Entertainment

Bolly brilliant


28/ 7/2003

Summer nights will be sizzling with Bollywood films this year as Channel Four presents a feast of the best in Indian cinema.
Channel 4's ongoing celebration of Hindi cinema returns for its 21st birthday with a season of 20 handpicked films every Sunday and Monday starting from 27 July.
Each film will be introduced by its star or director as they recount anecdotes and personal memories from their film experience.
Stars featured will include from Bollywood's A-list Amitabh Bachchan talking about working on 'Aks', golden oldie Waheeda Rahman recounting her experience from working with Bengali director Satyajit Ray on 'Abhijaan' when he insisted she sing her own songs and Hrithik Roshan talks candidly about how his debut film 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai' propelled him to Hindi mega star status.
The season kicks off with 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai' followed by critically claimed 'Chandni Bar' starring Tabu.
'Chandni Bar' is about the murky world of bar dancers and prostitutes in Mumbai which may not have got the praise from the masses in India but won praise from critics for its true to life tale of one woman's struggle in the world of hookers and gangsters.
Some of the recent Bollywood number one hit films include director Farhan Akhtar's debut film 'Dil Chahta Hai.'
This is a sexy, slick and funny film that follows the fortunes of three friends Akash (Amir Khan), Siddarth (Akshaye Khanna) and Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) who live a carefree and indulgent middle class life in Bombay.
The films originality of witty script and true to life characters as well as the modern music made it a worldwide hit.
Much like the heroes in the film, talented director Farhan is familiar to the Bollywood world as the son of famous writer and lyricists Javed Akhtar (co-writer of Sholay - the all time favourite Bolly film).
Other recent blockbusters includes thriller 'Aks' starring Amitabh - a film inspired by Hollywood's Face Off.
'Zubeida' starring Karisma Kapoor will also be shown. This is a romantic story about an unconventional young Muslim woman in the 1950s who dreams of working in films but is stopped by her producer dad. Her father also forces her to marry the son of a friend, when Zubeida gives birth to her son, her husband decides to move back to Pakistan abandoning his young family.
Some years later Zubeida meets and falls in love with the glamorous Rajasthani Maharajah Vijendra Singh and eventually becomes his second wife, but their love affair is doomed from the start.
For those who prefer a Bolly oldie there's plenty of choice.
Satyajit's 1961 film 'Abhijaan' and 'Kashmir Kali' starring Sharmila Tagore are just some of many.
You can catch a younger looking Amitabh in his 1971 film 'Abhimaan' also starring his wife Jaya.
Jaya introduces this film in which she plays Uma, wife of popular Bombay singer, Subir (Amitabh) who finds his main rival in the world of music is his new bride.
It's great that Ch4 are dedicating over a month to Bolly films, but just one thing- Mr Channel 4, I am sure you know that all Asians do not sleep all day then stay up all night so why are all the films shown after midnight? Prime time TV is probably too much to ask, but why not liven up a Saturday or Sunday with a Bolly film ? They're subtitled in English, maybe the native born UK viewers would take to them too.

S.B.


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