nowhere is this more apparent than in the contrasts between American action films and the ones made in Mumbai.

For one reason—and as if there even needs to be a second—our action flicks don’t tend to have musical interludes and choreographed all-singing, all-dancing production numbers. If say, Bruce Willis suddenly broke into song and tap-danced his little heart out during one of the Die Hard films or if the entire cast of one of Quentin Tarantino’s films did something like that during a closing credits “item number,” American movies audiences would just think that was plain weird.

In India, not so much, in fact, that would be expected…
 

 
Sometimes the songs themselves are better recalled than the films they came from. Case in point is the 1973 Bollywood musical revenge action-drama, Yaadon Ki Baaraat (“Procession of Memories” in English), the tale of three young brothers (one of them played by Aamir Khan in his very first role) who barely escape their parents’ murder by a crime lord, but lose touch in the aftermath and are raised in different circumstances. The film had three hit songs composed by Bollywood great R.D. Burman with lyrics by the prominent Urdu poet Majrooh Sultanpuri: “Chura Liya Hai” (sung by lengendary playback singers Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi, not the actors), now somewhat of a standard (and the kind of song you might hear on India’s Got Talent, Indian Idol or at a wedding), “Lekar Hum Deewana Dil” and “Meri Soni Meri Tamanna.”

First up is the fucking incredible scene where “Lekar Hum Deewana Dil” is performed. The song doesn’t start until 1:21 in.

 
More after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Richard Metzger
|
09.07.2016
08:59 am
|
Eye-catching Bollywood film posters
05.12.2014
09:02 am
Topics:
Tags:

boll171717.jpg
 
I suppose I was in my teens, a student at university, when I first noticed the incredible array of Bollywood film posters pinned-up in neighborhood video stores, take-aways and corner shops. These posters were always dynamic, their frames filled with a whole opera of activity, usually depicting heroes with guns, sunglasses, cigarettes or pipes, sweaty villains with beards, beautiful women fighting or looking demure, all against a background of cars, helicopters, jets, and giant, flame-rippled explosions. This was real must-see action, and my surface impressions started me off watching Bollywood movies.

Often these films did not live up to the promise of their fabulously painted advertising posters, and many were slight imitations of American films, but there was always something of beauty and craft that made these movies worth watching.

Though “Bollywood” is a term is often misused to describe all of Indian cinema, it actually stands for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai. Bollywood produces an incredible array of movies, a selection of which can be seen from the following array of posters.

As these images show the golden age of the Bollywood poster artist, who spent time painting an original image, which inspired me and millions of others to watch the films, has sadly long gone. In this digital age, the once beautiful hand-painted posters have given way to the westernized photographic reproduction, usually featuring a George Clooney look-a-like, or glossy latex superhero. Where once there was mystery, beauty and intrigue in these painted posters, there is now just a kind of homogenized advertising which could be selling anything.
 
boll222222.jpg
 
boll101010.jpg
 
boll151515.jpg
 
181818boll.jpg
 
boll000.jpg
 

 
Via Asia Obscura, Mr and Mrs 55, and Sound Horn Please
 
More Bollywood posters, after the jump…
 

READ ON
Posted by Paul Gallagher
|
05.12.2014
09:02 am
|
Bollywood Chubby Checker from 1965 delivers fantastic Hindi ‘Twist’
03.05.2014
04:13 pm
Topics:
Tags:


 
Mehmood Ali was a quintessential Bollywood mutli-hyphenate; regarding the movie under discussion here, Bhoot Bungla (“Ghost House/Haunted House”), Mehmood (as he was credited) co-wrote the movie, produced the movie, directed the movie, starred in the movie, and, as is obligatory for a Bollywood star, performed at least one of the indelible musical numbers. One task Mehmood didn’t undertake was music supervisor, which is a good thing because the incomparable R. D. Burman had that task quite in hand.

The song is called “Aao Twist Karen,” although I’ve also seen that last word rendered as “Karein.” It sure as heckfire appears to be a cover of Chubby Checker’s 1961 smash “Let’s Twist Again.” I was going to make a joke in the headline that the Bollywood version of Chubby Checker could stand to be a good deal chubbier, but you know, the original wasn’t all that chubby! My favorite bit of this video comes when the two trumpeters aim their instruments at Mehmood’s crotch. You heard me. Go watch (You can see all of Bhoot Bungla here)
 

 
Thank you Kathryn Metz!

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Meet The Bollywood Beatles
Maximum Bollywood mega-mix: Bombay Elvis meets Parliament Funka-Delhi

Posted by Martin Schneider
|
03.05.2014
04:13 pm
|
Bollywood Swinging: Hushpuppy’s excellent ‘New Delhi Disco Chicks’ mix tape
03.29.2013
02:07 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
I feel like I have been waiting my whole life for someone to make a mix of the best Desi Disco tracks from 70s/80s Bollywood movies, and finally it has arrived!

Well, perhaps not my whole life, more like the last 5 or 6 years, or certainly ever since discovering the wonderful work of Bappi Lahiri via MIA’s cover of his classic “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja” in 2007. A few years ago I put together a YouTube playlist of some of my favourite Bollywood disco clip, which you can check out here, though unfortunately a lot of those clips have since been removed.

Not “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja”, though, which has since become a staple of my dj sets, and which I am going to post here now for no other reason than it’s awesome, and to say that if you haven’t seen it, then you need to:

Bappi Lahiri & Parvati Khan “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja”
 

 
As some of the YouTube commenters have pointed out, this track bears more than just a passing resemblance to Ottawan’s “T’es OK” (Bappi Lahiri was well known for his liberal “interpretations” of other people’s music) but I’m willing to overlook that as this version is just so much better.

Bollywood can at times seem pretty impenetrable for Western audiences, but it operates at such a high level of over the top camp that i’s pretty irresistable for lovers of kitsch. I’m still a bit mystified as to why Bollywood isn’t more celebrated within the gay community, but hopefully as the internet gives access to more and more of these films and their soundtracks, the audience will grow.

So praise be to Glasgow dj Hushpuppy then, for putting together an hour of his favourite Bollywood disco/soundtrack moments for all of our ears. Rest assured there’s plenty of Bappi Lahiri on this mix (full tracklisting available here.) This mix is not definitive (which would be impossible, I think) and represents only the very tip of the Bollywood disco-funk iceberg, so I expect to see more djs busting out the Desi Disco in the near future. For now, let’s dig those New Delhi Disco Chicks:
 

New Delhi Disco Chicks - Bollywood Mixtape Vol. 1. by Hushpuppy on Mixcloud

 
There’s plenty more esoteric, exotic excellence on Hushpupppy’s Mixcloud page, including his great Weird Sounds In The Bath House series. Check it out here.

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
|
03.29.2013
02:07 pm
|
Last chance to download Andy Votel’s ‘Hindi Horrorcore’ mixtape today!

image
 
And believe me, you’ll be glad you did!

Andy Votel is one of the UK’s most renowned crate diggers and DJs, as well as boss of the Finders Keepers record label.

Last year Finders Keepers printed up a limited run of a mix compilation called Hindi Horrorcore, which, as the name would suggest, compiled the best of Bollywood’s creepy film score music. The mix was given away free with Finders Keepers purchases, and this year Votel has kindly uploaded the full mix for punters who missed out the first time round.

Yes, we are fans of niche, Halloween-themed mixes here at DM, and this one is a beauty, taking an old trope (“spoooky sounds”) and giving it a fresh twist that will appeal to fans of obscure psyche rock, world music and film soundtracks.

There is no track listing for the mix, but there are some names connoisseurs of Bollywood music will recognize. This is taken from the CD’s Discogs page:

Subtitled: “From The Bollywood Bloodbath: the B-Music from the Indian horror film industry”.

“A bewitching hour of pre-vamped vintage Hindi horror from the Desi-Dracula’s music cabinet featuring rare tracks from Bappi Lahiri, R.D. Burman and Sapan Jagmohan” - butchered by resident werewolf Andy Votel. Available with all orders over £25 from the Finders Keepers webshop.

Get this mix now, before it disappears like a vamp in the daylight, from this link.

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
|
10.30.2012
12:30 pm
|
Bollywood Jaws: The most dramatic ending to a film you’re ever going to see. Ever
10.05.2012
11:25 am
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
“We’re gonna need a bigger budget.”

I believe every film should end this way.
 

 
Via Neatorama

Posted by Tara McGinley
|
10.05.2012
11:25 am
|
Bollywood mud-flaps for your car or truck
05.25.2011
12:48 pm
Topics:
Tags:


 
Bollywood mud-flaps spotted on the streets of Ahmedabad, India by Flickr user Backview Bollywood. India gets to have cool Bollywood mud-flaps, America has Truck Nutz


 

 
More after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Tara McGinley
|
05.25.2011
12:48 pm
|
‘Calcutta Kiddie Show’: Bollywood vs The Wizard of Odd
04.11.2011
04:49 am
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
Clips from low-budget and very bizarre children’s movies of the 1950s and 60s with a Bollywood mix by Madlib.

Bollywood soundtracks and children’s fairytales seem to have an affinity for each other.

Puss N’ Boots - Mexico
Tom Thumb - Mexico
The Brave Little Tailor -Germany
The Wonderful Land Of Oz - USA
 

 

Posted by Marc Campbell
|
04.11.2011
04:49 am
|
Maximum Bollywood mega-mix: Bombay Elvis meets Parliament Funka-Delhi
08.22.2010
12:51 am
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
Bollywood mega-mix featuring clips from Teesri Manzel, Bhoot Bangla, Chikubuku Chikubuku Railay, O Meri Maina, Pyar Hi Pyar, Ellam Inba Mayam.

Ann Margret, Elvis, Chubby Checker, Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Jackson, Little Richard, Ronnie Spector…Bollywood style. 30 minutes of vindaloo au-go-go: rock, funk and disco.

 

Posted by Marc Campbell
|
08.22.2010
12:51 am
|
Bhang Bhang You’re Dead: Bollywood’s Redonkulous Day-Glo Gangsters
07.24.2010
03:30 am
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
Hollywood no longer provides the buzz that a hardcore movie junkie like myself requires. So, I’ve had to go to other sources for my celluloid kicks. For the past couple of decades, I’ve turned East to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Bollywood to satisfying my cravings for a dose of the old silver nitrate.

As anyone who has followed my blogging on DM knows, I love Bollywood. And one my favorite Bollywood performers is Indian mega-star Rajinikanth. The guy is bigger than life, an action star, romantic lead, buffoon, singer and dancer. Like most Bollywood leading men, Rajinikanth can do all. And he’s never been better than in the 2007 film Sivaji.

Indian films are rigorously censored and sex is not allowed, so, whenever a couple is about to get it on, they usually break out in song and dance. But in Sivaji, instead of dance, sex is supplanted by a non-stop barrage of gunplay and violence. Bullets have replaced kisses, bombs orgasms, the scent of woman is gunpowder. It doesn’t take a degree in psychoanalysis to see the Freudian gun as cock symbolism in this shoot em up. 

As the hero of Sivaji, Rajinikanth displays his flamboyant style in action sequences that mash up Hong Kong bullet ballet with Spaghetti Western macho cool and psychedelic Peking Opera visuals. Note the incredible set design and use of color. No matter what the subject, be it lavish costume dramas or modern gangster films, Bollywood sees the world through prismatic glasses. In Bollywood, every day is the day the world turned day-glo.

Rajinikanth’s motorcycle entrance at the beginning of this clip is one of the greatest in the history of the movies. You’ll see what I mean.

The music is by A.R. Rahman, India’s greatest modern film composer.
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
|
07.24.2010
03:30 am
|
Best Bollywood song ever: Everybody Dance With Me
06.29.2010
11:34 am
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
This is it, the absolute apotheosis of insane 70’s Bollywood film tunes. A sublime and ridiculous Frankenstein of Sketches of Spain, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Wild Thing and I Feel Love, this may be even better than Let’s Dance for the Great Guy Bruce Lee. As with said tune, this was a mainstay at the late, great Jac Zinder’s Fuzzyland clubs in early 90’s Los Angeles not to mention a really easy song to do half-hour cover versions of. Dig that tape echo slathered all over the whole mix. Tasty !

 
thx Wendy Schrodinger !

 

Posted by Brad Laner
|
06.29.2010
11:34 am
|