Chiru has helped set the standard by which I judge rain songs. Perhaps it is his energy, his gleeful style and cheeky expressions, his dedication to lycra and mesh attire, or maybe it all comes back to those eyes. Is there a Mega Rain Gene? Whatever. Watching him dance happily in the rain is quite life enhancing, I find.
Although this example from Gharana Mogudu is impossible to un-see
I barely noticed all the soggy and bedraggled wildlife in this song.
And here he is rocking a puffy shirt in this classic from Gang Leader
And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
I’m sure there are more Mega rain moments, but these are my favourites. What are yours?
There wasn’t a lot of information around on Behroopiya – but I knew it was snakey, featured Helen, Faryal, Madhumati and music by Usha Khanna so it had to be worth a look. I watched this on unsubtitled VCD and it was certainly worth the ninety three cents I paid even if I did have to make up half the story. I don’t know why there is so little written online about this film – Rajesh Nanda has delivered a gem!
I’m not sure I have the cast names right as IMDB was little help and the opening credits were not much better. (I was mildly surprised to see ‘Heleln’ makes an appearance.)
There is a villainous prince Ranjeet (Hiralal), who augments his household staff with an evil guru. His younger brother is the good guy. Ajay (Dheeraj Kumar) is a jack of all trades and seems to spend most of his time hanging around a fitness club, training a gang of schoolgirl ninjas/vigilantes.
Well, not really ninjas as they do lack speed and stealth, but they make up for it by being well accessorised and are handy in a slow and careful fight sequence. Ajay lives with his sister-in-law (played by Chitra) and her son Bharat (Jr Mehmood). Ranjeet has been in prison, and doesn’t seem at all happy to have his wife and son greet him on release. However, the boy takes a seat in his father’s lair and does his best to disrupt operations. Bharat is a sanctimonious little git so I think he and Ranjeet deserve each other. The prince has a prisoner, a young girl he kept after his plans to molest her mother went awry. Nothing like planning ahead, Ranjeet.
Padmini (Snehlata) escapes one day, only to be rescued by Ajay but then recaptured. Our hero falls for the mystery girl and decides he has to save her and possibly the world. Ajay, master of disguise, teams up with Bharat, master of annoying, to thwart Ranjeet’s plans.
The guru uses Padmini to assassinate folk for Ranjeet. His method is fascinating – he has her bitten on the tongue by a snake and then makes her dance until, in a frenzy, she bites the victim. I like the way Padmini turns blue when she reaches peak venom levels – an excellent visual clue to her victim’s impending fate.
Based on the criteria in the Filmi Snake Spotter’s Field Guide I don’t think she is actually a snake despite the excellent eyeliner and headgear etc. There are lots of mentions of a nagin but I got the impression that they were referring to the snake state rather than her being one. The guru seems to need a milk and venom drink at regular intervals but she is afraid of his the snake so it was a bit confusing. Snehlata’s outfits in the snake dances are excellent and she accessorises quite well when off duty.
Ajay’s idea of romance includes badminton, table tennis and other endeavours that allow him to wear short shorts or mesh t-shirts or both.
Dheeraj gets full run of the dressing-up box as he impersonates various henchmen, the guru, and even Ranjeet.
Padmini’s brother Ramu (Ram Kumar) and the troupe (which includes Madhumati, Daisy Irani and Faryal) try to rescue her too. They are performers so that allows for lots of dances and sparkly costumes.
There are jumps between scenes and I think it is just to avoid explaining. The attitude is ‘right, let’s keep moving on!” – e.g Jr Mehmood being thrown from the roof but next seen stepping out of a blanket as though he had been caught, or Jr Mehmood kicking the pilot out of a plane before somehow learning to land it himself or Jr Mehmood humping Faryal’s leg in a fairly inappropriate song before stealing a herd of camels before… Hmmm. Maybe the issue here is Jr Mehmood!
The songs are delightful which is just as well since most are reprised several times. I like this version of Ooi Ma that has Faryal doing what I assume is meant to be a classy item dance for the rich folk while Madhumati and Daisy Irani shake it for the peasants.
The nefarious doings of Ranjeet include such spy classics as “Hello hello Bombay speaking’ secret communications. Lured to Bombay by Ranjeet, Ajay and the ninja gals dance with HELEN!!!! In go-go gladiator outfits!
And to top it off, the girls rescue Ajay from another of Ranjeet’s inefficient assassination attempts.
The performances are not exactly brilliant but they are enjoyable nonetheless. Dheeraj grew on me as the film progressed, although I think he thinks he is rather something. He has a dorky enthusiasm for the silliness, and that makes Ajay amusing rather than insufferable, especially when he ‘dances’. Hiralal is over the top, and makes Ranjeet appropriately revolting. Jr Mehmood is eerily like a scale model Mehmood and quite entertaining even though I wanted to slap his character. Chitra was the weeping wife who will not leave her lying cheating murdering rapist husband so as you may imagine, the Tight Slap Administrator would have been working overtime.
Snehlata managed to look picturesque and miserable as poor Padmini and deliver an excellent Look as required. The ninja schoolgirls were background only but I liked their different characters as evinced through the choice of beehives and bows.
Raja the excellent anipal (and his not even vaguely similar stunt dog) does a wonderful job too.
There are double crosses, disguises, daring stunts, camel chases and buckets of glycerine tears along the way. The film ends in a gloriously mad sequence that has almost certain death, a rescue attempt by the item girl squad and Jr Mehmood in drag, and yet another camel chase. Will Ranjeet triumph? Will Ajay be incinerated? Will any of it make sense? You’ll have to watch to find out.
The Sapphires has just been released and I highly recommend it if you get the chance to see it. It boasts a strong cast, a story inspired by real indigenous Australian women, groovy 60s music and fashion, romance and drama, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.
You don’t really need to know the history or politics of the era to enjoy the film, although there are some elements that might not make as much sense. Director Wayne Blair and writer Tony Briggs (the real life inspirations for The Sapphires are his mum and aunties) focus on the individuals and their interpersonal conflict and growth. It shows an aspect of my country’s complicated history and legacy that is sometimes overlooked but presents it in a simple way that is all about the people, not a movement. Their stories reflect larger issues, but there is little tub-thumping.
The characters are introduced in a couple of delightfully brief and precise scenes. Bossy Gail, highly charged Cynthia and young Julie are sisters on the remote Cummeragunja mission. They enter a talent competition emceed by drifter Dave Lovelace, and lose to a talentless white woman who murders a Seekers song. They lose because they are black and it is clear they aren’t welcome. In an ‘only in movies’ decision, they join forces with Dave and line up an audition to entertain the troops in Vietnam. In Melbourne for the gig, they go track down their long lost cousin. Kay was taken from her mother by the mission people and represents the experience of the stolen generation. Tupperware parties are a long way from life on the mission and Kay is embarrassed by her country cousins at first. Tensions flare but the girls get through the auditions and head to Saigon.
Their experience in Vietnam is limited to glimpses as they travel and encounters with the US servicemen in the clubs and bases where they perform. I didn’t mind that the war was almost peripheral as it suited the scale of the story, and the way the girls reacted very much reflected their characters and experience. This is their story, told in highly entertaining style.
Gail is an aggressive woman with a chip on her shoulder, often using threats of violence or actual violence to get her way. But she is also a loving sister and friend, and her smile is radiant when she is happy. The reasons for Gail’s behaviour are revealed as she becomes less guarded. Her relationship with Dave adds another dimension to Gail’s character and through him we get to learn more about what drives her. Deb Mailman is one of my favourite actresses and speaks volumes with just a look. Her eyes would sparkle with hilarity when Dave tried to be cool and I completely believed her grief when she sang the blues. She is perfect as the bossy and abrasive Gail.
Chris O’Dowd plays Dave Lovelace as the stereotypical drunk Irishman who sorts himself out when he finds a purpose. He appoints himself as the group’s manager and stops them singing Country & Western which is reason enough to love him. Dave explains the negative influence of Country music as follows – Country music is all about people who have lost everything and then sit around whining whereas soul music is about people who have lost everything but are fighting to get it back. And that is a part of the story, the fight to repair yourself and to ultimately be happy. His performance is in the lackadaisical style I expect from Chris O’Dowd, but no less charming for being predictable. Dave’s asides and one-liners are fun and his dance moves are tragic.
Kay (Shari Sebbens), Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) and Julie (Jessica Mauboy, an Australian Idol runner-up) complete the main enesmble. They get a bit less of the spotlight in the film but I think they all have enough time to develop their characters. Kay was forcibly removed from her family and raised as a white girl. She doesn’t know where she fits in but won’t be bullied by Gail who thinks Kay isn’t black enough. Cynthia is a boy crazy diva and lives life to the fullest. She is outrageous and adds a dash of wild energy to the group. Jessica Mauboy’s acting was generally good but it was her singing (she sang for herself) that really lifted her performance.
The support cast is a mix of familiar and new faces. I liked Judith Lucy as the hard faced bitch who runs the local pub. Kylie Belling and Lynette Narkle are lovely as the sisters’ mother and grandmother. The family home is warm and ramshackle, with welcoming couches on the veranda, surrounded by carefully tended plants and always full of people. It’s a visual cue to the strength of country and belonging for the girls. Kay needs to return home physically and emotionally and Gail needs to welcome Kay back before she can forgive herself. Julie is a single mum, and even though she runs away to follow her sisters there is little recrimination about leaving her son behind. He is with his grandparents and extended family in that loving and inviting home, and it will all be waiting there for her.
Lest this sound too syrupy the film ends on a high spiked with some tongue in cheek humour, and a bit of a dance.
There are a few clunky scenes although they do serve a purpose in moving the drama along so I forgave them. I liked the energy of the film, the laconic humour and thoroughly Australian language, and I love the music (well, except the country and western) and the fashions of the era.
I read some reviews that criticise The Sapphires for being too lightweight and not showing more of the political context. I disagree. Life can be sad and make you cry and it can be fun and colourful. People can find acceptance and happiness where they least expect it. Not every film has to make an overt statement, and if you pay attention there are some neat observations in The Sapphires. Enjoy it for what it is, and see some wonderful Australian talent. 3 ½ stars!
Cinema Chaat 