Addictions

 Mobile phones are the biggest among present addictions. Started with Orkut, maybe, went on to Facebook, and Instagram, and may go anywhere from here. The celebrities had Twitter, now X. And everyone has WhatsApp. 

There used to be the good old addictions, like tea, coffee, alcohol, and drugs. They now look like pale shadows of themselves. 

Reading or TV/film-watching may have been addictions too, now mostly replaced by Netflix-type OTT channels on whichever device is available. 

I have actually seen Chief Guests or bigwigs looking at their phones while sitting on stage in important events like Convocations, so one cannot blame it on the youngsters alone.

Movies in theatres are less appealing due to constant buzzing of phones, and people talking on them! Flights, likewise, unless the stewards are strict about it. Even if a plane is crashing, people may want to take a selfie for posterity.

Serious!

TV 5 Monde

 My current favourite chanel - err, channel- on television is TV 5 Monde, Asie. I have been now a watcher for about 2 years. I discovered it during the pandemic, thanks to my wife who used to watch a serial each Friday. I got hooked too.

each evening, they have a serial or a film, usually French, with English subtitles. The reason I like it is because the movies explore themes that are typically not touched on by either Bollywood or Hollywood. Teen issues, children's issues, immigrant problems, are all woven into the storylines. 

The detective type serials are also more down-to-earth, without the swashbuckling style of some American serials. More understated, Hercule Poirot type, if you know what I mean. Plan to keep watching these, usually 3-4 evenings a week.

Where I saw What

 Maheswari -the first theatre with an escalator in Hyderabad. I saw Namak Halaal there, and a few others. At Tarakarama next door, saw Don- the Amitabh starrer.

At Vikranti, Jambagh, I saw Patthar Ke Sanam in a rerun that was housefull. Anand I saw at Navrang- also Damaad, starring Amol Palekar, a few years later.

Anari at Manohar theatre, Secunderabad. Maya Memsaab and many English films at Sangeet, Secunderabad. Chitchor at Ramakrishna 35 mm, and Sholay at 70 mm.

Mission Kashmir I saw at Jaipur in the famous theatre- Rajmahal? Paheli with Namita Chandra at Royal, Sultan bazaar, Hyderabad. Qurbaani and Mohra at Venkateswara in Kacheguda. 

Hum Tum, at Kochi while on a visit. Main Hoon Na, at Calicut, while working there. Andha Kanoon at Delhi's Uphaar. 

Jewel Thief at Kothagudem, A.P. Rama Talkies, most likely. DDLJ at Davangere, when I was at Harihar. Many Govinda films too, like Bade Miya Chhote Miya and Haseena Maan jayegi. 

MBAs Speak Their Mind

THUS SPAKE IIMBITES (in 1984)- results of a survey we did back then.

At IIM, Bangalore, we like English movies more than any other kind. Here, girls expect to live longer than guys. Girls do not smoke, drink...... The smokers exhibit no brand preference when it is a borrowed cigarette. Next to that they prefer Wills Filter (subject to availability at Uncle's). Guys go for girls who have high proficiency in English, can cook well and do not touch drinks, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes (hold it, this is for marital purposes only !). Girls apparently want intelligent Mr. Brains who will be faithful and good at washing dishes. And if they are filthy, stinking rich and tough and good - looking in the bargain, that will certainly help. Despite O.R. and Effective Communication, a large majority of the people felt IIMB was a fantastic experience.

Here are the details:
Movies are ranked in the following order:
English, American, Hindi Arty, Hindi Masala, Regional, Management Movies.
The following are the stars IIMBites adore:
Hindi : Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha
English : Dustin Hoffman / Sharu Rangnekar (Management Movies), Audrey Hepburn (we still believe in fair ladies)

An average IIMBite expects to live till 68 years 3 months and 11 days. The girls expect to grace this earth until they are 72 years 9 months and 2 days. Guys expect to foul it up until 67 years 8 months and 25 days.

36% of the junta smokes. The following is the brand preference:
1. Borrowed fags (of any brand)
2. Wills Filter
3. Charms
4. Gold Flake
5. Pipe
6. Scissors
7. Charminar (The other brands are not supplied by Uncle)

Following are the spouse specifications on a five-point scale.
Wanted for young, handsome executive, MBA, rich bridegroom, a girl with the following attributes with the following degree of preference:
1. Good height : 2.1
2. Susceptibility' to drinks, drugs, alcohol, fags : 0.7
3. Antipathy to drinks, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes : 4.0
4. Homeliness : 1.5
5. Comeliness : 3.5
6. M. B. A. (IIM / Bajaj / XL) : 0.3
7. Proficiency in English : 4.0
8. Proficiency in Hindi : 2.1
9. Proficiency in Cobolese : 1.0
10. Culinary abilities : 4.8
11. Intelligence : 3.5
12. Imbecility : 1.0

Wanted for young, beautiful, angelic, voluble MBA girl, a bridegroom with the following attributes with the following degree of preference:
Good height : 4.1
Looks : 3.2
Susceptibility to drinks, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes : 0.5
Faithful : 4.9
IIM degree : 1.5
Expertise in washing dishes : 3.8
Intelligence : 4.5
Pecuniary Position : 3.2

For 46% of the populace IIMB was a fantastic, out-of-the-world, mind-blowing experience, 22% found it nothing to write home about, 30% adopt a tolerant attitude, grin-and-bear-it. Only 2% were positive that Dante's 'inferno' was nothing compared to what they went through here.

Movies and Memories

Where I saw a film..sometimes, these are finely etched memories. I saw Jewel Thief for the first time when we lived in Kothagudem, my birthplace in A.P. Abhinetri, Hathi Mere Sathi and Hare Rama Hare Krishna  in Bellampalli.(a pic of the railway station below).

Sholay (and Guns of Navarone, and Shareef Badmash), at Ramakrishna 70 mm. in Hyderabad. Chitchor at Ramakrishna 35 mm. Don at Tarakarama, and Namak Halaal at Maheshwari 70 mm. Mohra at Venkataramana. Karz at Santosh. Silent Movie (Mel Brooks) and The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu in Srinivasa, Narayanguda. Where Eagles Dare at Farheen 70 mm. Ijaazat at Zamarrud. Khel Khel Mein at Skyline. Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars at Sangeet, Secunderabad. Darr at Manju, Secunderabad. Paheli at Royal. The Pink Panther series, Murder on the Orient Express at Liberty, Hyderabad.

DDLJ at Davangere. Akele Hum Akele Tum at Harihar. Sharaabi at Delhi. Love 86 in Mumbai in 1986. Mungaaru Male (Kannada film) at Bangalore.

Baazigar, and much later, Shivaji, the Boss (Rajnikant) at Nagpur. Mission Kashmir at Rajmahal in Jaipur. Chandni Chowk to China at Amritsar (!!). Taraana while visiting an aunt at Satna (M.P.). 

In the U.S., A Fish Called Wanda, The Naked Gun, Dick Tracy. One Bond film (don't remember which one).

Finding Fanny in Indore. Bahubali also. Masaan in Mumbai. Chennai Express at Trichy.

On Being a Hyderabadi

I call myself a Hyderabadi because in my tender (!) formative years, I spent my time in and around Hyderabad. Picked up the lingo, which is pure fun to listen to (I know purists may disagree), and speak. Also picked up an easy-going lifestyle, which after Goa's sussegad is probably the best way to live (again, workaholics or generally disagreeable types may choose to disagree).

Eating Hyderabadi biryani comes next. You can't take the biryani out of a Hyderabadi. It has to be accompanied by Mirchi ka Saalan to make it completely fulfilling (why do I hear folks salivating?). It can be eaten at any time of the day, or night. Irani chai, likewise. And during Ramzaan, haleem is added to the regular menu.

Movies in a Hyderabadi cinema hall used to be a treat. Great theatres, numbering about 100, rivalled only by Bangalore at the time. I still remember seeing Anand (and Damaad) in Navrang, and Sholay in Ramakrishna 70 mm (at this time I was in Hyderabad Public School), Don in Tarakarama, and Chitchor in Ramakrishna 35 mm. There were a few theatres that only screened English films, like Sangeet in Secunderabad and Skyline in Basheerbagh. Probably Tivoli as well. When I was at Osmania engg. college, we used to return by a midnight local train to Jamai Osmania station, and walk back to our hostel after a late-night show. I must have seen enough Hindi films to do a Ph.D. on them.

Abids was the main shopping area at the time, though shopping was not my forte. The Birla Mandir came up on what was called Naubat Pahad earlier. Masab Tank where my Uncle and cousin stayed was a regular haunt. Tarnaka where my aunt lived was another. There was a Fever Hospital somewhere near Nallakunta where I also lived briefly, and an Erramanzil on the way to my school's earlier location. I saw a comic play called Adrak ke Panje in Hyderabadi at the Ravindra Bharati, a landmark, and it was hilarious! The film Karz released when we were about to finish college, and we saw it to celebrate the end of a chapter of our lives.
 

Learnings from Current Turmoil

I was struck by what one of the participants of a recent conference said. A music CD was sold at 12 to 14 dollars at one time, with a huge margin. Now, they are forced to make 4 cents per streaming of the latest music coming out. High volume and low margins.

Another participant said that they now assess businesses based on intangibles and give them loans (start-ups is what he was talking about), insead of asking for land and machinery as collateral. Just goes to show how things change within our lifespans.

I grew up on analog photography, and it's digital now. I grew up on the vaccuum tube/diode, and it's all chips today. I grew up on letters, and it's not even email today-mostly, people use messaging services.

Not to mention GST, Aadhar, ...and all that the businesses have to go through in terms of unexpected things that happen.

Movies, that used to run for 25 weeks for a silver jubilee, now are considered a hit if they run into week 2. Records, cassettes, CDs, DVDs and now just a digital transfer is how music went. Youtube has given us access to a lot of video and film content for free.

Life never stands still. Amazing, if you come to think of it.

Bellampalli Memoirs

Bellampalli literally means Gud-gaon. Gud as in jaggery. We lived there for around 7 years, from 1970 to 1977. I was a teen then. It's a small mining town in Adilabad district.

It was a one-horse town, and I will concentrate on the merchants there.

We had a cloth store. It was run by a sweet-talking Marwari called Banwarilal. His patented dialogue, once you selected something to buy, was "Hum aapko purane rate se deta hai. (I will give it to you at the old price)."

Then there was a tailor, Laxmi Tailors by name. The proprietor's name was Mondi. We went and sat in his shop to collect clothes left for stitching, and it usually was a fairly long wait, because the clothes had gone for ironing, or for fixing buttons.

And then there was Jeetmal Moolchand Chitalangi, where we got our monthly groceries. In a narrow lane, the shop was badly lit. But Mr. Jeetmal was always bright, and made good conversation with us, his customers. Maybe we got a free toffee once in a while, or a cold drink if we were lucky. All in all, a pleasant experience.

There was a movie hall, Rama talkies, where I remember watching Haathi Mere Saathi, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Saawan Bhadon, Navin Nischol's debut film.

Theatres in Hyderabad

I saw a lot of movies while growing up in Hyderabad. This is a tribute to the theatres I saw them in.

Sangeet was an upmarket theatre in Secunderabad, that mostly screened English films. Lawrence of Arabia, The Poseidon Adventure, Patton, are some films that I saw there.

Ramakrishna 70 mm was a grand theatre near Abids in Hyderabad. Guns of Navarone was one film I vividly rember seeing there. And Sholay in 70 mm, a visual treat. Sanjeev Kumar's voice sounded fantastic on their sound system. The 35 mm cousin is where I saw Rajnigandha, and Chitchor. I think Shareef Badmash too.

Ashok, Navrang and Vikranti were all on the same road, in Jambagh. Saw many movies there, including Anand, Agent Vinod, and Patthar ke Sanam. Damaad too, an Amol Palekar comedy.

Farheen was a 70 mm theatre, where I saw Where Eagles Dare with Richard Burton and Clint eastwood-magnificient. Zamarrud nearby, is where I saw Ijaazat, and Phandebaaz, a Dharmendra comedy.

Venkatesa is one near Kacheguda that I saw Mohra in- the Raveena-Akshay movie of the Tu cheez badi hai mast mast fame. Another theatre in that area was Maheswari, with an escalator as its claim to fame, where I saw Namak Halaal. I saw Don in Tarakarama, next to Maheswari.

Palace was another old theatre, and Lighthouse, housed in a  dilapidated building. Plaza in Secuunderabad was also an old style building, where I saw a few Western films, with Cowboys and blazing guns.

Manju in Secunderabad was where I remember seeing Darr. Tu mere samne, main tere samne..

Masala Movies- Bollywood

Yaadon ki Baaraat, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, Khel Khel Mein, Anjaana, Waqt, Teesri Manzil, Johnny Mera Naam, Amar Akbar Anthony, Sholay, Mr. India, Brahmachari, Prince, Mahal (Dev Anand), Jewel Thief, Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan, Kati Patang, Gambler, The Great Gambler, Trishul, Manoranjan, Manchali, Aradhana, Namak Halaal, Howrah Bridge, Mughal-e-Azam, Kati Patang, Mere Jeevan Sathi, Sagar, Sanam Teri Kasam, Caravan, Banphool, Jigri Dost, Khilona, Dushman, Roti, Rajkumar, Mera Saaya, Dhund, Gumraah, Humraaz, Bulundi, Tirangaa, Khiladi series (Akshay Kumar), No. 1 series (Govinda), Bomb Blast, Mohra, Satte pe Satta, Karz, Shaukeen, Rafoochakkar, Zanjeer, Andaz, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Bombay to Goa, Gumnaam, Main Sunder Hoon, Doosra Aadmi, Dildaar, Judaai, Yehi Hai Zindagi, Swarg Nark, CID, Main Khiladi Tu Anadi, Damaad, Tarana, Hera Pheri, Don, Yakeen, Shikar, Des Pardes, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Sagar, Julie, Ek Duuje ke Liye, Jaani Dushman, Aan Milo Sajna, Love in Tokyo, An Evening in Paris, Ek Baar Muskura Do, Kashmir ki Kali, Mission Kashmir, DDLJ, Baazigar, Lagaan, Murder, Raaz, Jism, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Dil to Pagal Hai, Humjoli, Blackmail, Bhai ho to Aisa, Kalicharan, Roja, Shaan.

These are Hindi films over the years that I remember providing countless hours of entertainment. Most were viewed in theatres. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Anand, Chupke Chupke, Angoor, Chitchor, Rajnigandha, Chhoti si Baat, Golmaal, Mere Apne, Mausam, Aandhi were classy entertainers.

Horror Movies- Then and Now

Then

In India, Ramsay brothers were the kings of this genre. There were hands rising from the grave, or heads rolling, or songs sung by unknown spirits, or doors creaking open in the dead of the night, or skeletons tumbling out of cupboards (not figuratively, but literally), to make it feel like a 'horror' film.

Now

A movie can be a horror film without any of the above ingredients. All it takes is-

1. An ageing hero who shows his biceps, six-packs, or just a shirtless body

2. A heroine with oodles of makeup trying to look sexy

3. A troupe of dancers with no dancing skills

4. A plot that goes berserk without head or tail

5. Songs that sound like they were tuned in hell.

6. Remakes of old movies that were themselves terrible.

7. Sequels of films that were not sequel material.

Oh, how I long for the 'real' horror films of yore. 

Reservashuns

There are Indian reservations in the US. No, it's not seats on a plane, or a job, that I am talking about. These are places where native Indians (pre-Columbus) can have their own lifestyle, a sort of autonomous region within the states.

In India, we have different kinds of reservations. For jobs. Imagine having reservations, in the following-

1. Cricket team (The Wall may have crumbled even before being built)
2. Docs in hospitals (population may reduce unintentionally)
3. Pilots (MH 370 would be just a blip on the radar of incidents)
4. Film acting (all Kapoors rendered jobless in one stroke- they may have to turn to agriculture, so that they still influence our culture)
5. Music- The Mangeshkar sisters would not have got an opportunity? Kishore Kumar would have been a stand-up artist.
6. Politics ( Mayawati might have been PM for 10 years instead of Manmohan Singh)
7. Car mechanics- you would have lots of fun driving a car, not knowing what would snap.
8. Builders- we can have a building collapse a day, easily beating world records.
9. Movie directors- "frankly, my dear," this would not change anything!
10. Blog writers. You know what, I might just hang up my boots.

Village Belles

These are not the bells that ring in temples. But they are damsels who wear Loreal or some equally well-known brand's makeup, along with a ghagra choli of the Rajasthan, colourful kind. They exude charm and seem to be extroverted, and are all the time filling water from the river. This of course puts them in a good position to meet the visiting Pardesi from the big bad city who promptly falls in love, with a song opportunity for the film's director.

They also tend to sing songs such as 'Bindiya chamkegi, choodi khankegi,'  'Lelo re lelo babu peelo nariyal pani,' or 'Dekho dekho dekho, baiscope dekho,' or 'Jhumka gira re, Bareilly ke bazaar mein.' There is also a village bumpkin or villain who wants to marry her, but the arrival of the hero from the city puts paid to those plans.

But with the coming of Karan Johar and westernised/realistic directors, these cute combos of village attire and MNC cosmetics are severely endangered. Bhag Milkha Bhag probably had the last one. Will someone save us from sophistication in Hindi films, please? Or are we to assume that the bells have tolled for these belles?

Random Diwali Thoughts 2013

The small plane is more fun to fly in than the big one. The Wright brothers had the most fun.

The Chinese are better at making Diwali stuff for the masses than India- fact of life. And a few other things, like furniture that guys want to buy.

There is no whiskey like the single malts- some of them, at least. My list would include most Islay malts, and Glenfiddich.

Food tastes divine when you are hungry. This is akin to the words of the great Confucius ( a man with a misleading name) who apparently said, "When hungry, eat. When sleepy, sleep." I agree.

What makes for a great movie is the edit. Mostly, it has to do with removing the unnecessary.

There is no greater happiness than friends, family  and nature. Everything else is a burden which we carry.

Learnings

Learnings from Photography- It's the angle that matters. How you see life, or want to see it, depends on which angle you choose. Pessimism versus optimism, joy versus despair, etc. etc. You can also throw light on the 'objects' of your interest, focus, and forget the rest.

Learnings from teaching- You cannot teach a person that does not want to learn. If you create love for learning, you don't have to teach. And, you can't stop someone from learning, if he wants to.

Learnings from Jobs- Your happiness depends on what you do, not what others get/make. You can always do better.

Learnings from Movies: Indian-good used to triumph over evil. Now we don't know which is which.
Hollywood- We are intruders in a world of aliens, vampires, and comic book characters.

Learnings from kids- Be happy, nothing matters in the end.

Sawan- Songs of Rain

Rain plays an important part in our lives- and in movies. The term most used by lyricists to describe the rainy season is Sawan. In tune with the season (rains have begun in Nagpur), some songs that use the word-

Rimjhim gire sawan, one of the most popular, from the film Manzil.

Sawan ka mahina, pavan kare sor, an old hit from Milan, I believe.

Badra, hai.....aaya sawan jhoom ke, from the film Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke, starring Dharmendra and Asha Parekh from the sixties.

Sawan ko aane do, was also a film by Rajshree Productions that had a title song with these words..if I remember this right, Arun Govil (played Ram later in the serial Ramayan) was the hero of this film.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

This guy has a knack of presenting films- both his own and made by other directors, with a lot of suspense. Saw a short episode on TV after a long time yesterday. What impresses me the most about his stories on film is two things-

1. The brevity. He is able to tell the story with a minimum of screen time, unlike most Hindi (or other) directors. This episode was 30 minutes long, with a full story.

2. The gripping suspense he creates, even when you know who-dun-it. It's not about who-dun-it all the time now, is it?

The guy is a walking (no more) ad for packaging being the soul of the content, a marketing message that some big guy in marketing once summed up as  "Sell the sizzle, not the steak!"

Remember him for the terrifying Birds, Psycho, and Dial M for Murder, and such classics. Ram Gopal Verma should watch some.

Ruskin Bond- Book of Humour

Before I get to Ruskin Bond, I saw an Iranian movie and was impressed-again. The Song of Sparrows stars an ungainly looking hero- middle-aged, ugly, bearded, and a poor guy, a father with three kids, who loses a job tending to Ostriches, and then gets one as a motorcycle taxiwala in Teheran accidentally His adventures, limited as they are, are all that the film traverses, but HOW! It is amazing how these guys churn out world-class movies which make for riveting viewing so effortlessly, without a huge star cast or any of the melodrama we find in Bollywood. One of the scenes has his leg in a plaster, and his kids fighting over who will draw/paint on the cast- brilliant thinking.

Coming to Ruskin Bond, his Book of Humour is my first Bond book. I was bowled over by his style of writing, and regretted not having read him before. Better late than never. He talks about almost anything with a humour that is simple, engaging and inimitable. From his uncles that rival Wodehouse's aunts, to his own foibles, everything takes on a unique charm in his world. He talks about an uncle who out of habit tries to poison him, and how he gets away with it by switching glasses - a la Hindi films- in one of the stories.

A fun read!

Songs For All Occasions

Bollywood has a unique distinction. Not just that it has songs, but that there is a song for any occasion.

You can think of anything at all, starting from a simple romance with the couple running around trees in Kashmir or Switzerland or Amsterdam (Neele gagan ke tale), to a lady just waiting for her lover to return from work (Na, jiya lage na, from Anand or Kis liye maine pyaar kiya from The Train), to a group of people on a picnic (O Manchali kahaan chali), to a dad bidding goodbye to his daughter after her wedding (Babul ki duaaen leti jaa, ja tujhko sukhi sansaar mile), a dad raising a child (Tujhe suraj kahoon ya chanda, tujhe deep kahoon ya taara)  to a ghost calling her boyfriend from a past life (like in Woh kaun thi, or Bees Saal Baad- kahin deep jale kahin dil), you have a song for every occasion. Creativity must have been at an all-time high among lyricists who had to write for all these situations. Hats off to them.  Aap logon ka jawaab nahin.

Some more situations- song of liberation (Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai), Folk song at a rural party (Chunri sambhal gori udi chali jaaye re), celebration of a festival (Govinda aala re aala), decrying a lost friendship (Dost dost na raha, pyaar pyaar na raha),  club songs (Laila main laila), Lullabies (Nanhi pari sone chali), Kids having fun (Lakdi ki kaathi kaathi pe ghoda, or Re mama re mama re),  cabaret songs (Piya tu ab to aaja), college students having fun (Mannubhai motor chali pump um pum), reflections about life (Zindagi ka safar, Yeh jeevan hai, Zindagi ek safar hai suhana, Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain jo makaam), the celebration of the present (Aane wala pal, jaanewala hai, ho sake to isme zindagi bita do), teasing (Hamaare siwa tumhaare aur kitne deewaane hain), dance competitons (made famous by Nasir Husain in Hum Kisise Kum Nahin in a series of four songs- Mil gaya, humko saathi mil gaya..etc.).

More categories? Lost and found songs that unite siblings (Yaadon ki baaraat knikli hai aaj dilke dwaare), lovers complaining about lost chances (Hazaar raahen mudke dekhi , kahin se koi sadaa na aai), protagonist describing  the state of his heart (Dil aaj shaayar hai, or Dil kya kare jab kisise kisiko pyaar ho jaaye), kids singing about parents’ romance (Papa ko mummy se, mummy ko papa se pyaar hai), angst (Har koi chaahta hai ek mutthi aasmaan), the wedding song (Aaj mere yaar ki shaadi hai), the disco song (I am a disco dancer, Hari om hari), the birthday song (Baar baar din yeh aaye, baar baar dil yeh gaye tum jiyo hazaaron saal), mujra (Inhi logon ne, or Jab pyaar kiya to darna kya, or Salaame ishq meri jaan zara qubool karlo),  qawwali (Hum kisise kam nahin),  songs about the river or sea (O maajhi re), the seduction song (Main kya karoon ram mujhe Buddha mil gaya), Bhajan or arti (Om jay jagdeesh hare), teaching each other (Saawan ka mahina, pawan kare sor).

Patriotism (Mere Desh ki dharti, or Nanha munna rahi hoon desh ka sipahi hoon), distracting a crying child (Rona kabhi nahin rona chahe toot jaaye koi khilona), madness  in an asylum(Mere bhains ko danda kyun maara), brooding over lost love (Din dhal jaaye haaye raat na jaaye), enjoying a tonga (horse carriage) ride (many OP Nayyar compositions with hoof-beats in the music),are some more situations that are amenable to songs in Hindi movies. Disguises in the villain’s den are also another common category of songs (Duniya mein, logon ko from Apna Desh, for instance).

Maybe I have missed a few, but you get the point…

Best Movie Titles-Bollywood

I put on my thinking cap- which I do, occasionally- and gave serious thought to the most creative movie titles of all time (time for me, is basically post 1960, when I entered the portals of this world). I came up with the following -

1. Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye- a nice comedy drama from Rajshri Pictures.

2. Albert Pinto ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai- by Saeed Mirza, I think.

3. Love in Tokyo, made when half of India didn't know their Tokyo from their left toe.

4. Ishq, Ishq, Ishq, by Dev Anand. It's somewhat like the advertising wisdom, followed by the Nirma jingle, that you should repeat the product name as many times as possible. Darling, Darling, also a Dev Anand movie, did the same.

5. Mughal-e-Azam. In terms of a zabardast title, one can't get any better. The sound of it, and what Prithviraj Kapoor did in his dialogue delivery, was wonderful.

6. Ishq Par Zor Nahin- I think it starred Dharmendra, and the line is taken from a famous sher (Urdu poem) by Ghalib, or a celebrity poet of his stature.

7. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro- lovely title for a rollicking comedy.

8. Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen- an Amol Palekar, Nana Patekar movie, if I remember right. Very different in its theme and treatment.

9. Aap Aaye Bahaar Aayi. Nice thing to say to someone.

10. Khosla Ka Ghosla. Very evocative title. Gharaonda too, on the same lines.