Chak De India (and some vanity)

I got a haircut today. Cut my hair really short, only up to my chin. It's the first time I had short hair since I was 14 :) And I dyed it, too, first time in my life. I love it.

But this isn't about that. It's about Chak De India.

I finally saw CDK. I had no intention of seeing it, despite my SRK love because I simply can't stand sports movies (yes, I fast-forwarded through half of Lagaan, i.e. every cricket bit they had). But people seemed so enthusiastic about it, so I gave it a chance.

( Semi-spoilery write-up )

I am sure I have a lot more but I need to organize my thoughts...it was incredible.

Chak De India (and some vanity)

I got a haircut today. Cut my hair really short, only up to my chin. It's the first time I had short hair since I was 14 :) And I dyed it, too, first time in my life. I love it.

But this isn't about that. It's about Chak De India.

I finally saw CDK. I had no intention of seeing it, despite my SRK love because I simply can't stand sports movies (yes, I fast-forwarded through half of Lagaan, i.e. every cricket bit they had). But people seemed so enthusiastic about it, so I gave it a chance.

( Semi-spoilery write-up )

I am sure I have a lot more but I need to organize my thoughts...it was incredible.

Chak De India (and some vanity)

I got a haircut today. Cut my hair really short, only up to my chin. It's the first time I had short hair since I was 14 :) And I dyed it, too, first time in my life. I love it.

But this isn't about that. It's about Chak De India.

I finally saw CDK. I had no intention of seeing it, despite my SRK love because I simply can't stand sports movies (yes, I fast-forwarded through half of Lagaan, i.e. every cricket bit they had). But people seemed so enthusiastic about it, so I gave it a chance.

( Semi-spoilery write-up )

I am sure I have a lot more but I need to organize my thoughts...it was incredible.

Tsarist Russia as a Korean drama? You bet.

I am referring, of course, to my new and amusing addition to the roster of things dangermousie-watches-and-writes-about, a.k.a. Bednaya Nastya. BN is a Russian telenovela, and is not to be confused with Bednaya Liza, a famous short story by Nikolai Karamzin about a poor girl in love with a nobleman officer (unlike the heroine of the telonovela who ends up rich and married to her OTP, Liza drowns herself after being cast off by her boyfriend who marries a rich widow, a much more likely ending, IMO). I almost bet the name is sort of a riff on that. After all, this has to be the only tv program I've seen where the heroine daydreams of the hero while reciting bits from Griboyedov.. Points for that.

Anyway, BN is a ridiculously emo period telenovela, set in 1839 and follows our heroine, Anna, who is a talented singer and actress, and is very pretty in a very telenovela (make-up, froofy hair) kinda way. Anna is making quite a stir in St. Petersburg but she has *cue suspense music* a hideous secret. She is *cue suspense music* actually a serf.

( Plot summary in which I do random kdrama comparisons )

There are gypsies, priests, Royal mistresses, swords, rescues from evil kidnappers, and God knows what else. It's cheesy, it has no intellectual value, and I love it. Maybe because I love romantic melodrama, or haughty fictional aristocrats, or shiny things. Naaaah, most likely it's the men.

Here are our leads:

Our heroine Anna is rocking the peasant chic. Circa 1960.



Our hero, Tuxedo Mask. Nah, it's actually angsty Vladimir:



And here are the rest:

( People in scurmptious outfits behind the cut with a minor character primer )

And here are some stills. Hmmmm, will my reason for watching this be self-evident from them, I wonder.

( Hot men, cool outfits, and yummy angst )

Oh, and because I would, here is another youtube scene (I think this is fairly late on). She asks him to take her with him:

( Translation by your truly )

Tsarist Russia as a Korean drama? You bet.

I am referring, of course, to my new and amusing addition to the roster of things dangermousie-watches-and-writes-about, a.k.a. Bednaya Nastya. BN is a Russian telenovela, and is not to be confused with Bednaya Liza, a famous short story by Nikolai Karamzin about a poor girl in love with a nobleman officer (unlike the heroine of the telonovela who ends up rich and married to her OTP, Liza drowns herself after being cast off by her boyfriend who marries a rich widow, a much more likely ending, IMO). I almost bet the name is sort of a riff on that. After all, this has to be the only tv program I've seen where the heroine daydreams of the hero while reciting bits from Griboyedov.. Points for that.

Anyway, BN is a ridiculously emo period telenovela, set in 1839 and follows our heroine, Anna, who is a talented singer and actress, and is very pretty in a very telenovela (make-up, froofy hair) kinda way. Anna is making quite a stir in St. Petersburg but she has *cue suspense music* a hideous secret. She is *cue suspense music* actually a serf.

( Plot summary in which I do random kdrama comparisons )

There are gypsies, priests, Royal mistresses, swords, rescues from evil kidnappers, and God knows what else. It's cheesy, it has no intellectual value, and I love it. Maybe because I love romantic melodrama, or haughty fictional aristocrats, or shiny things. Naaaah, most likely it's the men.

Here are our leads:

Our heroine Anna is rocking the peasant chic. Circa 1960.



Our hero, Tuxedo Mask. Nah, it's actually angsty Vladimir:



And here are the rest:

( People in scurmptious outfits behind the cut with a minor character primer )

And here are some stills. Hmmmm, will my reason for watching this be self-evident from them, I wonder.

( Hot men, cool outfits, and yummy angst )

Oh, and because I would, here is another youtube scene (I think this is fairly late on). She asks him to take her with him:

( Translation by your truly )

Tsarist Russia as a Korean drama? You bet.

I am referring, of course, to my new and amusing addition to the roster of things dangermousie-watches-and-writes-about, a.k.a. Bednaya Nastya. BN is a Russian telenovela, and is not to be confused with Bednaya Liza, a famous short story by Nikolai Karamzin about a poor girl in love with a nobleman officer (unlike the heroine of the telonovela who ends up rich and married to her OTP, Liza drowns herself after being cast off by her boyfriend who marries a rich widow, a much more likely ending, IMO). I almost bet the name is sort of a riff on that. After all, this has to be the only tv program I've seen where the heroine daydreams of the hero while reciting bits from Griboyedov.. Points for that.

Anyway, BN is a ridiculously emo period telenovela, set in 1839 and follows our heroine, Anna, who is a talented singer and actress, and is very pretty in a very telenovela (make-up, froofy hair) kinda way. Anna is making quite a stir in St. Petersburg but she has *cue suspense music* a hideous secret. She is *cue suspense music* actually a serf.

( Plot summary in which I do random kdrama comparisons )

There are gypsies, priests, Royal mistresses, swords, rescues from evil kidnappers, and God knows what else. It's cheesy, it has no intellectual value, and I love it. Maybe because I love romantic melodrama, or haughty fictional aristocrats, or shiny things. Naaaah, most likely it's the men.

Here are our leads:

Our heroine Anna is rocking the peasant chic. Circa 1960.



Our hero, Tuxedo Mask. Nah, it's actually angsty Vladimir:



And here are the rest:

( People in scurmptious outfits behind the cut with a minor character primer )

And here are some stills. Hmmmm, will my reason for watching this be self-evident from them, I wonder.

( Hot men, cool outfits, and yummy angst )

Oh, and because I would, here is another youtube scene (I think this is fairly late on). She asks him to take her with him:

( Translation by your truly )