Babetude's beauties

And so God created woman … Well, that’s name of the two movies with which French journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer Roger Vadim celebrated the beauty and sexuality of a woman. The first, more popular one made one of his very attractive wives Brigitte Bardot extremely famous.

A woman’s beauty has inspired art, poetry, films, literature and so on…

Many have maintained and believed that the female of the species is deadlier than the male and also the more attractive. The beauty of a woman has always been celebrated widely over the years.

Legend says that Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships and Cleopatra’s beauty created lots of havoc in the lives of important figures. In literature, Desdemona’s(from ‘Othello’)beauty unfortunately incited envy, enmity and destruction in the lives of many including her.

But only since the last hundred years or so have we been able to see and celebrate beauty more- thanks to the magic of the motion pictures and the revolution in technique thereafter, photography and currently more sophisticated fashion shoots with high tech cameras. Paintings, sketches and sculptures did their bit in the centuries before, but never like this.

Being a woman myself it’s a pleasure to discuss a topic of that sort on my blog today.

Shakespeare and others felt that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Actually one can say, beauty is quite a subjective thing. What may be beautiful for one mightn’t be beautiful for the other. Some people like me find someone beautiful with a reason while for most others it’s rather unexplained.

Babetude has her choices and will tell you in detail how and why she decided to give only some the honor.

Like every little girl and a teenager, I would have always liked to look up to a female role model- a truly beautiful woman.

When I was growing up in the nineties, beauty contests became a big fad in the country of my birth- India. Since then we were kind of taught that the concept of beauty is skin deep.

I remember one of the winners’ winning answers about a beautiful woman was- “She can be a loyal wife, she can be a mother and she can be a career woman."

My country's first Miss Universe’s winning answer was-"The origin of a child is a mother, that’s a woman and who shows a man what love, sharing and caring is all about.”

By the way, I must also mention here that beauty contests are no longer big and greatly anticipated in India. In fact the last Miss World from the country was crowned almost ten years back. There are lots of international cosmetic giants in the country and globalization has already happened.Most Miss India winners and contestants tend to try out acting, television and that's about it. An unfortunate one(Miss India'97) who was going through emotional problems sadly ended up killing herself six years ago. That was just terrible.

So the thinking population say that beauty contests have served their purpose in the 90s and there are hardly any more international winners. And it's been almost accepted well. The beauty contests might become big again, if there's some new path breaking development. Till then they are sure to not hold much interest in India.

Coming back to my topic of discussion, I must say that I grew up with no roles models as such. That’s why, Babetude’s very choosy about who to admire…

Of course, while calling someone beautiful, one would like to consider physical beauty. A really beautiful face has always been eye catching.

It’s said that there are certain characteristics people possess that make them beautiful, like eyes, lips and cheekbones. But it’s been seen that there’ no agreement on the importance of symmetry, as to whether all facial features should be lined up perfectly with one another or not.

A famous fashion photographer who photographed many famous good lookers once said: “There shouldn't be perfection on both sides. The symmetry should always be off. Beautiful faces are the ones that jump out at me and there is no rhyme or reason as to which ones will catch my eye. Personality adds a lot to a person's beauty.” Quite well said, I must say. But at the same, to each his own.

I give my late beloved grannie the credit for instilling in me values and helping me have a good head on my shoulders, which has stood me in good stead even today.

But for grooming and for carrying myself with class, I learned (and still am) from books, magazines, television,the web, cinema and practically during my short stint in the Indian entertainment industry.

I was a student of history with deep knowledge of the subject and realized over the years that one should talk about people who are worth talking about, who get some degree of fame.

Of course I agree that there are a few women in the real world that are beautiful inside out, who are hardly talked about. I salute them as well, but then here I can talk only about the ones I know and the world knows, right?

Quite frankly, I’m not interested in talking about the infamous lot. I only consider the ones who have more to themselves than just physical beauty and other forms of wealth they inherited. And a good body of work to show, in their careers and life as a whole.

Outward beauty, lovely features and a nice body are important but having some substance is a must too. I vote for the woman of substance who’s also beautiful on the outside. It's beauty inside out I'm talking about here.

I plan to be a mother to daughter some day soon and wish to do it totally right.Unlike me, I want my daughter to have at least one or two role models from early on which make things simpler in the growing up years. This can enable the child to later become a good role model for the generations to come. That's like creating responsible, moral and good citizens of the world.

We should always remember that our children are our future( all wise folks say that) and it's always nice if we can leave a good legacy behind as no one is going to be here forever.

Babetude also strongly admits like the few people of her kind, that there’s more to beauty than just a good face and a great body. By the way, I measure 'hotness' and 'sexyness' in a different way. Simply because I'm not a man or a lesbian who gives skewed viewpoints whenever I'm turned on by any nude/ semi nude or skanky chick, some bimbo, some opportunist low life and the like.Period.

One smart alec once said how he doesn't give a damn about a good looking woman who's brain dead or who stinks as a human being. Now that might not sound too good but that's how I feel too.

Likewise I wanted my beauties to be very good looking but with a good brain and a good heart too.

I found my beauties after years of internalizing, analyzing and so on...

They are mostly from the world of showbiz. They are the ones with name, fame, wealth, beauty of the mind and body and adulation from people but mostly importantly they knew/ know how to handle it all well, with grace and dignity. Now that's an important point since not everyone is good at handling things of that sort.

Babetude’s favorite beauty since a while now is Audrey Hepburn. This, in spite of the fact that she never considered herself to be too beautiful.

Now Hepburn was a gamine.

According to wikipedia, in the 20th century, ‘gamine’ came to mean in its more modern sense a slim, often boyish, wide-eyed young woman who is, or is perceived to be, mischievous, teasing or sexually appealing. Waif described this type of woman as well but “gamine” is often seen as conveying an additional sense of style and chic.

Now I strongly think, individual style is of utmost importance. In my work as a journo/ editor/ media person, I’ve realized that it’s very important for any woman to dress up well. It’s dressing up classy ; I’m talking about here, not dressing down and stripping and ending up looking like a skank.

Another smart guy once said that the truly sexy woman can turn anyone on with all her clothes on. I think it stands true in a big way. It always a pleasure to see a woman turn out well in public. It's an art as well, the art of dressing up.

Hepburn had an impeccable style sense which no one has outgrown as yet. Her hairstyles and the way of dressing are being copied, over and over again.

Wikipedia again says: She was a “naïveté which did not rule out sophistication” and described her as “the first gamine to be accepted as overpoweringly chic.”

In the 1950s, Edith Head designed a classic dress used in the Audrey film 'Sabrina' of which she remarked, "If it had been worn by somebody with no chic it would never have become a style”

But most important of all, she was intelligent with great knowledge of art, cinema, and the world, a good person, a great wife, a humanitarian and a great mother, very compassionate and kind. Her body of work is outstanding with memorable performances in talked about movies such as 'Roman Holiday', 'Sabrina', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'A Nun's story'.

Her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer has given many accounts of her efficiency as a mother and a person as whole in his book about her, a copy of which I was luckily gifted. It's nice to know that the proceeds for the same went to the Audrey Hepburn children's fund.

He chronicled her work as a philanthropist, how she had a difficult childhood during World War II and never forgot the same and hence dedicated a part of her life working for needy children. She also bravely faced many issues in her personal life.

Now have a look at the video where she describes the beauty of a woman. It’s taken from Sam Levenson’s "Time Tested Beauty Tips" which it’s said he wrote for his grandchild, and it became one of Audrey's favorite poems( another one was Tagore's 'Unending love') after she liked it and had read it to her children. She's often miscredited for the same as well.



Well, it all sounds very idealistic in today's tough competitive world, but Babetude proudly states that she's happy to be a fan of something of that sort.

Audrey didn't consider herself flawless but stood out (and still is standing out with a loyal fan following vouching for her goodness and class) in the crowd even with the likes of the much desired and admired contemporaries Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy around. The Hepburn legacy lives on and will live on for many years to come.

There's Esther Williams’ too whose fascinating athletic skills and strong screen presence in movies such as ‘Million Dollar Mermaid’ made her very attractive and fascinating for Babetude. The fact that she at 88/89 still looks healthy and is passionately promoting swimming and stuff related to it, is even more amazing.

Grace Kelly is another favorite classic beauty of mine. She made great movies too, especially with Alfred Hitchcock. And her style sense was amazing just like Hepburn’s. It's being written that millions of women adopted the 'Grace Kelly Look' as she possessed a style and charisma that has an enduring appeal and can be seen referenced season after season in the international fashion weeks. Some said it embodied the secret of true elegance : simplicity, beauty and functionality

But she had a fuller figure.



And when she became Princess Grace after marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco, she left her film career and her films were banned in Monaco, but took to her new life as a mother and a member of the royalty pretty well.She knew how to conduct herself with poise, class and grace( standing true to her name) and she'll always be remembered for that.



Talking of royalty, apart from the late Princess Diana who’s still admired world wide, Queen Rania of Jordan has stood out with her beauty, elegance, work in her country and abroad in various areas apart from being a mother of four.

Actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Rebecca Romijn, Monica Belluci, Diane Kruger who played Helen of Troy & followed up with many nice roles, Naomi Watts, Penelope Cruz, and Rachel Weitz have caught Babetude's attention for their beauty over the years too.

Some of them are Oscar winners and all have great work profiles, and some really made it a point to show off their mothering skills as well as their humanitarian sides in the process.

Academy award winner Halle Berry is remarkable as well. She is diabetic but still looks superbly sexy and fit in her forties. She triumphed over bad relationships to become a happy mommy today.



The extremely talented Chinese martial arts expert/ actress Zhang Ziyi who loves children and hence aspired to a kindergarten teacher, the youthful looking Latina Jessica Alba, now a yummy Mummy, singers Shakira and Norah Jones as well as tennis star Maria Sharapova also earned my praises over the years.

One of my bigger favorites however is Natalie Portman, another modern day gamine. She had a fruitful career from her childhood days('Leon' which she made as a child was simply mind blowing) and has managed it pretty well in her adult years by playing a variety of roles.

Like how an actress should, she's experimented with her looks and even went bald for the movie 'V for Vendetta'. She's very youthful and says she's all set to embrace motherhood( must say, she showed off those skills really well in 'Where the Heart is) when the time is right. She's known for her commitment to social issues as well.

This girl refused to be a part of 'Lolita' years back because she thought the idea of a man and a child together looked like 'exploitation' to her.

Now you might think, I've a thing for gamines like Hepburn, Portman and Audrey Tatau from 'The Da Vince code' who's very pretty as well. That could be right in a way as Natalie has also been called the new generation Audrey Hepburn.

It's always a big plus point when someone from the entertainment industry or anywhere for that matter doesn't let age show on her face or body for a long time. Well, it's always healthy when one treats age as just a number. And most of these woman, I mention in my post here today have/had that quality.

I must also tell you that I'm not a big fan of so called plastic surgery beauties. I prefer natural beauties any day, who aren't scared and are okay with aging gracefully in life.



Though there are many other beauties- Anne Hathaway with an lovely style sense, who many consider the new generation style icon especially after 'The Devil wears Prada' and Scarlet Johanasson,I vote for Natalie.

I think child actor turn teen star Dakota Fanning has a chance to shine bright as well in the years to come. Over the years she has shown some incredible acting skills in films such as 'I am Sam', 'Man on Fire', 'Dreamer' and 'The Secret Life of bees'. She looks like a very warm talented young girl and has the capacity to flower into a beautiful woman. Well, I felt the same about Anna Paquin who's now in her 20s. She was the second youngest Oscar winner at age 11 for 'The Piano' and did another amazing movie' Fly away Home' and still flaunts a kind of innocence.

By the way, it's not only just showbiz that my favorites come from. I also found and still find the Indian American writer who got international fame, Jhumpa Lahiri and Burmese novel prize winner,Aung San Syu Ki beautiful. They are intellectuals and have dedicated their lives to important causes.

I liked Arundhati Roy too especially when she became famous with the Booker Prize way back in 1997. At that time I was still almost a child. But her radical comments have troubled many, including me recently. Many find them insensitive.

Okay,reality is harsh but her comments about issues like the Mumbai terror attacks needed to be toned down. So I had to take her off my list.

Closer to my home turf and the Indian entertainment industry where I come from, it would be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who has been recognized internationally for her beauty.

Well, there were reports that even Julia Roberts called her the most beautiful woman in the world.

This woman proudly flaunts her devotion towards her husband and in-laws and also maintains a very successful career. Many of her contemporaries have stopped after reaching a certain age as the Indian industry is even more youth obsessed than Hollywood but Ash goes on.

There was Sharmila Tagore(from the famous Indian Tagore family) before her, who married at the height of her successful career and raised three children(Saif Ali Khan, Saba and Soha Ali Khan) who grew up to be successful in their fields. She still continued her career. Her marriage to a famous Indian cricketer has survived for more than 40 years now. Even Waheeda Rehman who was a classic beauty and still looks quite attractive in her 70S.



Amongst the younger lot in B-Town, Amrita Rao, Genelia D’ Souza and classy dresser and fashionista Sonam Kapoor seem to be on the right track. Many have argued with me saying that there are bigger stars than them to like, they are not hot enough and so on, but I've my reasons.

I think they have lots of physical beauty, have careers which earn both money and fame and yet remain very homely and connected to their roots.

By now, I'm sure you know my type. Babetude's favorite beauties are a balanced lot. An amazing and rare mix, must say.

I must mention here that yours truly was 'discovered' online from another part of the world( now that's a long story which I shall share some day in my book) and complimented greatly for her talent, goodness and for being a combo of inner and outer beauty.

But then, Babetude's someone who desires near perfection and is too modest to talk much about all that right now. She still thinks she has a long way to go, but is happy to be on the right path. Really and truly happy to be so much like her beauties!!

To Mr. Clift, with Love

That was the day my dream of many years came true.



Now let me tell you what this is all about. That's Montgomery Clift's town house in New York which I had the good fortune to visit.

I must also mention that I owe this visit to my one true love, who's also my only family and true friend in the western world. He was kind enough to take me there and understand my dream of many years and why I needed to visit the place. We both admitted later that the hunt for the place that cold evening, the long walk under the streetlights felt like an achievement as well as quite an emotional and spiritual experience in the end.

Most Monty fans would consider this a shrine. I got quite a few responses and inquiries when I posted a pic up on one site dedicated to the talented actor.

Edward Montgomery Clift was the pioneer of method acting though many like to give the more famous Marlon Brando( both Brando and Clift were from Omaha, Nebraska and were referred to as “the stardust twins” due to their similar acting methods and meteoric rise to fame) the credit. But Montyholics maintain Clift came before Brando.

As for me, while teaching myself cinema ( apart from a little course in film appreciation that I did, I used books, TV shows, DVDs and of course the internet to do the same), I bumped into ' A Place in the sun' one fine day, many years ago.

This very picture below depicts the first scene from the movie I saw- where he looks back, sees and is mesmerized by the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor.


It stayed with me for a long time and after that I explored many other films of his.

My research on Monty revealed that his work was indeed amazing and from then on I've confidently said that he is one of the most sensitive, handsome and intense actors to grace the silver screen. He was nominated for the Oscars a few times and his fans admit he should have won each time.

'From Here to Eternity' remains one of my favorite American movie of all time. And I really love it when Monty Clift as Pvt. Robert E. Lee 'Prew' Prewitt blurted out: "A man don't go his own way, he's nothing." That movie seemed to belong to Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr thanks to the romance element but Monty, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra did their part to steal the show as well. Well, many think Prew didn't prove to be smart by being stubborn, but that dialogue is special because I strongly believe in something like that- having and maintaining an individuality of one's own no matter what.

Of course, in real life it's better if you are the 'wisely stubborn' type!

Babetude thinks, this was an actor who was truly committed to his craft. He started out with broadway as a youngster and only after loads of effort on part of Hollywood filmmakers, did he agree to take up movie roles. He didn't make too many movies, but excelled in most, other prominent ones being 'The Search', 'The Heiress', Alfred Hitchcock's 'I confess', 'Judgement at Nuremberg' and even played the complicated character of Sigmund Freud in 'Freud'.

He traveled a lot from his childhood itself and spoke many( mostly European) languages. Also, many don't know the fact that apart from being a natural born actor, he was also a good photographer and pursued the art as a hobby.

His long and remarkable friendship with Liz Taylor is much talked about too. It was extra ordinary because she was married to other men and didn't really have anything romantic with him. It was just a deep bond of understanding and love. She called him, "The most gorgeous thing in the world and easily one of the best actors" and he lovingly called her Bessie Mae.

He was even said to be good with kids, though he never married and had any of his own. The fact remains that most people he knew always admitted and maintained he was an excellent human being as well

Many film lovers know him for the brooding, sensitive, working-class roles and for ending up bitter and broken just like the characters he played. Just like how it happened to the more famous ones- George Eastman in 'A place in the sun' and Prew in 'From Here to Eternity'...

It's really sad that in real life, Clift was deeply tortured and plagued by multiple issues.

A long down hill struggle especially after a horrible car accident altered his handsome appearance. My heart breaks when I read and think about what he went through. It was almost like he was punished for being different, with no real fault of his.

Another tortured soul, Marilyn Monroe who was also a friend famously said about him: "The only person I know who is in worse shape than I am." Together they had made John Huston's 'The Misfits' in 1961, which turned out to be Monroe and Clark Gable's last film as well. This is another movie which has got critical acclaim over the years for great performances.



It's being said that when he bought the very same Manhattan townhouse( pictured above) at 217 East 61st Street and became involved in renovations, he reported to a close friend that he envisioned living there someday with a wife and children. But that was never to be...

23rd July is the anniversary of the day he left the world untimely. No wonder July gives me the blues. It's been many years but Clift still has a pretty strong fan base throughout the world.

The next plan for Babetude( in the years to come but hopefully soon) is to pay homage in real life once again in Prospect Park, Brooklyn where this gifted actor rests( after doing it many times online), at 6104 Hollywood Boulevard where he has his star on the Hollywood walk of fame and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel where he stayed and practiced playing the bugle while shooting for 'From Here to Eternity.'

And someday I would also love to go to 'Happy Hawaii'( courtesy- ABBA, check the song below) where the very memorable 'From Here to Eternity' was based.


Babetude just loves giving attention to all those who deserve. For someone like Monty who unfortunately didn't get to come full circle in life despite having everything, this is the least I could do.

It was great saluting the fascinating Mr. Clift here today. Rest in peace, wherever you are, Monty.

A simple story simply told

Today, Babetude wishes to discuss something else that touched her.

Lovely lyrics, a haunting tune and the magical voice of the late great Rafi- an amazing combination... Take a look at the song...

Well,I had heard and seen this and other b/w songs from the movie 'Dosti' many times in the years gone by.

But amazing it may sound, I saw this 1964 movie only a couple of months back, many, many miles away from the country of my birth, on Zee TV USA.

And then I only recently realized how the big Trinidadian chutney hit, Rum In De Morning (Remix) - Hunter ft. Bunji Garlin and Barbie Japan KANPAI WINE (Japan, based on the TnT version, in Japanese) are based on this old song.

I agree that the movie was a little sad and the Hindi cinema haters would find it melodramatic as well. There were many melodramatic, formula type movies( where similar stories were turned around just a bit and told over and over again) made around that time.

But 'Dosti' had something about it. For a fan of old time movies like me, this sure was a simple story simply told, but in a touching way. I care more about the story itself than technique and it sure did touch a chord in my heart. It also showed reality( life isn't easy for most people but one ought not to give up) and celebrates the human spirit.

On top of that, I'm also a music lover with an ear for good music and someone who appreciates the emotional element in lyrics. The sound of harmonicas and accordions always make me feel good.

When a Gen Y gal talks like that, it seems she's too old fashioned, but I'm not shy to admit the same. In fact I'm proud of choices like that.

Well, Babetude will never feel bad to show off her emotional side and this is just the beginning...

Also I've always loved Rajshri Films' family dramas, one of them being the not very old 'Vivah'. The 'oh so perfect' idealistic couple in that movie made me wish for the same. By the way, there are still some others from the young generation( a very few though) who appreciate these ideals, though they may seem so out of the world. And that's nice.

Babetude always thinks one should never give up on his/ her roots.

Dosti was one of Rajshri Films' very first films.

The actors Sudhir Kumar and Sushil Kumar who played the characters of the two friends- one blind and the other lame, never went on to become stars but this one movie and especially the magical songs and Mohammad Rafi’s immortal voice will keep them very much alive in the minds of all classic movie lovers…

Being an inquisitive journo, Babetude wishes to know more about these two actors and what happened to them thereafter. IMDB just says one of them is still working while the other left the same in the 60s. Some felt it's a pity that these two, who could have been fine actors never really made it.

Whatever the case may be, this movie for sure will have a special something for many classic movie fans.

It makes 'Dosti'(friendship in English)look so very real. In its simple way, it celebrates a lovely deep bond and giving natures between two friends, without asking for anything in return.

Sometimes I wonder how it was in those days in real life as well. Did those things which look so unreal in today's time, really exist? I wonder if it was for real or just idealistic talk then too?

I'm saying that coz in today's super busy life, materialistic world where lots of games are being played in the name of survival, true friendship is almost non existent.

Laxmikant Pyarelal’s music from the movie will always be special and thankfully a few from today's generation seem to appreciate the same as well. That very well explains why the songs crossed boundaries and became inspirations.

Listen to another song that 'crossed over' and prove as an inspiration for another Trini chutney song-Ah Bottle Ah Rum.


And this one's my personal favorite, and a loved tune for many others whenever they feel down and out. It has very philosophical, deep and meaningful lyrics and in short asks one in a nice way, not to worry when sadness and failure hit as life's like that.



Umm...can't really get enough of the simplicity factor. Kudos.

The Original All Rounder

Hi guys, I’m so sorry about being off the radar for so long. I had loads of important personal stuff to attend to. But I do miss making my updates and shall hope and try my best to be more regular. After all, writing is a form of expression for me and makes me feel better at the end of the day!

Let’s start off by talking about a few serious things this time around. I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching in the past one year and I’ve been a lot into scripture etc too since childhood. And I love to listen to the experiences and advice of the truly wise.

Well, I’m choosy about who I would like to listen to, but by the grace of God, I have found a very few such people in recent times who have set good examples. Well, I still look more like a girl than a woman, but by now, I’m smart and wise enough to get influenced or admire only a select few that don’t just talk but also have set examples.

Mahatma Gandhi had said: “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching”. Many other wise men and philosophers have made similar comments. So it's always better to listen to the ones who practice, not just preach.

Thankfully I'm becoming a more spiritual and matured person with time. But I still have a long way to go, and wisdom and enlightenment is something which I crave for and look forward to each passing day. But don’t you worry; it's not just heavy talk time today. There will also be loads of entertaining things to talk about too!

I always keep in mind the fact that Babetude's here to entertain you. Someone wise again had said that your instinct never fails you; you are the one who fail it by refusing to listen to it.

Well, I wish I had really imbibed and practiced this saying long back. I haven’t had it easy and I kind of came up the hard way in life. The lack of guidance and mentoring was a stumbling block and so was some wrong company that was forced upon me. I wished I had known about it earlier and if I had I’m sure now that life would have much better today. Not that I’m not thankful for what God has given me. Along with realizing things, we should all be so, for multiplied blessings. Now let me give you one of my very first personal examples (there are more, some of which I shall share in my upcoming updates).

I was right all along about one of the first men I really admired in life. And he’s been quite the all- rounder in a very true sense of the term- one who balanced his career and personal life very well. As you know, that I’ve always a movie fan and so it’s but natural that he’s related to the arts.

No, I’m not talking about Ranbir Kapoor though he’s from my generation.

He sure is related to Ranbir and though he's no longer a star on the silver screen, he was and will always remain a special figure in Indian cinema.

Way back in the nineties, I saw this 70s movie ‘Aa Gale Lag Jaa’ (well, the literal translation from Hindi is ‘Come, hug me’ ) on TV.

And there was this conventionally handsome, very charming young man with chiseled features, oodles of charm singing away happily and looking comfy on screen as though he was always meant to be there. He was wooing the original sensuous beauty Sharmila Tagore with the lovely,sweet and also meaningful song- ‘Tera mujhse hai pehle ka naata koi, yuhin nahi dil lubhata koi…( literal translation- You must be related to me from before, otherwise how would u feel so close to my heart…) and romancing the camera at the same time too! Well, this very song inspired my generation’s latest heartthrob Imran Khan’s very first movie- ‘Jaane tu Jaane na’ and the song was used in the film as well.

But I really wonder how many of the youngsters really remembered Shashi Kapoor or those beautiful visuals! Yes, I’m talking about Shashi Kapoor who was my favorite Kapoor and still is. He had a fruitful career spanning many years and almost 25-26 as a leading man.

In fact once after a TV shoot, a camera assistant joked with me that I'm still stuck in some other era as I like Shashi Kapoor, while my generation has moved on to Hrithik Roshan & co. Well, not everybody has substantial reasons for liking someone. They go with the flow, while I come up with logical reasons and am analytical. And I'm proud to be different.

Shashi Kapoor came from an illustrious family of actors with Prithviraj Kapoor as his father and showman Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor as brothers. He had a lot of expectations to fulfill and he did it very well,and actually ended up with a career graph that looked even more complete. And he made sure that he always maintained a style of his own in the process!
Not that I hadn't seen any Shashi movie before.


But there was something about that one song. I still find myself humming that song... It's so very romantic and I've been a been a romantic to the core person always...

I grew up on old Bollywood movies like 'Deewar', 'Trishul','Sholay' etc as I got to see them as a kid on TV many times. I wasn't lucky enough to see them on the big screen as old movies were hardly released in theatres in the small town I come from.

Balbir Raj Kapoor( his birth name)  indeed remains a remarkable man.

At a time when words like hot and sexy weren't so much in vogue in India,he mesmerized many with his million dollar smile, conventionally handsome face, very individualistic style and panache. He was a child star who then became totally dedicated to theatre and did commercial movies with great success. He was Amitabh Bachchan’s (who luckily is still going so strong) most prolific co-star in the 70s and early eighties.

He can also be considered India’s first crossover star with Merchant- Ivory productions such as ‘The Householder’, ‘Shakespearewallah’, Bombay Talkie’ and ‘Heat and Dust'( which had powerhouse performer Julie Christie as well). He also starred in other British and American films such as ‘Pretty Polly’ opposite Hayley Mills, ‘Siddhartha’, and ‘Sammy and Rosie Get Laid’.

He even got into film production with his production house Film Valas and produced critically acclaimed films and got involved with the parallel cinema movement.


Some notable movies were ‘Junoon’,’ Kalyug’, ‘36 Chowringhee Lane’, ‘Vijeta’ and ‘Utsav’. In fact, it’s been said that in the eighties and early nineties, he lost a lot financially to make quality movies.

He looked best on screen with many a beautiful B-Town dame, for me personally Dream Girl Hema Malini and the original sexpot Sharmila Tagore, the much younger than him, young Poonam Dhillon as well as western actresses such as his real life sister-in-law Felicity Kendal( with whom he made 'Shakespearewallah' which was loosely based on his father-in-law Geoffrey Kendal's travelling theatre group Shakespeareana), Hayley Mills ( in Pretty Polly) Greta Scatchhi( In Heat and Dust) and the western  looking Nafisa Ali.Sodhi.


He was comfortably paired with Babita and Neetu Singh who later got married to his nephews Randhir and Rishi respectively. In the1980s he looked good with the then younger bunch of actresses too such as Rati Agnihotri, Poonam Dhillon( he also played her brother in ‘Trishul’) and Jaya Prada.

In fact, he played leading man, even till as late as the mid and late eighties but now that seems to be so long back. His last and most recent film appearances in 1998’s ‘Jinnah’, a biopic of Mohammed Ali Jinnah in which he was the narrator and another Merchant-Ivory production titled ‘Side Streets’ were acclaimed too. Right now, things are not the same again. Like many of his fans I was disheartened to see him change so much, more recently at the Film Fare awards this March.

Award functions don’t interest me much, but I got interested as Shashi ji (now when you give someone respect,Indians tend to add a 'ji' to his/ her name) was getting the award. It was nice of them and before that MAMI(Mumbai Academy of Moving Image)to give him the life time achievement awards which was so long overdue. But catching that up on the video on youtube was a heart wrenching moment. Looking at a one upon a time Adonis, a heartthrob of millions now confined to a wheel chair isn’t an easy task at all. :( :( Many of his fans couldn’t believe their eyes, and some said they couldn't hold back their tears.

I could see the tear in his eye and feel how much he was overwhelmed. Sometimes one really wishes, one could turn back time… And I'm one of them...

Shashi ji changed a lot after his wife of many years, English stage actress Jennifer Kendal passed awayin September 1984.He was not taking care of himself any more.

Shashi ji was not only a great professional but also a dedicated family fan. He was loyal and devoted to his wife and so was she to him. I read that she was the one who took care of his diet and helped him with his styling. The love for theatre had brought them together and they stayed together for a long time and would have forever. Someone noteworthy once said in an interview after she passed away, he became like the chubby kid once again in life. The husband and wife duo even made some memorable movies together- ‘Bombay Talkie’, ‘Junoon’ and ‘36 Chowringhee Lane.’

Together they were instrumental in reviving Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai and currently it’s the lifeblood of many theatre personalities and gives hope to new talent. Their children Kunal, Karan( who’s currently settled in the UK as a professional photographer) and Sanjna Kapoor are doing their part to take their legacy forward by actively involving themselves in the fields of cinema, theatre, ad film making, photography etc.

In B-Town talks of affairs were in vogue even then, but this Kapoor's name wasn't linked to anything like that.He later said that it's because they avoided film parties. Sanjna Kapoor also said in a interview later how her father made it a point to have breakfast with the family every morning, no matter how over worked or tired he was from the day before. So it's obvious that the ideal husband and wife duo excelled in their parenting capabilities as well.

I remember a few years back, when I went to interview veteran writer Prayag Raj who collaborated with Shashiji on movies like ‘The Householder', 'Shakespearewalla' , 'Bombay Talkie'; I told him of my wish to meet Shashi ji. He called me back a few days later to remind me and said, “You wanted to meet Shashi, right?”…Of course, I so wished and hoped to meet Shashi ji.

But somehow, thanks to me being caught up with life, difficult personal issues and  the fact that I was still a student of media,  the meeting never happened. Very, very unfortunate, I must admit.
Prayag Raj wanted to arrange an interview for a big , established name.

But I still believe it will happen someday soon. I am now learning acupressure, reflexology and learning about Dr Brian Weiss's work which helps in healing. I wish to share the same with him. And when I do meet him some day God willing, I would love to share my experiences with you.

I have followed the Indian film industry since childhood but I've hardly come across anyone copying him. From the first family of Hindi cinema, I've seen people trying to mimic the late Raj Kapoor( initially he was likened to Charlie Chaplin), Shammi Kapoor( many called him the Indian Elvis), Rishi Kapoor etc as well as Rajesh Khanna and Big B, but no one has really mimicked Shashi Kapoor...Simply because I think he had a very original style of his own which wasn't easy to just copy...

He’s contributed immensely as an actor, producer over the years. Not very long ago, I read one of his interviews where he said that quality roles in Hindi movies are quite less now and more so if you are a character actor. And that's why he's hardly seen on the screen. He was quoted saying in the interview, "It’s only service to the needy that gives you peace. In the end it is only this which will give you strength. Not your wealth not your stirring performances."
Such noble thoughts.

Even though many of us sorely miss him on screen!

It seems now he wishes to just see new talent from the industry enjoy the limelight, while he concentrates on other things closer to his heart, like charity, his family which now includes his five blessed grand children,Prithvi Theatre and preserving the memory of his late wife.

Almost like Shah Jahan preserving the memory of Mumtaz forever with Taj Mahal! No wonder, I always found this Kapoor fascinating.

With everything he does, he seems to prove that he's a truly amazing gentleman!

For Babetude, you'll always be special Shashiji.

Wish you health, happiness, peace, a long, long life and hope to hear many more wonderful stories even as the days go by.