Filmi Ladies

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-...

Whether beaks, claws, or fins, animals are humans' friends in Indian cinema. We discuss some of our favorite animal characters, their amazing skills, and the truly great tradition of snake films. Read Todd Statdman's great series Animalympics (be sure to go in reverse chronological order so you don't spoil yourself on the winner!) on his blog. https://diedangerdiediekill.blogspot.com/s...

It will not surprise you to learn that we ADORE The Namesake, both book and film. Topics of discussion include: the Gangulys' relationship, the universal American-ness of the story, Golgol's imperfections, and Ashima's journey. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/i...

Spoilers in this episode! We read Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, watched the 1940 Hithcock adaptation, then watched Biren Nag's 1964 Hindi adaptation Kohraa. There's much to love in all of them (especially the novel!), but, not surprisingly, Waheeda Rehman as the second Mrs de Winter is our favorite performance, complemented fantastically by Lalita Pawar. If only they'd cast someone...

...and here's a companion piece to last week's episode: men characters we hold with great affection. Some of them elicit heart-eyes emojis, but others are just people who stand out in a good way. As with the previous discussion, good writing and good performances by actors we like are often a part of these choices, but we don't absolutely require it. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotif...

This week's episode is exactly what it says on the label: women characters we hold with great affection. They're not necessarily the best written or the most memorable, and we might not want to be friends with them, but we have a soft spot for them anyway. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https: //podcastsconnect.ap...

This 1988 revenge drama starring goddess Rekha is, in our opinion, is an absolute masala masterpiece, touching on issues of self-determination, inner strength, the evils of greed, a walkoff over a decade before Zoolander, and, of course, gold lamé. What more could you possibly want? Oh, did you also want Kabir Bedi in a teeny swimsuit? Rakesh Roshan provides. Do we need t-shirts that say "Rek...

Finally an Aishwarya film worthy of our queen! Pitu loved Ponniyin Selvan 2, but due to various annoying life circumstances Beth hasn't gotten to see it yet, so this is a very one-sided episode! We discuss the smoldering chemistry, how smart it was to film both parts in one fell swoop, and what other Indian historical eras we'd like to see on the big screen. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Sp...

In which we discuss why certain stars (or not) have disappeared. Underneath it all, we're really just wondering why people we will never meet—but about whom we have thoughts and feelings!—make the decisions that they do. Perhaps the gossip experts and other keen analysts among you will be able to answer some of our questions. Tell us in the comments: are you, like Pitu, ready for the return of...

So far in our superstar series, we've discussed people that are consistently regarded by most as great actors. Now we come to an actor that we think was underrated, despite her fine performances in multiple languages, many genres, and many decades: Sharmila Tagore. Her films we discuss in detail are Devi, An Evening in Paris, and Barnali (available with English subtitles here https://www.youtu...

We watched adaptations of Tagore's short story The Hungry Stones: the Bengali Kshudhita Pashan (1960, dir. Tapan Sinha) and the Hindi Lekin (1990, dir. Gulzar). While not as drastically different a pairing as Duvidha and Paheli, these two films create different worlds with the source material, a feat of creativity perhaps necessitated by the fact that Tagore left his story so unresolved. Stron...

Next up in our series about women superstars: Vyjayanthimala, forever the dancing princess of our hearts! The films in particular discussion are Amrapali, Devdas, and Nagin. (The latter two and a few more of her films are available on the fantastic Tommydan55 channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tommydan55/search?query=vyjayanthimala!) What are your favorite Vyjayanthimala films? Subscribe to Filmi L...

In our first book club episode, we discuss Rishi Kapoor's 2017 auobiography Khullam Khulla (written with Meena Iyer). If you love vintage film world gossip as much as we do, this is the book for you! At times overly honest and at others strangely (or not) quiet, Rishi's observations of his own career and the cinema worlds he has experienced are fascinating and insightful. Long live the jum...

In this episode, we discuss each of our number one favorite Hindi film!  Even though they're very different films—different eras, different types  of directors, though one cast member in common!—we find fascinating  common ground.    Tell us your very favorite Hindi film in the comments, and if we've seen  it we will tell you one thing we like about it too!   Sub...

Duvidha (1973) and Paheli (2005): two very different films from the same source material, both fantastically successful in their own ways. Lots of spoilers in this episode!  Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https: //podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/filmi-ladies/aacadcfe-4195-40a4-ba 16-e528118ec892  @fil...

FINALLY we   1) have as guest star the truly wise, witty, funny, and delightful Sal (twitter: @salandthebadpun)   2) dig into Bengali cinema 3) try to enact dramatic poses inspired by our subject matter (spoiler: one of us fails utterly)   Suchitra Sen is a unique figure in Indian cinema: she's the sine qua non of Bengali films (no one woman is as critical to an entire body of a lan...