Movies for a Lifetime - 1

This is a series about movies that have truly, deeply moved me: made me happy, horrified me, or made me sad – essentially movies that have left a mark forever. Some of them are universally acknowledged as timeless classics some of them not. It’s my list, not necessarily in any particular order of liking. They are all near and dear to me. The idea is not to review these movies, but to try and explain why I felt a certain way about them and why they are so dear to me. One thing is common for all these movies, at the end of each one, I found myself with a contented expression and a feeling of fullness in my heart. It’s kind of a feeling of eating a delicious meal after being hungry for a long time, or after drinking a cold glass of water after being thirsty for a long time. A word in Hindi/Marathi describes that feeling aptly – “Santosh” or “Trupti”.
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Psycho
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1960

Psycho is known as the most well crafted movie in the Horror/Thriller genre. Personally, yes it was scary and creepy; however, I was more saddened at the end of the movie than scared. When I first watched Psycho (the Hitch version not the Gus Van Sant one), I knew it was a horror movie but my knowledge about the movie ended there. As soon as the movie started, I was eating out of Hitch’s hands. By the end of it, I was shivering with excitement and yet was weighed down by the tragedy, by the loss of youth – of Marion’s as well as Norman Bates’. There will be folks who would call me sick or judge me for feeling sad for the Norman Bates character, but to them I say – “To each his own”!

The movie succeeds in every aspect of film-making –pacing, editing, camera-work, just the right combination of suspense, humor and anticipation. In the performance department, the Norman Bates character was immortalized by Anthony Perkins. This role was his claim to fame, and sadly became him for the rest of his acting career. Tony Perkins did many a good roles in films and theater but he could never get rid of the “Norman Bates” character from himself – just like the “Mother” had become “Norman Bates”.

One small quirky genius of a moment comes in the last few seconds of the movie. Pause the scene at 1:17 seconds, then pause it again at 1:18 seconds: do you see the skull of the mother super-imposed on Norman’s face? It might just be me, but if it truly is what it I think it is, then I bow to Hitch for keeping it so subtle, so so subtle!!

Gulzar: Kuch khoye huye nagme - 5

Every Hindi film music aficionado knows about the greatness of this man named Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar. We have all heard his famous songs a thousand times now, such as: “Tere bina zindagi se” from Aandhi, “Hazaar Rahen” from Thodisi Bewafayee, “Mera kuch saaman” from Ijaazat, or “Kajra re” from Bunty aur Babli. This series is about those lesser known songs penned by this master poet.
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Movie: Kinara (1977)
Music Director: Rahul Dev Burman
Singer: Bhupinder, Hema Malini

Ek hi khwab kai baar dekha hai maine
tune saari main uras lee hai meri chabiyan ghar ki
Aur chali aayi hai
bus yoon hi mera haath pakad kar
ek hi khwab kai baar

Mej par phool sajate hue
dekha hai kai baar
aur bistar se kai baar
jagaya hai tujhko
chalte phirte tere kadmon ki vo
aahat bhi suni hai

Gungunati hui nikli hai naha kar jab bhi
Apne bheege hue baalon se tapakta paani
mere chahre pe chhitak deti hai tu, tiku ki bachhi

Taash ke patton pe ladti hai
kabhi kabhi khel main mujhse
aur ladti bhi hai aise ki bus
khel rahi hai mujhse
aur aagosh ko nanhe ko liye

aur jaanti ho tiku,
jab tumhara yeh khwab dekha tha,
apne bistar pe main us waqt pada
jaag raha tha…

In the romantic songs from nineties onwards, you have seen the hero and the heroine in designer wear frolicking in the Alpine valleys, the meadows of Baden-Baden,the tulip fields of Holland or with the background of the skyline of some of the most famous cities of the world. If this is your idea of a romantic song, look another way. This simple song (more like humming than a traditional song), tops in my list of the most romantic song ever shot on the screen. The glorious seventies, there was more creativity in Hindi cinema than it exists today (there were no jump cuts….thank God for that). Gulzar directed and wrote the screenplay for Kinara. It’s a simple story about relationships which happens to be Gulzar’s favorite topic, about adults and told for adults with due respect to the intelligence of both the characters and the audience.

The poetry in this song is not laden with heavy words or emotions, it’s about a husband and wife doing everyday things and the husband romaticizing about these very things that make life with your loved one special. Dharmendra and Hema were a real life couple and their chemistry shows on the screen - they seem to be completely oblivious to the camera.

Bhupinder’s voice is perfect for this composition which is casual, lazy and relaxed. Hema Malini’s voice - not a big fan of her when she talks with the “unnhhaa” at the end of every statement - is dripping with tender sensuality in this song.
Simplicity and minimalism – clear winners.

Tony chooses Danya

Danya Alhamrani's video of Saudi Arabia won the fan-atic special. Congratulations Danya. I am sure this episode of No Reservations will give a completely different perspective of Arabia.
Danya's Video can be seen here: