Cine bites: Movie - Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (JJPB)

When I first watched the movie, I was a little kid who was fascinated by Sandhya’s peacock costume and eyebrow gestures in the song “Suno Suno Jee”. When I watched the movie again last weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed the simple yet modern, slow yet flowing performances by Gopi Krishna and Sandhya and appreciated them for their talent.

The story is about the struggles in the love life of Girdhar and his dance partner Neela as they both rehearse to win the coveted title of “Bharat Natraj” through a national dance contest.  Giridhar’s father, Mangal Maharaj is a dance teacher and a previous winner of the Bharat Natraj title.  Mangal Maharaj considers Girdhar’s love for Neela as a distraction and has the support of a local merchant with an evil eye to Neela’s beauty; together they cause grief to the love birds.

The story would have been an ordinary love story but for its music, choreography, the sets and costumes and not to miss out the chemistry between Gopi Krishna and Sandhya which makes it totally unique, not just in 1955 but also in 2014. The movie is a musical feast from the get-go with the songs composed in different classical ragas. The song “Saiyyan Jao” was composed in Raag Des with a flavor of natyasangeet, the sad song “ Mere Ae Dil Bata” was composed in Raag Bhairavi and the song “Nain so Nain” in Raag Malgunji . The song “Ruth Basant Ayi ban upvan” sung in different ragas and the title track sung by Ustad Amir Khan in Raag Adana is still a treat to my ears.  The music also marks its uniqueness by introducing Santoor in Indian cinema and by using some western steps in some smaller sequences in 1955.

The movie begins with its credits splashing over rangoli colors and designs, kathak footwork, and Ustad Amir Khan’s stunning voice! Each song that follows depicts a phase in the love life.  The song “Murali Manohar” adopts a narrative style in between traditional music, successfully depicting the mythological story of Radha-Krishna and the blossoming love between Girdhar- Neela. One of the few movies in technocolor from that era, the blue Girdhar, the man made lake, the entire backdrop in this song gives it a very theatrical look.  My fairy tale song however, is “Nain so nain”, a slow moving evergreen song in the divine voice of Hemant Kumar and Lata ji. And as Girdhar and Neela dance to the roles of Kama and Rati around colorful fountains in the Brindavan, I catch myself walking into a musical fairy tale.  The movie concludes with an energetic “tandav”; one that will always be the best one ever performed in Bollywood.  The movie won a lot of awards that year, including best film award but the music that gave the movie its success never won an award. To me this movie is a terrific tribute to the world of dance and music.

Naushad was the master of classical music in that era. When approached for the opportunity to compose for JJPB, he not only gave up the opportunity but also assured V Shantaram that Vasant Desai could compose classical based music. This support within the music fraternity was perhaps another aspect that was unique only to the golden era. 

Bicycling....and Me!

A bicycle is probably most affordable asset in India yet in my younger days, not many people owned it. Bollywood movies also used it rarely and so though affordable, it wasnt as popular as cars. In recent years though I see more people own one and use it for casual workouts or for endurance races. Perhaps one of the main reasons to celebrate National bike month is to encourage more folks to give biking a try and showcase the many benefits of bicycling.

As a little girl, I watched young and middle aged men carry heavy loads on their bicycle; some carried tiered Tiffin boxes for a bunch of hungry school kids, while others carried large courier packages or gas cylinders.  I remember watching them in admiration and wondering about the number of bournvita scoops they added in their milk. I also remember aspiring to be as strong as them and drinking milk with an extra scoop of bournvita...for at least a year.

As I entered my teens, only the ‘cool’ girls rode a bicycle. I would rent a bicycle from Minoo’s bike shop, just across the street, they had a lot of bikes, some leaning or hanging off a greasy oily wall. I'd try to learn how to ride, literally one frantic second at a time. Learning how to bike and dealing with the fears of falling down and getting hurt was probably one of the most challenging things I encountered at that age. Thankfully we were practicing on a straight road at a time when most sane people were listening to some soothing songs on all India radio or snoozing through their afternoon nap. 

Biking is a fun only when you free yourself or at least learn to deal with your worst fears. I still hold on to my bike for dear life and always look for lonely roads/trails to bike.  I am still terrified of losing control or being hit by another biker or a car and ending up in a hospital crippled but when I watch people enjoy their ride, I feel inspired. It helps to ride with some good company or like minded friends; In my case, music now accompanies me on my rides and makes it easier to relax. So whether I ride with fear or without, the one thing I am able to enjoy is the wind on my face!

Looking to enjoy some bollywood tunes sung on a bicycle? Check this out: http://www.mixcloud.com/Radioazad/radio-azad-june-5-bolly-talkies-bicycle-n-bike-theme/

Memory of a special day...

My closet is a treasure of memories and cleaning it promises an emotional roller coaster ride. For ten years I have unsuccessfully tried to throw away my faded and abnormally shrunk blue and orange salwar kameez; I don’t fit into it but it is a reminder of a beautiful memory.

We bought it on a hot sunny afternoon of Oct 16, 1993 at a local hand-loom fair. It was a special day; we had just returned from our final hospital visit and were hoping to celebrate the new lease of life. So, as we walked through the shops, a simple cotton outfit with a rare fusion of vibrant blue/orange colors caught our attention; it was love at first sight. Perhaps, we needed the color in our life that time. It was priced at Rs. 585; though not expensive, we were a middle class family with a lot of unpaid medical bills, so we bought it only after some sincere debate. As our thrilled vendor packed the outfit, he offered us free bangles as a special deal – just for us. I am certain he had overheard our hushed debate because the bangles looked expensive and surely didn't deserve to be freebies. We tried to decline the offer but he was determined and placed the neatly wrapped bangles on my discolored and scarred hand. I had not intended to show my scars and so I was really embarrassed. Noticing my reaction, he quickly justified by saying, 'Every pretty girl’s got to wear jewelry'. We walked away that day exchanging smiles and postponing our financial or health related worries.

I am not sure if it was the beautiful words or just buying something other than medicines that eased our pain that day. The wounds of painful memories were soothed with this happier one, the one this outfit continued to hold, perhaps much longer than the bangles... Should I then let go of the outfit?

Finally in an attempt to accumulate memories and not possessions (outfit), I gave it away. The memory is mine to keep. Now each time the gorgeous evening sky adorns its blue and orange shade, it reminds me of that special day.