Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

I was fortune to visit this beautiful temple recently. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the bay area.



Ganpati Bappa



Entrance stairs



Shri Hanumaanji



Temple from the stairs



Flying Hanumaanji



More Hanumaanji statues



Hanumaanji statue


More temple photos here.

Information about the temple could be found here.

Jai Hanumaan Ji!

70s Week: My Favorite Romantic Duets

My favorite romantic duet from each year...

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haaaye re haaye neend nahin aaye, Humjoli (1970)
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar & Mohd. Rafi
Music Director: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Picturized on: Jeetendra, Leena Chandavarkar

Outrageous dance in rain, you just can't imagine that. For that, you've got to watch this song. :D Makes me miss the Indian rains.




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achha to hum chalte hai, Aan Milo Sajna (1971)
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar & Kishor Kumar
Music Director: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Picturized on: Asha Parekh, Rajesh Khanna

Bright colorful & glittery dresses, secret romance and gorgeous sunsets and two people that can't live apart!




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jaan-e-jaan dhoondhta phir rahaa, Jawaani Deewani (1972)
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
Music Director: R. D. Burman
Picturized on: Jaya Bhaduri, Randhir Kapoor

Haunting melody full of romance that makes you wanna hum this one all day. It's all because of this fantastic singer duo. I love how they have sung this one where their voices overlap. Isn't it interesting the parents worked in this one and decades later the kids also get to work together - Abhishek & Kareena that is!



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hawaa ke saath saath, Seeta Aur Geeta (1973)
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
Music Director: R. D. Burman
Picturized on: Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar

Masti-bhara gaana... that's what it is. That's what you get when you have Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar sing for you. Watching both the actors skate just makes me realize how much you've to know/learn how to do if you act. Sanjeev Kumar looks so handsome! :) I'm happy to see him in this fun mood, as I've mostly seen him in serious roles only.




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waada kar le saajna, Haath Ki Safaai (1974)
Singers: Mohd. Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
Music Director: Kalyanji Anandji
Picturized on: Vinod Khanna, Simi Garewal

This one I picked over "chura liya hai" for I find it a lot more romantic and the lyrics are so much more meaningful. It's truly a beautiful melody...




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jaan-e-man jaan-e-man tere do nayan, Chhoti Si Baat (1975)
Singers: Asha Bhosle, K. J. Yesudas
Music Director: Salil Chowdhary
Picturized on: Amol Palekar, Vidhya Sinha, Dharmendra, Hema Malini

Playful romantic melody... the feelings can't be contained in this heart. Butterflies in tummy... it's that exciting!! A very young and possessive Amol Palekar with the gorgeous and trendy Vidhya Sinha. Love the bus-stops, bus rides! Close-necked blouse looks so cute and classy.




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tu jo mere sur mein sur mila de, Chitchor (1976)
Singers: Hemlata, K. J. Yesudas
Music Director: Ravindra Jain
Picturized on: Amol Palekar, Zareena Wahab

I picked this just for the music and lyrics. Wow! what a fantastic song... gives me goosebumps. Ravindra Jain truly rocks! He's a blessed soul. Quality cinema, quality music and fabulous acting, this one has. They don't make them like this any more.





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do deewaane shaher mein, Gharonda (1977)
Singers: Bhupinder Singh, Runa Laila
Music Director: Jaidev
Picturized on: Amol Palekar, Zareena Wahab

When you earn the "deewana" status, you don't care about a thing in the world. That's when you start seeing stars walking on the earth. :) Simple and romantic, this one is.




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aap ki aankhon mein kuchh, Ghar (1978)
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
Music Director: R. D. Burman
Picturized on: Rekha, Vinod Mehra


My all time favorite song and what playful lyrics and heart-rendering music...waah waah! Even the picturization is so beautiful (minus the smoking, of course), you can see the love in their eyes.




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suniye kahiye kahiye suniye, Baaton Baaton Mein (1979)
Singers: Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar
Music Director: Rajesh Roshan
Picturized on: Amol Palekar, Tina Munim, Ranjit Chowdhary, David, Pearl Padamsee

Kishore Kumar's voice! That's the only reason I love this one. Aah, this one reminded me of the fun train rides of Mumbai. :)
70s costumes are awesome!!!




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EnjoY!

70s Week: Golmaal (1979) in Pictures

First of all, the delay has been caused by the amount of work that goes on in creating screenshots. To all those Bollywood film lovers Beth, Greta, Bollyviewer, Filmi Girl, Bollywood Food Club, and everyone else who's mentioned on here, hats off to you! For mere love of Hindi Films and the amount of hard work you put in this hobby. It is amazing and inspiring and best of all, so entertaining! I have no words.

This post is to all of you.

Golmaal has been my most favorite film ever since I watched it for the first time. I can't write enough about it. This is the film I've watched maximum number of times and sadly enough, never in theater. It is a dream that might never come true. But that's not a problem at all. My love for Ramprasad and Golmaal, in general, is not dependent on that.

The best comedy film ever made, and the best music and my most favorite film song ever make this film. Here I give you a pictorial review of Golmaal. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Golmaal (1979) is the story of Ramprasad Sharma.




Song: golmaal hai bhai sab golmaal hai...


Ramprasad is seedha-saada, bhola-bhaala naujawaan...


Who loves to sing and dance and...


...can't get enough of sports like all the crazy people his age do. He wakes up at odd hours just to listen to match commentary. He loves hockey, and cricket specially and soon there's going to be a hockey test match!!! Ramprasad has already started to day-dream about it.


He's also a fresh graduate which means he's jobless and is looking for some work. His Mama (uncle who grew up with his mom) has suggestions. Btw, the point to note is, his Mama is 65 and still single. ;)


Mama has a langotiya-dost Bhavani Shankar, who now owns a company and is hiring. Tada! Ramprasad is to apply there. For this, Mama makes some outrageous suggestions for the interview and what to wear. Ramprasad is outraged but still accepts it as it will earn him a living.


Ramprasad also loves to play tricks on everyone around him. On the day his college results are being declared, he makes a joke that he's failed.


Well, the day arrives when he's to go for the interview and he has to do all those crazy things that Mama suggested. Wear kurta-pyjama, put on hair oil, wear a confused look like he has no clue about anything else in the world other than his own field - accountancy.


He has never owned a kurta-pyjama so borrows it from his film artist friend - Deven. Deven is also his pal who introduces him to some of his film-star frields. Ramprasad is so fascinated!


Ramprasad arrives for the interview and he has no idea what he's getting himself into.


On meeting Bhavani Shankar, he makes up phony stories about his dad and his beliefs, ideals, and worst of all mustache (moochh)!!!


He also pretends that he doesn't know a thing about the outside world. The hiring manager is impressed and he gets hired.


He also had to bluff about why he wears short kurtas. This ends up costing him as he has to order more of those ugly looking, short kurtas that he doesn't like.


Mama also gets impressed with Ramprasad landing himself such a high-paying job and suggests that his boss has a pretty looking spinster daughter.


While all of this is going on, Ramprasad dreams about becoming Amitabh Bachchan and because if him, Amitabh turns jobless (see previous post).



Song: ek din sapne mein dekha sapna... (here's where you get a glimpse of the screenshots in my previous post too)


There's also a hockey test match coming up. His friends have gotten him tickets. They plan out how he's sneak out of work and go.


But he'd only go if he can change his work clothes before the match, else India will surely lose! :D You can see why.


After sneaking out to the match with making a false statement about his mother being sick, India actually wins the match. But everything has a price...


...Ramprasad gets caught without actually being aware of it. Bhavani Shankar was also at the match, only to find Ramprasad there too with his friends.


Ramprasad sees his future doomed with boss losing trust in him and makes up some more stories to save his job.


He lies and says that the one who was at the match was his moochh-munda (clean-shaven) twin brother, Lakshmanprasad.


Things get worse. The boss offers Lakshman a job too! A job to teach his daughter music.


Deven's help is taken yet again to resolve this issue. He makes arrangement to get a fake mustache for real Ramprasad and becomes Lakshmanprasad. Double roles - Deven plays them in films, Ramprasad in real life!


Ramprasad's evil twin Lakshmanprasad gets introduced to us.


He's cool, hip and dashing!


So goodlooking, the daughter of the boss, Urmila, falls for him.



Song: aanewala pal jaanewala hai (Ramprasad sing's Urmi's favorite song of him)


In all of this, Bhavani Shankar decides to come and meet Ramprasad's mother (who's actually been dead for years). Deven yet again helps make arragements to find a fake mother.


Bhavani Shankar asks his mother, how she differentiated between her twin boys when they were young. They make up that story also. Mother says "moochho se" (she differentiated with mustache then too) ;)


The romance blooms between two young hearts and Urmila has started to dream about Lakshmanprasad too.



Song: ek baat kahoon gar maano tum...


Then one day while Ramprasad and Urmila are out having a ball, Bhavani Shankar catches them red-handed and decides to make a trip to see Ramprasad's mother once again.


Ramprasad has a marriage proposal from his boss for his daughter Urmila!! YIKES!


He's between a rock and a hard place yet again. The boss loves Ramprasad, his daughter loves Lakshmanprasad.


The best thing about Ramprasad's life is, there's always atleast one way out. (Do you know how many times he says this dialog in the film?)


Lakshman's chapter will have to end.


Ramprasad is busy having a discussion about mustaches and beards with Bhavani Shankar.


That's when the worst happens! The mustache gives way and Bhavani Shankar gets hold of Ramprasad's fake mooch. :O


Police gets called and Ramprasad is held at gunpoint by Bhavani Shankar.


He manages to escape and hide in Urmila's room.


Urmila and Ramprasad escape in car and Bhavani Shankar chases them in another car. This one ends like this:


Ramprasad & Urmila escape from the police too and Bhavani Shankar gets to see the inside of a jail. At the end of it all, even the police officer wants a mustache, like everyone else. :P


All in all, things work out just fine for Ramprasad. He secretly gets married to Urmila and shows up at Bhavani Shankar's doorstep with everyone's support.


Bhavani Shankar gives it a thought and realizes his craziness.


And decides to let go of his own moochh too!!


Still don't believe me? Look at the closeup.


The wedding photo! :)


If you still haven't watched this film, then it means you haven't watched the best comedy film of the decade. Please go watch it ASAP! You will not regret it.

Please do share your thoughts on the film.

ps. doesn't the background of titles photo look like someone's rear? :P I just couldn't help notice.