UsherRed Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - Dear Bombay63, I'm so thankful for you uploading this wonder since this film is not available in the States and I have no access to it:) It's always a pleasure to find rare gems of your favorite stars uploaded by other fans. Thanks, once again:)
bombay63 Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - You`re very welcome dear UsherRed.
janingrigory Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - All the rose peddles & standing ovations in the entire world will not be enough to adequately honor the "grandeur" & "spellbinding splendour" of Devi Hema Malini!!! The first woman who was able to call the shots & wield real power in a male dominated industry due to her sheer magic & magnificence, managing to pave her career path by her own terms & her own rules! I LOOOOOVE that about her. Her billion dollar aura & esteem give her the stature of India's ultimate "Dream Princess":)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - What I respect most about Hema as a career woman is that she never compromised her values & beliefs in selling out to achieve success! She stayed true to herself all the way & managed to reign & dominate even with having the utmost principles & standards. The standard she set cannot be matched. Bollywood has had many successful classical actresses but NONE even come a mile close to matching her definition of a classical beauty or the epitome of Bollywood Divinity! She's a legend among legends!
janingrigory Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - Hema Malini is the ultimate "SWAN PRINCESS OF BOLLYWOOD"! After I saw her in her very first film, Sapno Ka Saudagar,& later on having it be confirmed in Sharafat, I thought Hema's dancing is as graceful & delicate as a SWAN. She floats about the dance floor so effortlessly & beautifully with such grace that the ease & intricacy of her movements remind me of a swan:)NONE have her dancing 'grace'. Many wonderful dancers in Bollywood, but ONLY ONE "SWAN PRINCESS" on the dance floor as I call her:)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - It is great power for a woman to be so completely covered up & yet still be able to ooze such potent femininity & stunning appeal! I love & respect that about her as it speaks to her class & dignity as a woman. She is a jewel & she knows it too:) In Kinara, she plays a dancer that becomes blind in the movie but learns to dance again even in her blind state. Such a beautiful storyline & so aligned with Hema's own deep passion for dancing. I'm sure she could especially relate to the character.
janingrigory Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - The following quote is from Hema's biography, she articulates: "Dance is my first love. People often remark that I'm ungrateful to the film industry, as I've never accepted films as my first love. But I would like to clarify that I've never demeaned Hindi Cinema, in fact, it's the exposure of celluloid that made me popular all over the world. People are flocking to see my classical show because I am Hema Malini - the star".
janingrigory Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - My dear friend Bombay63, allow me to extend my utmost thanks for your superb selection in bringing the most exquisite delights to the lovers of Hindi Cinema and especially to huge fans of the great Hema Malini. You continue to outdo yourself with every single upload & we remain grateful to you:) I loooooooooooooooooooooooove this video. Hema proving yet again that she defines & symbolizes what TRUE BOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR & STYLE consists of:)
bombay63 Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - You`re very welcome dear Janin:) and thankx alot for posting such a great,wonderful words.
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - UsherRed, remember how some months ago we had discussed Hema's 'actual' age during the making of her first film, Sapno Ka Saudagar? I don't remember how we left off that conversation but in case you're still wondering as to her exact age at that time, she confirmed her age in her biography. She stated in a quote that she was indeed 16 years old:) I thought you might want to know in case you're still wondering:)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Another very cute trivia: She recounts that when she was participating in the election campaigns in 2004, she had to give a speech in front of a very large crowd & she was so nervous about speaking in public in front of a large crowd but then she says when the crowd screamed: "Basanti Zindabad...Hema Malini Zindabad", she broke into a hearty laughter:) She says: " I was so shocked to see that still people call me Basanti...":) I thought that was so cute:) It broke the ice for her too:)hehehehe!
UsherRed Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - janingrigory, I WAS still wondering:) Thanks for clearing it up for me:) Though she looked way younger than my guessed age, I always assumed that she was 20, just due to the fact that the film came out in 1968, making Hema a 20-year-old. With this said, however, Raj Kapoor's films, in particular, do take few years to make (since he is such a perfectionist and does everything in such a careful manner) so Hema being 16 at the time makes perfect sense:) She is sooooooooooooo cute there!
UsherRed Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Now that it's been confirmed that Hema was indeed 16, it just makes her so much more adorable because I love the fact that she has this natural feisty-ness and talkativeness to her, even at a younger age. Though Hema was/is a very reserved person in real life, her portrayal of such characters is beyond fabulous. She has a God-given talent, hence why Geeta and Basanti cannot be played in such an excellent manner by any other actress. Just not possible:)
UsherRed Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - That is soooooooooooo cute:) Personally, I love how the audience sticks to one character for an actress and throughout the years, she is known by that, hence this certain situation:) I'm sure Hema was flattered:) I can almost imagine it because given her reserved personality, for others to "put her in the spot" that way would've been such a sight to see:) Just shows how much the public LOVES and RESPECTS our queen:)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - In terms of Sapno Ka Saudagar, in the section of the book where she recounts the filming of the film, she says that now looking back she thinks she was too loud, as though she's screaming her lines (how cute for her to say that), but she says she did what Raj Kapoor told her to do because she considers herself a "director's actress" meaning she does what she's asked by the director in portrayal of the character:) Hema can be so candid in such a cute & funny way:)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Another fact that I thought was particularly interesting in the book is when Hema is discussing her daughter Esha. She says that her dream is that one day they'll be nominated together for the best actress category but for Esha to actually win the award over her. She says that's her real dream. I thought that was SOOOOOO immensely sweet in this motherly way.
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - She does state that she considers herself lucky to have started off her career with the legendary Raj Kapoor & for him to have presented her:) She has VERY high regards for him. She also says she considers Dev Anand to be the Gregory Peck of India & that he is very lovable as a person. But her favorite 'actor' is Dilip Kumar. I adore her candor about so many things. She puts things in this very cute and funny way:)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Another ADORABLE thing is that she says during the making of Sapno Ka Saudagar she didn't enjoy the 'acting' parts but what she loved was the 'dancing' parts. As you may recall, I had told you that she felt uncomfortable doing 'emotional' scenes & would cry in her dressing room during the early stages of her 'acting' career:) But what she enjoyed about making films was the dance numbers. The thing about Hema is that she is crazy in love with her dancing & she picks that over any & every thing:)
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - You know the "respect" that is showered on her, she has EARNED that. In the book, it talks about how she always arrived super early on the sets, despite being such a huge star, & is so nondemanding. I love that about her & it's her conduct that has earned her all that respect and praise. She just always carried herself in a high esteem so she demands respect from her surroundings:) I love the 'professional' aspect of her character, it shows that she has discipline & a work ethic.
janingrigory Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Hema Malini has done such a phenomenal job in all her roles that one could NEVER guess that, to her, acting is not her first passion (but rather dancing is). She is just such a powerhouse on the big screen like a gigantic explosion of charisma & talent!
jbz7879 Says:
Jul 29, 2008 - this movie has a unique role -which has never been played by anyone -a blind dancer and with such great skill by hema -kajol tried it in fanaa but she cannot dance -poor thing
neelubird Says:
Aug 3, 2008 - You mention that dancing is Hema's first passion (more so than acting). In scenes like this it really shows- acting is clearly her passion and it's what she's best at (and this professional classical dancing is so much better than the vulgar rubbish that passes for dancing nowadays). Watching these youtube scenes from Kinara makes me want to watch the whole film now.
ringarose85 Says:
Aug 10, 2008 - She dances Kathak beautifully here. She was one of the best classicaly trained dancers.
diwanee3 Says:
Aug 12, 2008 - Madhuri was excellent in Sangeet - of course noone can surpass Hema in Kinara...
UsherRed Says:
Jul 23, 2008 - This certain clip from "Kinara" is such a gem because Hema looks her extravagant and gorgeous self as the classical beauty that she was, is, and will always be. One of my all-time favorite Hema dance clips. Her steps are completed with such precision and quickness. The woman has immense talent and it is certainly not a surprise! What else can one expect when she, herself, grew up eating and breathing dance. One within dance, indeed!