Saturday, June 14, 2014

Inspiration: Rangeela



Sometimes we fall in love with movies that we know are, without a doubt, corny and dated. But if your name is Renee and you have a slight obsession with predictable trash backed by a fantastic soundtrack, you know that there's nothing wrong with watching the same tacky movie over and over again. Especially if it makes you feel a thousand times better after a horrible day.

Whenever I'm sad or sick, nothing makes me feel better than crawling in to bed with a pint of Ben & Jerry's and my well-worn copy of Rangeela. This is the movie that made Urmila Matondkar, and it's not hard to see why: she's adorable. This was also A.R. Rahman's Hindi-language debut. Lastly, there's Aamir Khan. Nuff said.

It's so 90s and so predictable, most Bollywood experts write it off. It's not the kind of movie I'd recommend if you've never seen anything from the industry before. But it makes me smile, it only delves in to blatant anti-feminism for 5 minutes (way better than most Bollywood films from the 90s), and it feels so good!




Sidenote #1: This appears to be my first Bollywood-related post. WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING?!

Sidenote #2: If you try to find this on the English-language net, you may find it retitled "Bollywood Dreams." Avoid that version and get a copy (with subtitles!) that's actually labeled "Rangeela." Otherwise, you may end up with a really bad dub/edit.


I don't care how tacky it is, that button-up-over-mesh-shirt thing they did for Aamir will never stop tugging at my heart strings. I know it's pretty ridiculous to have a tramp character with a closet full of mesh shirts, BUT WORK WITH IT, IT'S FUN.


Cripes, Urmila is gorgeous. And are we all seeing that adorable crop top with those plaid shorts in the upper right picture? I don't care what anybody says, that's a beautiful outfit. I'd wear the crap out of it.

FYI, this was also the movie that inspired me to try suspenders. I don't have the swag for a fedora, but the suspenders were fun!


Those "street tough" outfits actually aren't too far off from what guys wear today...

Supposedly, some of Aamir Khan's clothes in this movie were from his own collection. I never saw him traipsing about in mesh shirts off-screen, so I'm going to guess it's jeans, shoes, and button-ups instead, or maybe leftover junk from one of his other movies.


DAT HAIR. DAT BODY. DEM EYES. I set unrealistic expectations for myself and it's totally her fault.


That two piece ensemble is everything I never knew I needed. Also, I want to kiss this makeup artist; Urmila wears at least a dozen different makeup looks in this film, and they are all fantastic.

Doing okay? Feeling like a brave soul? Try a musical number. If the visuals are a bit wonky for your tastes, just do something else and let the music plaaaaaay!


4 comments:

  1. I agree Urmila is ridiculously gorgeous and the way she moves.... I'm catching onto the Bollywood vibe right now thanks to you :)

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  2. I love Bollywood--let me know if you ever need movie recommendations! :)

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  3. You saw Rangeela ? The entire movie ?
    OMG !!!

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    1. Sorry for the late reply; I missed this comment in my inbox!

      Asian culture is one of my passions and fields of study, particularly India and especially Hindi cinema. I have a Bollywood DVD collection (with some non-Hindi Indian films tossed in), and I focused part of my MA thesis on Bollywood. And I've watched Rangeela from start to finish at least a dozen times--it makes me feel good! :)

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