I have been watching some forgettable Bollywoods--I never thought I would say that a Sharukh film would be forgettable, but Dulha Mil Gaya was very forgettable. You could tell that it took nearly 2 years to film, it seemed to have lost what little bit of chemistry there was. The whole 'My Fair Lady' take on making the plain girl have her husband in name only fall for her got stretched pretty thin. Sushmita Sen's role was very superficial--and after Main Hoon Na--this was bad--I finished the movie with a desire to watch a good movie.My friend Erin has lent me a bunch of her movies that I have not seen, and she has taken some of mine--which meant she had Paheli, which cheers me up all the time--and I was not in the mood for a sob fest...
Well, I let this stew for a few days to decide what to see--Alex was off with friends for a holiday celebration--I decided to watch the inner part of the Inner/Outer World of Shahrukh Khan (yes, I did the guilty pleasure bit, and when Nehaflix had it on sale---I got it a while ago!
I think I had seen much of this disk via YouTube and other interviews, but it was wonderful to see some of the stuff I had missed. I had been waffling between re-watching KKHH and Main Hoon Na--since lots of the inner world followed SRK around while filming Main Hoon Na--my choice was obvious. It was heart warming to see SRK with his kids(though it was done a few years back (in 2005), and his daughter, Suhana, was very cute! I got to see some of the places that Anupama Chopra wrote about in her biography of SRK--including the school he went to in Delhi. I even offered a silent prayer when he too went to pray at the graves of his parents.
Re-watching KKHH after nearly 4 years--and reading more about SRK, Bollywood, India and experiencing more of life (yes even we oldsters gather more experience as we move forward)--this movie seemed totally new, yet still an old friend. I was able to better understand many of the cultural nuances that I missed with a viewing earlier. I could almost see the passages in Rachel Dwyer's book All You Want is Money, All You Need is Love that discussed this movie in particular at length. Rachel's books on Bollywood are a wonderful insight into how the film industry reflects as well as shapes Indian culture.
Watching this film after seeing SRK's inner world that discussed his many injuries and surgeries and how he copes with the pain--made me wince every time he fell and landed on his shoulder or knee--it still amazes me that he says when he is working, he feels not pain. My love and respect for SRK grows larger each time I watch his movies--and the more I learn about him, the more I feel that he is a very special person--he seems to enjoy making people happy, and expects little for himself and is very grateful for all he has.
I suppose, that during these next few days of holiday time, I can hopefully watch some more films-I know I wish to re-watch Aja Nachle to revel in Madhura Dixit's dancing!
Well, here, on Christmas Eve Eve--here is hoping that you get your Bollywood love--however you can!
Namaste, Yaara!
