Leeja Leeja

Here is a cabaret number from the frankly amazing 1967 film "An Evening In Paris", which is probably my favorite Bollywood film ever. The pertinent memes in this movie have already been well explicated by Corey Creekmur here, but I have two particular topics I'd like to expand on:

DUALITY
Sharmila Tagore, the main actress in this clip, occupies an interesting role for Bollywood - she is the heroine of the movie, which in earlier films would have meant that there would be no way she could perform these sexy nightclub numbers. In the past, this kind of moral standard paved the way for actresses like Helen to carve out a decent niche playing only the "bad girl" roles that the heroine actresses couldn't do. But this movie finds a clever loophole around the problem - Sharmila plays two characters, twin sisters Deepa and Suzy - one's a virtuous, well-behaved Indian girl, and the other has ended up as a cabaret dancer with mob ties. Creekmur puts it in classically western terms: "this allows Sharmila Tagore to, again, play both a virgin and a whore, coded of course by their contrasted Indian and Western manners." I think the latter statement is somewhat of a simplification though, as even the well-bred Deepa character seems to evoke western influences by initially claiming to hate men and remaining reasonably independent for most of the film. But there is a running current of Indian vs. Western contrasts in the film, and oddly enough, as if to further distance her character, Suzy is introduced in this clip as "Suzy the Oriental Dancer" - to Bollywood audiences this would indicate a vaguely Chinese identity, which, as you can see from the costumes and sets in this number, evokes a peculiar set of stereotypes.

Certainly, the inventive plot structure allows Sharmila to assume responsibility for two roles that, in previous Bollywood films, would almost definitely have been played by different actresses so as to allow the main character to remain relatively pure and blameless. And of course, in a way this opens the door to more complex and conflicted female characters - as far as I've seen, Bollywood has not made a whole lot of progress on this front, but still, it's an important first step.

HAIR
Blond is evil; red is eviler. Note the distinctive copper-gold shade of Pran's hair in this clip (he's the central fellow you keep seeing in the reaction shots). Also note that his gangster pals are semi-blond and bald. Bollywood has serious hair standards to uphold! Basically, redheads are pure evil, blonds are kind of evil, and bald dudes can swing either way depending on how western they look (fairly wide scale between evil gangster henchman and nationalist savior guru). Apparently, the western hippies that populate the audience and the ranks of slightly sluttier backup dancers are tolerated because they look so damn stoned.

Well, that's it for now. Don't forget, if you're in SF on Sunday, I'll be at the Argus Lounge playing Bollywood hits and much more. See you there!

Bollywood for the Holidays, Sunday December 28th

Spice up your wintry weekend with some hot Bollywood tunes! Come on down to the Argus Lounge, where I'll be playing vintage Bollywood hits, Tropicalia, Euro Pop and other sizzling selections. Plus karaoke fun at 10PM! Kick back one of Visa's invigorating imbibements and enjoy film excerpts from my favorite Bollywood spectaculars.

Humko Tho Yara

Finally another video. I got kind of disheartened for a while, as it seemed that YouTube was removing all my clips... maybe there's another video site I can use, but hopefully this clip will stay up for now.

Here's a twisted variation on a fairly standard Bollywood trope - the romantic romp through the countryside. This is a staple of Bollywood films - somehow the lovers always find a way to wander out into the picturesque hills and meadows for a syrupy romantic ballad. In this song, "Humko Tho Yara", from the 1977 movie Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, there's a twist - you'll notice the disturbingly large bottle of whisky revealed as Kaajal Kiran runs off after the silly bit of dialog with Rishi Kapoor. I can only guess that the presence of alcohol is the rationalization for the wild picaresque that follows.

First Rishi engages in a bit of passive-aggressive horseplay, using his tie to pretend to strangle himself, and, when that fails to elicit sufficient sympathy, playfully whipping his partner with it. Charming, eh? But Kaajal escapes and is soon causing all kinds of mayhem, from disrupting a bicycle race to disrupting calisthenics exercises - complete with an absurd toreador interlude with sped-up footage of a brahma bull.

This is what happens when you let a sweet-talking rogue get you drunk, kids. If you make it to my Bollywood night next weekend at the Argus Lounge, keep that in mind in your dealings with Visa, the bartender.

Bollywood and Oh So Very Much More, Sunday November 16th

Join me in my never-ending search for the forgotten gems of Bollywood... and more! Come on down to the Argus Lounge, where I'll be playing vintage Bollywood hits and their contemporary "reincarnations", Tropicalia, Italo-disco, German pop and other magical music. Sample one of Visa's tongue-tickling beverages and enjoy the music, and as always, a selection of my favorite Bollywood movie excerpts on the big(-ish) screen for your amusement and edification.

ALSO please note the earlier scheduling (8-10PM) this time around. And karaoke afterward, always fun.

Bollywood and BEYOND! Sunday October 26

Join me on a magical journey to Bollywood... and BEYOND! Come on down to the Argus Lounge, where I'll be playing vintage Bollywood hits, Tropicalia, Italo-disco, German pop, Cambodian Surf-Rock and more. Sample one of Visa's stimulating and invigorating beverages and enjoy the music, and as always, a selection of my favorite Bollywood movie excerpts on the big(-ish) screen, this month featuring some crazy '80s disco dancing action.

Bollywood and Beyond! Sunday September 14th

Let me take you to Bollywood... and beyond. Come down to the Argus Lounge, where I'll be playing grooving Bollywood hits from the 60s-80s, and mixing it up with Tropicalia, Italo-disco, German pop, Cambodian Surf-Rock and more! Sample one of Visa's handmade sustainable free-range beverages and enjoy the music, and as always, Bollywood movie excerpts on the big(-ish) screen.

Bollywood is Back! Sunday August 10th

Bollywood Night is back... with a vengeance. If you haven't made it out before, and even if you have, I expect to see you at the Argus Lounge, where I'll be playing grooving Bollywood hits from the 60s-80s, and mixing it up with Tropicalia, Italo-disco, German pop, Cambodian Surf-Rock and more! Sample one of Visa's fine artisanal beverages and enjoy the music... he is the Best Bartender you know.