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Zeenat Aman Hot Without Cloths Topless Pics
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Showing posts with label Zeenat Aman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zeenat Aman. Show all posts
Gol Maal (1979)
Yes, Yes, YEEESSS!!! I've finally found a Bollywood comedy to love!
Ahh, I've struggled so to get here. I know I haven't been making the best choices, but for a long while I didn't know where to start. Gol Maal was recommended to me by Doc Bollywood and was a favorite on Shweta's Mac N' Cheese Movie Poll, so I just knew this was going to be a good one (Shweta and Sanket will never steer you wrong!)
I was smiling as soon as Gol Maal started. As the opening credits roll, we see Amol Palekar and friends singing the title song in a happy little circle. Man, just the expressions on these guys faces are comedic enough, especially Amol Palekar:
Amol plays Ram Prasad Sharma, a recent college grad living with his sister. Knowing he'll be looking for a job, his uncle suggests he apply for an interview at his friend's firm. But there is a catch: The uncle's friend (Bhavani Shankar, played by Utpal Dutt) is extremely picky about who he hires (He even has a plaque in his office that reads, "WORK IS GOD"). As a matter of fact, there are several rules Ram must follow in order to get the job. His uncle tells him that Bhanvani:
1)Hates recommendations, therefore he can't use his uncle as reference.
2)Doesn't want to hire anybody with the least bit of interest in sports (which Ram loves) or music (which Ram also loves--see above images and video)...
3)Has a strong respect for Indian values...
4)Considers having a mustache a sign of strength and confidence!
Ram decides (somewhat reluctantly) to conform to this persona in order to become the ideal candidate for the job. He borrows pyjamas and a kurta from a friend (who happens to be in the film business, which leaves room for some fun cameos!), slicks his hair back, and pretends to have no interest in anything except work and his "rigid Indian values". The interview process goes smoothly, he is hired, the boss is happy, Ram is happy, everyone's happy. Of course, since the entire thing is based on a lie (Ram's carefree personality is miles away from the "New Ram"), we know Ram's headed for trouble.
Ram's very proud of his new job, and we see him living the "good life", singing, throwing parties, feeding his friends. But when the gang invites him to a cricket match that happens to be going on during work hours, it doesn't take much convincing for Ram to devise a plan to get out of work early. He uses the oldest, riskiest trick in the book: His mother's sick and he has to go see her at once. Of course, since Ram has sort of become Bhavani's pet employee, he agrees and Ram happily attends the game with his pals.
But guess who also shows up at the game!
That's right, the boss himself. Sounds like something that would happen to me, yaar!
Of course, Bhavani's ticked off, and confronts Ram the very next day. Caught on the spot, Ram does the only thing he can do to save his hide: He tells his boss it wasn't him, but his twin brother, Lakshman, that he saw at the stadium. Bhavani actually feels guilty for mistrusting Ram and offers his brother a job at the firm to make it up to him. Ram frantically declines the offer, saying Lakshman is too incompetent for a job like this, since music is more his thing. But Bhavani won't take no for an answer, and counters with a job offer for "Lakshman" as a music tutor for his beautiful daughter, Urmila.
I'm sure you can see where this is going. Ram has to assume two identites, the "New Ram" (which is the polar opposite of the real Ram) and the fictional twin Lakshman a.k.a. "Lucky" (who is actually more like the real Ram, only with a shaved mustache). By day he works for Bhavani in the office, and by night (which looks more like afternoon since its always during broad daylight) he tutors Urmila. Do they fall in love? This is Bollywood--Of course they do!
What follows is mixup after mixup, mishap after mishap, until Ram's lie blows up to enormous proportions. Most of the time I felt like I was watching a sitcom instead of a movie--and that ended up being a good thing! The comedic timing was spot on, the actors looked like they're having a fun, and the movie didn't drag one bit. It was just pure zany, wacky Bollywood fun! Like eating a bowl of mac 'n cheese, indeed!
It's probably no coincidence that Farah Khan chose the names of Shahrukh and Zayed's characters in Main Hoon Naa to be Ram Prasad and "Lucky" Sharma as well. I could see Gol Maal being one of her all time favorites, since this looks like it would be right up her alley!
There are cameos galore in Gol Maal. While I'm sure I missed some of them, the one with Amitabh Bachchan was appreciated, though I didn't get the whole "Anthony Bhai" thing all the way.
I recognized Rekha, Zeenat Aman, and Hema Malini, in a fun song that I really, really wish would have been subtitled because it looked like it was chock full of jokes and cameos!
Although all of the actors contributed greatly to the success of the film (even Ram's friends, who were used very little), Gol Maal belonged to its two leads, Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutt. Both of these guys were physically perfect for their roles, as you can probably tell from the images. Utpal fit the part of a grumpy ol' boss like a glove, and Amol...well, let's just say I now have a soft spot for Amol Palekar. His expressions, mannerisms, and goofy smile literally made my day!
Thanks to Gol Maal, this won't be my last venture into Bollywood comedy. It's the most hotch-potched, hilarious thing I've seen in Hindi cinema (yet) and I adored every minute of it!
Ahh, I've struggled so to get here. I know I haven't been making the best choices, but for a long while I didn't know where to start. Gol Maal was recommended to me by Doc Bollywood and was a favorite on Shweta's Mac N' Cheese Movie Poll, so I just knew this was going to be a good one (Shweta and Sanket will never steer you wrong!)
Who can resist a face like this?
I was smiling as soon as Gol Maal started. As the opening credits roll, we see Amol Palekar and friends singing the title song in a happy little circle. Man, just the expressions on these guys faces are comedic enough, especially Amol Palekar:
Amol plays Ram Prasad Sharma, a recent college grad living with his sister. Knowing he'll be looking for a job, his uncle suggests he apply for an interview at his friend's firm. But there is a catch: The uncle's friend (Bhavani Shankar, played by Utpal Dutt) is extremely picky about who he hires (He even has a plaque in his office that reads, "WORK IS GOD"). As a matter of fact, there are several rules Ram must follow in order to get the job. His uncle tells him that Bhanvani:
1)Hates recommendations, therefore he can't use his uncle as reference.
2)Doesn't want to hire anybody with the least bit of interest in sports (which Ram loves) or music (which Ram also loves--see above images and video)...
3)Has a strong respect for Indian values...
4)Considers having a mustache a sign of strength and confidence!
Ram decides (somewhat reluctantly) to conform to this persona in order to become the ideal candidate for the job. He borrows pyjamas and a kurta from a friend (who happens to be in the film business, which leaves room for some fun cameos!), slicks his hair back, and pretends to have no interest in anything except work and his "rigid Indian values". The interview process goes smoothly, he is hired, the boss is happy, Ram is happy, everyone's happy. Of course, since the entire thing is based on a lie (Ram's carefree personality is miles away from the "New Ram"), we know Ram's headed for trouble.
This guy means business.
Ram's very proud of his new job, and we see him living the "good life", singing, throwing parties, feeding his friends. But when the gang invites him to a cricket match that happens to be going on during work hours, it doesn't take much convincing for Ram to devise a plan to get out of work early. He uses the oldest, riskiest trick in the book: His mother's sick and he has to go see her at once. Of course, since Ram has sort of become Bhavani's pet employee, he agrees and Ram happily attends the game with his pals.
But guess who also shows up at the game!
That's right, the boss himself. Sounds like something that would happen to me, yaar!
Of course, Bhavani's ticked off, and confronts Ram the very next day. Caught on the spot, Ram does the only thing he can do to save his hide: He tells his boss it wasn't him, but his twin brother, Lakshman, that he saw at the stadium. Bhavani actually feels guilty for mistrusting Ram and offers his brother a job at the firm to make it up to him. Ram frantically declines the offer, saying Lakshman is too incompetent for a job like this, since music is more his thing. But Bhavani won't take no for an answer, and counters with a job offer for "Lakshman" as a music tutor for his beautiful daughter, Urmila.
The boss' beautiful daughter.
I'm sure you can see where this is going. Ram has to assume two identites, the "New Ram" (which is the polar opposite of the real Ram) and the fictional twin Lakshman a.k.a. "Lucky" (who is actually more like the real Ram, only with a shaved mustache). By day he works for Bhavani in the office, and by night (which looks more like afternoon since its always during broad daylight) he tutors Urmila. Do they fall in love? This is Bollywood--Of course they do!
What follows is mixup after mixup, mishap after mishap, until Ram's lie blows up to enormous proportions. Most of the time I felt like I was watching a sitcom instead of a movie--and that ended up being a good thing! The comedic timing was spot on, the actors looked like they're having a fun, and the movie didn't drag one bit. It was just pure zany, wacky Bollywood fun! Like eating a bowl of mac 'n cheese, indeed!
It's probably no coincidence that Farah Khan chose the names of Shahrukh and Zayed's characters in Main Hoon Naa to be Ram Prasad and "Lucky" Sharma as well. I could see Gol Maal being one of her all time favorites, since this looks like it would be right up her alley!
There are cameos galore in Gol Maal. While I'm sure I missed some of them, the one with Amitabh Bachchan was appreciated, though I didn't get the whole "Anthony Bhai" thing all the way.
I recognized Rekha, Zeenat Aman, and Hema Malini, in a fun song that I really, really wish would have been subtitled because it looked like it was chock full of jokes and cameos!
Although all of the actors contributed greatly to the success of the film (even Ram's friends, who were used very little), Gol Maal belonged to its two leads, Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutt. Both of these guys were physically perfect for their roles, as you can probably tell from the images. Utpal fit the part of a grumpy ol' boss like a glove, and Amol...well, let's just say I now have a soft spot for Amol Palekar. His expressions, mannerisms, and goofy smile literally made my day!
Thanks to Gol Maal, this won't be my last venture into Bollywood comedy. It's the most hotch-potched, hilarious thing I've seen in Hindi cinema (yet) and I adored every minute of it!
Satyam Shivam Sundaram
In Satyam Shivam Sundaram, director Raj Kapoor sets out to teach us it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts (Really, Raj? And you chose a scantily-clad Zeenat Aman to illustrate that point?).
Sarcasm aside, once I got past the irony of it all, I found SSS to be a fairly enjoyable film. There was lots of pretty things to look at. The story was interesting. I added Zeenat Aman and Shashi Kapoor to my list of actors I want to see more of. And I had my first taste of 70s Bollywood--which, by the way, is just as groovy as everyone says it is!
And, you know what? After watching the film, I think Raj Kapoor made the right choice for his heroine. Zeenat gave the role a mysterious, mesmerizing tone that perhaps only she could pull off. Yes, she was barely dressed and every movement she made was super-suggestive...But it kept you watching...and created a believeable backdrop for an otherwise unlikely tale. I mean, let's face it...only Zeenat's bronze curves prancing through the forest could make a man fall in love without even seeing her face (And by that I should clarify a man like Shashi Kapoor's Rangeev, who was self-admittedly hung up on physical appearances).
Now, I usually steer clear of plot summaries in my posts for two reasons: 1) I'm extremely bad at pulling out main ideas and 2)I'm afraid of going on a tangent and telling too much. But I'm beginning to think they might be helpful to those who have not seen the film and want to decide whether or not it is something they would like. So, I've decided to include a little plot synopsis in all of my posts from here on out. And I promise, I'll try to keep them as simple and brief as possible.
So, here goes: Rupa (Zeenat Aman) has been considered unlucky since the day she was born. She is an outcast, a lonely young girl with few friends and a father who considers her misfortune a curse. As a young girl, Rupa is burned in a cooking accident, which leaves one side of her face scarred. Villagers whisper that Rupa will never get married, and her father fears the same.
Enter Shashi Kapoor (Ranjeev), an engineer transported to Rupa's village to oversee construction of a dam. One morning, Ranjeev is lulled out of his quarters and into the forest by Rupa's enchanting voice, where he spies her volumptous image from afar. He pursues her relentlessly, never once seeing her scars (If the thought of Ranjeev meeting Rupa several times without noticing the side of her face seems impossible to you, just watch the movie. You'd never believe this would work, but it does. Way to go, Raj Kapoor). Ranjeev is head over heels for Rupa, and asks her father for her hand in marriage.
We start to hold out hope for Ranjeev and Rupa until we discover Ranjeev has a phobia for anything less than beautiful. In his own words, he "cannot tolerate any form of ugliness". Uh-oh. What happens when Ranjeev unveils his new bride? I won't reveal anything else, but the rest of the movie takes you down this path.
One nagging flaw in all of this: As the viewer, you seem to be the only one other than Ranjeev who notices how hot Rupa is. The rest of the town appears oblivious to this fact, which seems kind of ridiculous. Scar or no scar, Zeenat Aman is one sultry babe. It's like watching Marilyn Monroe walk through an army of soldiers without turning any heads.
Make no mistake, though--Zeenat Aman gave us more than sex appeal in her performance. I hadn't really seen her in anything, except for Laawaris, which I really didn't remember much about. I thought she was awesome here--the role gave her an opprotunity to take on many different shades to Rupa's personality, and she delivered every time. Her dancing was cool, too-- very snake-like and alluring. Check out this video of "Bhor Bhaye Panghat Pe" and you'll see what I mean (also be sure to notice Shashi's adorable face at 4:22).
In the 70s, men in the U.S. were drooling over Farrah Fawcett. I'll bet men everywhere else were fantasizing about Zeenat Aman in the waterfall.
I've heard that Satyam Shivam Sundaram did not sit well with some because Raj Kapoor flaunted Zeenat Aman's sex appeal to no end. This definitely spiced things up a bit, but I can see why some might be disturbed given the treatment of the main character. Personally, I chose not to overanalyze it, and I'm glad I didn't. It was worth my while to just sit back and enjoy the eye candy, because there was lots of it. As a matter of fact, the entire movie was colored with beauty, from Rupa to Ranjeev to the trippy "Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal"(more on that later).
Ahh, but the real reason I bought Satyam Shivam Sundaram was because it starred Shashi Kapoor.
He's such a fan favorite, especially with my fellow bloggers (check out Sanket's awesome tribute), that I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of his films. In hindsight, this probably wasn't the best place to start, as Ranjeev wasn't the most likable character in the world, but...It just means I'll have to watch more of his films, right? Not that he didn't do a great job--I'm convinced that I would have hated Ranjeev if anyone else had played him. But Shashi had a sort of softness in his voice and smile (I loved the little nervous chuckle he did under his breath!), a boyish quality that caused me to blame his actions on immaturity rather than character. Like Rupa, I kept wanting to forgive him, kept trying to give him ways to redeem himself (***SPOILER***And he does redeem himself in the end--once he and Rupa end up together, I wiped his slate clean of all his past sins. I couldn't help it, because I honestly trusted that he would shape up and treat Rupa right from there on out***SPOILER END***).
Which brings me to the creme filling in Satyam Shivam Sundaram--the song that looks like it was inspired by a 70s acid trip, "Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal". Seriously, I kept expecting little munchkins to pop out and join in on the song. Well, whatever RK was smoking, it did the trick, because this song is jam packed with visual goodies. And, as I've done with my other Raj Kapoor posts, I've included some pics for you...
As you can see, Satyam Shivam Sundaram made more of a visual impact on me than anything else. But it was still a decent film--and totally worth my time. Watch it for Zeenat, for Shashi, and for eye candy galore.
Text © 2008 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood
Sarcasm aside, once I got past the irony of it all, I found SSS to be a fairly enjoyable film. There was lots of pretty things to look at. The story was interesting. I added Zeenat Aman and Shashi Kapoor to my list of actors I want to see more of. And I had my first taste of 70s Bollywood--which, by the way, is just as groovy as everyone says it is!
And, you know what? After watching the film, I think Raj Kapoor made the right choice for his heroine. Zeenat gave the role a mysterious, mesmerizing tone that perhaps only she could pull off. Yes, she was barely dressed and every movement she made was super-suggestive...But it kept you watching...and created a believeable backdrop for an otherwise unlikely tale. I mean, let's face it...only Zeenat's bronze curves prancing through the forest could make a man fall in love without even seeing her face (And by that I should clarify a man like Shashi Kapoor's Rangeev, who was self-admittedly hung up on physical appearances).
Now, I usually steer clear of plot summaries in my posts for two reasons: 1) I'm extremely bad at pulling out main ideas and 2)I'm afraid of going on a tangent and telling too much. But I'm beginning to think they might be helpful to those who have not seen the film and want to decide whether or not it is something they would like. So, I've decided to include a little plot synopsis in all of my posts from here on out. And I promise, I'll try to keep them as simple and brief as possible.
So, here goes: Rupa (Zeenat Aman) has been considered unlucky since the day she was born. She is an outcast, a lonely young girl with few friends and a father who considers her misfortune a curse. As a young girl, Rupa is burned in a cooking accident, which leaves one side of her face scarred. Villagers whisper that Rupa will never get married, and her father fears the same.
Enter Shashi Kapoor (Ranjeev), an engineer transported to Rupa's village to oversee construction of a dam. One morning, Ranjeev is lulled out of his quarters and into the forest by Rupa's enchanting voice, where he spies her volumptous image from afar. He pursues her relentlessly, never once seeing her scars (If the thought of Ranjeev meeting Rupa several times without noticing the side of her face seems impossible to you, just watch the movie. You'd never believe this would work, but it does. Way to go, Raj Kapoor). Ranjeev is head over heels for Rupa, and asks her father for her hand in marriage.
We start to hold out hope for Ranjeev and Rupa until we discover Ranjeev has a phobia for anything less than beautiful. In his own words, he "cannot tolerate any form of ugliness". Uh-oh. What happens when Ranjeev unveils his new bride? I won't reveal anything else, but the rest of the movie takes you down this path.
One nagging flaw in all of this: As the viewer, you seem to be the only one other than Ranjeev who notices how hot Rupa is. The rest of the town appears oblivious to this fact, which seems kind of ridiculous. Scar or no scar, Zeenat Aman is one sultry babe. It's like watching Marilyn Monroe walk through an army of soldiers without turning any heads.
Make no mistake, though--Zeenat Aman gave us more than sex appeal in her performance. I hadn't really seen her in anything, except for Laawaris, which I really didn't remember much about. I thought she was awesome here--the role gave her an opprotunity to take on many different shades to Rupa's personality, and she delivered every time. Her dancing was cool, too-- very snake-like and alluring. Check out this video of "Bhor Bhaye Panghat Pe" and you'll see what I mean (also be sure to notice Shashi's adorable face at 4:22).
In the 70s, men in the U.S. were drooling over Farrah Fawcett. I'll bet men everywhere else were fantasizing about Zeenat Aman in the waterfall.
I've heard that Satyam Shivam Sundaram did not sit well with some because Raj Kapoor flaunted Zeenat Aman's sex appeal to no end. This definitely spiced things up a bit, but I can see why some might be disturbed given the treatment of the main character. Personally, I chose not to overanalyze it, and I'm glad I didn't. It was worth my while to just sit back and enjoy the eye candy, because there was lots of it. As a matter of fact, the entire movie was colored with beauty, from Rupa to Ranjeev to the trippy "Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal"(more on that later).
Ahh, but the real reason I bought Satyam Shivam Sundaram was because it starred Shashi Kapoor.
He's such a fan favorite, especially with my fellow bloggers (check out Sanket's awesome tribute), that I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of his films. In hindsight, this probably wasn't the best place to start, as Ranjeev wasn't the most likable character in the world, but...It just means I'll have to watch more of his films, right? Not that he didn't do a great job--I'm convinced that I would have hated Ranjeev if anyone else had played him. But Shashi had a sort of softness in his voice and smile (I loved the little nervous chuckle he did under his breath!), a boyish quality that caused me to blame his actions on immaturity rather than character. Like Rupa, I kept wanting to forgive him, kept trying to give him ways to redeem himself (***SPOILER***And he does redeem himself in the end--once he and Rupa end up together, I wiped his slate clean of all his past sins. I couldn't help it, because I honestly trusted that he would shape up and treat Rupa right from there on out***SPOILER END***).
Which brings me to the creme filling in Satyam Shivam Sundaram--the song that looks like it was inspired by a 70s acid trip, "Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal". Seriously, I kept expecting little munchkins to pop out and join in on the song. Well, whatever RK was smoking, it did the trick, because this song is jam packed with visual goodies. And, as I've done with my other Raj Kapoor posts, I've included some pics for you...
As you can see, Satyam Shivam Sundaram made more of a visual impact on me than anything else. But it was still a decent film--and totally worth my time. Watch it for Zeenat, for Shashi, and for eye candy galore.
Text © 2008 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood
Laawaris (or Why I Watched My First Bollywood Movie)
Laawaris was my first Bollywood movie ever.
Before I get into the movie, I have to tell you a little story about myself, because it kind of explains how I got so interested in Hindi cinema in the first place.
My father is Pakistani, with roots tracing back to the Punjab of India, and my mother German and Mexican, born and raised in the U.S.(as I was). When I was four, we actually lived in Karachi for six months, and the music,language, clothing and food lingers in some of my earliest memories.My parents divorced shortly after my return to the United States and I had no contact with my birth father for 20 years.
As a child, I often found it hard to fit in because I wasn't full German, wasn't full Mexican, wasn't full anything...and I really didn't know any Pakistanis. I always felt like a piece of me was missing, like a part of myself was taboo in my family because my mother had been hurt by my father and didn't have very pleasant memories of Pakistan. One day, I was up early watching Saturday morning cartoons and came across a song from a Hindi movie. I don't know how I knew it was similar to my dad's language, but I did. There was an eerie sense of familiarity in the music which I found strangely comforting. I'm not sure why, but this song of a woman dancing around a lounge stuck in my head for years....
20 years later, when I met my father and his wife Uzma, it was like a whole new cultural experience for me...But I loved every minute of it! Finally, I could learn and piece together the part of my heritage that had been a mystery for so many years...We looked through pictures of my family in Pakistan, ate Uzma's yummy cooking, and sipped chai. Uzma even sent me home with some of the black powdery eyeliner my mother loved so much from Pakistan! Today I have a nice relationship with them, visiting them in New York every now and then.
Ok, so back to Bollywood. It all started when a clerk at a gas station had poor enough eyesight to tell me I looked like Zeenat Aman(Now that I've seen her, I'm very,VERY sad to say I look nothing like her. I'm not even going to lie to you!). Curious, I called Uzma(You have to remember that I never felt like I fit in any kind of cultural group, so I was pleased to see that somebody had actually treated me like I should know who Zeenat Aman was, rather than looking at me like, "Oh, I wonder what she's mixed with?"), and of course she laughed and said we may have similar hair. But she did find it cute, so she promised to search through her movies and send me one with Zeenat Aman in it...
I'm totally not going to paste a pic of myself here because you would just laugh too hard...
But it actually took me awhile to watch this movie. I was interested, but not enough to place it at the top of my priority list(at that time, I actually did have a life). Finally, one night I popped it in...and guess what....
The first song in Laawaris was the same one I had seen on tv so many years ago! Now what are the odds of that? Of all the hundreds of Hindi films there are, what are the chances of my ever coming across that random song again? And to add to the irony, the movie was sort of about a man meeting his birth father and coming to terms with his identity...Freaky....
I wish I could say more about the movie, but to be honest, I had a hard time paying attention. The scenes would jump from one random place to the next(Where did Zeenat Aman come from anyways? She just sort of appeared... and her and the lead actor were suddenly singing on mountaintops), and the subtitles were really hard to follow. And is it just me, but do some of the scenes seem like they go on forever?
I would really like to re-watch this and re-post, because now being a Bollywood lover and more used to the swing of things, I would probably be a lot more forgiving and enjoy the movie more!
Text (c) 2007 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood
Before I get into the movie, I have to tell you a little story about myself, because it kind of explains how I got so interested in Hindi cinema in the first place.
My father is Pakistani, with roots tracing back to the Punjab of India, and my mother German and Mexican, born and raised in the U.S.(as I was). When I was four, we actually lived in Karachi for six months, and the music,language, clothing and food lingers in some of my earliest memories.My parents divorced shortly after my return to the United States and I had no contact with my birth father for 20 years.
As a child, I often found it hard to fit in because I wasn't full German, wasn't full Mexican, wasn't full anything...and I really didn't know any Pakistanis. I always felt like a piece of me was missing, like a part of myself was taboo in my family because my mother had been hurt by my father and didn't have very pleasant memories of Pakistan. One day, I was up early watching Saturday morning cartoons and came across a song from a Hindi movie. I don't know how I knew it was similar to my dad's language, but I did. There was an eerie sense of familiarity in the music which I found strangely comforting. I'm not sure why, but this song of a woman dancing around a lounge stuck in my head for years....
20 years later, when I met my father and his wife Uzma, it was like a whole new cultural experience for me...But I loved every minute of it! Finally, I could learn and piece together the part of my heritage that had been a mystery for so many years...We looked through pictures of my family in Pakistan, ate Uzma's yummy cooking, and sipped chai. Uzma even sent me home with some of the black powdery eyeliner my mother loved so much from Pakistan! Today I have a nice relationship with them, visiting them in New York every now and then.
Ok, so back to Bollywood. It all started when a clerk at a gas station had poor enough eyesight to tell me I looked like Zeenat Aman(Now that I've seen her, I'm very,VERY sad to say I look nothing like her. I'm not even going to lie to you!). Curious, I called Uzma(You have to remember that I never felt like I fit in any kind of cultural group, so I was pleased to see that somebody had actually treated me like I should know who Zeenat Aman was, rather than looking at me like, "Oh, I wonder what she's mixed with?"), and of course she laughed and said we may have similar hair. But she did find it cute, so she promised to search through her movies and send me one with Zeenat Aman in it...
I'm totally not going to paste a pic of myself here because you would just laugh too hard...
But it actually took me awhile to watch this movie. I was interested, but not enough to place it at the top of my priority list(at that time, I actually did have a life). Finally, one night I popped it in...and guess what....
The first song in Laawaris was the same one I had seen on tv so many years ago! Now what are the odds of that? Of all the hundreds of Hindi films there are, what are the chances of my ever coming across that random song again? And to add to the irony, the movie was sort of about a man meeting his birth father and coming to terms with his identity...Freaky....
I wish I could say more about the movie, but to be honest, I had a hard time paying attention. The scenes would jump from one random place to the next(Where did Zeenat Aman come from anyways? She just sort of appeared... and her and the lead actor were suddenly singing on mountaintops), and the subtitles were really hard to follow. And is it just me, but do some of the scenes seem like they go on forever?
I would really like to re-watch this and re-post, because now being a Bollywood lover and more used to the swing of things, I would probably be a lot more forgiving and enjoy the movie more!
Text (c) 2007 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood
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