Slumdog Millionaire is a roaring success. There's no disputing that. But this blog is not another ode to the film or the music. It's about the renewed interest in Bollywood and its inimitable dancing. The last song of the film, which had the cast dancing at a railway station seems to have created a lot of interest about our desi song and dance. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out the Jaya Hai video below. But it's not quite the version you're expecting... it's taken from the Ellen DeGeneres show version featuring the Freida Pinto and Dev Patel...courtesy YouTube, of course.
This video got me thinking of the innumerable Bollywood numbers that took place on a train station. Seriously, this is Bollywood, trains are a common theme! Take a look and allow yourself a mid-week smile... :)
There's the original chocolate boy of Bollywood cinema - Rishi Kapoor and a demure Padmini Kolhapure.
If that video was too far back in time, you have to got to be able to recognize this one... with a scorching Malaika Arora and King Khan atop a train... (where else?!)
Continuing with our flashback, there's this number featuring Asha Bhonsle and Mohd. Rafi. A qawwali from the film The Burning Train, the song is from way, way back and features Bollywood's Jumping Jack, Mr. Jeetendra himself!
Then there's this one... a legendary train song...featuring Rajesh Khanna (Twinkle Khanna's father) singing to his ladylove, Sharmila Tagore (Saif Ali Khan's mom!) in the train! And now that my brain is thinking about trains (that kinda rhymes!) and is on the right track (couldn't resist this one!), there are a bunch of other videos where the heroine or hero has their typical dream sequence in a train... so there you have it, trains are not just boring ol' machines to transport people from place to place. When you're in Bollywood, jump on a train and sing that Bollywood tune...
I have to admit that this is a very creative and very different post. I loved the glimpses of these videos! Thanks!
Posted by: NS | March 12, 2009 at 03:37 PM