Filmi Geek metapost

Namaste filmi dosto.

It's been eight weeks or so since my last metapost.  That time has seen the addition of more than a dozen reviews to the site, bringing the total number of films reviewed here to a staggering 105 (plus one play).

That represents pretty much every Indian (or Indian-themed) film I have seen in the past two years, and means I've watched, on average, one a week for two years.  Obsession is a great thing.  I am watching more now than I was in the beginning.  In the first 20 weeks of 2007, I watched and reviewed 36 films, for a pace of just under two a week.  I have to have something new to keep you all coming back!  This past weekend, a three-day weekend here in the US, I saw three more Hindi films, including the brand-new Cheeni kum currently showing in theaters, so you can expect a review of that and other new posts this week.

In the meantime you can visit the discussion boards at BollyWHAT? or at Jaman to talk about what's new and old in Hindi films.  Jaman, where I'm a reviewer and moderator, has a good collection of Hindi films available for free download. 

Comments

[yves]

Hey Carla,
Where do you get hold of your films? Do you buy them off the net? Is that where you get all these super oldies? I have to either do that, or go to Paris near Gare du Nord, otherwise, I'm stuck with the ones I have at home. Few people share my hobby and I can rarely exchange films. That's what I need, a filmi exchange bank!

BTW, this "Great Gambler" sounds a roar!
Cheers

[Meera]

Hi Carla

I have noticed from various blogs (yours, beth's, bebasko, philip's filums) that the taste of people from other parts of the world ie the non indian lovers of Indian movies are quite different when compared to Indians. I have come to this conclusion after reading a few reviews on movies like Parineeta, Bomarillu etc.

I would like to share a few ideas on why Indians have liked these movies so much unlike most of you.

Do you have an email address i can send my comments to? Perhaps this may not be of interest to all who visit ur blog

[carla]

Yves: my main source of oldies is the website Nehaflix.com, where scores of great old Hindi films are available for about $6 a piece, and I can't resist the occasional DVD shopping spree. I think Nehaflix ships to Europe, but it might not be as irresistible a deal with shipping charges.

*Great Gambler* was a lot of fun, but if you want to explore the silly films of the 70s, I would definitely recommend starting with *Amar Akbar Anthony*, *Seeta aur Geeta*, and then perhaps *Don* and *Parvarish* - there are many exemplars of the genre that hang together better than *Great Gambler*.

Meera: There is an email address in the "about" link at the top left of the page (click on Madhubala). But I am sure your thoughts would be interesting to lots of people besides me so please consider sharing them here.

[yves]

Thanks carla! Great website. But some films aren't exactly cheap... I saw some at 16$, 18$. It makes you think twice, if there's shipping on top of it!
Bye!

[carla]

Yves, you asked where I get all my oldies - only new releases or extremely popular recent movies are as much as $16-18 on Nehaflix, and I rarely buy those. There are only a very small number of DVDs that I've spent more than $10 on.

Yves

There must be some indian spice stores in the place you live where you can look for DVDs. Some of these shops sell DVDs for 5 dollars which usually have 2 movies in each.

Of course you need patience in finding out if a. the DVD is of good quality (generally the owner will play it at ths shop itself if he values his customers) b. if the movie has subtitles c. if the movie can be viewed in full ie parts of the heads of characters are not cut out

On the whole these DVDs are of good quality but not originals as you can guess!

Good luck in ur search

Meera

[maajhi]

Yves, in the US, Indian stores rent out Hindi DVDs for $2, oldie VHS ones for $1. That's the absolute best option, so you can see them all and buy only the ones you've liked.

[Meera]

Hi Carla

The movies you have recommended in the "good introductions" are really good especially for a non indian audience.

thanks. I shall use some of these to my Aussie friends if they evince interest.

Alas most of my colleague at work have a negative view about hindi movies and dismiss them as those "song and dance" movies. so I am not so encouraged to suggest movies - in fact quite the opposite, I simply keep quiet. One of them borrowed Gurdinder Chadda's (the lady who made Bend it Like Beckham) earlier movie " Baji on the Beach" from me nearly 2 yrs ago! It is yet to be returned and when ever i ask this colleague, his reponse is we saw a bit (ie him&his wife).

[Meera]

Sorry in my haste i did not notice some typos in the earlier post.
It should read:
I shall recommend some of these to my Aussie friends if they evince interest.

Also it shd read most of my colleagues at work