Old time Rock 'n' Roll: The love affair continues...

Listening to rock 'n' roll is indeed a joy. When I'm blue, or feel a little down, it's music that elevates my mood. And if it's old time rock 'n' roll,the effect is rea; fast. And how can any such write up be complete without Elvis, the king of rock 'n' roll. He was someone who defined 'rock n roll' as a musical genre and also made it a big part of youth culture.
The king is regarded as one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, back beat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues alongside guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. His fame has transcended generations and crossed boundaries.


At the age of 21, he became one of the most popular persons of the world. Even many who don't know American showbiz as such, know Elvis. I for one, as a child growing up in a small town knew very little about Hollywood, but knew Elvis pretty well. The legacy lives on...
There were many others who came, saw and conquered.
Check out more from the oldie goldie collection...
I must always admit that it was the Richard Valenzuela better known as Ritchie Valens' biopic La Bamba which I only saw not too long agoin TV, that got me stuck even more on rock n roll. Lou Diamond Philips did a wonderful job as a debutante. I've shed many tears every time I have watched the movie 'La Bamba'. Here was the story of an incredible teenager who achieved a lot but left every thing too early...

He was wise beyond his years. The support of his mother and love but also resentment(rising out of jealousy)of his half brother Bob is well portrayed. This youngster was different from his brother and the others. While other teenagers were seeking fun, he wanted to compose, write songs, be a star and really, truly love his girl Donna. This real life Valenzuela family fully supported that movie. Bob Morales and Connie Valenzuela came to the set to help the actors portray their characters correctly, and Connie makes an appearance as an older lady sitting next to Ritchie at the family's first party.

Lou Diamond Philips bonded greatly with the Valenzuelas and, at one point, actually became Ritchie to them. There was an incident when the actors began shooting for the final fatal scene and started boarding the plane. The scene was interrupted by Connie Lemos, Ritchie's real life sister who was only six years old when the accident happened. She hysterically tried to keep Phillips from boarding the plane. She was heard shouting, "Don't go Ritchie!

Please don't get on the plane! Why did you have to die?" Later she admitted she realized at that moment that she never fully accepted her brother's death.Of course it was a very hard thing to accept when the brother was just 17 years old and had just become a star...

Even Buddy Holly's wife(who was pregnant at that time) later admitted that if she was around that day she would never have let him get on that airplane. Wonder what would have been, if it was so... If that would have actually happened, the rock 'n' roll scene would have been different today.
The legacy truly lives on, thanks to the lasting power of the music and the true blue fans!

Babetude loves Rock 'n' Roll

I've liked entertainment stuff from the 50s and the 60s so much that some have said that I'm born in the wrong era. Well, the passion is really intense and for a long time now. I've really wanted to time travel too and go back in time. So I don't really blame them.

Or maybe I was a rock n roll star, an actor or artiste in Hollywood in my previous birth.

Well, it could be you know, considering the undying passion since childhood, despite being born in a small town, somewhere close to the Far East, a little over two decades ago... Hey, now don't tell me that I'm freaking you out guys. Just telling you all, what I feel sometimes:-)

I must tell you all that rock n roll just turns me on anytime, anyhwere.

I love to dance. I've done some Hindi film style dance and some Latin which I'm supposed to pursue further. But I do the twist and all sorts of retro steps even better.I love retro outfits.

Elvis,Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens et al- their music still rocks bigtime for me. I've never been a big fan of pop,hip hop or hard rock. And I'm mighty sure it's not so just for me.There are many others who feel the same about old school rock 'n' roll and there are enogh reasons for that.

The older folks would definitely still appreciate the music always for the nostalgia factor...


Elvis was indeed the king. A good actor- performer and a true blue entertainer.

Now listen to this lovely Buddy Holly song and you'll know what I mean. His talent was nipped in the bud but his legend lives on.Kudos.


When he was with his band members, they supported him really well. It's been more than 50 years since Holly left the world, but there are still many die hard fans who say that his music will make him live forever.

Then there was this super talented youngster Richard Steven Valenzuela better known as Ritchie Valens.

He hadn't lost his baby fat yet and was still in high school but destiny made him a huge star who could use his God given talent at a very young age. His raw beautiful voice sounded so honest, so deep, so true at an age when there weren't many ways to technically correct voices.

This guy's recording career lasted only eight months but he scored several hits during the period. He was an accomplished singer and guitarist who despite being left-handed, mastered the traditionally right-handed version of the instrument thanks to his eagerness.

He was really special in many other ways too. Here was a guy who was just a teenager but who knew how to truely love a woman. Check out the song 'O Donna' which was written and performed for his real life girlfriend Donna Fox. She's still known as Ritche's Donna and her personalized license plate reads "ODONNA".

The song and the lyrics beautifully bring out his talent and the earnesty in his voice.

And this was the guy who also made "La Bamba" popular. Now this was originally a Mexican folk song that he transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became an instant hit and still is.

Here it from the pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement...


The movie La Bamba with Lou Diamond Philips( in his best role ever) chronicles this talented musician's life well and also talks about his mother's encouraging role in his career.


February 3, 1959, was a black day in the history of music, a day that took away three great musicians- Valens, The Big Bopper and Holly. It also reportedly led to the gradual decline of rock n roll( though the die hard fans keep it very much alive!)

It's said fans lined the streets and cried for days.

Don McLean with his popular ballad "American Pie" later immortalized February 3 the saddest day in rock history as "The Day the Music Died".

Don was then a young boy and a newspaper delivery boy.
Later he wrote:

"A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride(ref: Holly's widow María Elena Holly)
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the Book of Love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock n' roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow...
"

Well, the real fans of rock n roll did do their bit well!

A poet, but only for a while...

India's biggest male star Amitabh Bacchhan is able to bring meaning to this very beautiful song. The fact that his father the late Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a famous Hindi poet, probably helped him to do some nice poetic roles of his career.


Well, the song was sung by the very talented and evergreen singer Mukesh, but Mr Bachchan has truely performed well here.

Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon,pal do pal meri kahaani hai, pal do pal meri hasti hai, pal do pal meri jawani hai...

By the way,the poet, the very talented Sahir Ludhianvi should get a lot of credit here as he is the man who wrote the beautiful Urdu words which Mr Bachchan is seen using to emote in the visuals.

He's basically saying that he's a poet,but his story, his existence, his youth will last only for a while.

Umm...quite wisely said.

Check out the translation...

I'm a poet only for a moment or two...

My story is only for a moment or two

My existence, whole being is only for a moment or two

My youth is only for a moment or two

Many poets came before me, and then departed;

Some went sighing, And some went singing songs.

They were only the story of a moment in time; I too am only the story of a moment.

Tomorrow I will be separated from you, But for today, I'm a part of you. I'm a poet of a moment or two, not more.

Tomorrow new songs will arrive, Fresh blossoms will be plucked.

There will be better storytellers than me,

And better listeners than you.

Tomorrow, someone might remember me;

But why should anyone remember me?

For my sake, Why Should This Busy World Waste Its Time?

I'm A Poet Only For A Moment Or Two

Babetude also like some another Mukesh song Ek din bik jayega maati ke mol which asks the listeners to leave a legacy behind...


Ek din bik jaaegaa, maatii ke mol jag mein rah jaaenge, pyaare tere bol duuje ke hothon ko, dekar apane giit koii nishaanii chhod, phir duniyaa se Dol ik din bik jaayegaa maati ke mol

And the meaning of the same is:

A day will come when you will get sold for the price of clay. All that will be left in the world will be what you have said. So, give your songs to someone's lips. Leave a mark, then leave this world.

Wow,giving people a reality check and great advice,but packaging it as a wonderful song. Very intelligent, must say.

Babetude admires the poets, philosophers and the truely wise who always ended up finding the true meaning of things all the time. And things just turn out to be almost universal then and now.

Like how I said in my previous posts,we only seem to realise things as we turn a little older and a little wiser.

Babetude personally is very happy that she's getting enlightened in her 20s itself, rather then waiting to be so in her 30s and 40s. In fact if it was sooner than that, it would have been better.

Looking forward to the times to come to learn even more, but definitely not the hard way, again!

The sooner you get wisdom the better it is. Drifting makes no sense and wisdom gives one clarity, direction and better choices. Period.

Babetude Wonders...

Now you might think what makes me wonder. Actually right now, it's the very talented Chris Isaak's song with the same name...




When I was younger I believed, that dreams came true.
Now I wonder.
Cause' I've seen much more dark skies, than blue.
Now I wonder.

I keep on praying for a blue sky, I keep on searching through the rain.
I keep on thinking of the good times, will they ever come again?
Now I wonder.
Now I wonder.

I keep on praying for a blue sky, I keep on searching through the rain.
I keep on thinking of the good times, will they ever come again?
Now I wonder.
Now I wonder.

When I was younger I believed, that I could win.
Now I wonder.
There was a time when you and I, walked hand & hand.
Now I wonder.

I keep on searching for the old me, I keep on thinking I can change.
I keep on hoping for a new day, will I ever feel the same?
Now I wonder.
Oh I wonder.
Now I wonder.



This is soul stirring and seems so very real and touching.

The talented man must have really expressed from his heart, as he sat down to pen these lyrics one fine day and later perform the song with his amazing and expressive voice.

I never liked the cover versions of the same as none can beat the original.

Chris Isaak had many more great songs, but this is my personal favorite.

The song rings true, especially now.

Well, when one is a child(the best times for anyone)one can never understand and feel the depth of these words. One is too young, naive and innocent to understand the reality of life, see the true picture of things.

Now this must have come out in the 90s and I really didn’t notice it until now.

Quite late, huh!

But very natural, since then I too was quite the little girl, not growing up fast( I wish I had) - immature, childish and the big dreamer.

Interestingly I have known the 13 year old Salma Hayek- Mathhew Perry film 'Fools Rush in' for a while now. But I just bumped into it while channel surfing only recently and viewed it.

The movie is alright and it’s actually the song which has been used in the movie touched me far more.

It made me like Chris Isaak all over again.

With his quality voice and the lyrics, he makes it sound even more poignant.

I'm sure I'm not alone. Many others(I’m omitting the lucky few here that have had it very easy in life)who have come up the hard way must have felt the same at some points in their lives.

Just after you grow up a bit and become a teenager, the struggle sets in...

A struggle to make things happen, encountering realities of the world, facing both personal and professional situations, some not very kind folks trying to cut you down without any rhyme or reason (actually it only seems so, but they have the reasons -envy, jealousy, competition, whatever they would call it),losing people you care about and loved, lack of emotional support or people who you thought were your own letting you down or hurt by people you felt were your friends, used for selfish reasons, harmed by the ones who you never thought could do so knowingly or unknowingly, unfortunate, painful happenings in life and so on.

Phew,the list is almost endless...

Life isn’t at all a bad of roses for most people. There are many reasons to get disillusioned especially when dreams break. Sometimes I really wish life was a little simpler…

There would be days when one feels totally hopeless, blue, and down and out. At times such as these, the song would sound true but be a solace as well because it also tells you that you are not alone in this. In fact its subtlety and sweetness can actually cheer you up.

When one's going through a low phase or physically, emotionally, financially weak, it seems some rejoice or try to kick him/ her down even further, walk all over him/her.

So it's always better to pray and try to be strong always.

Actually it would have been better if everyone just tried to do his/ her duties, concentrating on his/ her individual space, being happy there, rather than making things difficult for others. Be constructive and progressive without interfering negatively in others lives.

But then, things were, are and will not be that simple and idealistic. It’s always been so and some things are not within one’s control. How some things happen, you never really know…

Yeah guys, when you are little you mostly don’t realize all this and you are so very happy. But the age of innocence comes to an end fast. And that’s the reality of life.

There was this girl from my small town whom I knew as a kid and we were kind of close for a while. She once told me not very long ago that life didn’t give her the opportunity to work after marriage.

Well, actually she didn’t go out into the world( I wanted her to accompany me), experience the city life, slog it out and try to have a professional life. She remained the protected little girl at home, looked after by her mother. Yet she faced many other personal issues and traumas (her mom couldn’t protect her from the same)and today has regrets.

I’ve seen and heard of a few others as well and some admitted to the same too. And I've read enough history including film & entertainment history, seen movies and observed current situations to know what even the rich, the famous, the celebs went/ go through.

My mother who feels she couldn’t realize her full potential in life, said how when one ages, one’s hopes slowly die when things don’t turn out the way one plans.

It sounds negative, but that’s the truth.

There are some mysteries in the world which remain unexplained.

I like to think a lot and that's why such topics keep coming up in my posts. There was a time when my mother used to chide me for being too much of a thinker and a dreamer. Well, now I guess she understands a bit.

Victor Hugo, novelist and dramatist said, "A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor". So thinking is important along with doing things. "Think before you speak, look before you leap"- the old adage is wise and worth practicing too.

We just have to keep the hope alive and the spirits up,whatever the situation might be. Listening to all those who matter and who are worth following, things worth doing can help to heal, to overcome a sad situation. It's easier said than done and it's always up to the person involved.

You got to fight it out and be a survivor and winner.

So don’t think I’m depressing you guys.

Face the realities, keep the faith and don’t ever give up. I know I'm sounding preachy, it's cliché, yet so very true…

Musical, lyrical, poetic…

India is celebrating her 63rd Independence Day.

Well, like every year(especially so in more recent years)there’s been a lot of talk about the country’s economic growth and development in other sectors.

It’s nice to read and hear the nice things being said and discussed. Especially so, when the wonderful stuff is being said about the country of my birth by the non Indians too, so many miles away from home.

There sure is a lot of growth. But then what about the never ending socio-economic problems as well which haven't decreased as such, in all these years? Poverty, unemployment, the disparity between the rich and the poor, etc is still there. I believe it could have been better. Gandhi and his ideals are still being talked about and were inspirations for others around the world, notably Rev Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela( I just got reminded of the same!). But had Gandhi’s ideals been really imbibed by many more in the country whose freedom he brought about, rather than just a few, things sure would indeed have been much better!

Anyway, I won’t get into too much of a heavy discussion of that kind.Simply because I like to talk more about the lighter stuff.

Babetude is going down memory lane as well. But as you know I'm not political.

I would love to talk about and be proud today of Hindi film music since it’s been so popular since the inception of the movie industry. Such is its popularity that pop music and non film music hardly had a market in India.

I also got a recent opportunity to discuss Indian music and movies with a media personality, respected, knowledgeable and totally passionate about art of this kind in the western world. He's taught himself the same in a place where it has limited fans and that's so very amazing. Some people really are incredible!

So today I feel like talking about music...

A struggling music director in Mumbai once told me, becoming a musician is more difficult than becoming an actor. That’s right in a way, as it’s a God given talent which one needs to nurture, develop and one ought to get lucky as well- the music should click with a wide range of listeners! And while the actors took the cake, and got the accolades,became more popular, the singers, the music directors, lyricists and even the directors remained in the back ground and became pillars of their success.

A few interesting Indian films are being churned out very year and it’s good to know that some film makers are trying to make their movies according to the tastes of the international audience- shorter, crisper and more real. And that suits the tastes of the fast moving new generation as well. Many over the years have found our unrelated song sequences and running around trees rather funny. So much so that, somebody once pointed out, “Why are all Indian films musicals?”

Guess it started because music is the lifeblood of Indian culture. Romancing and emoting was associated with music. Singing, dancing and so on...

Thankfully some Indian movies have gotten better and not every film is a formula film where the same story is being told over and over again with some twists and turns.

Also considering the state of film music right now, it’s okay if songs are omitted out in most films.

Techno sounds, unbearable nasal tones, loud beats which could almost damage people’s ear drums, making one feel like banging one's head against the wall, meaningless Hinglish lyrics...

Okay, some of them are foot tapping and can be used to shake a leg or two.

But the fact remains that the compositions have zero staying power. It's easy to forget them a few months after release.

Plus there's the plagiarism, blatantly and shamelessly in the open.

And on top of that, some of them think they can impress all of us by turning westernized!

Hello, wake up guys! Not everyone can be fooled. It's better if you stick to your culture, just like A.R Rahman who's original, versatile and deserving Oscar and Grammy winner.

Gosh, no wonder even younger music lovers like to get away and listen to the oldie-goldies!

And they are far more popular out of the country too, the way true blue fans remember them.

Someone knowledgeable said that the best times for Hindi film music were the 50s to the mid 80s.

Currently the poetry is almost out of the picture, except for a few songs written by the stalwarts- Javed Akhtar, Gulzar and the talented Prasoon Joshi and composed by A.R Rahman and some others.

Take a look at the song( video below). The singer (Kishore Kumar here, one of the best voices from the film music scene) celebrates his love and his love interest comparing it with colors of nature, the beauty of dreams, in fact all things beautiful and so on. He's totally lost in love and his love he says is true, pure, beautiful, and transcends anything material. One lifetime is not enough to enjoy this kind of love. The movie was aptly called 'Prem Pujari'(worshiper of love)!


Idealistic but will always stand out as a wonderful song. Ably supported by the music director and the lyricist of course, who’s a wonderful poet.

This other song( video below) talks about the reality in most people’s lives.
Time just flies and a moment once gone by, will never come back, no matter what. The journey of life is like that.

Before one realises, tables turn and things change. If one has regrets, one has to live with them forever.With his heart touching rendition( Kishore Kumar again),it seems as though the singer is reminding one of the reality- do the right things at the right time, especially in your adult life, to avoid regret and repentance.

Someone rightly commented when he said that in those days it seems that the songs told a story of their own.

Urdu is another great language and it helped to bring out the beauty in most Hindi film songs.


Well, the two actors in the videos- Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna were lucky enough to get the best songs in the industry during that time. They owe quite a bit of their success to the musical figures behind the songs. It’s another matter though that they are no longer associated with anything remotely close to what they once achieved.

That's for it today. I'll be back again soon to talk about something meaningful! Till then, ciao.

When Babetude met Big W!

Now this happened almost four and a half years ago, but I must say, it will always remain a memorable experience of my life.

I might be from the entertainment industry but not star stuck in any way. But even after all the growing up I did in the last few years, this experience feels remarkable. Well, that alone goes on to show it was something special. After all, Babetude only roots for the special stuff.

I wasn't an experienced journo then, but I made sure I did my job well and also enjoy it up, close and personal.

Well, I’m calling him Big W here because this is what he christened himself that day.

He had said: ""The first Hindi film that I saw was ‘Sarkar’ and I was blown away by the Big B (Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan). I want to be known as Big W from today..."

Yeah guys, if you haven’t guessed it as yet, it’s Will Smith, I’m talking about.

He’d come to Mumbai to launch the English movie channel PIX, a presentation of Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India in February of 2006.

I was writing and researching for a few Sony India TV shows and given my knowledge of Hollywood, I was asked to do a complete coverage. I’d to frame the questions, help my reporter friend and thankfully it turned out to be a pretty neat job.
My colleagues had to admit the same too! Some days turn out to be really good, right?

The press conference was at the Taj Mahal Hotel which almost two years later would be attacked by terrorists during the infamous Mumbai carnage of 2008. Even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would stay in the same hotel later that year while shooting for ‘A Mighty Heart’.

A sad co-incidence but thankfully the hotel has been rebuilt and the damages taken care of…

Talking of the presscon, there was of course a mad rush and not surprisingly the room was almost crowded. Thankfully I and my crew got some of the front seats and it was worth it.

The born entertainer was entertaining with a capital E and completely at ease with the media contingent. He made sure he kept us all charmed and captivated with his appeal and wit.


He had talked in length about Indian actress Aishwarya Rai, how his film ‘Hitch’ was offered to her, but she was filming ‘Bride and Prejudice’ and it didn’t happen. He’d said, “She’s quite well known in our part of the world. She’s so smart, beautiful and she has a powerful energy around her. She doesn’t have to say anything, [or] do anything; just stand there. I’m here to make any movie she wants to make.” Interestingly when he was asked what things he would do if he were to be the President of the United States for a day, he had remarked wittily, “I would immediately give Aishwarya Rai US citizenship!”

I later heard that she did meet him at a film awards function later during his visit, where he was the presenter.

But unfortunately even after this and many talks between the two parties later, a movie with the two never materialized.

Ash got caught up with managing her marriage and career, thereby breaking the dreams of the Indian fans who would have liked to see her in a true blue Hollywood film!Some are still hoping, but no one can tell for sure whether it would become a reality or not.

He also talked about his long relationship with Sony Pictures thanks to the MIB Films, Bad Boys movies etc and how they were like a family to him and how when he got the opportunity to visit India and launch the channel, he saw it as a prospect to make Hollywood more popular in the country.

I can't say about Hollywood as a whole, but he sure made himself even more popular with the crowd that day. His aura was amazing; and he knew how to ensure there were many smiles and lots of laughter.

Here was an actor, one of Hollywood’s highest paid stars, standing in front of us, totally modest and grounded. He joked with the crowd and did the ‘jiggy’ with the reporters. He even distributed hugs, making the whole situation humorous.

He had said: "I think my best performance to date was ‘Ali’. My next release will be ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, which will be released towards the end of the year. My seven-year-old son is acting in it too. I think we have both done a great job in the movie."

This very movie had gone on to win a lot of critical acclaim, awards and nominations.

After hearing many good things about it over the last few years, I only got to see it on TV recently (I know I should have done that earlier but didn’t really get the chance) and the memories of that event just flooded back…

Well, that was quite a day. I saw him again at the party thrown in his honor at the poolside of a suburban hotel that very evening. Double whammy of the best kind!

Later I also went on to recount the whole experience for an American website( filmstew.com) for which I was freelancing. This very article was proudly circulated till as late as last year by one of my well wishers. I don't blame him. It was really so good!

Yours truely loves to flaunt the article about the same too!

Like most people, celebs or otherwise, Smith had made it a a point to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, one of the seven wonders of the world with son Jaden and entourage. He had said, "We drove to The Taj Mahal from Delhi. I felt an instant connection. Walking around there, I understood why Shah Jahan built the Taj. I understood the kind of love and passion he had for his wife. In my property in LA, I have something dedicated to the love of my wife. I thought to myself - I’m Shah Jahan."

Things of this sort just goes on to show that not only did Big W develop a wonderful career; in the process he made sure he’s a great family man too.

I think by now you guys know that Babetude has a soft corner for the few who balance it out so well in life.

Jaden was younger then and waiting for his big launch. Not surprisingly he didn’t make any media appearances. Today it’s nice to see Jaden flower into a big ‘little’ star himself.

Apart from enjoying his cute acting in ‘ A Pursuit of Happyness’, I checked out ‘The Day the earth stood still’ and the recent ‘ The Karate Kid’/'The Kung Fu Kid'. Like many wise 'film forecasters', I can see that Jaden has the trappings of a super star. He’s very likely to do better in the years to come. Must say, he owes a lot of that to his great dad and mum Jada as well.

And big daddy Will is a proud man too. I'm not a parent yet, but I know it feels really good when one's offspring, someone you mentor, goes on to shine so bright.

I had interviewed a mom of a recent Indian superstar (Shahid Kapur,if you would like to know his name) once and she had said what a heartwarming feeling it was for her to see her son do so well in life.


As for the movie itself, I too think Will Smith really did full justice to the role and the movie.

The amazingly true and inspirational story of a father (Chris Gardener who became a self made millionaire in real life) trying to have a better life, struggling against all odds, trying to make sure he kept his vow of being a good father, never giving up and losing his spirit is very, very fascinating.

Well, I too feel that there was no one better than a compassionate actor like Will Smith who connects with the audience to play a role like that.

And some of his narrations( Smith as Chris Gardener) from the movie just stayed with me. They were so deeply philosophical.

“I met my father for the first time when I was 28 years old. I made up my mind that when I had children, my children were going to know who their father was.”

“It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?”



“You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.”

Things of that sort really touch me. No wonder, I was so impressed.

Well, after enjoying ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ thoroughly, I must admit I feel even more proud to have met Big W. I’m so glad it happened.

That’s it for today. My next post will be of the philosophical type as I've thinking a lot these days. Good, wise and deep things of course!

And please don't worry, it's going to be entertaining as well. So you guys can very well look forward to it. Till then, take care and be blessed.

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!!