Beth Loves Bollywood

This is my first Guru Dutt movie and I'm delighted to have seen it. Though communicating a clear message of justice and compassion, the movie refrained from being preachy and saccharine - thank goodness, because it less capable hands it could have gone horribly wrong. The visuals are similarly straightforward, yet they're full and beautiful too. The film is meaningful without being heavy, and I think much of this is owed to the sparky performances by the two leads (Mala Sinha as the titular daughter-in-law, Padma, and Guru Dutt as her simpleton husband, Raghu). They're fantastic - lively but subtle. The rest of the cast is also strong. Nasir Hussain nails the "stern but loving patriarch" type with real feeling (take note, Big B), Lalita Pawar* is convincingly icy as the scheming stepmother, and Feroz Khan creates a villain whose comeuppance is a treat to cheer for .

I watched this at Jaman and was interested to read a post on its discussion board about Mala Sinha&…

Go watch the Aaja Nachle trailer, if you haven't already, and notice who's missing. Glamsham raises a good question. Between that and there being no Khannas in the Om Shanti Om celebrity hoedown, it's hard not to wonder if something is up.

"I know I have my moments of slumming it, but why am I in this movie?"


"Why am I playing myself in this movie, lending my star power and gravitas to this piece of crap? Didn't I have anything better to do?

And why did I start doing the black hair white beard thing? I look just fine like this, here at Parents' Day, about to listen to two very annoying movie children in a song so schmaltzy Beth will FF through it."

"Why are we in this movie?"


Why is anyone in this movie? It's so stupid. Its message - or plot points, if you prefer not to give it credit for having a message - is that cheated-on spouses should use whatever means necessary to win back their wayward partners and then forgive them. Children, other relatives, sex appeal, and business profit can all be used to try to woo your husband back from a money-grubbing model. While there may be situations in real life in which forgiveness may be a good idea, it's a different story when actions, …

If you haven't been reading the Mini Khan Experience on Bollywoodbloggers lately, you might want to check in. He's left North America after six cities in the US and is now in Europe, starting off at European Headquarters (a.k.a. Liebling Michael). What do you have planned, I inquired, both excited and worried for MK, whose safety and enjoyment are ultimately my responsibilities. Michael replied, "Mini will stay here for 14 days. It was hard for him all this time with girls. Now it's a men time." He would not discuss the matter any further, although this picture might give us a hint:

I guess we'll all just have to stay tuned - and hope they manage to work in a few adventures among all the hours spent shooting fictional characters. Maybe they'll do a "Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe"-style boys' night out after shopping for the appropriate outfits. On the other hand, MK probably needs to rest up before Kaddele and the Viennese get their hands on him....