TBT: Cine Blitz, November 1998: Boney Kapoor and Sridevi: Manisha Koirala questions the queen - What is life like now Sridevi?!

TBT: Cine Blitz, November 1998: Boney Kapoor and Sridevi 

Cine Blitz asked Manisha Koirala to be a reporter for a day - if she could ask stars anything, what would she ask?! Manisha Koirala's list of questions to the celebrities were;

TO REKHA... "I want to know the secret of your beauty! How do you manage to remain so beautiful even at this age? Hats off to you! Just the other day, I saw your photographs somewhere and you're looking awesome. There's no doubt that even today, you are one of the prettiest faces we have on screen! Do tell all!"

TO AKSHAY... "This is a very personal question, but please be honest! Is Shilpa the ultimate, or will there be others to follow?"

TO GOVINDA... "Chi Chi, I would like to know more about your views on religion and philosophy. The kind of knowledge you have on these subjects, is simply amazing!"

TO JACKIE... "I would certainly like to know what your business and future plans are!"

TO RAVEENA... "I would like to know whether you are attached or unattached. Again, please be honest!"

TO NANA... "Nana... are you happy? Do you miss me?"

TO AMITABH... "Why don't you attempt roles like the kind Anthony Hopkins played in Silence of the Lambs? Why don't you accept roles with slight negative shades and experiment with the characters you play? I would suggest you leave the singing and dancing bit to us. You are not only a legend but an institution in acting! With the help of meaningful scripts and good directors...

TO SRIDEVI... "I would like to know your thought process at this moment. For someone who has seen the world and lived like a queen, you have now settled down. There is a total contrast in your life. From being a top actress to managing your home and taking care of your husband and child, it has been a complete change. Would you express your feelings about the transformation that has taken place in your life?"

Aura magazine: Sridevi with Jackie Shroff

 

Aura magazine: Sridevi with Jackie Shroff. Photography by Rakesh Shreshta. Early 90s glamour in Bollywood.

Audio Review: Music of Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja

 

Published in MOVIE magazine, back in October 1992, the original review of the audio cassette (remember those?!) of the highly anticipated movie... Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja.  

The review sadly was... spot on. Loud and shrill, the orchestration was epic but... none of the songs hit the number one spot in the charts as the Nadeem Shravan hold on the top three spots was unshakable back then! 

MUSIC

ROOP KI RANI CHORON KA RAJA (HMV)
Anil, Sridevi

The most commercial cassette to impinge your ears since a long time now. LP, Boney & Co. have crammed it with all the gimmicks and hooks possible. Only problem — instead of reeling you in, this constant barrage sends your head reeling.

One gimmick that does work is the pseudo Chinese concerta Chai mein hai chini that ping pongs along in its own cute way. Like chop suey mixed with chana masala, but with a flavour of its own. Dushman dil ka jo starts off well but ends up being just yet another heroine-dancing-in-the-climax song.

All in all, a lot of love has gone into the cassette and a lot of labour. Sad, it has to be love's labour lost.

The music was composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with the lyrics being penned by Javed Akhtar.

"Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja" (Rap) - Bali Bhramabhatt, Suneeta Rao
"Romeo Naam Mera, Chori Hain Kaam Mera" - Vinod Rathod
"Main Hoon Roop Ki Rani" - Kavita Krishnamurthy
"Parda Utha" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
"Chai Mein Chini" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
"Main Ek Sone Ki Moorat Hoon" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
"Jaanewale Zara Ruk Ja" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Vinod Rathod
"Dushman Dil Ka Jo Hain Mere - Kavita Krishnamurthy
"Tu Roop Ki Rani Main Choron Ka Raja" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar

Audio review: Heer Ranjha

 

HEER RANJHA (TIPS)
Anil, Sridevi

Here's LP indulging in a spot of self cannibalisation. For the best song in the cassette, Rab ne banaya tujhe they dig out their old oh-oh-oh-oh-oh refrain from Jhilmil sitaron ka (Jeevan Mrityu). But since the result is quite endearing, all's forgiven. 

What's difficult to take is the cassette just unspooling after that. It's not that the songs are tuneless; it's just that they are uncharacterised by any tinge of 'memorable'. They all just merge into one solid mass of Punjabi folk. Much as you try to be fair, you can't help but hark back to the Chetan Anand-Madan Mohan-Kaifi Azmi-Raaj Kumar-Priya 'Heer Ranjha' of 20 years ago. 

It's like comparing a bottle of red Bordeaux wine with a pot of red ink.

The music was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal
and lyrics for all songs were written by Anand Bakshi.

"Aag Hawa Mitti Aur Paani"     Anwar

"Rab Ne Banaya" (Happy)     Lata Mangeshkar, Anwar

"Rab Ne Banaya" (Sad)             Lata Mangeshkar,  Anwar

"Aashiq Mera Naam,"             Mohammed Aziz, Mangal Singh

"Duniya Ne Mera Sab Kuch Chheena" Mohammed Aziz, Mangal Singh

"Yeh Ped Hai Peepal Ka, Ho Yeh Ped Hai Peepal Ka" Mohammed Aziz, Kavita Krishnamurthy

"Ranjha Ranjha Karte Karte" Kavita Krishnamurthy

"Akhiyon Ne Akhiyon Se" Reshma

"Jo Phool Yahan Par"         Reshma 

Written by Subash K Jha, for MOVIE magazine. 

Sridevi in Lamhe: Exquisite

What's lost in bad copies of VCDs and old cassette tapes of pirated versions of the film, the detailing of Neeta Lulla's exquisite (National Award winning-) design. The embroidiery, colour pallett, fabric oice and accessories. The stack of bangles so carefully piled, the brocade at the end of her blouse and chunri, the sheen, the pattern, the colour choices to ensure Sridevi stands out on the big screen and completement the background of the undulating sands of Rajasthan, the understated and yet obvious makeup in soft traditional colours, the strong eyeline of kohl and kajal, the tender lip... 

Sridevi in Lamhe was in fine form. In fact, many argue probably her finest hours as every ingredient in the film was at such a high level... There are several terrible films where Sridevi is the best thing in the movie. In Lamhe, everything was right - right from the top as Yash Chopra led the charge and stewarded the film so well. 

The film has been under scrutiny by.. lesser intellects who have problems with the comedy, the age-gap, the storyline, the morality... All who have only scrutinized the film superficially and thrown up words on ai and performed an analysis that's skin-deep. Of course there's an age-gap, that's the entire story, the build up, the plotline, the when, why and how it happened. Its a jump off point from a 1912 epistolary novel, Daddy-Long-Legs, that unfolds as a series of letters written by the protagonist to her mysterious benefactor. Instead of a direct lift, its Indian-ised and different, but the germ of an idea is somewhere there. The original was written so long ago by Jean Webster (the pen name of Alice Jane Chandler Webster), an American author who was also the grand-niece of Mark Twain. There's a kernel of an idea from there but Yash Chopra and writer Honey Irani trapezed off that idea and took it to Rajasthan and  London, proving inspiration can come from anywhere and any time.  

Lamhe is profound in so many ways - you just have to look for the depth and literary references - and not be swayed by idiots on social media. 

Throwback to MOVIE, July 1991, Juhi Chawla, Sridevi and Manisha Koirala

 Ah the colours of Bollywood's leading ladies. 

Juhi Chawla, Sridevi and newcomer Manisha Koirala - one of the most photogenic young faces of 1991! 

Think most of these are by photographer Rakesh Shreshta. 

Boney Kapoor, Sridevi and Khushi Kapoor

 

A family portrait (Janhvi Kapoor was onthe other side!).