We’re suffering from a major, extremely ill-timed case of writer’s block today, and have thus been relegated to listening to the above song on repeat in order to reboot our creative powers. We’re actually far more familiar with the Ashe Bhosle version, which sounds a touch more ethereal to our amateur ears. But this’ll do in a pinch—we’re especially fond on the flashback scenes around the 1:40 mark. No real clue what’s going on here, plotwise, since our Bollywood knowledge is sadly limited. But consider our heartstrings tugged nonetheless.
Now, back to rewriting this same damn paragraph for the 713th time today. Wish us luck, as we sorely—nay, desperately—need it right now.
Gramsci // Jun 1, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I know it doesn’t help, but I’m grateful to this site as an anti-block. I’m desperately trying to finish my final two chapters by the end of this month. So, thanks.
As far as songs, Bela Fleck’s collaboration on “Ah Ndiya” has helped me. Here’s another great version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoEsYTgD-1w
Brendan I. Koerner // Jun 1, 2009 at 4:32 pm
@Gramsci: Glad to be playing a small, positive role in your book-writing marathon, my man. And thanks for the Malian music.
Jordan // Jun 1, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Good luck with that. Some days (maybe even most of them) it’s hard to tell just where the words are coming from, so forcing them out is indeed sisyphean. Hopefully your muse will peek its head out sooner than later.
spatel_underground // Jun 5, 2009 at 10:18 am
Interesting that you posted this, because the director of this classic 1978 Bollywood blockbuster just passed away a few weeks ago. Prakash Mehra made some legendary films such as Zanjeer that started Amitabh’s ‘Angry Young Man’ period. Fickle Bollywood, ever ready to toss aside someone as trash as soon as the hot new thing emerges, cooled to him after a flop or two, though his filmography is ingrained in the hearts of most Indians. So it goes in the world’s oddest film industry (which is memorably discussed in the book Maximum City, which only scratches the surface). By the way, this song is one of the more famous of the era and strikes some kind of a chord with the people who grew up with it. I remember hearing it on sunny Saturday mornings when I was a kid in the Atlanta suburbs, putting on my shin guards and getting ready for a soccer game after waking up to watch Superfriends. I don’t understand the lyrics fluently, but I’ll always remember my parents humming it and hundreds of other 70’s bollywood hits that played on my dad’s killer wood-paneled stereo system (8 track included). As for the plot, there are two guys and a girl in the video – what’s not to get, right? Wrong. Attempt to understand the synopsis on wikipedia and you’ll see how many modern plots from that part of the world (possibly even such as The Kite Runner?) still get inspiration from the manic minds of old Bombay. The title of the movie is Muqaddar Ka Sikander and it had four of the biggest stars of all time. RIP Prakash Mehra.
Brendan I. Koerner // Jun 5, 2009 at 7:47 pm
@spatel_underground: Many thanks for the comment, my man. I actually first came across this song in the Ashe Bhosle version, on a Bollywood compilation album. Wasn’t until years later I learned it was a cover of the version above.
I’ll have to check out the full flick, now that I’ve pretty much exhausted my Herzog supply.
As for the Superfriends, believe me–the Wonder Twins will have their day of reckoning here on Microkhan. And it won’t be pretty.