Tag Archives: Bollywood
Padmavati Posted by Rachael on Feb 1, 2018
As many of you may be aware, the recently-released film, Padmaavat (पदमावत), by well-known director (निर्देशक/nirdeshak) Sanjay Leela Bhansali, has kicked up a bit of controversy (विवाद/vivaad, masc. noun). Without going too much into the controversy, I wanted to devote this blog to the text that inspired this film: the epic poem (महाकाव्य/mahaakaavya, fem. noun) Padmavat…
Upendranath Ashk: Rebel, Misfit, Iconoclast (Part 3) Posted by Rachael on Nov 16, 2017
Namaste/नमस्ते, aadaab/आदाब/آداب, and welcome back to my blog series on the notorious Hindi-Urdu writer, Upendranath Ashk/उपेन्द्रनाथ अश्क/اپندرناتھ اشک! If you haven’t yet read parts 1 and 2, you may want to do so before delving into this third and final part. After his third marriage to fan and fellow writer, Kaushalya Devi, Ashk soon sought…
Sahir Ludhianvi: A Poet of the Silver Screen (Part 1) Posted by Rachael on Oct 9, 2017
In the world of Hindi-Urdu literature and popular film, Sahir Ludhianvi’s (साहिर लुधियानवी) name stands out as one of the most gifted and insightful poets of the 20th century. Born Abdul Hayee (अब्दुल हयी) in 1921 in Karimpura/करीमपुरा, Ludhiana (लुधियाना, a district in the state of Punjab), Punjab/पंजाब (in what was then British India), Sahir…
3 Romantic Bollywood Films Hindi Lovers Can’t Miss Posted by Rachael on Sep 26, 2016
This week, we’ll talk about some famous Bollywood films that feature love in major ways so we can learn how to express this vital emotion in Hindi! Umrao Jaan (1981) उमराव जान This classic film stars the bombshell Rekha or रेखा (yes, she’s one of those actresses who only needs one name to go by)…
Conquering Hindi through Bollywood Music Posted by Rachael on Sep 19, 2016
This week, we’ll discuss a song from a movie mentioned in last week’s blog: Lagaan (in English: “tax” or “rent”). Listening to music in the target language is a fun and easy way to learn new words and phrases and will help you remember them longer. An added benefit of discussing this particular song (and all…
Bollywood Posted by kunthra on Apr 22, 2009
Namaste (नमस्ते )! We’re going to talk about the Indian film industry. You’ve probably heard this word somewhere. I’ll give you a hint: it rhymes with the word Hollywood. The Indian version of Hollywood is Bollywood (बॉलीवूड ). Bollywood (बॉलीवूड ) takes its name from the city of Bombay, which is present day Mumbai. Like…