Chandra Mukhi

Directed by: Debaloy Dey

Starring: Salman Khan, Sridevi, Gulshan Grover, Mohnish Behl

Released: 1993

The moment you see that on your screen you get an uneasy feeling. Regardless if you hate or love Salman Khan, he has not really been good with filmy ideas. Ever. But possibly nothing he ever came up after Chandra Mukhi was just as bad. Although I was told beforehand it was a try at sci-fi genre, and despite being generally very open to such ventures and being very tolerant overal, this film has taken the place of the most silly film I´ve seen, previously occupied by Rajkumar (with Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor in the lead). There was one big hole where plot holes were meant to be. Basically nothing made sense. I keep wondering why would Sridevi even agree to make such a film!

Somewhere in space, undetected by NASA apparently, there is a golden realm where a Queen is ruling through a golden leaf that grants you every wish, and where the Princess flies through the air and is longing to go down „to the Earth“ and meet the humans. To prevent her from going anywhere the Queen decides to hand over the Golden leaf to her, thus making her a Queen. Because there is a catch you see – if she decides to go to the Earth, she has to return soon unless the kingdom will be destroyed.

"But mum! Responsibility sucks!"

The Princess is subsequently attacked by a macho guy with supernatural powers, who of course desires the Leaf, and she actually falls down to the Earth, loosing the Leaf in the process. On the Earth she encounters a little boy Raja with a sad, sad fate. His parents died a long time ago, and recently his disgustingly rich grandpa went missing as well. He is so terrorized by his evil uncle and his friends. Outraged by this injustice the Princess, who by now has began to call herself Chandra Mukhi, makes her jaddoo. Poof! Raja wakes up being an all grown up and unwaxed Salman Khan! Together with several kids Raja decides to go and find his grandfather, and very conveniently Chandra Mukhi decides to go look for her lost Golden leaf at the same place. They are chased by evil uncle and his companions as well as the macho guy who threw the Princess down from the high heavens in the first place...

The evil characters have all one quality in common: they are all incredibly idiotic and incapable of actually doing something evil. Heck, none of them even managed to kill the kids! And "ruling the world" is apparently limited to make things go boom with the Golden Leaf. And you can spend a whole day like it. But the good guys are not much smarter anyway. For example it is totally cool to forgive people who tried to kill you and your grandson repeatedly. And Sridevi basically tells us the best thing when face to face with death is to start dancing. Every single time. She is in her „let´s be cute“ mode throughout, something that does not necessarily work for her in this, and instead of innocent and good she comes across as immature and silly. True enough, her expressions are adorable, but somehow you feel cheated knowing what she´s capable of. She and Salman were hugely criticized as a couple, under a pretext that she is too old for him. I beg to differ. Sridevi is only 2 years older than Salman and if the story was different, they would actually create a nice jodi. However what betrays them as a couple is the main and most important twist of the whole thing.

"Yesterday I played with a teddy-bear. Today I´ll have sex with Sridevi. Oh yeah!"

The idea of little boy completely skipping growing up and the very next day romancing a grown woman in a very physical way just felt pedophilic. Even more so since he actually changes back into a boy in the end. One of the songs clearly implies that Chandramukhi and Raja most probably indulged in physical love – which basically makes you sick. He is just a boy imprisoned in a adult body after all! I don´t think I´ve ever seen anything more wrong in any film ever.

Songs were plenty and badly forced into the story, but on their own they were quite good and so a highlight. The technical aspects and special effects did not stand the test of time, be it the lasers flashing from Sridevi´s eyes or even the depiction of the spacy kingdom.

WTF-ery of the first class, that did not forget to show that even the beings from outer space need Hindu Gods to solve their problems.

"DA FUCK IS THIS?"

Sherni

Directed by: Harmesh Malhotra

Starring: Sridevi, Shatrughan Sinha, Pran, Kader Khan

Released: 1988

If you ever wondered what would it look like when a Bollywood star actress turns into female Rambo, this is a film that will give you an answer. Sridevi, for many the ultimate Yash Chopra´s „ideal woman in white“, obviously thought a change is needed and after being promised some black leather clothes and butt-kicking, she decided to give her dates to Sherni. Well, the result was not worth it. Sridevi plays a village girl Durga (quite an appropriate name considering what is inevitable), who, like all the Bollywood village girls at the beginning of the movie, is more into playing with kids half her age then anything else. She is also known for her explosive temperament and will beat the heck out of everyone who dares to create any injustice. Needless to say it doesn´t make her exactly popular among men. She lives with her mother and two younger siblings, and they wait for their father to return from prison, into which he was sent after false accusations from the villanious Thakur Dharampal Singh. Why or what the accusations were....... is obviously not important because it´s never mentioned or explained. Just the whole plot stands on it. I guess the filmmakers could not find any good excuse, so audience – just deal with it.

"But at least it allows me to have the coolest hairstyle."

But those terrible six months in jail have really angered the old man, and so he flees and with other guys grabs some guns, forms a bandit group and goes hide into the mountains, from where he leads a war against the Thakur. Durga refuses to go with him and to support her family she starts dancing on the streets. But what would one thought – people consider her a prostitute!! How unexpected and shocking. But fortunately a knight on a white horse saves her from all the insults! Or more like a dashing secret police officer coming in a red bus. OK, so it is ridiculously (compared to Sridevi) old and fat Raj (Shatrughan Sinha), who immediately takes an opportunity and acts like a long lost son to one of village women (fortunatelly she dies before she finds out she was deceived). He came to see how police operates in the area, and he is not amused. Police is one hand with the evil Thakur.

Now who wouldn´t fall in love at first sight, right?

....and who doesn´t fantasize of romancing this, hmm?

Meanwhile Durga falls in love with Raj (I guess script demanded it) and is having romantic thoughts while dancing and imagining him like a dummy (duh.... now that is something new and in a way also disturbing). While doing that she is spotted by Thakur´s evil brother Teja, who lusts after her, and after having her thrown into jail, having her released, getting her to his house and unsuccessful try to rape her, he and all the other evil guys chase her to her home, and before she can alarm her family they come and shoot everyone except her (why do villains do such silly mistakes?). So she shoots several of them in return and runs into the mountains to her father and his gang. And here comes the moment we all have been waiting for – Durga sheds off her saree and slips into tight black leather pants. Whoo hoo!! And not her father, but she becomes the menace to the evil guys.

Before....

After...

A story, that just might have had some potential to be interesting or moving, is unforgivably killed thanks to plotholes and laughable handling of the characters. Not to mention other little things like Pran´s silly hairstyle, already mentioned old and fat Sinha, and of course Durga going berserk dressed like for a Harley ride. For a simple village girl she handles guns way too professionally and needs no training at all. Her falling in love with Sinha is good for nothing, their complete lack of chemistry and non-sensial pairing doesn´t bring any romantic touch to the film anyway. In fact the whole character of Raj is needless and those few of his important scenes could have been done differently, making Sherni a film completely without a hero. Sridevi acts well, though not her best, but all her efforts lead nowhere, because I just could not take her seriously in that outfit and all. Nobody else is really worth a mention.

Srambo

She dances well and in the first part looks good, but music fails her (like many other things in this), except for the last song, during which you can finally stop laughing for a while and admire Sridevi´s dancing (but I was still asking myself how in the world could Teja have not recognized her).

I would call this an unsucessful attempt at heroine-oriented movie, that turned out unintentionally hilarious in the end. 

So you didn´t like my movie?

Julie (1975)

Directed by: K.S. Sethumadhavan

Starring: Laxmi, Vikram, Om Prakash, Nadira, Utpal Dutt, Rita Bhaduri, Sridevi

Released: 1975

I came across this film while looking for something with Sridevi, and had it not been for her name, I probably wouldn´t bother to watch this, definitely not any time soon. But I was in „Sridevi-mood“ and finally hit the play button of my „Julie“ file. I didn´t get much of a Sridevi, whom I could not find for about thirty minutes (only then I realized she was just 13 and looking VERY different then how we are used to see her in the movies like Chandni or Mr. India), but I did get a touching, though not brilliant story about an ordinary girl with completely ordinary life.

There is truly nothing outstanding about Julie, a girl from slightly dysfunctional family, where mother is partly English and father completely Indian. She is quiet, reserved, with no big dreams or prospects. All she wants is to live peacefully, but that is not always easy, because her parents, even though they share a mutual affection, are two very different people, both with major flaws. Father is a good-natured guy who doesn´t like conflicts and drinks a lot, despite everyone begging him to stop. Mother, the more dominant in the family, takes great pride in her English roots and is always ready to claim the cheese bought in a local shop is actually imported from Europe, just to impress her similarly wanna-be-ish guests. The family is complete with Julie´s two younger siblings, brohter and sister. Julie´s ordinary life consists mostly of briging her father lunch in a bucket pail, riding on a top tube of her friend´s bike and slapping a local merchant who just won´t understand she is not interested in paying the bill with her beauty. For beautiful she is.

Meet Julie

Her drunk father

Her wanna-be mother

Her completely forgettable brother

And..... Sridevi!

The main twist creeps into the film together with a sudden return of Shashi, Julie´s best friend brother. The two fall in love (surprise surprise) but don´t tell anyone, especially not their mothers. Because just as Julie´s mother is Anglo-obssessed Christian who sees Indians as dirt, Shashi´s mother is a nearly fanatical Hindu who can barely stand the sight of Christian Julie. After some romancing (and some drinking) the two succumb to the physical passion in the middle of a song, after which Julie gets introduced to a popular Bollywood rule that first sex = pregnancy. And very conveniently Shashi leaves without even saying goodbye just before she can tell him. And so Julie has to share the secret with her mother, who doesn´t hesitate and immediatelly sends her daughter to a distant relative, where she can give birth to the child and the family prestige will not be harmed in the eyes of a local community........

The awkward moment when you realize your daughter is a total disgrace.

Just as I said – there is nothing outstanding about Julie the character or her family. I think the story, that definitely has moving moments, is so appealing because ti is so ordinary, that it could happen anywhere and at any time – in fact, I´m sure thousands and thousands of families (and not just in India) had to face such situation. Julie the film doe not bring a new thrilling concept, but it sensitively portrais the difficulties that go hand in hand with unwanted pregnancies of unwed girls. At the same time Julie´s pregnancy and motherhood are not the only issue in the film. The relationship of her parents plays a great part too and is brilliantly illustrated with short episodes like for example the buying of a car or the father getting drunk and embarrasing his wife during a Christmas party. The two mothers, who are so concerned about their families´ well-being and honour, are ironically the two who cause the most of the problems and both come off as over-posessive and selfish. And both excell in emotional blackmailing. The film ends on a happy note (of course and thank God!).

A valuable lesson in emotional blackmailing.

Laxmi as Julie is wonderful. I read she acted in pracitcally all language-versions of the film, but I have not seen those and I cannot compare, so even if she was better in Telugu, it doesn´t really concern me, because she was really good in Hindi. She is wonderfully desi beautiful with large almond eyes and she emotes well through them. Nadira as her mother is like a thunderous storm. She sweeps away everything that comes into her way and in a way is more interesting and charismatic then Julie herself, evne though her character is rather un-likeable most of the time. „Julie“ is a female oriented film through and through, and except for the drunk father and fleetingly appearing Shashi there are no male characters worth mentioning. As I have said at the very beginning, I initially wanted to watch this film for Sridevi, but she (and her „brother“) has no real role and pretty much is simply there to create an illusion of a family. She has about five lines, all meaningless and dubbed by somebody else´s voice. So do not make the same mistake I did and do not expect Sridevi. Expect Laxmi, lots of tears and a bucket pail.

Because we all love dancing in the rain....

The spring has come and with it - the first spring rain! As I listen to the soft music the raindrops are playing behind my windows, I got reminded of all those beautiful rain songs Bollywood has given us. Here are just several of them, that immediatelly came to my mind.... Enjoy! Meanwhile I´m going out. It´s raining. perfect excuse for dancing in the streets......

Koi Ladki Hai is my favourite track from Dil To Pagal Hai, and the picturization is gorgeous as well. The ultimate rain song - in the rain and about rain. With the gait of a horse, with the majesty of an elephant, oh king of the rains, where do you come from?

Arguably one of the most beautiful melodies ever composed by A.R.Rehman, used in Subhash Ghai´s movie Taal. And when you ad perfectly gorgeous Aishwarya Rai to it, the result is nothing less then perfect.

Something little older: Megha Re Megha from Yash Chopra´s classic Lamhe. Beautiful Sridevi casts her spell not only Anil Kapoor, but all the viewers.

Dekho Na from 2006 movie Fanaa is a perfect romantic rain song. And if you have somebody like Aamir Khan romancing you, who would resist?

And finally a song that I personally listen to whenever I get a little sad. Because the joy springing from the lyrics, the melody and the dancer is just so pure! This song, of Madhuri Dixit´s "forgotten" dances, was featured in movie Maha Sangram from 1990.

Sridevi

Sridevi a Tamil star of the Bollywood was born on August 13, 1963, in a Meenampatti village near Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.. Sridevi is a hot and glamarous Indian actress who has starred in hundreds of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language films. Her acting career started at the age of four and she made her debut as an adult in the late 70s when she got her first big break as a heroine in K. Balachander's Moondru Mudichu. She was opposite the big stars like Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth, in this film and done more films with them.

In 1978, she starred in her first Hindi film, Solva Saawan and then she appeadred in Himmatwala with Jeetendra. She also worked with Jeetendra in Tohfa, Mawaali and Justice Chaudhry. In 1983, the film Sadma garnered her with the first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress for her. She was again opposite to Kamal hassan in this drama.


In 1987 she gave a hit to the industry, which is Mr. India, opposite Anil Kapoor. this was the biggest hit of the year and people love it today also. In 1988's Chaalbaaz, she played a double-role as twin sisters which won her the first Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award. In the same year she also earned a nomination for Yash Chopra's Chandni. Yash ji again directed her in Lamhe (1991), where Sridevi plays a double-role act as mother and daughter won her a second Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award. She then done Khuda Gawah (1992), where she had a double role as a Afghan wife, opposite Amitabh Bachchan. She earned her last Filmfare nomination after which she left the industry to marry filmmaker Boney Kapoor and raise her two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi, in the film Judaai(1997).

Sridevi also made Telugu language movies. A number of her Telugu movies were made by K. Raghavendra Rao. With N. T. Rama Rao, she acted in movies such as Konda Veeti Simham, Vetagadu, Sardar Paparayudu and Bobbili Puli. With A. Nageswara Rao, she acted in movies such as Mudulla Koduku, Premabhishekham, Bangaru Kanku, Premakanuka etc. With Krishna she acted in movies such as Kanchu Kagada, Kalavari Samsaram, Krishnavatharam, Borripellum Bolludu, Khaidi Rudrayya etc. Towards the tail end of her Telugu career, she started acting in Hindi movies. Many of her initial Hindi movies starred Jeetendra and were remakes of her Telugu movies, mostly directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, and K. Bappaiah.



Films done by Sridevi:

Sridevi had done various variety of the films both in Bollywood and in South Indian Cinema. The films done by her as follows:

Sridevi's Hindi movies are:

Julie (1975 film) (1975), Solva Sawan (1978), Himmatwala (1983), Justice Chowdhary (1983), Jaani Dost (1983), Mawaali (1983), Kalakaar (1983), Sadma (1983), Akalmand (1984), Inquilaab (1984), Jaag Utha Insaan (1984), Naya Kadam (1984), Maqsad (1984), Tohfa (1984), Balidaan (1985), Sarfarosh (1985), Masterji (1985), Aakhree Raasta (1986), Aag Aur Shola (1986), Bhagwan Dada (1986), Dharam Adhikari (1986), Ghar Sansar (1986), Nagina (1986), Karma (1986), Suhaagan (1986), Sultanat (1986), JanBaaz (1986), Aulaad (1987), Himmat Aur Mehnat (1987), Nazrana (1987), Majaal (1987), Joshilay (1987), Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987), Jawab Hum Denge (1987), Mr India (1987), Sherni (1988), Ram Avtaar (1988), Waqt Ki Awaaz (1988), Sone Pe Suhagaa (1988), Chaalbaaz (1989), Chandni (1989), Guru (1989), Gair Kanooni (1989), Nigahein (1989), Main Tera Dushman (1989), Banjaran (1991), Farishtay (1991), Pathar Ke Insaan (1991), Lamhe (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Heer Ranjha (1992), Aasman Se Gira (1992), Gumrah (1993), Gurudev (1993), Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), Chandramukhi (1993), Chaand Ka Tukdaa (1994), Laadla (1994), Army (1996), Mr Bechara (1996), Kaun Sacha Kaun Jhootha (1997), Judaai (1997), Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahin (2004),  Halla Bol- herself.



Her Malayalam films are:

Kumara Sambhavam (1969), Swapnangal (1970), Poombatta (1971), Theertha Yathra (1972), Abhinandhanam (1976), Aasirvadham (1976), Kuttavum Sikshaiyum (1976), Aadhyapaadam (1976), Aa Nimisham (1977), Amme Anupame (1977), Angikaram (1977), Anthardhanam (1977), Nalumani Pookkal (1977), Nirakudam (1977), Oonjal (1977), Sathyavan Savithri (1977), Vezhambal (1977), Avalude Ravukal (1978), Amme Narayana (1984), Devaragam (1996),

Sridevi's Tamil her:

Nam Naadu (1969), Kumagthbhavam (1969), Moondru Mudichu (1976), Gayathri (1977), Kavikkuyil (1977), 16 Vayadhinile (1977), Sayndhadamma Sayndhadu (1977), Ayiram Jenmangal (1978), Vanakkaththukkuriya Kaadhaliye (1978), Ilaya Rani Rajalakshmi (1978), Ganga Yamuna Kaveri (1978), Ithu Eppadi Irukku (1978), Manitharil Iththanai Nirangala (1978), Mudisooda Mannan (1978), Pilot Premnath (1978), Sigappu Rojakkal (1978),  Taxi Driver (1978), Priya (1978), Radhaikketra Kannan (1978), Rajavuukeththa Rani (1978), Sakka Podu Podu Raja (1978), Arumbugal (1979), Kalyanaraman (1979),  Pagalil Or Iravu (1979), Kavariman (1979), Neela Malargal (1979), Sigappukkal Mookkuthi (1979), Thaayillaamal Naanillai (1979), Guru (1980), Johnny, Varumaiyin Niram Sigappu (1980), Viswaroopam (1980), Sankarlal (1981), Dheiyva Thirumanangal (1981), Meendum Kokila (1981),  Raanuva Veeran (1981), Moondram Pirai (1982),  Deviyin Thirivilaiyadal (1982), Thanikkattu Raja (1982), Pokkiri Raja (1982) , Vaazhve Maayam (1982) , Adutha Vaarisu (1983), Kannan Oru Kai Kuzhandhai, Idhu Eppadi Irukku, Saithadhamma Saindhadhu, Sathyavan Savithri, Avalukku Nihar Avale, Kanimutthu Papa, Pirarthanai, Naalumani Pookal, Oonjal, Santhippu (1983) , Naan Adimai Illai (1986), Tucker Raja, Meenakshiyin Thiruvilaiyaadal, Deva Raagam,



Her Telugu films are:

Badi Panthlu (1967), Bala Bharatam (1972),  Bangarakka (1977),  Padaharella Vayasu (1978), Burripalem Bolludu (1979), Kartheeka Deepam (1979), Vetagadu (1979), Mudulla Koduku (1979), Aatagadu (1980), Chuttalunnaru Jagratha (1980), Devudu Ichchina Koduku (1980), Gharana Donga (1980), Mama Allulla Saval (1980), Premakanuka (1980), Rowdy Ramudu Konte Krishnudu (1980), Sardar Paparayudu (1980), Gaja Donga (1980), CID (1980), Mosagadu (1980), Patagadu (1980), Akali Rajyam (1981), Balanagamma (1981), Bhoga Bhagyalu (1981), Gharana Gangulu (1981), Gadasari Atta Sugasari Kodalu (1981), Kondaveeti Simham (1981), Premabhishekham (1981) (Ran for 1 year in Vijayawada), Ranikasula Rangamma (1981), Illalu (1981), Satyam Sivam (1981), Aadi Vishnulu (1982), Anuraga Devata (1982), Bangaru Bhoomi (1982), Bangaru Koduku (1982), Bobbili Puli (1982), Devata (1982), Justice Chowdary (1984), Kalavari Samsaram (1982), Krisharjunulu (1982), Krishnavatharam (1982), Samsher Shankar (1982), Vayyari Bhamalu Vagalamari Bharthalu (1982), Adavi Simhalu (1983), Kirayi Kotigadu (1983), Mundadugu (1983), Ramarajyamlo Bheemaraju (1983), Ramudu Kadu Krishnudu (1983), Simham Navindi (1983), Sri Ranganeetalu (1983), Urantha Sankranthi (1983), Kanchu Kagada (1984), Kodethrachu (1984), Vajrayudham (1985), Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnulu (1985), Pachani Kapuram (1985), Jayam Manade (1986), Khaidi Rudrayya (1986), Makutamleni Maharaju (1987), Mavoori Magaadu (1987), Aakhari Poratam (1988), Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), Kshana Kshanam (1991), Govinda Govinda(1993), S.P.Parshuram (1994),