THE SHOLAY COLLAGE

Everybody knows Sholay. Released on August 15, 1975, Ramesh Sippy's Sholay remains an iconic and celebrated Hindi movie. "It's a part of India's heritage," says Hindi film director Dharmesh Dharshan.

(Check out the exclusive Sholay blog - SHOLAYISM)

From left: Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan pose between shots. 

As legend goes, after listening to the script, Amitabh wanted to play Gabbar Singh and Dharmendra wanted Sanjeev's role; writers Salim-Javed had a hard time convincing them to play their assigned parts. Dharmendra denied any such desire on his part in a 2010 NDTV interview.

For the first time, the music company Polydor sold dialogue audio cassettes of a movie in millions as the film gained cult status. Gabbar's dialogues are now part of Indian culture. Gabbar's pronouncements can be heard in jokes, weddings and social gatherings. Ad makers have wrung the Sholay lemon dry, yet the references keep coming. Children to elderly people will oblige you with their renditions. Satire, books, headlines, daily talk, all have allusions to Sholay's dialogues.

A hand painted poster of the film. Hand painted posters have long been replaced by glossy computer made images since.

An excerpt from a Sholay-based video game

The famous motorcycle sequence from the buddy song - Yeh Dosti...

Gabbar looms at a distance, a shot inspired from Sergio Leone's Clint Eastwood westerns of the 1960's.

Asrani does an impressive Indian take on Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator

"KAB HAI HOLI? KAB?!"
thunders Gabbar as he plans to catch the frolicking Ramgadhians unaware on Holi - the festival of colours.

Viju Khote (left) in his famous brief role as Kaalia. Nafrati, the horse he was riding was very temperamental. Kote was relieved when Kaalia is finally shot dead by Gabbar.

The scene of Jai returning Radha the locker keys was the first scene shot for the movie...  

Veeru's inebriated suicide threat scene is the last of the comic scenes in the film, before guns start sounding all around.

Amjad and Hema did this scene over several retakes, until Hema's arm was sore with bruises.

In the original Sholay, Thakur Baldev Singh(Sanjeev Kumar) uses his nail-sole shoes to cut off Gabbar's hands. Two equals, they fight until Gabbar is killed, trampled like a snake under Thakur's feet. Thakur breaks down with the sudden loss of purpose in his life and from relief. The censors did not want this "anti- establishment" ending during the time of emergency and stalled the film's release. Ramesh Sippy had to re-shoot an alternate ending with the police arriving from nowhere, which we see today. The first ending exists in rare bootleg video cassettes and CD's and those who have seen it say, Sholay was better as it was first shot.

The iconic status of the film lives on with T-shirts and graphically designed posters, among other memorabilia. Ram Gopal Varma may have tried hard in the remake, but SHOLAY (1975) is forever. 



Bob Dylan turns 75

On May 24, 2016, the multifaceted, enigmatic, 'the man of the thin growl voice', the mesmerizing banyan tree of a songwriter, protest singer, folk-singer, harmonica-round-the-neck man - Bob Dylan, turned 75. If compared to a very commercial Hindi film song sequence, Dylan wears and discards many of his superhero to ordinary man costumes in the space of one song at a time.

Now, we may not call him a free-flowing great singer like Lata Mangeshkar, but the culmination of his wispy voice and sheer power of his elevating songwriting (what beautiful, searing poetry!) makes him sort of a charming, caravan-living, mysterious traveler who sings all that he absorbs from life, whenever one listens to him. Here are the lines from one of the first songs that made him conspicuous, way back in the mid-sixties:

"Blowin' In The Wind"

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind. 

My Favourite Sachin Tendulkar One-Day Moment

The shot in the first ball of the fifth over off Caddick

It was against England in the initial group match of World Cup 2003 in South Africa that Sachin Tendulkar came out all guns blazing. Tendulkar had already scored 152 against Namibia, but then, you know, no offence, it was Namibia.(Although we proclaim it to be the Cricket World Cup, there are barely half a dozen competitive teams out of a playing dozen at any given time of the playing season.) Meanwhile Brain Lara had played a brilliant match-winning blinder (116) against South Africa in the inaugural match.   

Anyway, on February 26th, India were batting first.With Sehwag and Tendulkar opening, India were held back at 13/0 in four overs. It was a raw moment when something was bound to give away. 

First ball of the fifth over, Andy Caddick comes rushing in to Tendulkar. The ball bounces and rises head high between the middle and leg stump. For a batsman without anticipation that would have been a very awkward delivery. But what happens in the next few seconds is extraordinary. Somehow, Tendulkar seems to have half-anticipated the ball. He sways to off (feet still grounded one behind another in front of leg stump) and pulls the ball strong behind him, right in the middle of the bat. Intentionally as it was directed, the ball sails way in its trajectory above the wicket-keeper and just out of the diving fine leg fielder's reach to the boundary, one bounce, four! Also, Tendulkar loses his balance as he completes the shot and falls to his right in his batting crease. So apart from the prospect of a brilliant catch, Tendulkar also escapes getting hit wicket in what would have been, the most strange fashion. It is a decisive point in the entire World Cup and by the time he is nicked by Flintoff, Tendulkar had made exactly 50 and added tonnes of confidence.Later, Ashish Nehra bowls a mercurial spell to ensure that England never get to the chase. 

A 97 vs Sri Lanka and a masterful 98 vs Pakistan follow, he falls early in the final - India chasing a mammoth total against Australia and it takes another eight years for him to realise the ultimate cricketer's dream - The World Cup. 

But just the way Sachin Tendulkar pulls, falls and the ball agonizingly escapes the fielder in that first ball of the fifth over on February 26, 2003 sums up Tendulkar - enterprise, endeavour, adventure and a passion for batting that stood out beyond the obvious genius.           

Thank you Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar's prolonged retirement from all forms of cricket has finally come full circle. On October 10th, 2013 Tendulkar informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he shall hang up his boots after playing in his 200th test in November at the Wankhede against the West Indies. Tendulkar had already announced his retirement from one-day cricket and T20 earlier. 

It made poignant reading in today's newspapers; out of the verbiage the little master's words stood out, telling us of the Sachin Tendulkar of the present,"It's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket...it's all I have ever done since I was 11."      

With the announcement many childhood memories have slid to nostalgia mode. Much has changed since Tendulkar's 1989 test debut against Pakistan. Test match cricket was king then, in 2013 the format is threatened with the commercial, marketing blitz and assured financial ticket that T20 and IPL have become for cricketers and cricket control boards.

Sachin in our lives   

In all our years of childhood, adolescence and youth, Sachin Tendulkar stood out as a folk hero and a very tangible one for that. The advent of quality television broadcasting, improved camera angles and commentary also provided an enhanced view to the proceedings. Here was a sporting hero whose exploits we could experience at the time that it was happening. 

Older generations will thus understand our disconnection when they say that Sunil Gavaskar was a better batsman. We just weren't around when Gavaskar was straight driving and playing without the helmet, facing fearsome bowling attacks. Sachin Tendulkar was inevitably in many of our life moments, a surge in each masterly shot he played, the affirmation that things were possible.

More than Tendulkar's genius it was the intensity and confidence that stood out. Between expectation and fulfillment of all our dreams, Tendulkar was the sole bridge for many years. Even as his curly haired youth brought a fort like mid-thirties the batsman gave it all he had. 

Freeze Frame 

There shall be more, but to conclude this article, I shall give you a word image of what I think is the best photograph that has ever been taken of Sachin Tendulkar. I hope to share the photograph, if I come across it again. The photo appeared in India Today around the time when Sachin's career was its zenith, he had already played those cult, reputation-affirming one-day Sharjah 1998 knocks against Australia. The photo is devoid of any action, it merely shows in its concise frame, Tendulkar's in his test whites seated on a plastic chair, with the helmet, pads and gear on, ready to battle. The appearance is one of stillness, but the eyes are a giveaway, they are almost fiery, pointed, and warrior like. Complete with the arms wrapped around himself, it is a rare moment of culmination - of youth, adventure and domination. So long Sachin and thank you very much for the mastery and the memories.   

Ravi Shankar & Allah Rakha make magic at Monterey, 1967

Ravi Shankar had never played at a pop festival before till Monterey. He finally agreed to do so, it seems, on the insistence of George Harrison, one of the four famed members of The Beatles.

Harrison had been the most influenced of the group by Indian instruments.

He went on to learn the Sitar from Ravi Shankar. Beatles fans would concur - listen to Within You, Without You, Love You To and Norwegian Wood as evidence and listening pleasure.

Shankar arrived at Monterey two days before he was scheduled to play.

He almost thought of not playing, witnessing firsthand the atrocious onstage behaviour of some rock stars, one of them was legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix - burning his guitar and throwing it to the audience.

Ravi Shankar was shocked to see this. He regarded the instrument as a friend, an artist burning his guitar was an unbelievable sight.

Ravi Shankar woke up to a dark rainy morning and it was afternoon when the rain stopped and he began playing, accompanied by Tabla maestro Allah Rakha and Kamala Dasgupta on the Tanpura.

The collage above is clipped from a YouTube video of the artists playing Dadra and a fast teental, the final piece from the Shankar full set on that day.

This 19 minute magical piece, "a light classical melody," as Shankar calls it in the introduction, consists of a main tune that is decorated with improvisations of folk and other tunes.

Allah Rakha is at his best, the result is a rare uplifting epic creation.

Here is the YouTube video of this masterpiece. Allow the video to load fully for immersive, uninterrupted listening pleasure.

Writings on Ghazal: Goodbye, Ghazal?

The latest addition to my blog on movies and music is a two-part series on the ghazal and why this sensitive music form is most likely to fade into oblivion. The links are provided below:

Goodbye, Ghazal: Part I

Goodbye, Ghazal: Part II 

The 'I AM BUSY' fiction

People are more busy than ever in urban India. At least they are under the assumption that they are. To be busy is a privilege, a social stamp of importance. In fact, if you are not on the run in your bustling city, you are the odd one out. It can be stated with assurance that a hardworking farmer in any village would have more free time than the average urban dweller (employed or otherwise) states that he or she doesn't have. Why indeed?

The 18 to 35 age group are sealed to their computer seats more than ever. As a recent survey showed, most people are not looking for anything in particular on the Internet, most of the time. Just how much time would one need to check their email accounts? When was the last time you logged on to a social networking site and found anything useful? Online videos, when you are done with TV, then there is the dependable cell phone waiting to whisk you away.

Free time inevitably bring in self-reflection and introspection, the truth becomes more evident and inescapable than ever. Fear looms, jealousies, regrets and tears too.What you repress by day, accumulates at night. Habit-induced sleeplessness has thus become a culture. You sit, post comments and make wise statements on Facebook, sometimes right till dawn. You drink that the mind may be temporarily numb. You will do anything to evade what is looming right in front. There is an illusion of safety too, you are not alone. There is a whole hoard, including your friends and relatives who are playing the same game.

"So what do I do instead? What to do when I am not busy?" We do not have the time to consider these options. That's all it will take - rest, relaxation and self-reflection. Meanwhile, busyness flourishes. Advertisements, celebrities, employers, educational institutions are busy emphasising this delusion.

Hell, there should be time to waste. For it is in that wasted, empty time that you are regally seated on your throne. Now, can you while it away?

You are on TV!

So do you want to be on TV too? Then throw or aim an object on someone who is already on TV. Or, fling an egg. Whatever you do, make sure that the object is harmless, disgusting and provocative at the same time. Ensure also, that the object is large enough to be caught by that ubiquitous red blinking circle that news channels use. Practice your act, such that the action is caught clear in slow motion, if not in real time.

You think this is all a joke? Well, the man who attempted to throw a slipper on 'someone who was already on TV' has his name on the photo caption of the main story in today's newspaper. He will soon tie-up with a footwear company for the brand of FLING FREE slippers. There will also be a new Facebook page and website that will promote similar throw-friendly footwear along with XL size catapults to help them along. So much for a slipper, so much for 24-hour news channels.

24x7?
That, in a sane world, the day's important news, all that we need to know, can be encapsulated in two to three hours or less. Inversely, channels keep stretching a bit of material, making up for everything but the truth. That is when, even those who throw slippers make it on TV, inexplicably, as it seems....                

The 9th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF): Snatches, briefs

7/1/2011
Esquare, Ganeshkhind Road

The Pune International Film Festival  is back, the 9th edition been held in a season we can assuredly call winter this year. The movies are been screened across five multiplexes across the city, and today I am at Esquare. There are no queues outside the screens this time, no checking of the passes hung around our necks, anyone can just walk in during the screening time of the movie, or much before the screening. As a result, it is to some mild irritation - to having the best seats taken, that I enter a theatre for the afternoon show.

For the 6 pm screening, take corrective steps, arrive half-an-hour earlier, some 20-odd people are already there, the air-conditioning has certainly not been switched on, and there is a lot of chatter. There are no lone women, but many lone men. Many college students sit with half-turned bodies, cell phone to the ear, waving arms in the dark, beckoning their friends - the friends groping in the dark, stepping on a foot or two, as they gingerly make for the seats. The loners are a restless lot. Most pluck out their cell phones as glowing distractions, some stomp their feet from time to time, shake their legs.
An old man seated beside me, places a restless hand inside a black plastic packet. There is a constant rustle as he picks out an orange and devours the contents stealthily, self-consciously, wary of some crime. He then places a sealed water bottle on the bottle-holder and from the top of the bottle, allows the plastic packet to dangle in an awkward inventive arrangement. Finally satisfied, he folds his left leg over the right, the foot bare and hirsute. I switch to a chair beside me. In the semi-darkness a guy with a mike stumbles through the reading of the synopsis of the movie from the catalogue, but finishes impressively. Nerves. He holds up a hand and the ray of the projector hits the screen, all in one instant motion.

Subsequent posts shall have reviews of the movies watched at the festival and other tit bits on the location, films, arrangements, how is it to watch four movies a day, etc, etc, etc.