Sounds Like Power

What I did for love

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 13:52:00 +0000

At this point I've seen about fifty of Shabana Azmi's films - some of them I've watched knowing they were good, and others I've watched for no other reason than that she was in them.

Like any prolific actor's filmography, some are great, some enjoyable enough, and some downright painful.

My latest column in Outlook is all about the worst films I have endured out of love for milady.

Please read the column and tell me about the worst you have endured for love of a star.

Well Hello There

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 01:56:00 +0000

I was thinking about Sounds Like Power the other day, and missing it. Unfortunately, my life these days just doesn't allow me to maintain it the way I'd want to, while doing the other things I want to do and have to do. But wouldn't it be nice if I could pop in from time to time, maybe a post a month or so, just to keep the flame alive?

Since the last update here, I've watched a few more of Shabana Azmi's films. Some of them have reviews over at Filmi Geek. They include:

They can't all be masterpieces

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

I don't want to dwell too much on the hot mess that is MF Husain's Gaja Gamini. I have not spared the movie in my new review on Filmi Geek, and you can go read it over there.

Here at Sounds Like Power, the focus is on Shabana Azmi. I can only guess that it is respect for MF Husain that led her (and other actors of similar stature) to sign on to this project. I wonder if she had seen the script or understood Husain's so-called vision. The movie is regressive, objectifying claptrap masquerading unconvincingly as feminist empowerment. It's utter nonsense.

However, it is only two hours long, is full of Madhuri Dixit looking gorgeous, has some very nice music, and is probably worth sitting through for the Shabana Azmi completist (if there happens to be another such in the world, besides myself). After all, Shabana ca. 2000 may be the most gorgeous Shabana there is.

Sigh. Shabana ji gets to carry a lantern and look fierce with Farida Jalal.

And, she gets to display some delightfully WTFish costuming while delivering the film's torturous final speech.

So, all right. It's not as painful as Son of the Pink Panther, which this devoted fan also sat through in the name of Shabana-pyaar. But it comes with stern, graphic warnings: This film may induce the flinging of items at the screen accompanied by plaintive wails of "Why, Shabana ji, why?"

Recent Filmi Geek reviews of Shabana Azmi movies

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:25:00 +0000

In recent months I've added a few more reviews of Shabana Azmi movies to the archives at Filmi Geek.

Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola (2013) - Vishal Bhardwaj's latest, playing in theaters at the time of this writing. This is an absolute must-see for any Shabana Azmi fan. If you liked her character in Loins of Punjab Presents, the corrupt minister she plays in this movie will delight you. She chews the scenery with obvious relish and is just hilarious to watch. I could watch Shabana Azmi all day in this kind of role.
Namkeen (1982) - My review of this touching Gulzar movie gave short shrift to Shabana ji; there was just so much to say about other facets of the movie. Shabana ji plays a mute character with a penchant for poetry, and her performance is touching, with funny moments. Late in the movie, however, it turns tragic and disturbing. This is an excellent movie that's worth seeing with or without the draw of Shabana ji.
Chor sipahee (1977) - There is always a perverse sort of WTFery in Shabana Azmi's earliest masala roles, before her persona as a mature actor was fully formed. As with most masala movies of its era, Shabana Azmi and the other female stars of this movie are underutilized. She does have a few hilarious scenes early in the movie where she outsmarts Vinod Khanna's character. She also gets an excellent qawwali (link embedded in the review).

As always, you can find links to my reviews of every Shabana Azmi movie I have ever seen in the column to the right.

Janam din mubarak ho! Plus, Hira aur patthar (1977)

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:34:00 +0000

It's that time of year again, when Sounds Like Power issues a very, very warm happy birthday greeting to Shabana Azmi.

Don't be bashful, Shabana ji! We love your smile.

Shabana Azmi is the sine qua non of my love for Hindi movies and all the amazing events and people that have entered my life since I started learning about them. So apart from my respect and admiration, I also owe her my gratitude for all of that. Here is a piece I wrote in 2008, explaining how that happened.

Here's wishing Shabana Azmi a peaceful day and a joyful, productive year.

***

The above screencapture is from the 1977 film Hira aur patthar, a fairly forgettable masala film starring Shabana ji opposite her girlhood idol, Shashi Kapoor. I've posted a comprehensive review of the movie on Filmi Geek. Here on SLP, though, we take a narrower view.

It's safe to say that Shabana ji is fairly wasted in this movie. It's not quite as tragic a waste of talent as Amar Akbar Anthony, but she does get much to do here besides fretting and flitting. And let's face it, for all her copious gifts, Shabana Azmi was never much of a flitter.

She does give good sari, though. And so, on to the gratuitous screencaptures.

Even then, best eyes in all of Hindi movies.

This is a dream sequence, which is why she's dressed so oddly.

Prettiest sequence in the film, from a song, which I will post as a Shabana-gaana another day.

There is a bit of an opportunity for nautanki before the movie is over.

Shashi's tears revive her. How romantic!

Straphanging

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Yesterday, Shabana Azmi tweeted that she was visiting Delhi with her sister-in-law, Tanvi Azmi, and had taken a ride on the Metro.

This morning, the Telegraph had the photographic evidence:

As a long-time straphanger myself (growing up in New York City I took the subway to school every day, and I rode Boston's T to work up until I took a job in the suburbs a few years ago), this gave me a smile.

I notice an officer in the background - coincidence, or there to protect the family? I'm not familiar enough with Delhi's Metro to know how common a sight uniformed presence in the cars might be.

Invitation issued!

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:07:00 +0000

If you don't follow me on Twitter, you missed this exchange yesterday:

I'll let you know if the invitation is ever accepted! I'm sure you'd be able to hear me squealing from wherever you are in the world.

Incidentally, I don't know what the total number of DVDs is yet. I have entered about 1/4 of my collection into the database - the movies I haven't yet watched - and Shabana ji is in roughly 18 of those. I have seen about 30 of her movies, but I don't own all of those on DVD. I estimate that my DVD collection includes somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 of Shabana Azmi's movies.

I hope she packs a toothbrush.

Shabana ji on the nature of classiness

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:42:00 +0000

Ican’t call myself classy, it’s for other people to say that. I can only say that this is what I have seen, this is what I have imbibed, and this is how I am.
-- Shabana Azmi

This from an article in Forbes India online, where Shabana ji talks about what makes her - and some of the characters she has played - so gosh darn classy. She goes on to say:

[Class] has to do with dignity, subtlety, with a layered subtext where much more is expressed because it is hidden. It’s got very little to with wealth and money, and much more to do with an attitude that comes from being comfortable in your own skin.

I have to agree with that, and it's part of why women often seem to get classier with age - comfort in one's own skin often goes hand in hand with maturity.

I am not sure I can agree completely with Shabana ji about this part, though:

But it’s when you’re not doing it for public consumption that counts. Like eating. When I’m by myself and nobody’s watching, do I gobble up my food? Do I eat it elegantly? Do I behave in the same way when there are people for whom I want to put my best foot forward?

I just don't think the table manners I use when I am alone are a particularly relevant measure of my quality as a person. I'd rather expend energy worrying about how I treat others than about whether I'm a bit of a slob in my pajamas alone at the kitchen table. Put another way, I only have so much energy to expend on self-improvement, and I don't see anything wrong with conserving that energy for behaviors that actually have a measurable effect on others.

That quibble aside, there is no doubt that Shabana Azmi does know something about class.

Have a look at the article - both the mesmerizing pictures I have included here (Shabana ji with Javed sahib, above, and Kaifi sahib, below) are from it.

Internet stalkers beware

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:36:00 +0000

Shabana Azmi arms herself against internet stalkers who maintain fan websites in her honor.

It's the sheer delight on her face that really makes me a little nervous here!

This picture is apparently from an art exhibit opening in Mumbai - the TOI piece it came from doesn't provide a whole lot of context.

ETA: It is an exhibition of "furniture art" promoting the Uttara & Adwait furniture collection. I found some more excellent pictures here.

Shabana-gaana! "Rang Birange Nazaare"

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:24:00 +0000

This week's Shabana-gaana is from Atithee (1978), a movie I have not seen.

"Rang birange nazaare" is a nice enough duet, though I have to admit that Shabana ji's performance in the song is fairly generic and uninspired. Songs like this really don't play to her strengths, even this early in her career when she frequently played the masala heroine. She did better hamming it up in the funny songs in Parvarish.

The real question this video raises is: Why did the costume designer helmet Shashi with such a terrible wig, when he has such gorgeous natural curls?

Multi-starrer in the works?

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:12:00 +0000

News like this is always tenuous - a lot can happen when a movie is still in the early planning stages, and this one may never come to be (or may come to be without Shabana ji). That said, IBN reports that Nikhil Advani is planning a multi-star masala flick whose cast includes Shabana Azmi, Madhuri Dixit, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Deepika Padukone, and Genelia D'Souza.

The first three on that list have long been my dream cast for some movie - any movie, really - and for them alone I am excited by this news. But, who knows how many of these are signed - they could just be the actors Advani has in mind as he works on the script.

Advani claims it's not a "women-centric" film (I am really starting to despise that term, and if I can organize my thoughts as to why I'll publish something about it on Filmi Geek one of these days). He says there are just as many male stars, but the article doesn't include any hint of who they might be.

Stay tuned ...

Garam Dharm and Garam Shabana

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 22:57:00 +0000

A friend in Calcutta sent this beautiful photograph that was in the Telegraph a few days ago, of Shabana Azmi and Dharmendra at the reception where they were honored with the Padma Bhushan. Don't they both look wonderful?

Stills from Midnight's Children

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Salman Rushdie has posted stills from Deepa Mehta's upcoming adaptation of his book Midnight's Children to an album on Facebook.

Looking great! I'm pleased at the thought of Shabana ji working with Deepa Mehta again ... cautiously optimistic about this one.

What I would give to have been a fly on the wall ...

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:15:00 +0000

... when Shabana met Gloria.

I bet that when Shabana Azmi had a chance to sit down and talk with her hero, Gloria Steinem, earlier this week, she wasn't bashful and tongue-tied the way I was back when I met Shabana ji. Just saying.

The gorgeous picture is courtesy of Shabana ji herself, via Twitter. Follow her if you don't already - she single-handedly made this blog obsolete. Oh, and pease follow me, too.

Shabana Azmi awarded Padma Bhushan

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Warmest congratulations to Shabana Azmi, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India today. This decoration is India's third-highest civilian honor, awarded to recognize distinguished service to the nation. It is given in recognition of work in the arts, social work, sciences, and many other fields.

Along with Shabana ji, Dharmendra, Mira Nair, and many others also received the honor this year.

The Padma Bhushan will join the Padma Shree on Shabana ji's mantle - that award is India's fourth-highest civilian honor, which she was given in 1988.

Read more about the award and the award ceremony here.

Twitter makes my day again

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Just thought I'd share this delight with you:

Apne paraye (1980) - review and gratuitous screencaps

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:04:00 +0000

I finally finished my review of Basu Chatterjee's 1980 movie Apne paraye - you can read the review on Filmi Geek. I was somewhat disappointed with the movie but Shabana Azmi's performance was one of its strong points. Her expression was able to add nuance to her characterization that was missing from the dialog alone.

Here at Sounds Like Power, though, we are all about the pretty. And so here are some gratuitous screen captures from the film, for your enjoyment!

One thing that seems to be true of Basu Chatterjee - he (well, his costume designers) seem to love draping Shabana ji in an endless parade of gorgeous saris. I once tried to count all the different saris in Swami - I lost count around 14, all vibrant and lovely with wonderful detail work. Apne paraye offers almost that many. Sartorially, at least, the movie does not disappoint!

"Halke halke aai chalke" - Apne paraye

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:42:00 +0000

A quiet few weeks here as my real life once again drags me away from the blog. I am 2/3 of the way through Kaifi & I and have a few things to say about it when I get time.

I managed to watch Basu Chatterjee's 1980 film Apne paraye, which stars Shabana Azmi with Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt, Girish Karnad, and a few others. I'll review it on Filmi Geek soon. In the meantime, it provides a Shabana-gaana for us, this sweet and sad lullaby "Halke halke aai chalke."

Healing with ... what?

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:37:00 +0000

I saw this press release the other day that reported Shabana Azmi taking enthusiastic part in a book launch for "well-known homeopath Dr. Mukesh Batra." (I have shamelessly cropped Dr. Batra and others out of the above picture; please follow the link to see it.) Shabana ji said at the event that she believes in homeopathy, and praised Dr. Batra for helping relieve her pain and speeding the healing when she suffered a leg fracture. She also credited him for her beautiful skin.

The press release gave me pause. To me, the word "homeopathy" refers to the use of hyper-dilute "solutions" in which nothing is left of any active ingredient other than some mystical molecular memory. I believe this is utter quackery, snake oil of the lowest order. It includes such arrant nonsense as the claim that these solutions become more effective as they become more dilute. In short, I think it's rubbish, and that purveyors of it should be prosecuted, not praised.

But I did some research before sitting down to write this post, because I know that the term "homeopathy" has a broader usage as well, that refers to a wider variety of what we in the West sometimes call "alternative" medicine, natural medicine, or holistic medicine. That is far too broad of a scope for me (even as a fairly narrow-minded rationalist) to dismiss out of hand. Reading the press release, it sounds to me like Shabana ji, Dr. Batra, and his book are using the word in this broader sense. I did a sanity check with an Indian friend of mine, who also understood the word that way (and spoke very highly of her own experience with practitioners).

If Shabana ji believes that she has been helped by such natural and holistic remedies, I have no quibble with that, and no concern for either her good sense or her well-being. I would worry about someone who would reject scientifically-developed treatments for serious ailments - I wouldn't mess around with cancer, for example - but for pain remedies, or mild stimulation, or treating cold symptoms and the like, I can readily believe that natural remedies are often as effective (if not more so in some cases) than pharmaceuticals. So, it was just the term "homeopathy" - its two very different meanings - that threw me in this case.

This video puff piece has some more about Shabana ji's relationship with Dr. Batra, and some clips of both Shabana ji and Javed Akhtar looking wonderful.

That is some guest list ...

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:43:00 +0000

The Times of India yesterday had this report with more information about how Shabana Azmi spent her birthday at her new Khandala home, named Sukoon ("peace, tranquility"). Lots of fascinating people stopped by to pay their respects. In the picture above you can see Nandita Das with her little child, and Konkona Sen Sharma. To our right of Shabana ji is, I believe, Sandhya Mridul. And that fellow over on the end ... the text says it's Anil Kapoor, and it does look like him - 30 years ago though. Perhaps it's the youthful clothes ... at any rate, a very flattering picture.

Also present, according to the report: Urmila Matondkar, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Poonam Dhillon, and a bunch of others. (Perhaps one of these years I'll get myself invited.) One thing I'll say, I love the way that many of the younger women Shabana ji has worked with - Urmila, Nandita, Konkona, Sandhya among them - remain close to her years after those projects. It's lovely, and it speaks to what a marvelous mentor and friend she must be.

Janam din mubarak ho, Shabana ji

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:10:00 +0000

"... tu jiye hazaaron saal, yeh meri hai arzoo! "

Real life reared its head in an ugly way for me the last few days, so I did not have time to plan and execute a special post for Shabana ji's 61st birthday.

According to this report, she spent a lovely day in Khandala with her family. I wish her many, many more such celebrations.

And check out this slideshow from IBN chronicling some of her iconic roles. I especially liked this one from City of Joy, which I haven't yet seen.

I'm pretty sure that four of the pictures in IBN's slideshow are screen captures that I collected myself and have posted here over the years. Delighted to see others enjoying them!

I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but the next Hindi movie I plan to watch is Basu Chatterjee's Apne paraye, starring Shabana ji and Amol Palekar. I'll report back soon ...

Okay, maybe I finally get the point of Twitter.

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:21:00 +0000

An exchange from earlier today, offered without further comment ...

Kaifi & I

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:29:00 +0000

Longtime commenter and friend of SLP Sally reminded me that Shaukat Kaifi's memoir, Kaifi aur Main, has now been published in an English translation. As much as I'd love to read the book in Urdu, I allowed myself a moment of realism and bought a copy of the translation.

It arrived today, and I'll make posts about it here as I read it.

Oh, and in case you are new to SLP or to Shabana Azmi, let me be less cryptic - Shaukat Kaifi is Shabana Azmi's mother; the book is reminiscence about life with Kaifi Azmi, Shabana ji's father. The blurb from Amartya Sen on the back of the book says: "They were united not only by love and marriage, but also by an individually assessed joint commitment to social change, artistic creativity, and personal and political ethics. In this excellent translation we have a lively account of an important part of Indian history...."

Cutting a rug at Love, Breakup, Zindagi music launch

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Shabana Azmi was spotted earlier this week letting loose at the music launch for her friend Dia Mirza's new movie, Love Breakups Zindagi. Here is the story at Daily Bhaksar, also carried by other sources.

How cute is that?

More pictures of the launch here at Prokerala.

Javed sahib wrote the lyrics for the songs, which I haven't listened to yet. He was at the launch too, of course.

(Picture source)

"Jaan ab ja rahi hai," - Khel khilari ka (1977)

noreply@blogger.com (Filmi Geek) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:48:00 +0000

Remember the Shabana-gaana feature? Back when I used to update Sounds Like Power obsessively, I reserved Fridays for interesting (for better or worse) song picturizations featuring Shabana Azmi.

This week the feature returns with "Jaan ab ja rahi hai," a qawwali from the 1977 movie Khel khilari ka. I'd never heard of this film before and assume that it's thoroughly forgettable - but the song itself is not half bad. I don't care much for Shabana ji's outfit - there seemed in this era to be a lot of dressing tawaifs and female qawwals in Pepto-Bismol colored suits -but she handles herself with reasonable competence, doing something much closer to real dancing than you usually see from her.

I am not sure who all the men are who join her partway through the song - the video quality is too poor for me to tell for sure. I am pretty sure I spotted Shakti Kapoor. And, with the help of Memsaab's incredible resource, the Artist Gallery, I confidently identified a fellow named Dhruv, whom to my knowledge I have never seen before.