Interestingly my first ever Hindi movie had been Mohabbatein (given by someone who wanted to introduce me to this kind of cinema) ... and what me striked first had been the eyes of the actor playing the young teacher...the moment he reacted to the principal's voice, I knew that he had come for a vested purpose.
Before starting my internet journey into the Hindi filmindustry (after having watched Dil Se), I had no contact with desi people or India.
Originally posted by: Clochette
Interestingly my first ever Hindi movie had been Mohabbatein (given by someone who wanted to introduce me to this kind of cinema) ... and what me striked first had been the eyes of the actor playing the young teacher...the moment he reacted to the principal's voice, I knew that he had come for a vested purpose.
Before starting my internet journey into the Hindi filmindustry (after having watched Dil Se), I had no contact with desi people or India.
Wow, that's a perfect entry film for the King of Romance. It's interesting how that was your first, whereas for me, Mohabbatein is a film I missed growing up as a youngster. Which is odd since that era of movies is what I was first exposed to but I came across Mohabbatein many years later.
Very interesting to read your journey. Desi fans grow up with these movies so I find it more exciting to read about the experiences of foreigners who have no connection with the culture yet still find themselves captivated with Bollywood. Often they feel more strongly and deeply than those born into it because they must willingly immerse themselves in a foreign culture.
There is more than one connection between Germany and India, I already learned about in childhood...also my interest for cinema from very early on made me come across the TV series Sandokan (with Kabir Bedi) and two movies of the German master-director Fritz Lang having India as a subject. But I did not follow up to that. Through my parents, I also got immersed in music and theatre and what we call 'operetta' here...musical comedies which also had been used in Hollywood to make musicals.
So, I was already sensitised in different ways...
The reason why this person brought me 3 Hindi movies one weekend to watch had been to distract me from a deep personal sadness. Without me being aware, Germany got introduced to 'Bollywood' through a television channel I didn't watch which started a certain craze for ShahRukh in my country (unnoticed by me).
I'm someone who likes to watch foreign films in their original language (with German or English or French subtitles), so I immediately chose that option on the DVD. The films had been K3G, MHN and Mohabbatein. I chose the latter as the first...
In a certain way, I got 'intoxicated' through the whole watching experience and when I got 3 other movies the following weekend (Lagaan, VZ and Dil Se), I started with Lagaan (because of another lead) followed up with VZ and Dil Se...
After having discovered several filmindustries before, this jounrey went beyond the initial filmindustry because of ShahRukh being Indian.
Originally posted by: Clochette
There is more than one connection between Germany and India, I already learned about in childhood...also my interest for cinema from very early on made me come across the TV series Sandokan (with Kabir Bedi) and two movies of the German master-director Fritz Lang having India as a subject. But I did not follow up to that. Through my parents, I also got immersed in music and theatre and what we call 'operetta' here...musical comedies which also had been used in Hollywood to make musicals.
So, I was already sensitised in different ways...
The reason why this person brought me 3 Hindi movies one weekend to watch had been to distract me from a deep personal sadness. Without me being aware, Germany got introduced to 'Bollywood' through a television channel I didn't watch which started a certain craze for ShahRukh in my country (unnoticed by me).
I'm someone who likes to watch foreign films in their original language (with German or English or French subtitles), so I immediately chose that option on the DVD. The films had been K3G, MHN and Mohabbatein. I chose the latter as the first...
In a certain way, I got 'intoxicated' through the whole watching experience and when I got 3 other movies the following weekend (Lagaan, VZ and Dil Se), I started with Lagaan (because of another lead) followed up with VZ and Dil Se...
After having discovered several filmindustries before, this jounrey went beyond the initial filmindustry because of ShahRukh being Indian.
That explains a great deal. I've seen several of Fritz Lang's movies but only his Hollywood ones so I wasn't even aware he made films dealing with India as a subject. India doesn't come up often in old Hollywood movies besides a few like The Rains Came, its remake The Rains of Ranchipur, Bhowani Junction (filmed in Pakistan), and Gunga Din (the inspiration for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). The 80s featured more mainstream British films set in India like Gandhi and A Passage to India.
It's so exciting that there was a Bollywood channel on German TV. I wonder if this was before or after KANK's release since I remember reading that Bollywood got a lot more exposure in Europe due to KANK's high-profile release in several countries that previously didn't show BW films.
Like you, I prefer to watch films in their original language rather than dubbed versions. For me, English is the only option when it comes to subtitles though. I think it worked out well that you choose Mohabbatein out of those three films since it's the oldest chronologically. K3G probably works better to see how different but similar the dynamic between SRK and Big B is in their follow-up film. Although I've heard K3G is often the entry film for new Bollywood fans.
All those films are excellent watches. I know Lagaan in particular is probably one of the most high-profile BW films abroad due to its Oscar presence. I'm curious when you became exposed to Devdas now.
Can't give you a precise answer for Devdas but it had been the first SRK movie I watched with French subtitles as Devdas was t h e movie that established his French fan-following.
Both Fritz Lang's movies dealing with India had been German productions, btw.
I randomly chose Mohabbatein first out of the 3 as the synopsis recalled me the subject of one of my favourite Robin Williams' movies (Dead Poets' Society). As for the TV channel...it is a private German one who screened SRK- (and later other Hindi) movies because of the owner's liking for K3G (the first dubbed one, but shown in a shortened version about which I only read much later)... he got to like SRK-movies through a Karan Johar stay in Germany (Rapid Eye Movies). SRK's movies then got dubbed by the same German actor (Patrick Breuer) who later also played a role in Don 2.
SRK and his kind of cinema became the only one I really studied - first through his (and other) movies and media and then through meeting SRK to get to know the person. Comparing with all the fans I met throughout the years, my approach to SRK hadn't been that of a fan (which he himself also said) but I always loved his fans for their own positivity and enthusiasm.
The overly praised "chal chhaiyaan chhaiyaan" was a straight uncredited copy of the old Pakistani sufi song "tere ishq nachaaya kar kay thaiyya thaiyya"...
(if some still doesn't know)
Songs very much overshadowed the movie back then iirc . So much that Dil Se often striked to me rather a music album with like "ok here's a backdrop story if anybody interested" . From what I had been hearing , the movie turned out damp squib which I now pin it to its offbeat nature in the masala 90s as also its somber theme . Though I must say the first time I watched (somewhere in 2000s decade) , I was pleasantly surprised .
Coming to songs , everything (the music , cinematography , choreography , the allegories etc.) came across as sublime to many . Infact Dil Se can very well be their magnum opus (or atleast can be shortlisted for one) . All its songs are simply competing among themselves for being the most artistic . Chaiyya Chaiyya has been a catchword ever since .
But then again , there are often two sides to a story . Which has been a case for Dil Se too . Like the first time I heard 'Ae Ajnabi' I was in 8th & it was just....too gloomy & slow for my joyous , thrill filled taste/life back then . I was repulsed .
All in all , it seem Dil Se has been a 'either love it or hate it' piece of art (or fart , as they would say) .
| topics | author | replies | views | reply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minakrish | 36 | 2k | ||
| priya185 | 20 | 1.6k | ||
| Maroonporsche | 0 | 100 | ||
| priya185 | 12 | 582 | ||
| Maroonporsche | 3 | 201 |
comment:
p_commentcount