nenena | Krishna DVD and more animation fascination

Current Music: Aayo Natkhat Nadlal

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Krishna DVD and more animation fascination

My Krishna: aayo natkhat nadlal DVD finally came today. The DVD itself is gorgeous. It comes in a thick, sturdy case with a ton of freebies - including a disc of CD-ROM games, a sheet of adorable stickers, glow-in-the-dark Krishna tatoos, a glittery Krishna desktop standee, a plastic peacock feather (which is supposed to be a bookmarks but works just fine for Krishna cosplay if you ask me), and a holographic "friendship bracelet." The inside of the DVD case is printed with shameless advertisements for even more swag, and website URLs for where to get it.

I haven't tried the CD-ROM games, so I can't comment on that. As for the extras on the DVD itself, it comes with theatrical trailers and THE WORLD'S CUTEST MUSIC VIDEO for the pop version of "Aayo Natkhat Nadlal," in which a bunch of cute kids in cute costumes dance around and sing and are terribly cute. The song itself is bilingual English and Hindi. The little "Krishna rap" bridge in English just slayed me. "Just live it up, bro! It's cool to be naughty!" Yes, those are actual English lines from the rapping part.

And you know what? Because it's Christmas, here's the music video for you. I tried to rip it with English subtitles, but I don't think that it worked. Anyway, Merry Whatever Holiday You Celebrate, and prepare to be ded from cute.

Other things about the DVD... It comes with subtitles in way too many languages. Also, like most Bollywood DVDs, in addition to chapter stops, there is also a menu that lets you skip directly to the musical numbers. I love that.

Now, as for the movie itself... I stand by what I predicted before. That 3D animation is shudder-inducingly creepy. No amount of cute music or cute voice acting can save it.

Since I've been on a big animation kick lately, and have been snatching up whatever nehaflix.com has on sale, here are some mini-reviews of what I've seen/purchased in the past couple months:

Hanuman

The 2006 animated extravaganza. I've been looking forward to seeing this since

carbonicgirl tipped me off to its existence. The DVD that I got came with only one extra, and that was a little illustrated booklet of the Hanuman Chalisa, in both Hindi and English. Which is actually INCREDIBLY useful for me, since I'm supposed to be studying my devanagari. (A transcription of the devanagari would have been useful, though, rather than just a straight English translation. But I am a n00b so I still need crutches like that.)

Hanuman killed me from cute even more than Krishna did. Of curse, the latter half of the movie is a lot less cute than the first half, what with the mass gore and bloodshed, and Hanuman terrifying innocent Lankans by setting their city on fire.

The "Mahabali Maharudra" pop music video - this time featuring adorable children running around in Hanuman cosplay - rivals Krishna's music video in terms of sheer awesomeness. Also, props for getting somebody to wear ten heads and cosplay as Ravan.

On thing I'm pissed about, though, is that my DVD has no Hindi language track, even though the case advertised both English and Hindi audio options. Instead, the only option that I have is English. (The musical numbers, for some reason, are still in Hindi however.) The English voice acting is fabulous, but I wanted to hear the movie in Hindi, dammit! The false advertising on my DVD case makes me sad. T_T (I'm pretty sure that I didn't get a bootleg, either, as it's an R2 DVD and not a region-free one, and it all looks official and such... Damn.)

Vikram and Betal (volume 1)

This 2004 series is the first major success for Green Gold Animation, the studio behind Krishna: The Birth. For a series of stories told by a dead demon to a king, these are pretty entertaining. Vaayu looks like Jesus, though, I swear. The animation hardly counts as "animation", however. It looks more like a bad internet flash video, with character designs that a fifth-grader doodled on the back of his school notebook.

Extras: Previews for other DVD releases, including Beyblade (WTF anime), Fun 'n' Learn (which looks terrifying), Tales of Panchantra, Tales of Akbar and Birbal, Multiplication Tables (again, terrifying, what with the dancing numbers and all), and Yoga for Kids. Finally, there was a preview for Vikram and Betal, and it's like, WTF, this IS the Vikram and Bertal DVD, kthx.

Krishna: The Birth

Green Gold Animation's 75-minute "movie" about Krishna's birth. Unlike Vikram and Betal, this adorable movie uses REAL, ACTUAL, HAND-DRAWN, 2D ANIMATION. Of course, it's not very good animation, but like Hanuman, the movie is just so charming, that it's easy to overlook the primitive animation.

This movie surprised me by very much more dark and ominous than, you know, cute. It was more about the circumstances leading up to Krishna's birth, rather than Krishna himself, so it's not a happy story. I mean, Krishna isn't even born until ten minutes from the end of the movie. There were also no musical numbers either, which surprised me. However, the sweeping orchestral background score was all kinds of awesome.

This DVD only came with one extra, and that was a foam cut-out of child!Krishna that can be mounted on your wall.

The Legend of Prince Rama

Okay, this is a cheat, since it wasn't produced in India, but rather in Japan.

Anyway, let me get this out of the way right now: THIS MOVIE IS FABULOUS AND BLOWS EVERYTHING ELSE OUT OF THE WATER. Imagine if Studio Ghibli made a Ramayana movie. Well, this would be the movie. The animation even looks strongly reminiscent of Ghibli's trademark style. Even though this movie dates back to 1992, the animation still looks gorgeous today.

DID anyone from Ghibli work on this film? I can't find any information, but the character designs and animation technique are so spot-on Ghibli, that I have a hard time believing that nobody from Ghibli was involved.

My DVD copy came with both English and Hindi language tracks, and English subtitles. No other extras to speak of, but whatever. Both the English and the Hindi voice acting is pretty fabulous. Clips of this movie are all over YouTube, so you should definitely check it out.

Songs and Stories of Ganesha! vols. 1 and 2

ELEPHANT-HEADED, WINNOW-EARED, TWISTED-TRUNKED, ONE-TOOTHED LORD. Yes, that's actually written inside of the DVD case of Volume 1.

More animation that doesn't quite count as "animation." Still, these are stories about Ganesha, and anything involving Ganesha is automatically made of win. These DVDs are great - lots of cute songs, moral and spiritual lessons, and of course, Ganesha, who is, you know, Ganesha. Of course, because these stories are "for kids," parts of them are ridiculously sanitized. For example, in this version, the producers went with the "Shani gives baby!Ganesha the evil eye and his head burns to dust" version of baby!Ganesha's death, rather than having his own father accidentally twist his head off. See, in this version, Shiva is like the uber-perfect-father, so of course he would never do anything as silly as twisting off his own son's head. Still, the scene in which baby!Ganesha is killed is probably the most graphic and disturbing scene in the entire series.

Bonus points for the unintentionally hilarious depiction of Parvati's mid-life crisis. For all of the producer's efforts to depict Shiva as the perfect man, there's still this hilarious "Shiva can't satisfy Parvati wink-wink nudge-nudge" subtext that filters through.

As for extras, both DVDs come with a ton of freebie stuff - bookmarks, puzzles, stickers, Ganesha standees, etc. Volume 1 even comes with an audio soundtrack. "Hear Lord Ganesha's 108 names!" is advertised on the CD. I have yet to.

Long Long Ago: Hanuman

Three animated shorts about Hanuman from the Long Long Ago TV series. I have NO idea when these were made, but they look quite antiquated. Anyway, I keep saying that I'll enjoy bad hand-drawn 2D animation more easily than bad 3D animation or bad 2D flash animation. So yes, there is much bad 2D animation in here - in fact, the absolute worst out of this lot, and some of the worst that I've ever seen, period. We're talking, like, Superfriends bad here. This is some shit animation, yo. But nevertheless, it is hand-drawn, and it is infused with charm and wit and wonder, and it IS about Hanuman. Therefore, win.

Geethanjali bargain-bin bonanza: Jataka Tales, Bhima and Ekalvaya, Arjuna and Karna, and Krishna.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

I have no words to describe the terrible "not really animation" used in any of these collections of animated shorts. It's worse than the worse internet flash video. Ugly, stiff, strange, and brain-melting, especially where the "action sequences" are concerned. Boring, slow-paced, and charmless. I think that one of the Karna shorts consisted entirely of Karna standing in one spot and blinking. I also don't know why Bhima and Ekalvaya are logical choices for being grouped together on a single DVD. That these were all made in 2006 is unforgivable.

Also, only English soundtracks on all of these. The voice-acting is grating and terrible. There's a strange mix of Hindi and British accents going on, too, which just breaks too much of the fourth wall for me.

These are officially the Ed Wood entries of the Bollywood animation industry. And no, I haven't seen the Pandavas 3D animated atrocity yet, and I don't plan to. So for now these and only these titles will be getting my Ed Wood award.

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I liked Hanuman's English dub, but I really think the Hindi version is better. It might be just because I saw the movie in Hindi first, but, eh, it's good in any language. I think I actually bought a bootleg copy of the movie (for one, it's region-free), but it certainly has some good extras. I made a couple of sound clips for a friend a few days ago, so I could upload a couple of them if you'd like. It wouldn't beat seeing the movie with the Hindi track, though.

Whoa, I didn't know about that Ganesh animation! Well, I did read about Green Gold Animation planning to animate Ganesh, but I didn't know one already existed. Anyhow, I'm definitely going to check this one out. Thanks for the info!

I remember seeing a site with a lot of info on The Legend of Prince Rama (including the actual names of the guys behind the animation), but it's been a while since I've seen info on it. I've only seen video clips and whatnot of it, but the movie looks pretty good. That's another thing I need to put on my to-watch list this winter break...

And thanks for uploading that Krishna music video! I'm a sucker for cute stuff to begin with (I'm not suffering from cavities yet!), and Krishna-related things are always an instant win in my book.

Well, I did read about Green Gold Animation planning to animate Ganesh, but I didn't know one already existed.

Keep in mind that the current one hardly counts as "animation." It's a bunch of flash-animated stills. And child!Ganesha's voice is completely grating in English. I'm really looking forward to Green Gold's version, because it will probably be worlds better than this one. I mean, this one is cute and all, and it does teach good lessons, but its flaws are just too big to overlook.

may i add you to my friends list?

Please don't see the Pandavas animated atrocity. Really. My Dad bought it (don't ask, he has a tendency to buy most Hindi movies, regardless of quality), and the movie makes me wonder whether a group of executives sat down, and decided to condense the Mahabharata as much as possible, with the worst video-game-esque graphics possible. Case in point, Baka is made into Hidimbi (the rakshasi whom Bhima originally marries after killing her brother, Hidimba), and after defeating her, Bhima marries her. *shudder* That being said, Jayadratha gets to dance around saying, "I am Jayadratha, the suicide bomber!" in a totally ridiculous Indian/faux-British accent.

I loved The Legend of Prince Rama and Hanuman, oh so much. I've been searching for the soundtrack to the Legend of Prince Rama everywhere because it is incredibly amazing (in my opinion), but oh well.

I couldn't get over Ganesha's bouncy sound effects, I mean, who would take a god seriously when all he does is go "boingy boing, boingy boing, boingy boing."

"I am Jayadratha, the suicide bomber!"

Whut. And since when was Jayadratha a suicide bomber? I thought he was all like, "Eeeeeeeek, Duryodhana, protect my life! (*whimper*)"

Baka is made into Hidimbi

Wife, brother of wife, same difference. I guess. That's kind of hilarious, though. So does that mean that Bhima beats up a woman and then marries her? Oh Bhima...

Basically. I mean, sure, Bhima does occasionally give off caveman vibes, what with his penchant for beating men who insult Draupadi into a pulp and eating enormous quantities of food, but really, beating up a woman and then marrying her? That does seem a bit much.

Hah, that's the best description of Jayadratha that I've ever heard. I do think though that the calling him a "suicide bomber" is rooted in "fact," since his father blessed him that the person who cut off his head and allowed it to fall on the ground would have his own head explode.

Since his father blessed him that the person who cut off his head and allowed it to fall on the ground would have his own head explode.

I think that in every version of the Mahabharata that I've read, for some reason that fact is never mentioned until the very last minute when Arjuna is about to off him. Which makes me wonder if anybody besides Krishna even knew about that curse. I mean, if Duryodhana knew, I can imagine that he would have strapped Jayadratha to the front of Bhisma's chariot and painted a big "HAY ARJUNA SHOOT ME PLZ" sign (and a big red target) on Jayadratha's torso.

*dies laughing*

I'm sure Krishna would have told Arjuna about the curse had there ever been that sort of situation, and the same result would have occurred (except without Abhimanyu's death). I think Drona knew, and must have told Duryodhana the night before "the big day" or something to that effect, because from Duryodhana's point of view, it would have been a win-win situation from any angle. If Arjuna failed, he would have had to immolate himself. If Arjuna won, his head would have exploded. And of course, there's also the possibility that Arjuna could have died on his way to Jayadratha, what with the entire Kaurava army against him. However, dear old Duryodhana forgot about the wondrously destructive power of the Pandavas and Yadavas combined (I think, between Bhima, Arjuna, and Satyaki, an entire akshauhini of Kaurava troops was killed, probably more... mind you, this is after Abhimanyu managed to kill an entire akshauhini by himself). Poor kid, he was probably left with the scraggly remnants of his forces, going, "WHYYYYY?!?!?!"

Poor kid, he was probably left with the scraggly remnants of his forces, going, "WHYYYYY?!?!?!"

I imagine that this was followed immediately by "HOW DID ARJUNA DO THAT?! CAN HE DO THAT?! THAT'S CHEATING!!!" And Karna standing in the background going, "Oh, I could totally do that. While riding a unicyle. Blindfolded."

Oh that's perfect, absolutely perfect.

:D :D :D

bhima didn't beat up and then marry hidimba (it's not hidimbi, peter brook makes the same mistake), in fact. that faux pas is just the pandavas-makers' brainwave, i should think. besides, i think bhima is way too cute, whether he applies caveman tactics or not. at times he can display a surprising sensitivity.

right, right. i sometimes revert to the pronunciations used in the stories i heard as a child (must be a Telugu thing to call Hidimba's sister Hidimbi, rather than Hidimbaa, to differentiate her from her brother).

bhima's definitely one of pandavas whom i love the most, after all, when it comes down to it, he's often the only one who leaps to Draupadi's defense, right or not. yuddhisthir just plain gets on my nerves. i'm sorry, i know he's the epitome of righteousness and all that, but more often than not, i feel like just shaking him by the shoulders and yelling, "grow some balls and defend your wife!!!!". oy.

jayadratha the suicide bomber! --just fell off my chair laughing, sorry-- what would he have done, present arjuna with a garland a la rajiv gandhi? what will these people think up next?

i think they got it from the previously mentioned blessing, because in a sense, he is a suicide bomber, but the whole cavorting about the battlefield yelling it at the top of his lungs bit kind of got to me.

i think i'm making a mess of things. who am i posting what message to... i hope i'm writing to nenena this time...

can't find krishna video! can't watch! aaaaaaaa! though i think i've seen it before. nevertheless... i think it's 'natkhat nandlal', isn't it?

--Which is actually INCREDIBLY useful for me, since I'm supposed to be studying my devanagari--

i've some sanskrit stuff in pdf. would you like them?

--I haven't seen the Pandavas 3D animated atrocity yet, and I don't plan to--

don't! just don't. it's yukk. i forgot my entire mahabharata watching just one episode of that horrible thingy.

i've got hold of peter brook's mahabharata. have you seen it? it's god enough. give me a few days, and i'll post my own review for it.

i rather liked the Brooks Mahabharata. they didn't mess with the story and the casting was pretty good too (although, if you look closely, the same actor who played Pandu played Drona, i think, at least, if it's not the same guy, the actors are either identical twins or look creepily alike). i was watching the Extras, and apparently once Mallika Sarabhai (incredible dancer, by the by) was brought on board to play Draupadi, she got after them for not sticking to the pro-women themes in the Mahabharata, and got them to make Draupadi the strong, mess-with-me-and-i'll-wash-my-hair-in-your-blood, goddess that we all love.

and of course, there's bhima and arjuna. i loved vittorio mezzogiorno as arjuna and i forget the name of the actor who played bhima, other than the fact that he was this enormous African actor, freaking enormous, who was so great for the role that he scared the crap out of me when he killed Dushasan (i'm normally the type who's on the very edge of her seat cheering on Bhima).

I rather love the Brooks version of the Mahabharata, despite its flaws. Like

goldenflames already mentioned, the extras on the DVD version are particularly illuminating, especially Mallika Sarabhai confessing that she was horrified to discover how wimpy Draupadi was in Carriere's original version of the script, and how she had to work with Carriere and Brooks to basically completely re-write Draupadi.

But yeah, the actors getting re-used in the movie version gets kind of weird. Bhisma and Parasurama are played by the same actor, for double weirdness. And Krishna is... Well, he's just not Krishna. He never smiles. He's not Krishna.

can't find krishna video! can't watch! aaaaaaaa! though i think i've seen it before. nevertheless... i think it's 'natkhat nandlal', isn't it?

Yep, it's "natkhat nandlal." Aaaah, the file expired already! Holy crap, now I have to upload it again. (*sigh*) This could take a couple hours.

I re-uploaded the video here:
http://nenena.livejournal.com/50628.html

oops! i posted my comment to goldenflames by mistake. hope this gets to the right person. this is for nenena. i've some sanskrit texts in pdf format. would you like them?

That would be sweet. Sure!

be glad to send you the pdfs, but how? can they be posted to lj? or the links be added somewhere? let me get back to you after i learn these things. and if you can tell me, so much the better!

Hmm, you could try sending it to my gmail account as an attachment. My gmail address is nenena at gmail dot com.

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Krishna DVD and more animation fascination

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