Movie: Hum Kisise Kum Naheen

[amedia]

Hum Kisise Kum Naheen ("We are no less than anybody") is the first true Bollywood movie that we've seen and it was tremendous fun! It was exhilarating, ridiculous, psychedelic, and delightful. It was very long - almost three hours - but kept up a high level of energy.

There were multiple musical numbers ranging from glitzy stage productions to outdoor romps. The plot was extemely convoluted; we predicted most of the twists, but the fun was watching the multiple strands tangle together and then unravel. Lots of mistaken identities, lost loves, missing jewels, gangsters, helicopters, and extraordinary coincidences. It reminded me of nothing so much as a Monkees TV episode. Loved it!

The music was an interesting mix of contemporary pop and traditional quwalli-style pieces, all performed exuberantly. Here's a sample: Hai Agar Dushman (which includes the movie title in the lyrics).

We rented it through the TiVo from Jaman - they've given us so many free movies we thought we'd like to pay for one, and we've long wanted to see a Bollywood flick!

Comments

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

chorale and I have rented two or three Bollywood films. Unfortunately, the ones that princeofcairo recommended to us mostly weren't available at our local video store. We've seen a few that were, enough to get a sense of the flavor. We've also watched a couple of Bollywood-influenced films, of which I particularly recommend Bride and Prejudice, the most authentic film rendition of Jane Austen I've ever seen . . . with a jet flight from India to London replacing a stagecoach journey from the shires to London. I don't find Bollywood quite as accessible as Hong Kong wuxia films or Japanese films, but it's often charming.

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

Oops, I meant chorale!

[amedia.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec - I've added it to our queue!