Page 3 - Seniorstoday April 2022 Issue

Publisher’s Note
Unforgettable decade,
unforgettable movies
When it was released 50 years ago, The Godfather
won a series of Oscars and other awards from
around the world. Francis Ford Coppola was
heralded as a new avatar, who inserted a
wizardry twist to the way movies were crafted.
Clever marketing coupled with the inimitable
Marlon Brando escalated The Godfather into
one of the most watched movies of our times.
The movie was set in New York City between
1945 and 1955. It’s a story about crime and the
mafia family that control the crime. Made in 1972,
when America was smack bang in the middle of
murky waters. The Vietnam war, Watergate, the
Pentagon Papers – disharmony seeped into the
happy-go-lucky American lifestyle, and most
importantly, frustration and despair began to set
in. People were unhappy. It was perfect timing for
Americans to take a break from the madness, and
flock to see the Godfather. I tried to see the movie
again but couldn’t sit through it. The principals of
every era are often corrupted by the realities of the
times and every era will produce new versions of
the mega-film.
In our April issue, Deepa Gahlot writes about
the movies of the 1970s. The decade was a turning
point in Hindi cinema, with bold movies making
a huge impact at the box-office. It was also the
decade of new actors — men and women, who
challenged the older generation. Rajesh Khanna,
the chocolate hero, had women swooning – not
just the teenage group but also older women. The
guy had pimples and a paunch, yet Aradhana
was a huge hit thanks to Sharmila Tagore. Then
there was the entry of Amitabh Bachchan. Watch
him in Don; Khai ke paan Banaraswala became
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #34 | APRIL 2022
stupendously famous overnight, and all of North
India wanted to be Vijay in Don. Zeenat Aman his
pretty girlfriend sashayed her way through the
movie and stardom. Amitabh’s angry young man
role in Zanjeer and “Mera pass maa hai” dialogue
became immortal. Parveen Babi, Dimple Kapadia
and Tina Munim definitely bought about a change
in the audience tastes. Sholay was the blockbuster
of the decade and Pakeezah gave Meena Kumari
immortality. She passed away soon after the movie
was released.
Siddhartha, a novel written by the Nobel
prizewinner Herman Hesse, was made into a movie
by Conrad Rooks. The book and the movie become
a part of cult culture in the west in the ’70s. It was
Simi’s nudity on the poster and that was enough
to have men flocking to the theatres. However, the
poster scene didn’t appear in the movie and most
guys felt disappointed. There are a few scenes
that suggest nudity but there’s no real nudity. The
questions of the movie: Who am I, What is my role
in life are points that all Indians have to ponder,
day after day. Every religious discord also guides
in this direction. Despite all the beautiful posters,
the movie bombed at the box-office. But it was an
unforgettable movie; it stays with the viewer for a
long time. Maybe for a lifetime.
Aside from returning back to cinema of the ’70s,
summer is here in all its glory, so stay cool and
hydrated.
Vickram Sethi
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
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