Baton Baton Mein (1979)

How could I have taken so long to write about a movie of one of my favorite stars, Amol Palekar ❤ - Amol of  the Golmaal, Naram Garam, Choti Si Baat, Rajnigandha, Chitchor, Rang Birangi fame! Gosh ... His films are light and funny, being simply complicated 😉  and is the result of fine film making and story telling accompanied by fun music and song. Whew!!! I think I got it all ... 😟

Baton Baton Mein revolves around two unmarried Goans whose parents are on the lookout for the perfect match. Now what Indian mother wouldn't want her daughter to be married to someone with a permanent job and earning a "good salary"! (If you like "Pride and Prejudice", like I do, you would be able to relate to this). Mrs. Rosie Pereira (Pearl Padamsee) is one such mother! Nancy (Tina Munim), her spinster daughter, takes the 9:10 am train daily to Churchgate where she works in a private firm. Nancy is pretty but wears an air of aloofness - she suffers from some trust issues after her heart was broken in a previous relationship and that is the reason she is not actively looking for Mr. Right, just yet!
Travelling on the same train is Tony Braganza (Amol Palekar), a cartoonist in his spare time who loves drawing caricatures of his fellow passengers. Tom, Nancy's uncle who almost always accompanies her on the train ride, introduces Nancy to Tony and soon they're good friends. Now there is a sparkle in Rosie's eyes as she sees Tony as the eligible bachelor who has met all the criteria for marriage. But he is in no hurry to pop the question. Why is it taking Tony so long ..
I love this movie for how retro it feels and how the memories come rushing back - memories of a time when things seemed less complicated, the marginally less crowded streets and beach fronts of Mumbai, the time of the cha cha and jazz, simple home parties.... Do you get where I'm going with this?
I adore this number.

The film is hilarious and absolutely fun!

Thandi Hawa Yeh Chandni Suhani - Jhumroo Songs - Kishore Kumar and Madhubala

Remembering the yodel king of Hindi Cinema, yesteryear star Kishore Kumar.
My heart sings when I hear this song making this one of my happy numbers. 😆

Blackbeards Ghost 👻 (1968)

Godolphin College has a track team replete with misfits. Steve (Dean Jones), their new track coach arrives at the little coastal town blissfully unaware of the challenge ahead of him. On his first night he attends a charity bazaar at the Blackbeard's Inn, hosted by the Daughters of the Buccaneers (the surviving descendants of the Pirate's crew). All proceeds gathered will go towards paying off the mortgage on the inn or else risk losing it to Silky Seymour (Joby Baker), the local crime boss. He has elaborate plans of replacing the decaying inn with a casino.
At the auction Steve wins a bed-warmer that was previously owned by Aldetha, believed to have been a witch and the 10th wife of the notorious pirate Blackbeard (Peter Ustinov). Steve happens upon a scroll hidden in the handle of the bed-warmer and unbeknownst of what might happen he reads out the spell, unleashing Blackbeard's ghost that is trapped in limbo. Blackbeard's only hope of freedom is to perform one good deed. He is brash, has a fondness for rum and is an avid gambler! To top that he is a ghost only his new friend Steve can see. An honest Steve who believes in playing by the rules is inspired to use Blackbeard's unseen presence to help the weak Godolphin track team win the meet and use the reward money won in a bet to pay off the mortgage. That's two birds with one stone - a good deed and liberation from an age-old curse.
A warning here, watch out before you recite the spell - "Kree kruh vergo gebba kalto kree"....
The outcome is hilarious and a total riot and you've got to love Walt Disney!

Here is one clip of what's in store ... This you can't miss!




Word for the day :-
indolent - wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy

Το Sir With Love - Lulu (Lyrics) 1967

In India we've been celebrating the 5th of September as 'Teacher's Day' since 1962. This is to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a distinguished scholar. And I know I am a few weeks late but this is to all us teachers out there!

Dashing Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) is an engineer on the lookout of a job. In the mean time he applies for and gets the post of a teacher at the North Quay Secondary School, London. The neighborhood is rough and the students are tough, mostly rejects from other schools. Almost all of Mark's colleagues and co-teachers have given up any hope of the students doing much with their lives, let alone get through high school. Mark has a challenge on his hands. With immense calm and patience he is able to make men out of errant boys and ladies out of indisciplined girls. A whole year later and as luck would have it Mark gets the engineering job he was seeking.
But after a successful year at North Quay Secondary, what will Mark choose to do?

The title song of the film was sung by Lulu and "To Sir, with Love" is where she made her acting debut. This song topped the US Pop Charts for five weeks.

Touching and beautiful and another one of my favorite movies!

Word for the day :-
coruscating - flashing; sparkling as in "a coruscating kaleidoscope of colors"

Tom Sawyer (1938)

I know this movie goes way back, but it's precious. Growing up, I've watched it countless times and believe me, it never gets old. Cuteness factor on a scale of 1 to 10 - a mighty 10! The movie Tom Sawyer is based on the 1876 novel by Mark Twain. And I for one love the 1938 version!
Tom Sawyer (Tommy Kelly) lives with his aunt Polly, half-brother Sid and cousin Mary and as adorable as Tom is, he is high up on the mischief quotient. Aunt Polly keeps a hawk's eye on him and rightfully so - playing hooky from school, running away from home, getting the kids in town to paint the fence and getting paid in return to do so and such audacious mischief ... When Tom sets eyes on the beautiful Rebecca Thatcher, the daughter of the newly appointed county magistrate who's just moved to town, he is instantly smitten.
Things turn sinister when Tom sneaks away one night and visits the graveyard with his friend, Huckleberry Finn, convinced they have a remedy to cure warts. However they soon realize that they are not alone. Hidden amongst the branches of a tree, they see Dr. Robinson with Potter and Injun Joe, the two hired help to steal bodies. Injun Joe attempts to blackmail Dr. Robinson and in an ensuing scuffle Dr. Robinson is murdered. As a witness to this crime Tom testifies against the infamous Joe who is soon on the run.
During a class picnic to McDougal's Cave, a place rumored to have hidden pirate

treasure, the newly engaged Becky and Tom wander off from the rest of the group and are lost in the labyrinth of caves and tunnels. But they are not alone! It's a run for their life with a rewarding escape.
An amazingly fun movie - a perfect blend of laughs, mystery and romance.

Word for the day :-
fallible - capable of making mistakes or being wrong

Jim Reeves - I Love You Because

In Oslo, Norway, 1964 and lucky are the ones who could hear it, as was and is ...

36 Chowringhee Lane (1981)

36 Chowringhee Lane, Calcutta. The tinkle of a bell announces the arrival of an rickshaw  that comes to get Ms. Violet Stoneham (Jennifer Kendal) to school. A teacher by profession, Violet resides alone in a cozy flat. At the end of her day she goes home, prepares a cup of tea and sits down to read and write replies to the letters she receives. She owns a beautiful gramophone, a decent collection of records and a cat for company.

Her predictable routine is soon broken when she happens to meet the vivacious Nandita Roy (Debashree Roy), an old student. Nandita and her boyfriend, Samaresh Moitra (Dhritiman Chatterjee) need a place where they can spend some time alone. They love the solitude of Ms. Stoneham's flat and to alleviate her loneliness Ms. Stoneham is only too willing to accommodate them. They spend many a happy afternoon together. Soon Nandita and Samaresh get married and one Christmas Ms. Stoneham bakes her Christmas cake and decides to  surprise the newly weds. But who will be surprised instead?

Deeply moving and thought provoking.

Word for the day :-
dalliance - a period of brief or casual involvement with something

The Sound of Music (1965)

A musical film based on the life of the Von Trapp Family against the backdrop of the German takeover, before the second World War. 
Vivacious and tomboyish Maria (Julie Andrews) is a postulant in an abbey in Salzburg. Her services are requested by a widowed naval captain (Christopher Plummer)  seeking a governess for his seven children. Soon Maria yodels her way into the hearts and lives of the Von Trapp Family.
Tough times call for tough measures! Captain Von Trapp's pride and love for a motherland so dear  will soon be put to the  test. Austria is to be lost to the Third Reich and that compels the Captain to take a drastic step.
Mellifluous numbers like - Maria, Sixteen going on Seventeen, my favorite things, Do-Re-Mi, The Sound of Music, The Lonely Goatherd, Edelweiss, So Long, farewell, Climb every mountain, will leave you humming. 
One of the best songs ever: -



If you've not watched the movie yet, which I'm sure you have, then you simply must. I've don't known anyone who has and who hasn't fallen in love with it.

Word for the day :-

postulant - a candidate for admission to a religious order

Bawarchi (1972)

When the golden threads binding each relationship gets tarnished  with the dust of ego, arrogance and unforgiveness, the resulting lack of communication and misunderstandings that arise thereof leave in it's wake a dysfunctional  and unhappy family. This movie is about the Sharma household, residing in Shanti Niwas, in other words an 'abode of peace',  which is anything but peaceful. This joint family is notorious for not being able to retain a cook  or a bawarchi for more than a month. Unexpected and a welcome surprise is Raghu's (Rajesh Khanna) smiling face early one morning, knocking at the door seeking employment. He is intelligent, a jack of all trades and bubbling with wit and humor. Raghu soon wins over the family and peace and happiness descends on Shanti Niwas. But hiding behind all the laughter and cheer Raghu seems to have a hidden agenda. An Indian take on the affable Mary Poppins.

A light, delightful movie, inspired from a Bengali film, this movie was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

My happy number -

Word for the day :-

effete - over- refined

Saudagar (1973)

At the crack of dawn, Moti is awake every morning harvesting toddy from the date palms he rents. The hard work pays off as Moti earns a name for selling the best jaggery (gur) in town, making him a household name. Saudagar in Hindi means 'Trader' and this is a story about Moti (Amitabh Bachchan), a jaggery trader. Mejuben (Nutan), a widow, prepares delicious gur from the toddy that Moti collects, earning a humble amount as a means of livelihood.  However there are a triangle of characters - Moti is in love with Phoolbanu but he is unable to marry her just yet as her father expects a handsome dowry. Being a shrewd and manipulative businessman, Moti arrives at a solution. Moti marries Mejuben intending to save the wages he otherwise has to pay her. Having taken on many more trees he is soon able to collect the agreed amount and without any qualms, he divorces Mejuben to marry the girl of his dreams.

But it can't be as simple as all that now, can it? How will fate intervene? Will there be redemption for Mejuben?

A simple portrayal of the complexity of relationships, greed, the lack of scruples and the resulting havoc, ruining lives in the bargain.

A must watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon, with a bowl of popcorn and steaming hot bhajjis

Word for the day :-
orotund - (of a person's voice) resonant and imposing