Bollywood bollywood!

Lately I've been on a Bollywood kick. I'm not sure what instigated it. A few weeks ago I walked to Jackson Heights after lunch at Sripraphai and bought a copy of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna on a lark. Yw told me that a woman had recommended it to her. The woman had told her that the film was shot in New York, and by virtue of that fact she should see it. It was good enough for me.

I immediately lent it to Yw, who returned it to me a week later. She told me not to expect much from the film, but told me that the movie was really beautifully shot. She told me they used all the most beautiful locations in the city. Later that weekend, with some time on my hands, I put the disc into my dvd player and prepared to laugh and cry for almost three hours.

True to Yw's assessment, the film was not great (though its treatment of extra-maritial affairs was surprising for a Bollywood film). Still, there was at least one song that captured my ear, and it didn't hurt that Rani Mukherjee (one of my favorite actresses at the moment) was a lead. I found the soundtrack and soon found myself listening to "Mitwa" on repeat.

I immediately began to rearrange my Netflix queue. While some of the Bollywood films I was hoping to see had yet to be acquired, I moved a few other films to the top and received a couple on Friday. That night, I watched Omkara, a reworking of Shakespeare's Othello. While the film was well done (Saif Ali Khan was especially affecting in the role of Iago), and the soundtrack was one of the better I had heard, it was a heavy film. I was hoping for something more joyful for my next film.

I found it with Om Shanti Om. A surprisingly meta flim (though it almost seems like it doesn't realize that it is), the film is a celebration of Bollywood even as it sends it up (with a number of homages Gene Kelly films). The songs and dance sequences are spectacular, all with the appearance of technicolor splendor. I found myself watching the songs sequences over and over, especially one introduced by Rani Mukherjee which boasts some 30 cameos by Bollywood stars past and present.

Sunday, Yw invited me to an Indian event in New Jersey. She was uncertain what it was but thought it would be fun. An Indian co-worker of hers had invited her and she invited me. I told her I was game, and we found ourselves climbing aboard Sonal's minivan at Journal Square. Soon, we were at an expo center in Seacaucus. As we entered, Saif Ali Khan (the co-star of Omkara and Kareena Kapoor took the stage. They gamely answered obvious questions and promised to come back later. The hostess said that they'd be signing autographs later, though we heard her apologize for the security measures and the lack of access later that afternoon.

The center was surprisingly devoid of interesting stalls. At one, I bought a deluxe copy of Om Shanti Om, and soon it was time for lunch. One of the food stalls boasted a dish from Gujarat, which was amazing. Sonal said that the restaurant was famous for it. I said I didn't think I had ever seen it on a menu, and her friend said that was because most of the restaurants in New York were Punjabi. I decided to search out more restaurants.

After lunch we wandered around a bit, and then the hostess appeared. She said there'd be a fashion show soon. We crowded around the stage and waited and soon a slow processional of wedding attire appeared. The clothes were ok; Sonal complained that they hadn't even been steamed, but it was fun to watch the models make they way down the stage, though there seemed little rhyme or reason to the casting.

After the show, singers appeared, one of which sang a song from Omkara, noting that Saif Ali Khan "was in the house." A group of children danced, and then other singers appeared with dancers who seemed ill-rehearsed. One mouthed the words to each song as he emoted more than danced.

We were getting hot and crowded, and so decided to leave. As we turned to go, another group of children appeared and I heard the first strains of "Deewangi Deewangi," one of my favorite songs from Om Shanti Om. From the back of the room we could see the dancers as they executed moves from the film. Sonal joked that she was embarassed; I seemed to know more about current Bollywood cinema than she.

As we left the expo center, a crowd of people were waiting to get in. Apparently the room had reached capacity, and they were waiting for people to leave before allowing others in. Those with tickets were lead to another door, but those who were hoping to buy tickets would have to wait a few hours in the hopes that people would leave. We took some photos in front of the center; Sonal asked a passing girl (who happened to be one of the models) to take our picture. She happily complied.

Sonal dropped us off at Journal Square and we took the path back to the city. I found myself singing songs from Om Shanti Om as best I could. I made references to the film and told Yw I couldn't wait for her to see it. She laughed and said I was entertaining myself; she couldn't understand any of my jokes or references. I assured her she would.
Posted by eku at September 1, 2008 9:30 PM