Kitnay Aadmi Thay - Diptakirti Chaudhuri

Completely Useless Bollywood Trivia

Lights! Camera! Trivia! 

What was the name of the film they were shooting in Rangeela?. 

What was the Amul hoarding when Shahenshah released?.

Who has the longest-winning streak in Filmfare awards?.

Did Johnny Walker get his name from the whiskey or was it the other way round?. 

If Bollywood questions keep you awake at nights, this is the book you want to read. 

Packed with 50 lists and 500+ entries, it is a multiplex of pointless Bollywood gyaan.

Separated in eight logic-less sections and without a contents page(or index), it is a book for dipping into and zipping through.

Remember your favorite Bollywood film- fast, action-packed, mad, packed with colorful characters and a little bit of everything?

Well, they made this book out of it.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.in ] 

Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.56 out of 5 (72 Ratings, 15 Reviews)

My Rating:  4 out of 5.  
My Comments: A must for all the Bollywood trivia buffs !  

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40 Retakes by Avijit Ghosh

Have you heard of Footpath (1953), perhaps the most left leaning film in which Dilip Kumar gave one of his most nuanced performances?
Of director actor Chandra Shekhars Cha Cha Cha (1964), a fascinating musical where the Harijan hero becomes a fabulous pop dancer?
Of Gaddar (1973), perhaps the finest example of film noir in popular Hindi cinema?
 Of the Amol Palekar directed Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jayen (1990), a rare true blue musical with Nana Patekar at his best? 
Of Sehar (2005), one of the most undefeated gangster movies by Bollywood? Of Antardwand (2010), a movie on shotgun weddings that gobsmacks you with its authentic portrayal of mofussil Bihar? 
National Award winning film writer Avijit Ghosh takes a second look at 40 such compelling Hindi movies that have been largely forgotten. 
Speaking with the directors, producers, cinematographers, music directors and actors behind these, he explores how and why they have fallen through the cracks of our memory.
Insightful, racy and loaded with interesting tid-bits like for e.g. Simi Garewal was dating cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi during the making of Teen Devian; Amitabh Bachchans Majboor has shots directly inserted from Charles Bronsons film, Cold Sweat
This book is as much for Hindi movie fans as it is for serious.
[Source:  Back cover of the book]
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 My Comments:

Very interesting and enjoyable stories  about the movies which deserved better in terms of critical appreciation and/or popularity.

I have seen 11 of the 40 movies described in this book and plan to watch the rest at the earliest.

I am particularly happy to see two movies - Hip Hip Hurray & Antardwand included in this book. The reason is purely personal. 

The shooting for Hip Hip Hurray  took place in Vikas Vidyalaya, Ranchi. I studied in this school for three years (1975-78). 

I was a hosteler. 
Sushil Rajpal the director of the film Antardwand (which is also featured in this book) was my room mate during my stint there.

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List of films featured along with the reason why the author included them in the list :

1 Mr Sampat (1952)  - The film’s post-mortem of corruption feels cool and contemporary even today.Motilal gives  the performance of a lifetime in the title role.
 
2. Footpath (1953) - It is among the first films of post-independent India that asks why the poor are getting poorer and the rich richer? It is Deewar’s prequel with Dilip Kumar in top form. It has one of the finest ghazals in Bombay cinema: Sham-e-gham ki kasam.

3. Cha Cha Cha (1964)  - It breaks the stereotype of a Dalit in Hindi cinema. It has some of the finest Western dancing you will ever see in Hindi films. It has some unforgettable compositions by Iqbal Qureshi.

 4 Kohraa (1964) - In the garb of a murder-mystery, it is a fascinating study in power relations.  Its black and white photography is almost erotic. It has some of the finest tracks composed and sung by Hemant Kumar.

5 Teen Devian (1965) - It is an ahead-of-its-times urban romance with songs that refuse to age.
 

6 Yeh Raat Phir Na Aaygi (1966) - It is a single-malt suspense yarn that leaves you guessing till the very end.  Sharmila Tagore acts fab, looks stunning. It has O.P. Nayyar’s haunting melodies.

7 CID 909 (1967) - It is a very smart C-grade spy movie. The lead pair Feroz Khan and Mumtaz look like aphrodisiacs for each other. O.P. Nayyar’s signature compositions get you in the groove.

8 Sara Akash (1969) - It is a remarkable document of small-town life and attitudes in 1970s north India.

9 Dastak (1970) - It explores intimacy and social hypocrisies with passion and integrity.  Sanjeev Kumar and Rehana Sultan are rivetting as the lead pair.

10 Lal Patthar (1971) -  It takes a long hard look at feudalism without taking sides. The onscreen fireworks between Raaj Kumar and Hema Malini can light up a Diwali skyline.

11 Mere Apne (1971) - It captures the issues of aging and students’ unrest with quiet poignance. Meena Kumari delivers a premium performance.  
Haalchaal thheekthhaak hai is the great political film song that every government must listen to even today.

12 27 Down (1973)-  It explores urban alienation just like French writer Albert Camus did in his novels; something no Hindi film had done before. Cinematographer A.K. Bir’s camera travels inside the mind of the protagonist.

13 Aavishkar (1973)- It is among the most honest and searing examinations of marital discord in Hindi films. Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore outdo each other on screen.

14 Gaddar (1973) - It is one of the most painstakingly detailed thrillers in Bombay cinema. Because it is an anti-morality tale that seems to say, there are no bad guys, only points of view.

15 Majboor (1974) - It is a sophisticated thriller sans fluff. You have Big B at his natural best. Every song by L-P is worth humming.

16 Dillagi (1978)  - It is a clean romantic comedy with an inventive plot and uncommon tunes. It is a rare movie where Dharmendra holds a rose, not a revolver, in hand.

17 Ek Baar Phir (1980) -  It is a bold movie that refreshingly speaks out for women’s freedom of choice in a failed marriage at a time when Bollywood was still making Maang Bharo Sajna.

18 Namkeen (1982) - This brilliantly acted movie is a guided tour through the hearts.

19 Hip Hip Hurray (1983) - It is the rare Bollywood movie centred around sports that also quietly examines teen psychology and offers roadmaps to decipher the noise inside their heads.

20 Aghaat (1985) - It shows how cinema can be a free and frank discussion on ideology. 

21 Khamosh (1985) - It proves that a great whodunit is all about bright little ideas.

22 Janam (1986) - It showed how a gripping family drama can convert the small screen to 70 mm. Anita Kanwar delivers a gobsmacking performance that can rival the best in Hindi cinema.
 
23 Dacait (1987) - It is a sensitive and well-crafted dacoit drama with a dose of realism.

24 Trishagni (1988) - It proves that good cinema can make even religious philosophy engaging.

25 Disha (1990) - It captures the melody in the life of migrant workers with sensitivity.

26 Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jayen (1990) - It redefines the idea of ‘musical’ in Hindi cinema.

27 Raat (1992) - It is a smartly crafted supernatural movie that manages to rationalise the irrational. Revathi is simply outstanding as the girl possessed.

28 Aaina (1993) - It is a brave, clean family feature at a time when double entendre and crude comedy were essential ingredients even in a romantic family drama.

29 Naseem (1995) - It makes you understand how the demolition of the Babri Masjid also destroyed a certain idea of India.

30 Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996) - It creates the much-imitated template for the new Mumbai mafia movie. It is a gripping  amoral thriller that India was too immature to enjoy in the mid-1990s.

31 Aar Ya Paar (1997) - It has the most real anti-hero in mainstream Hindi films.

32 Hari Bhari (2000) - It proves that a first-rate director and a great script can create an engaging film even on female reproductive rights.

33 Haasil (2003) - It is the precursor to a brave new Bollywood. Irfan’s sledgehammer performance.

34 Sehar (2005) -  It sets the benchmark for all gritty gangster movies set in the badlands of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

35 1971 (2007) -  It is a gripping movie on a disturbing subject—forgotten prisoners of war—but minus any jingoism.

36 Hulla (2008) -  Few films have shown the urban mind’s ghettoisation so succinctly.

37 Rocket Singh (2009) - It is an intelligent and engaging film that philosophises on two ways of conducting business without ever appearing to do so. It  has accomplished acting by the entire ensemble, especially by Manish Choudhary.

38 The Stoneman Murders (2009) - It manages to recreate the horror, terror and mood of 1980s’ Bombay when a real serial-killer terrorised pavement-dwellers.

39 Gulaal (2009) - It makes the cut: Because it creates a bunch of unforgettable characters in a surreal setting. No film tells you more about the elusiveness of love.

40 Antardwand (2010) -  It is a searing examination of patriarchy. It is a rare authentic document on rural Bihar.
  

A Journey Down Melody Lane by Raju Bharatan

The Hindi film music industry is more than 80 years old.
It has given us numerous evergreen melodies.
The author, Raju Bharatan is a veteran film journalist and historian who was a regular witness to the  conceptualization, evolution and release of several of these melodies. 

In this book he shares his personal experiences with the singers, music composers, lyricists, film directors and producers.
Some of the notable ones he discusses at length are Naushad,  Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Geeta Dutt, C. Ramachandra, Shankar-Jaikishan, Kalyanji -Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Vasant Desai, Talat Mehmood, R.D. Burman, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, A. R. Rahman, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Yash Chopra.

The book also talks about the ego clashes and politics behind the music making scenes which brings out the fact that the much revered musical geniuses were after all human beings with frailties of their own.

There are lots of  trivia interspersed in the book. 
Just to mention a few:

•  Lata Mangeshkar was addicted to Wrigley’s chewing gum, loved wearing jeans, but never wore it outside her hotel room during concerts in America. 
• Rafi was the original choice for the popular songs from the movie Aradhana, instead of Kishore Kumar;
• The famous "Aye Mere Watan ke logon" song  was to be sung by both Lata Mangeshkar and her sister Asha Bhosle. But the lyricist Pradeep had not forgotten to inform the latter.

Almost all the melodious songs are based on classical ragas. The author provides the names of the underlying raga for most of the songs he mentions in this book. I like this approach because this information is helpful in recognizing a raga when it is being played in its pure form.

I bought  this book expecting it  to be an authoritative history of  Hindi film songs , which it is not.
Otherwise it is quite an informative and entertaining read for Hindi film music buffs.
 

   

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The Story of Film

Author: Mark Cousins
Published: 2004
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Amazon Link: Click Here

This is a very well written jargon-free history of cinema. Readers interested in knowing about the finer aspects of film making will find it very enjoyable.
In this book the author a film critic, producer and documentary director has dealt with film personalities, technological advances and changes in production, well supported by discussions on the groundbreaking scenes from the films. He describes how film makers influenced each other and how contemporary events influenced them. As per the author the film makers who questioned established techniques and traditions are the ones who truly enhanced the medium of cinema.
The Story of Film goes beyond the confines of the Hollywood cinema and English films. It adequately covers the art of film making practiced in the countries like Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, India, China, Iran, Egypt etc.
There are more than 350 stills (both in Black and White and in Color) from the films to support the points made by the author.
The chapters in the book are classified under three eras of the cinema - Silent, Sound and Digital.
Silent (1895 - 1928): This part deals with how the first filmakers devised shots, cuts, close-ups and camera moves; the emergence of Hollywood, the star system and the first great directors; mainstream filmmaking and its dissidents in Germany, France America and the Soviet Union.
Sound (1928-1990): This part deals with movie genres, Japanese and Italian masters; the spread of realism in world cinema; international melodrama and new,early-modernist directors;breakdown of romantic cinema and the coming of modernism in 1950s; political cinema around the globe and the rise of blockbuster in America; the influence of video and MTV; challenging films made in non-Western countries.
Digital (1990 -2004): This part deals with how computerization took cinema beyond photography to discover new possibilities in film making.
A must read for all the serious lovers of cinema who want to develop the art of film appreciation.
It can be a very good introductory text book on history of cinema.
I consider myself very lucky to find this 500 page excellently produced and well-written book at a bargain price of Rs 450 (approx. $10) in Strand Book Exhibition, Bangalore.

Talking Films

Author: Nasreen Munni Kabir
Published: 1999
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Amazon Link: Click Here

The byline of the book - Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar - aptly sums up what this book is all about. Javed Akhtar the well known lyricist, screenplay , dialogue writer narrates incidents from his personal and professional life to the author. We get to know about his childhood, his entry into Bollywood scene, his collaborative works with Salim (actor Salman Khan's father) and many behind the scene stories about the dialogs and lyrics he wrote. This book also provides insights about his working style. Quite an interesting book for Bollywood movie buffs, but does not have anything much for other readers. Rather overpriced at Rs 175 (USD 3.5) for the content it offers.