Filmi Ladies

After learning that we both love Feroz Khan, we knew we had to do an  episode on his films! We love his stylish, action-packed, surprisingly  complex and nonjudgmental films in which MORE IS MORE! Or as Pitu phrases it, "Why half-a*s anything when you can go for the  jugular?" This episode focuses on Qurbani, which maybe gets Beth's vote for most iconic FK film, and Janbaaz, because...

We discuss the new Netflix documentary series The Romantics plus some other Yash Chopra-related topics.   Tell us in the comments: Did #TheRomanticsOnNetflix make you think or feel differently about any Yash Chopra or YRF films? Did you need this many clips of Mohabbatein? Were you annoyed that Juhi and Madhuri were included only briefly? And do you agree comedy uncle side plots are for...

Happy Galentine's Day (a day late) to all our filmi ladies of every gender identity! Today's episode looks at women's friendships in Hindi cinema. There are very few films that focus on this incredibly important aspect of life, but we found a few—and many more that have it  in the background or as a surprising bit of texture.    Beth apologizes to all Parks and Rec purists for misre...

👏🏽 We guarantee you will be singing your heart out by the time this  episode ends: very very special guest Sujoy from the Khandaan Podcast  joined us to talk about film qawwalis!    The king of the qawwali? You won't even need 3 guesses. 👏🏽 👑 👏🏽    Here's our playlist, which includes our favorites plus everything submitted to us on twitter! https://www.youtube....

#PATHAAN We saw it and we loved it! Highlights of our conversation: • his hair • loving Dimple Kapadia • being pleasantly surprised by John Abraham • taking joy in everyone else's joy in this film   • the insanity of living with this level of stardom   • what this film can teach you about your career potential   The Cakes of Bollywood Instagram  https://www.insta...

The extremely talented and wonderfully luminous Nutan is next up on our  series on women superstars of Hindi cinema! Both hosts are relative  newbies when it comes to Nutan's career, so come along with us as we  start learning. We watched Tere Ghar Ke Samne (delightful concoction!),  Saudagar (impactful feminist drama!), and  Saraswatichandra  (self-sacrificial dreck—...

This week's episode is a general catch-up on the films—and tv—we've been  watching in the last few weeks. Some are great, some are meh, and  others are full AVOID YAAR. 🙅🏽‍♀️   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-e528118e...

Filmi lady Isha from the amazing Instagram account @DesiDrapes joins us to discuss #sarees  in Indian cinema! She drops some fantastic knowledge and opinons as we  think about sarees from different eras, costume designers—including the  great (and we do mean great) Bhanu Athaiya, who is responsible for so  many iconic looks—directors, and performers.    Isha really kn...

What happens when a performer plays against type? We talk through what it can mean for Hindi film stars to go actively against what they're known for—instead of just doing something that's different from other things they've done—and a zillion examples of people doing things we  don't expect. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or App...

"Party song" is a concept we all think we understand, but this  decades-old building block of Hindi cinema deserves a closer look. The  one and only Amrita from  www.youtube.com/@khandaan-abollywoodpodcast3134  is here to be the party police—in a GOOD way—and offers a great working definition that we expand across the years and look at songs from the 1960s through today. Her de...

Call us TV Ladies this week! We're talking about two of Shah Rukh Khan's early tv shows: #Fauji  (1988)and Doosra Keval (1989). One of these not good, even though he is  charismatic in it. The other is...flawed but with good bones and ideas,  even though everyone but him is meh to bad in it and he absolutely  steals the show.    I say, chaps!   Subscribe to Filmi...

What can we say? She's so talented, so funny, so beautiful, so lush! We deliberately chose some less-discussed movies from her filmography: yes,  we do Mahal (1949), but we also look at Mr & Mrs '55 (a 1955 comedy  with...Guru Dutt?!?) and Phagun (1958, with Pitu's non-favorite Bharat  Bhushan).   Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify  https://open.spotify.com/show...

We LOVED Anvita Dutt's new film #Qala on #Netflix...until we didn't, though we have different reasons for that.    Yes: having a point of view, evocative design, complicated mother-daughter relationships, #TriptiDimri and #AnvitaDutt generally.    No: not trusting your audience will get the aforementioned point of view Never again: films about messed-up artists    Thi...

Pitu watched #Bhediya in the cinema, then ran straight home to do this  episode! To recap: SHE LOVES IT! We discuss the Ramsay Brothers oeuvre  and other Indian monster-y films (namely #Junoon) and wish there were  more were-creature things to watch. Tell us your favorite Indian  creature features and gush over Bhediya with Pitu in the comments on Youtube https://youtu.be/JYyRD...

Have you ever caught yourself crying "But I like it!!!" when somebody  tells you you're wrong to love a certain film? Welcome to the internet.  In this episode, we discuss films we love that everyone else seems to  hate. (Bear in mind "hate" seems to depend on what reviews you read or  what corner of Twitter you lurk on.) We start the episode with the  results of Beth posi...

This is going to be all opinions all the time: films and people from  Hindi cinema that everyone loves...but we don't. We really, really don't.    We do not always agree with each other here but found some very  important common ground. Hint: he's very, very drunk.    Quotable quotes: "No Beth nooooo you're wrong!!!!!" and "Shriekingly  hideous."    Bet...

💃🏾 The character so iconic that there's an emoji for her! Special  guest Luncheroni joins us to revel in the sequins, cigarettes, and sin  of Hindi cinema's greatest bad women.    Watch the interview with Prof. Ranjani Mazumdar about Helen.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0RGl-FKD9M&list=WL&index=29  Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spoti...

👻 Spooky season winds down with a discussion of Go Goa Gone (Hindi,  2013) and Zombivli (Marathi, 2022)  We talk about how their settings  work (or don't), the infections as social commentary, and other scary  movies.    What are your favorite Indian horror films?    Ask your local library to get the book Beth wrote for! It also features  work by Profe...

* contains spoilers* He's baaaack! Filmmaker, writer, and journalist Nihit Bhave (Sacred  Games, Choked, Dobaaraa, Phir Kabhi) returns to discuss the new Kannada  smash hit Kantara. Nihit and Pitu both loved this "divine  blockbuster"—kya tagline! It's beautiful, it's fascinating, it's  hyper-specific, and it's utterly unique. (Beth plays moderator in this  non-debate beca...

Next up in our series Women Superstars of Indian Cinema: Waheeda Rehman!    We LOVE Waheeda Rehman—and frankly we're not sure we can be friends with  anyone who doesn't, but does such a person even exist? The major films  discussed today are Guide (1965) Kohraa (1964), and CID (1956, her first  Hindi role). Neither of us could handle a rewatch of Pyaasa or Kagaaz  Ke...

Delightful and very smart filmmaker, writer, and journalist Nihit Bhave  (Sacred Games, Choked, Dobaaraa, Phir Kabhi) joins us to talk about Hindi films  with LGBTQIA+ stories and characters. The new Madhuri Dixie film Maja Ma  is the major topic of conversation, and we also cover about Badhaai Do  (YAY!), Kapoor and Sons (yay?), Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (...not  yay),...

Along with everyone else in the Indian cinema universe, we watched  Ponniyin Selvan! This epic historical family drama and action film is a  big hit for us, despite our utter ignorance about the real history and  novel...and Tamil cinema generally. We apologize profusely for our  mispronunciation of names and for forgetting to mention the very helpful  animals that were su...

We think Indian cinema contexts are perfect for the novels of Jane Austen! Special guest star Amrita from the Khandaan Podcast joins us to talk about Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), Bride and Prejudice (2004), and Aisha (2010). Are there more Indian Austen adaptations that we didn't find? Let us know! We WANT more, that's for sure.    Listen to Khandaan, Amrita's regular...

* contains spoilers *  We saw—and really enjoyed—Brahmastra, even though its leading filmi lady is a bit of a dud. Likes: the action, the bull, Amitabh Bachchan with a lightsaber. Dislikes: the songs, the romance, the dialogues. VERY worth  a trip to the cinema!   Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https:/...

NARGIS is first up in our series Women Superstars of Indian Cinema! Tell us your favorite of her films, especially if it isn't with Raj Kapoor. 🙄 Pitu rewatched her beloved Chori Chori (1956), Beth watched Nargis's  first lead role in Taqdeer (1943), and we discuss what makes Nargis  special and how she fits in the cinema pantheon.   Read more about Nargis on Upper Stall by fi...