Filmi Ladies

For such a short career on screen, the glamorous, charismatic Parveen Babi is indelible. In this episode, we focus on two films, Deewaar and Rang Birangi, and because her career was so shaped by her off-screen life, we discuss her experience of schizophrenia, sticking as closely possible to the facts of her experience of schizophrenia and how the film industry, quite frankly, failed her. Read Kari...

Commemorating 20 years of Shahrukh's turn as a tragic angel/Mary Poppins character in Kal Ho Na Ho! Borrowing a fair bit from two Hrishikesh Mukherjee films - Anand and Bawarchi - with a big heaping of Kjo masala, this is quite a melodrama set to a banger soundtrack by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Tell us - would you befriend Naina or Rohit? Or are you interested in Sweetu and Jazz? How do we feel abou...

We choose two films in which dancing is a plot element: Disco Dancer and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. That's about all they have in common, other than being fairly lightweight concoctions that we enjoy very much. Episode breakdown: 30 minutes on Disco Dancer, another 10 or so on JBJ, then another 25+ on other films (Indian and otherwise) that are about dancing in some way, our favorite film dancers, e...

We enjoyed doing our women at work episode so much, we followed it up with a men at work episode! In each of the movies we discuss, the protagonist's job or career is central to their self identity or to larger personal or societal issues. Sometimes that's good, other times it's bad, but it's never boring and it always leads to a lot of Filmi drama. Should you let your job define y...

We are celebrating Baazigar's 30th Anniversary with this episode! 30 years of Machiavellian Srk, vendetta, Abbas Mastaan's clever direction, big hair, colored contact lenses, weepy Rakhee, race cars and catchy music! Does Baazigar rank in your favorite SRK roles? Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.app...

This Halloween, we bring you the very famous and much beloved Manichitrathazhu, along with its Hindi remake Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Even though they're technically not stories of the supernatural, the ghost vibes are real! Tell us - Which of the many remakes have you seen? Which is the best version? How do you feel about comedy uncles? Do you prefer the supernatural or the medical explanation? What o...

Only barely squeaking under the wire of relevance, here we are with our thoughts on the genuinely iconic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. For both of us, it has held up remarkably well. Pitu is more smitten than ever with the performances and music, and Beth is full of new appreciation for the writing. For all its bubblegum and Archie aesthetics, KKHH has a lot of very grown-up things to say. As usual, detours...

Some may argue that Dimple Kapadia doesn't quite count as a superstar of Hindi cinema, but she's so interesting that we couldn't resist! Her appeal is a little harder to pin down than with the other women in our superstars series so far, and maybe that's her greatest strength. She's certainly the least filmi of the people we've focused on, despite having an incredibly filmi...

He's one of the most versatile actors we've seen and is always re-inventing himself. We remember him from his moppetty 90s Ole Ole days to his metrosexual avatar to his villianous turns and his edgy, indie films. Everyone loves Dil Chahta Hai, Kal ho na ho, Parineeta and Omkara but in this episode we discuss his lesser known works - Chef, Agent Vinod and Jawaani Jaaneman. Are these movies...

Along with Helen and Bindu, Aruna Irani completes the Vamp trifecta. An excellent dancer and very talented actor, Aruna has an impressive filmography of almost 500 movies. We love her when she's good, but we REALLY love her when she's wicked. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fil...

* contains spoilers * We love mysteries and we love Bebo, but do we love Jaane Jaan? Listen to find out! We also get into a few other thrillers and mysteries we've seen lately. Thank you to twitter friend tamarindric3 for the idea to talk about hill station mysteries - let's start a list in the comments! Here's Sunil Dutt bouncing around in his swim trunks in Hamraaz: https://youtu.be/...

She is sexy, statuesque, sophisticated - one of the biggest superstars of the 70s, and her name is on everyone's lips at the moment. We talk about our beloved Zeenie Baby aka Zeenat Aman! Tell us your favorite Zeenat Aman movies! Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/id16424...

Pitu ran straight home from the cinema to record this episode on the weekend's big release! This episode is chock full of SPOILERS, so if you haven't seen the film and want to go in not knowing anything more than you've already accidentally learned from social media, save this one for later. Overall we had a lot of fun with Jawan and are thrilled for SRK that it's a success and, mo...

This week we look at three films depicting women who have interesting jobs...but more importantly, these films are stories of women whose jobs lead to very interesting things! This may be the biggest range of films in any one episode of this podcast so far, covering almost 60 years and including 3 different language industries: • Mahanagar (Satyajit Ray, 1963, Bengali) • Umbartha (Jabbar Patel, 19...

How time flies! Filmi Ladies has just turned 1 year old and we recorded a special Anniversary episode. We wanted to do something different so we asked for questions from our subscribers and also compiled a list of questions to ask each other! Much laughter ensued as we had a fun conversation. Due to the length of our baat-cheet, we had to split the episode into two parts. This is part one. We hope...

How time flies! Filmi Ladies has just turned 1 year old and so we recorded a special Anniversary episode. We wanted to do something different so we asked for questions from our subscribers and also compiled a list of questions to ask each other! Much laughter ensued as we had a fun conversation. Due to the length of our baat-cheet, we had to split the episode into two parts. This is part one. We h...

Are there any items in King Khan's filmography that don't get discussed all day every day? Yes, as it turns out, and many of them cluster in a few years on either side of the millennium when he was making so many films that some of them have been lost in the shuffle. Pitu chose Asoka—weird, beautiful, sexy Asoka—and Beth chose Josh—straightforward Shakespearean masala with a lovely sibling...

What do Barbie, Zoolander, Pinocchio and The Velveteen Rabbit have in common? They're all about non-living things (except for Zoolander who's living but kinda a caricature) that come alive and try to grapple with their newfound mortality. This episode contains discussions on Fashion! Walk Offs/Beach Offs! Being ridiculously good looking! Finding a Purpose! The Patriarchy! What it feels lik...

* SPOILERS * Don't snooj on KJo's newest, whether you're in it for Shabana and Dharmendra or Alia and Ranveer. While a few characters felt very underwritten, overall we both appreciated some of what the script put forward and definitely loved the performances. On the other hand, we were not in it for the songs, which we mostly found disappointing. Tell us in the comments: • Where does...

Enigmatic, ethereal fashion icon known for her distinctive haircut, Sadhana is the superstar we talk about in this episode. In her heydey of the mid-60s, she headlined several blockbusters that are now considered classics - Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saaya and Anita, along with a very glamorous role in Bollywood's first multi-starrer Waqt. We also discuss Inteqaam and Hum Dono. Subscribe to Filmi Ladi...

Vikramaditya Motwane's Lootera has turned 10, and we are as eager to discuss it as an art thief is to find an unsuspecting zamindar! Everything has held up beautifully: the casting, the performances, the music, the visuals, the story.... It's a romantic, maybe naive little world, split into two parts that complement each other perfectly. What stands out most about #Lootera for you? Read th...

Lust Stories is back! And unfortunately we wouldn't say it's better. Nevertheless, the stories are interesting, and we get a good variety. One could argue most of the stories are not even about lust. Did you watch it Lust Stories 2? What did you think and which one was your favorite? Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18 Apple Podcasts https://po...

Yash Chopra's proto-masala masterpiece Waqt truly has it all: a cast of thousands woven together by an intricate yet careful plot, beautiful music, wonderful style, and a strong point of view. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/id1642425062 @filmiladies on Instagram and T...

She's one of Indian cinema's most gifted actresses, a superb dancer, a fitness and beauty icon, a polyglot, a fashion queen, a queer icon, a legend who keeps reinventing herself...the list is endless. In this episode we celebrate the one and only Rekha! Movies discussed: Ghar, Khubsoorat, and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. Special thanks to our wonderful guest Sal for her always insightful comment...

With her loosely braided long hair, impish smile and powerhouse performances, Jaya Bhaduri became one of Hindi cinema's biggest (if unlikely) stars. At her peak, she played spunky firebrands and sensitive girls next door to much adulation. In her later years, she played the (often weepy) mother in many films. We discuss Abhimaan, Anamika, Guddi, Kora Kagaz and Koshish. We also discuss her off-...