Wednesday, April 11, 2018

J is for 'Jaanleva'

First of all, here's the Om-on-exam-paper equivalent for this post.

Thank you, parents of Arjun Rampal. 

For giving the world... Arjun Rampal.  

So Jaanleva is from the 2001 movie Moksha, with a plot that will send your head spinning. Arjun Rampal plays an idealistic lawyer who wants to rob a bank so that he can set up a free legal institute.

Say whaaaaat?!


The song starts with the director mistaking Arjun Rampal for an elephant.

Arjun's clothes are torn and he's bound in ropes. A bunch of dancers are going a little bonkers around him. The very hot Kalpana Pandit (who's a doctor in real life btw) is the heroine's best friend, showing some real cool moves.

One look at her steps and our leading lady Manisha Koirala, who was supposed to join the stage with her, flips out.  

"What is this ya? Why is she hotter and a better dancer than me ya?"

Gathering her insecurity, Manisha Koirala goes and hides in a cave...

...and decides to completes the rest of her performance there itself.

Meanwhile, some weird shit is happening outside. The dancing girls suddenly disappear and Arjun finds himself in a ring of fire. So he does what any sensible man would do in this situation and starts... singing. (Hanuman Chalisa maybe?) 

The Hanuman Chalisa seems to have worked. The fire disappears, the girls appear again and in a welcome reversal of roles, our male Basanti has to naacho in kutton bitches ke saamne!


Even Manisha Koirala, still inside the cave, stops her yoga moves to watch him.


Then they make him turn the water wheel and shake their heads in preparation to shampoo their hair.


He calls out to Manisha Koirala to come rescue him from this crazy buncha ladies.

"Noooo way", she says. "Not while she's out there."

That's it. He's had enough. He can't take it anymore.

So he logs his exit. Quite literally so. 

This gif absolutely needs a repost because he's the only thing that makes everything — especially this song — better.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a leeeetle bit obsessed with this song when it came out. Just a leeeetle bit, ok?

Enjoy Jaanleva! (I know I did.) 





7 comments:

Bubblegum said...

I loved the music at that time. I think I was of the age when dancing was on priority than lyrics. Yuckie me.

DI said...

I am abso-effing-lutely loving this series. I am a Bollywood crazy person myself, and while I know and remember most of what you are posting, there are some new gems I had no clue about too (like the Armaan Kohli song, I mean seriously!). So thanks for the daily dose of awesome :D

Meena Chatty said...

I loved how he logged in and logged out! :D

What was the point of the song? Was it a romantic song? or philosophical or what?

The costumes, the lyrics and the dancing, everything was totally weird.

As usual, this is the first I have heard it! LOL!!

www.balconysunrise.wordpress.com

Charan Deep Singh said...

I am sure Manisha Koirala was not available on shooting dates and thus her portions were shot later and is a patch work. Otherwise why two women in this song. Or there is something metaphorical which I didn't understand?

I wrote about why we don't need Jugaad in India?

Read Jugaad we don't need

Horizon said...

I so love your take on the songs, laughing out loud as usual.
Shaking thier hair in prepaation for shampoo--priceless

realistic dreamer said...

this was hilarious, made the mistake of reading it in office, never again!.. i am unable to stop laughing. you are awesome :)

Sayesha said...

Bubblegum,
I still love this song, hehehe!

DI,
Thank you. :D

Meena,
//What was the point of the song? Was it a romantic song? or philosophical or what?

You said it, sister. :D

Charan,
Yep, yep, that's what I think too.

Horizon,
Thanks. :D

realistic dreamer,
Thank you. :D