Danny Boyle’s new rags to rupees film Slumdog Millionaire is not strictly a Bollywood movie – the director is English, the main character is played by an English actor, and most of the dialogue is in English.
However, there are several moments that are pure Bollywood.
The slapstick, make-you-sick scene in which Jamal dives into 10 tonnes of liquid shit in order to reach his hero, the bearded Bollywood legend Amitabh Bhachan (not a fan of the film); the tearful, thwarted meeting between the two lovers at the train station; the menacing figure of the older man (in this case a gangster and the leader of a begging ring) who tries to keep the star cross’d lovers apart; and the triumphant dance routine at the end.
Yes, watching Slumdog Millionaire made me hungry.
Not for money, but for those classic Bollywood films I sat through with my sister and my mother when I was younger, and to listen to the songs that provided an unlikely soundtrack to our holidays in the Lake District.
So here are my five classic Bollywood moments.
Classic Oddity
Bombay Talkie (1970)
Dir: James Ivory
In the song ‘Typewriter Tip Tip Tip’, Shashi Kapoor dances around an enormous rubber typewriter with his gold-clad leading lady and a chorus of nimble-footed dancing girls. Not only is this typewriter replete with a striking orange cover and an enormous sheet of paper, the keys are actually sprung, bouncing the dancers up and down like fingers as they jive and wobble precariously through the number.
So, why a typewriter? Well, Bombay Talkie is all about an English author, Lucia Lane (played by Jennifer Kendal), who comes to Bombay to learn about the famous Bollywood film industry. Much confusion, heartache and dancing ensues as Shashi Kapoor, a married man, and the writer begin to fall in love, to the consternation of his best friend Hari.
Alas, not all of it is played out on a big, squashy, orange typewriter, but you know… you can’t have everything.
Classic Villain
Sholay (1975)
Dir: Ramesh Sippy
Sholay is the biggest grossing Bollywood film of all time, featuring Bollywood’s most feared villain – Gabbar Singh (played by Amjad Khan). The gun toting, belt whipping, moustache-stroking baddie struck terror into the hearts of children across South Asia – my brother-in-law remembers parents warning their children that if they were bad, Gabbar Singh would come and get them.
This scene is the introduction of Gabbar Singh in the movie. The shot of his feet, while his face remains out of view, is pure Bollywood western, while his hyena-like laugh brings to mind the deranged threat of Heath Ledger’s Joker. In a film that was seen by millions (it was so successful that in Bombay one cinema screened it for five years straight), this is probably the most well-remembered moment and one that became part of the national consciousness.
A Classic Vamp
Helen Jairag Richardson Khan was the Bollywood vixen of the 1960s and ’70s. From her awesome tights, to her feathered headdress, Helen exudes a classic sex appeal in films such as 1967’s Jewel Thief – a crime thriller starring Dev Anand.
The Harrow-born actress may have been known as the ‘Cabaret Queen of India’, but not all her costumes were quite this risqué. Check out her moves in Howra Bridge and her own 30-minute documentary Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls.
Classic Choreography
Dil Se…(1998)
Dir: Mani Ratnam
Dil Se… was the first film to enter the Top 10 UK box office charts, and this scene on the top of a train travelling through Tamil Nadu became one of the most popular pieces of Bollywood choreography in history.
The song ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ was written by AR Rahman, the brains behind hundreds of box office busting hits, while the whole number was choreographed by Farah Khan.
The film itself is about a radio journalist (played by Shahrukh Khan) who goes to North East India to report on the troubles during the anniversary of the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence. While on the train he meets a young woman, Meghna, and falls in love.
But this is not a straight forward romance – Meghna is later revealed to be a suicide bomber; part of a terrorist group, sent to Delhi to kill the Prime Minister. Chaiyya Chaiyya has inspired many train-based dance scenes since, not least my own attempt aboard a mini-tourist train along the seafront in Cornwall….
Classic Hippies
Haré Raama Haré Krishna (1971)
Dir: Dev Anand
Ah, hippies. They pop up all over the place in Bollywood during the 1960s and ’70s as beach-dwelling tourists from the West snapped up roles as extras. In this scene Zeenat Aman is being lead astray by a gaggle of ganga-smoking hippies – the song title, ‘Dum Maro Dum’ means literally, ‘give us a puff’ – while her brother, played by Dev Anand, looks on reproachfully.
And you can see why – just look at those hippies in their leather jackets and their pseudo-tribal body paint. It’s enough to make you choke on your horlicks. Poor old Dev Anand, with his enormous short collars and fabulous barnet, hasn’t got a hope.
What do you think – what would you add or takeaway from the all-time top five?
