My ten favourite men-in-drag songs
Men in drag has me always in splits. It is one thing, which guarantees a laughter from my side. I know it doesn’t show much of a depth for my character. Yeah, how to put it much better than: I am like that only!

Men wearing women’s clothes is nothing new. In the early films of the Indian film industry boys would often take up female roles. Men in drag is all the same a more ancient phenomenon. The reasons behind it can be different ranging from transvestism to transgenderism. I can imagine that during times or in societies when and where homosexuality was looked down upon, it was one of the ways for men to approach men. For heterosexual men, I can think, it is a means to make fun of women and in this way digest the rejection by them. At the same time it can also be seen as a rebellion against the society and attempt to break away from the roles imposed by the society based on gender. All the same, it is not these deeper thoughts that go through my mind, why I love these songs.

Here are my favourite 10 songs from Hindi films with men in drag. Since it all is supposed to be fun, no rules this time, except for the quite obvious ones like one song pro actor. 😉
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Tags: Aake Sidhi Lagi Jaise, Anand Bakshi, Asha Bhosle, Babita, Bindu, Biswajeet, Bluff Master [1963], Bombay Se Baroda Tak, Dara Singh, Dharmendra, Five Rifles, Gulshan Bawra, Half Ticket [1962], Haseena Maan Jayegi [1968], homosexuality, I. S. Johar, Johar Mahmood In Hong Kong [1971], Kaatilon ke Kaatil [1981], Kajra Mohabbat Wala, Kalyanji-Anandji, Kalyanji-Anandji. Qamal Jalalabadi, Kamal Barot, Kishore Kumar, Kismat [1969], Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Lootera [1965], Malmal Me Badan Mora Chamke, Mehmood, Mohd. Rafi, My ten favourite men-in-drag songs, Nathaniya Hale To Bada Maza, Neetu Singh, O. P. Nayyar, Oy Chali Chali Kaisi Hawa, Paintal, Parde Ke Peechhey [1971], Patli Kamar Nazuk Umar, Pran, Rafoo Chakkar [1975], Rajinder Krishan, Rishi Kapoor, Saira Banu, Salil Chowdhury, Sar-E-Bazar Karenge Pyar, Shailendra, Shammi Kapoor, Shamshad Begum, Shankar Dada, Shankar-Jaikishan, Shashi Kapoor, Suno Suno, Teen Kuwareeyan... Hathon Me Mehndi, transgenderism, transvestism, Usha Mangeshkar, Vinod Mehra, Yogeeta Bali, Zeenat Aman
My ten favourite Dev jodis

I got the news at fellow blogger Madhu’s site about Dev Anand’s sad demise. I just couldn’t believe it. The tag of ever-green hero suited him so well, that one thought that he was immortal. Just two days back, I wrote at Greta’s blog that Dev’s films from the 50s and 60s hardly let one down.
Dev was a good actor dominating the film industry for three decades. He had his own school of natural acting which endeared him to the masses as well as the critics. He remained for most part true to his genre of a slick urban hero, but he was versatile as far as the different fields of film production was concerned. He was producer, director, actor and once even a singer!

Dev, I think, must have had the most number of female co-stars in the history of the Hindi film industry. He acted with many new faces but also with established actresses. And he looked good with everyone of them. Here is to Dev and his female co-stars
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Tags: aajaa pancchi akela hai, abhi na jaavo chhod kar, accha ji me hari chalo man jawo na, Asha Bhosle, de bhi chuke ham dil nazrana dil ka, dev anand, dil ka bhanwar kare pukar, geeta bali, Geeta Dutt, Hema Malini, Hum Dono [1962], Jaal [1952], Kala Bazar [1960], Kala Pani [1958], Kalpana Karthik, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, layi khushi ki duniya hasti hui jawaani, Madhubala, Mala Sinha, Manna Dey, Maya [1961], Mohd. Rafi, Mukesh, Nau Do Gyarah [1957], neend churake raaton me tumne baaton baaton me, Nutan, R. D. Burman, ruk jaana ruk jaana humse do baatein karte chali jana, S. D. Burman, Sadhana, Salil Choudhury, sanj dhali dil ki lagi thak chali pukar ke, Shareef Badmash [1973], Suraiya, tasveer teri dil me jis din se utari hai, Tere Ghar Ke Samne [1963], Vidya [1948], Waheeda Rehman, Warrant [1975], Zeenat Aman
Hidden umbrella passions in ten Hindi film songs
Umbrellophily, a phenomenon not spoken sung about in the Hindi film industry. The author of these lines like many other fans of Hindi film songs was not aware of this shocking fact either. During his search for a list of his 10 favourite umbrella songs (since rain-song lists have been beaten to death), he stumbled over this taboo topic in the Hindi cinema. While he was searching, he could unearth only three songs, which mention an umbrella and two-thirds of them were not even melodious. Why this step-motherly treatment towards this ‘protector against rain’?
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Tags: aakhir tuut jaatha hai, Aap ke nazaron ne samjha, Aasha, Aayega, aayega aanewaalaa, Ab mera kaun sahara, Amitabh Bachchan, Anand Bakshi, Anpadh, Asha Bhosle, Asha Parekh, Ashok Kumar, bari, Barsaat, Bhichde sabhi bari, Dharmendra, Dhoop Chhaon, Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani, gondola, gondoliere, Gulzar, guru dutt, hai lagaa, Hasrat Jaipuri, Hema Malini, Hindi film songs, hum par jurm kare, Jaya Bhaduri, Joshila, K. C. Dey, K. L. Saigal, Kaagaz ke Phool, Kaantaa lagaa, Kaifi Azmi, Madhubala, Mahal, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Mala Sinha, My Sister. Do naina matware tihare, Nargis, Parichay, Pt. Sudarshan, pyaar ke kabil mujhe, Pyaasa, R. C. Boral, R. D. Burman, Rain songs, Raj Kapoor, Rameshwari, Reena Roy, Rehman, Samadhi, Shakti Samanta, Shankar-Jaikishan, Sheesha ho ya dil ho, Sonaa mile to log aaj kal dil ko kabhi na le, Teri ghathri me laaga chor musaafir jaag zara, The Great Gambler, umbrella, Umbrella passions, Umbrellophily, Vishal Bharadwaj, Zeenat Aman