His Majesty, Yul Brynner (The King and I)

The King and I is what it is, for Yul Brynner. I feel. For, I don't think there possibly could have been anyone as neat a fit for the shoes of King Mongkut Of Siam. Yul Brynner fits the role to the T. He is handsome. He is funny. He exudes a royal aura. And his intense eyes... Sigh!!! Not to mention his perfect Siamese accent, his adorable English language faux pas, his cutely reprimanding behaviour and his entertaining obstinacy!!!
He is a study in contrasts, this king, in the 1956 hugely popular Rodgers and Hammerstein production. Here's how. The king's repartee is full of malapropism. But, our king is supremely confident of what he says. So, when he sings, What a puzzlement, he is but projecting his ignorance in a lovingly humourous way. Really, how on earth is one expected to learn if every English book says different things on one topic??? Really...

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Why old films?

I have to tell what I felt when I saw Shammi Kapoor lipsyncing to Tumsa Nahin Dekha. What I felt when he as Anil Kumar Sona said, "My my, too many things for a little girl like you." This scene from the thrilling Teesri Manzil, featuring the coolest Kapoor, curvaceous Asha Parekh and a hilarious fat somebody, is a definite rewind when I play the cult classic. It's like I roll my eyes, and my tongue, when the protagonists bombard against each other, a definitive foreplay to two and a half hours of cinematic pleasure. Catchy story, compelling performances and mindblowing music from Panchamda, this Vijay Anand classic is one reminder why I love old films. Because, they are lovable and they remind me of my father: the umpteen hours both of us spent watching classics and later discussing them and tch-tching on how they don't make films like that anymore.
Yes, they don't. Where have all the Mary Poppins gone? Where are films like Gene Kelly's Singing in the Rain? Or maybe, The Sound of Music? Why doesn't anyone look oh-so-romantic like Yul Brenner in The King & I? Where have all of them gone?
No, Shammi Kapoor is not my only favourite. And, Asha Parekh is just one of them who I love smiling at. There is a whole gamut of actors, lyricists, directors and musicians. The constellation that made old films such a spectacular universe. But yes, Shammi Kapoor, the dancing prince, has yahooed his way in my heart! But my heart is quite roomy and there is place for more talents.
There is a joy, a connect I have with old films-both Hindi and English. Something that makes me feel with them, for them. Something that draws me to them. It's too small a life, I feel, to fit all those great films that were made during the golden years of the Hindi and English film industry. But till there's time, I'm here to see and love them all. Well, love not maybe, but watch. And watch well. Therefore, read on then...