Category: Remembrance – Special Days

50 Hindi Films inspired from Bengali Literature

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Bengali literature in all its richness has been a constant influence on the world of films, both for bengali and hindi films. While some of the adaptations like Devdas, Parineeta or Kabuliwala are more common and widely acknowledged, there are a host of films influenced by bengali literature that are not so commonly recalled. This includes films based on full scale novels, short stories, poems and more. Some of these films credit the source as the official adaptation, some of them do not. But the inspiration behind the story-line is not be be missed, especially when the authors behind the literary references are some of the most illustrious names of Bengali Literature ranging from Rabindranath Tagore to Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay to Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay to Ashapoorna Devi to Subodh Ghosh and more.

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#40YearsOfGOLMAAL hain bhai sab golmaal hain!

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Golmaal directed by the legendary filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee is an all time classic! Arguably the best comedy ever written for the hindi film screen, the film thrives on its brilliant one liners written by Rahi Masoom Raza, so full of unadulterated humor that they can invoke a laugh any time of the day and every single time! They have forgotten to write such films and dialogues now. We also hence do not remember the films of today and their dialogues by heart like that of this classic film!

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Holi hai! Load a Fresh, Vibrant Playlist!

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If there is one festival that has been celebrated in its full glory in Hindi Cinema, it is the festival of colors – Holi! And why not – the vibrant colors, the energy of the festival, the smiling faces, the mischievous gestures, the sensuous overtones – they all provide the rich and colorful cinematic tropes for the screen! No wonder, Holi Songs are extremely popular too – they almost form a separate genre for Hindi Film Music! We think of Holi songs, and typically there is always a Rang Barse, Holi Khele Raghuveera, Ang Se Ang Lagana, Lets Play Holi, Holi ke Din, Balam Pichkari and many other extremely popular and overplayed Holi songs that always come to mind first. But Hindi Cinema has also composed some other beautiful holi songs in this very millennium that possibly don’t get as much love as they should, and they are equally vibrant in orchestrating a sensory treat, if not more, as the more popular ones.

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Ray and his Women of Strength!

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The legendary Satyajit Ray created some of the strongest female protagonists ever on screen…

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5 Years of Highway – A continued high!

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Like quite a few other things, AR Rahman’s music is a soulful high of this landmark film. Maahi Ve is the song that captures the true free spirit of the film that was Highway.. seeking love, freedom, companionship and peace in its purest undiluted form…

The Best Film of Imtiaz Ali. The Best Film of Alia Bhatt. Period.

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Jaatishwar – Five years of love!

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The finest film of Srijit Mukherji…

The career best performance of Prosenjit Chatterjee…

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Happy Birthday Basu Chatterjee!

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The world of Hindi Cinema has got a lot of its simplistic and heart felt beauty courtesy the warm and endearing cinema of Basu Chatterjee. Along side Hrishikesh Mukherjee, he made those evergreen everyday commoner stories that we could all relate to, revolving around protagonists who were so very you and me. A Chhoti si Baat, Baaton Baaton Me, Khatta Meetha or a Rajanigandha hence become any time watches for many. At the same time, there is the brilliantly adapted Ek ruka huya faisla, or Swami, or Apne Paraye, which have their own emotional and cinematic appeal. With Kamla ki Maut, a story and a style was chosen much ahead of the times. That is the versatile talent of the man, as much as we try to box him within a sugary sweet zone.

Happy 89th birthday Basu’da! The treasure chest of Hindi cinema looks far more richer for the gems you added to it.

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Deepika Padukone – The Power Woman!

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As Piku, she was the perfect portrayal of the independent but imperfect young woman living life on her own terms…

As Tara, she was the shooting star in Ved’s life who anchored his dreams and his purpose of life…

As Naina, her maturity was beyond her age that rooted her love for Kabir over her need for constant validation…

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KAAGAZ KE PHOOL : Everlasting Fragrance of Withered Flowers

On By Jayashree ChakravartiIn B. Retrospective - Looking Back, Classic Movies, Remembrance - Special Days2 Comments

#60YearsOfKaagazKePhool   #CelebratingUnboundLove

There couldn’t have been a better title to Guru Dutt‘s melancholic and yet poetic masterpiece Kaagaz ke Phool! Leave the film aside, the title itself is reminiscent of the genius that was Guru Dutt. In three simple words, it exposes the fake intricacies as well as use-how-you-want-and-throw-after-that practices behind the walls of the elusive world of cinema. And at the same time it stands for the most delicate and most fragile saga of love and loss. No wonder, after six decades of its release (yes, the classic completed sixty glorious years of its being), it remains as relevant as ever. How much ever it was trampled and rejected by the audience back then (to the extent that it devastated Dutt to the core), the fragrance of those withered flowers continues to command cinematic awe and celebrate wounds of the heart in equal intensity to this date.

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Classics Revisited – Jiya Laage Na

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Kya jaane kyun hai
Kya jaane kaisi andekhi si dor
Jo khenchti hai, jo le chali hai
Ab yun mujhe teri ore

One of the most misunderstood films of our times, but a brilliant brilliant take of heartbreaks, personal trauma and seeking closures.

#6YearsOfTalaash #UnderappreciatedGem #WhenLoveHurts