#suddenly my name is latika

[ierofrnkk]

he’s so greasy nasty in this movie why is no one talking about this

[greenhatsinthesky]

lockdown film no. 37 - Slumdog Millionaire (2008) dir. Danny Boyle

23/05/2020

- I had seen this once before and it was an interesting experience because a) it was billed as a feel-good film and it Was Not at all until the last ten minutes and b) my dad really freaked me out by predicting what the last question was going to be. I lost my mind and he was very proud of himself

- the concept of this film is so good. Very easily put into a logline, really strong cinematography, great performance, aces

- also love that during production they decided to translate a third of the dialogue from English into hindi 

- salim’s character was very interesting. From being a kid and being horrible to all the other kids when they were staying with the terrible man and taking Jamal to sing for him — I wasn’t 100 % if he was going to let Jamal get blinded because he seemed pretty set on having a “successful” life. When he slung the acid at the man’s face I had hope for him but then he let go of Latika’s hand and my heart broke

- I hate how everyone was laughing at the host’s jokes like he’s really not that funny guys 

- PAPER PLANES

- while that songs an absolute banger there were some really tender moments between Jamal and Salim like where they were on top of the train with their hands linked

- and suddenly they’re old ! wacky shit

- it’s crazy how shoes hold so much currency

- “how did she die?” “a road traffic accident. maximum pileup.” “I thought she died in childbirth” “exactly, sir. she was on the way to hospital when it happened”

- doesnt feel great that Jamal saying “this is the real India” after getting beaten up by a police officer was very likely written by a white British person

- LOCH BIG BEN. NEXT TO SEAN CONNERY’S FLAT. I love him

- as I always seem to be, I was disappointed that they defaulted to Jamal and Latika being in a romantic relationship. Hayao Miyazaki said “I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.” I feel that this is astonishingly relevant to this film, and I wish they’d taken a bit more care and put more thought into Jamal and latika’s relationship because this fits far better with them than a romance, I think

- it was extremely stressful trying to get into the host’s psyche of whether or not he genuinely wanted to help Jamal in the cricket question. It quickly became clear he didn’t 

- the first time I watched this, I watched it with my dad. It was also his first time watching. It did, then, surprise me that well before the final quiz scene, he said “i know what the question’s going to be”. I said “what?” And he said “I do, I’m going to write it down and give it to you”. He wrote it on a slip of paper, folded it up and passed it to me, and I put it on the armrest on my side of the sofa. When the film finished, I opened up the slip of paper, and on it was written (it was literally written) “what is the name of the third musketeer? Answer: Aramis”. And when I tell you I lost my mind? I Lost My Mind. When I asked him how he knew it, he said “it was the only thing that had been established that they hadn’t come back to.” My dad, everyone. 

- the dance sequence at the end is great and all, but my absolute favourite part of it is where the youngest versions of Jamal and Latika were dancing together. That absolutely warmed my heart

- this is a good film, and im glad it got the recognition that it did, although it is worth noting that it’s not generally favoured in India, and one of the most well known filmmakers in India described it as  “very anti-Indian”. He said “All the bad elements of Bombay’s commercial cinema are put together and in a very slick way. And it underlines and endorses what the West thinks about us… And at every turn is fabricated. At every turn it is built on falsehood. I was ashamed to see it was being appreciated widely in the west”. It would be extremely dodgy for me, as a person who is not Indian — and even worse, white — to ignore the viewpoints of people who know a lot more than I do and come from the place where the film is set and just go “it’s a great film, so realistic blah”. It received awards in the West and did incredibly well at the Academy Awards, but who votes on that? A lot of white people who have an extremely skewed idea of what realistic portrayals of marginalised groups actually are

[theincidence-blog]

New Post has been published on http://theincidence.com/theincidence-nightingale-of-bollywood-turns-89-11-little-known-stories-about-lata-mangeshkar/

#THEINCIDENCE @Nightingale of Bollywood Turns 89: 11 Little Known Stories About Lata Mangeshkar!

On her 89th birthday, we document some of the lesser-known stories about the legend’s life.

The Nightingale of Bollywood turned 89 today. She has recorded over 27,000 songs in 36 regional and foreign languages.

This is none other than legendary playback singer, Lata Mangeshkar. With melodious and soulful hits like Dafli Wale, Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, Dil To Pagal Hai, Luka Chupi, the woman who has earned herself the fond moniker of Lata Didi, enraptured the country with her ability to sing in the rare third octave.

But did you know Lata Didi’s original name is Hema? She was renamed Lata based on a character ‘Latika’ from her father’s play, BhaawBandhan.

And so, on her 89th birthday, we document some of the lesser-known stories about the legend’s life:

1. How her father discovered her singing talent at a tender age

A young Lata Mangeshkar.

Lata didi was born into a family of artists where her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a classical singer and theatre actor discovered her singing talent.

Deenanath ran a theatre company that produced musical plays where Lata started acting by the age of five.

Lata’s ability to sing Raag Puriya Dhanashree helped him discover her singing talent. Speaking to Stardust, she recalls, “It so happened that once my father asked his shagird (disciple) to practise a raag while he finished some work. I was playing nearby and suddenly a note of the raag that shagird was rendering, jarred. And the next minute, I was correcting him. When my father returned, he discovered a shagird in his own daughter.”

Lata’s father said to her mother, “We have a singer at home. We never knew it.”

2. A legend around why she left school

Lata & Asha – The Mangeshkar Sisters.

At five, Lata started working as an actress in her father’s Marathi musical plays, also known as ‘Sangeet Natak’.

On her first day at school, when she started teaching songs to other children, the teacher stopped her. While some believed that she stopped going to school because she was so angry, others said she left because they would not allow her to bring Asha.

3. Did you know that she made her singing debut in a studio at the age of 13?

Lataji learned music from stalwarts like Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan, apart from her father. She recorded her first song in 1942 for the Marathi film, Kiti Hasaal; but it never saw the light of day, as it was edited from the film. The song was called Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani. Although Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai is known as her Marathi song debut.

3. Did you know that she tried her hand at professional acting too?

After he father’s death in 1942, she tried her hand at acting until 1948 and acted in eight films. The oldest of five siblings–Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridaynath, Lata then shouldered the financial responsibility of the family.

Even though her acting career did not take off, she debuted with playback singing for Kiti Hasaal (1942).

4. She was told her voice was ‘too thin’ when she first started out in the industry

When she first entered the film industry as a playback singer, she was rejected. At the time, singers like Noor Jehan and Shamshad Begum ruled the roost. She was told her voice was ‘too thin’ for the time, in comparison to the heavy-nasal voices that belted hits.

Her major break came in 1949, with the song Aayega Aanewala from the film Mahal. She turned a sensation overnight with the song that not many can muster the courage to croon.

5. The time she moved Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears

The year was 1962. India had lost the war against China. When Lata Didi sang Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon to salute the martyrs of war, PM Nehru told her she had moved him to tears.

6. She was poisoned in 1962.

Naushad, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Majrooh Sultanpuri.

In 1962, when Didi fell extremely ill, her medical investigation revealed that she was given slow poison. She battled death for three days. Even though her life was saved, recovery was a long journey where she remained bedridden for three months.

It was later found that her cook had vanished from her home without taking his wages. For precautionary measures, late Bollywood lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri would regularly visit her, taste her food first and only then allow her to eat.

7. Didi’s love for Cricket, Madan Mohan and Saira Banu

With Madan Mohanji.

Her favourite game is cricket. Didi is reported to have a permanent gallery reserved for her at the Lord’s Stadium from where she enjoys watching her favourite game.

Of all the spectacular music directors she has worked with, Madan Mohan was closest to her heart.

“I shared a special relationship with Madan Mohan, which was much more than what a singer and a music composer share. This was a relationship of a brother and a sister. He trusted me to sing his best compositions,” she said in a 2011 collector’s item calendar.

Didi reportedly thinks her voice suits actress Saira Banu’s the best!

8. A global star!

The legendary singer’s fame goes far beyond the shores. In 1974, Didi became the first Indian to perform in the Royal Albert Hall, London. She has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by six universities, including the New York University.

France conferred its highest civilian award (Officer of the Legion of Honour) on Didi in 2007.

9. She served as an MP without charging a penny!

Didi was also nominated as a Member of Parliament. But her health restricted her from attending the sessions in the Rajya Sabha, which drew the ire of a few.

But according to a TOI report, it is said that she did not take a single penny or a salary or a house in Delhi for her services as an MP.

10. Her designs for a diamond company raked £105,000!

In 1999, the perfume Lata Eau de Parfum was launched in her honour. Didi also designed a collection called Swaranjali for an Indian diamond export company, Adora. Five pieces from this collection, when auctioned at Christie’s, earned £105,000 which Didi generously donated to the relief fund for the Kashmir earthquake in 2005.

11. Her last recorded song was in 2015

It was for an Indo-Pak gay love story. This means that from 1942 to 2015, she worked as a playback singer for 73 years!

In a career spanning seven decades, Didi has been bestowed several prestigious awards including the Bharat Ratna, India’s Highest Civilian Award. Didi became the second vocalist to ever receive it after M S Subbulakshmi!

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