KISSING: BOLLYWOOD VS. HOLLYWOOD

This past weekend I listened to Thom Ernst, a guest on Fresh Air to talk about memorable Hollywood kisses.  Together with another incident this past year it inspired me to do a little research into kissing in both Hollywood and Bollywood.


This is one cultural clash that has been clearly won by Hollywood, but I was a bit surprised to learn that Hollywood has had restrictions as well.

Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman  in "Notorious" were directed by Alfred Hitchcock who wanted to challenge a 3 second rule.  Each kiss lasted only the allowable 3 seconds, but carried on for a full 3 minutes.  "Lady and the Tramp" aimed at more of a family audience got a surprise kiss when the two dogs slurped at a spaghetti from opposite ends.  "Planet of the Apes" had an inter species kiss from Charlton Heston to a costumed ape.  Thom recognized another breakthrough in "In and Out" between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck. in 1997.  "From Here to Eternity" had Thom's top choice with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr and I remember seeing the movie first as a student and had to read the book.  The novel was a lot more graphic and I realized the kissing was symbolic of a more sensual event, but had added suspense by their obliviousness on an open beach.

Researching brought my attention to other memorable kisses such as in "Gone with The Wind" (Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh) and "Casablanca" (Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman) and more recently "Spiderman" (Tobey Maguire, upside down with Kirsten Dunst).  A big breakthrough was with "Brokeback Mountain" (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger).

Kissing has pretty well been settled in Hollywood and we wouldn't think much of a romance without some kissing and if they are trying to make a point they need a passionate kiss.  Going beyond that in Hollywood nowadays is fairly normal, but not part of this blog.

Bollywood had its first kiss back in 1933 and it was for four minutes in a movie called  "Karma"  Subsequently the moral authorities tightened up and on the lip kisses disappeared.  However film makers found ways to work around it.  Kissing on the lips was avoided, but kissing occurred on the back, neck, cheek and even navel.  Women were scantily clad and allowed very suggestive dancing, but some authorities felt "lip lock" was too intimate for public viewing.  Sometimes the imagination is triggered whereas in Hollywood and more so in Europe sex was more explicit.

The three popular Khans are at three different stages in this saga.  Aamir Khan has made it a point to kiss each of his leading ladies since the 1990's.  Shah Rukh Khan avoided lip kissing I am told out of respect for his wife.  His personal life would make an interesting movie as he married across religious lines.  He broke the kissing barrier with Katrina Kaif at the request of Yash Chopra in the director's last movie, "Jab Tak Hal Jaan" released in 2012.  Salman Khan (who used to live with Katrina) has never kissed on the lips on screen. These are all macho, romantic super stars with a touch of sensitivity.

Two Bollywood women have suffered some consequences.  Aishawarya Rai who had turned down American films that wanted her kissing.  She decided she needed to have a breakthrough and chose 2006 with Hrithik Roshan, who is noted as one of the best kissers.  She was threatened with legal action, but in the end has kissed in several movies for both Bollywood and Hollywood.

Shilpa Shetty greeted Richard Gere at an Aids fund raiser in India and he kissed her in public.  This led to media bashing.  She was detained at the Mumbai airport.

A recent movie released in 2013, "Table No 21" set in modern times had a scene where a couple in a reality game show were expected to kiss in public and there was a real hesitation.  The movie had a hidden agenda that was based on public humiliation and the kiss was just leading up to more hurtful pranks.

India is still known for families attending movies together including young kids and grandma.  How- ever it is becoming more common for young dating or married couples to attend movie theatres and they expect more realism.  Romance is still one of the biggest draws, although it competes against violence.

I think kissing is becoming more popular in Hollywood and Bollywood and it is good for everyone.  I hope you all get your share of Valentine goodies.

WHAT IS A BOLLYWOOD JODI?

In honour of the IIFA awards this evening I would like to offer a new Bollywood item.

A jodi is simply the couple in a romantic movie. For those of us who can get obsessed with Bollywood, a jodi is something we consider in evaluating any movie we have seen or ones we anticipate.

Hollywood over its history has often touted couples as a dynamic component of a movie to hype up your interest. An old one is Spencer Tracey and Katherine Hepburn. Not quite so old might be Doris Day and Rock Hudson. A more modern one might be Brad Pitt and Angela Jolie. The idea of course is that they are such glamorous and sexy people and their chemistry will light up the screen. Many couplings are picked for their individual popularity and budget, but some combinations really do add interest to the movie.

In Bollywood the concept is more intense and fans develop their own favorite jodis. I haven't seen that many Bollywood movies so my thoughts are mostly for the last 15 years or so. In reality there are too many to note in a short blog.

Some of my favorite jodis form around the male star Shah Rukh Khan. In 1995 he made his mark opposite Kajol in "Diwale Duhania le Jayenge" that was one of the most ground breaking movies. They went onto "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" that spanned a longer period of time and showed Shah Rukh as a father for the first time and Kajol transposes herself from a tomboy to someone more glamorous. Still another popular movie where they run off together against his father's wishes was "Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Gham."    More recently "My Name is Khan" saw them together again, this time with Shah Rukh playing someone with Asperger's and a lot of persistence to win the heart of Kajol and then after some historical changes forced to redeem his love.

Earlier in his career Shah Rukh had a jodi with Juhi Chawla which is worth recalling as the two afterwards formed business relations for both movie productions and cricket. Most of their movies together were comedies and they played off each other very well. Ones that I recall were "Yes, Boss"; "One Ka 2 Ka 4" ; and more recently "Boothnath" which was considered a special appearance by Shah Rukh. Juhi made an interesting special appearance at the very end of "Kabhi haan Kabhi Naa" where Shah Rukh had lost the girl, but as the narrator said he didn't get discouraged and Juhi appears magically and you can sense this would be the match meant to be.

Another favorite jodi is Shah Rukh and Rani Mukerji. It is amazing how in movies the jodi can be configured in different ways. In "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", Rani is Shah Rukh's first real love, but her death and letters to her daughter are what spark his pursuit of Kajol.  In "Khabie Khushie Kabhie Gham" she is actually rejected by Shah Rukh in his pursuit again of Kajol, but takes it in good spirits. They come together in" Chalte Chalte" in an poor boy/rich girl mix that is realistic in the sense that they are quarreling even at the end.  Another favorite is "Paheli" where Shah Rukh plays both a cuckolded husband and a ghost who wins Rani's heart.

Again Shah Rukh picks the ladies I like. Preity Zinta. I first saw the pairing with one of my first Bollywood movies," Kal Ho Na Ho."  It turned out to be a love triangle with lots of misunderstandings. Shah Rukh won her heart, but pushed her to another hero, Saif Ali Khan. Ironically in another heavy movie, "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" they start out married while Shah Rukh falls in love with Rani and they start an adulterous affair. In "Veer-Zaara" Shah Rukh spends years in jail to be reunited with Preity in his old age and only due to the efforts of Rani Mukerji playing a lawyer.

One other jodi for Shah Rukh is worth mentioning. Asoka was a big epic historial movie where he paired with Kareena Kapoor. In another movie she played Kajol's younger sister. "Ra One", a movie portraying Shah Rukh as a super hero to come out later this year with Kareena playing the leading lady and they are also filming together in another movie Angoor due in 2012.

Aamir Khan is considered a more serious actor and he broke with tradition in pretty well always actually kissing his jodi partner. He has paired up with Juhi Chawla in a movie that proved a big breakthrough for him," Qayamat Se Qayamet Tak" in 1988. He formed a a strong jodi with Preity Zinta in "Dil Chata Hai."  In one of his biggest pictures, "3 Idiots" he teamed up with Kareena Kapoor to very good effect. One of my favorite pairing was with newcomer (to Bollywood) Asin in "Ghajini."  I am looking forward to her pairing up with Shah Rukh Khan sometime in the next two years.

A younger jodi was Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. I didn't really appreciate either one of them until "Jab We Met." They were real lovers when this was filmed after having performed together in a few others. It is one of my favorite romantic films, partly because they did have that chemistry. Both are exceptional dancers and the music helped the cause.

Recent news might heighten interest in another jodi--this time an actual husband and wife. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Her pregnancy was announced just a short time ago. Their wedding in 2007 apparently was one of the biggest deals in India. She was a former Miss World in 1994 and has been seen in a few American movies and he is the son of a Amitabh and Jaya Bhaduri, reigning Bollywood couple. Abhishek appeared in "Kuch Naa Kaho." they have done "Guru" and "Raavan" and "Sarkar Raj" together.

Perhaps the top Bollywood male dancer is Hrithik Roshan and he has participated in a few winning jodis. One partner was Aishwarya Rai in "Jodhaa Akbar" and lately "Guzzarich."  He also paired with Preity Zinta in Lakshya. I will be looking for another one with this jodi "Koi Mil Gaya."    One of his jodis I didn't like was with Kareena Kapoor, but they have both matured since then.

In closing--this is not a typical jodi, but one of the most spectacular casting of all time and all cultures was Amitabh playing the son of his actual son in a movie called "Paa". He played a 13 year old with progeria. Abitabh won a well deserved award for that. Another pairing, in the same movie more traditional was Abhishek with Vidya Balan, the first time I have seen her (but it won't be the last).

There are lots of other jodis and there certainly lots of attractive popular actors and actresses. Movie goers like to talk about their favorites and speculate which jodi they would be most excited about. How about you? Hollywood, Bollywood or elsewhere?