The New ‘Mehbooba’?
It’s the battle of the dancing divas, and surprisingly, Urmila seems to be losing ground to Mallika Sherawat. Helen, Mallika and now Urmila, three lovely ladies, one cult song, it should be a great combination. Unfortunately in Urmila’s case it hasn’t turned out that way. While Helen simply lit up the screen when she grooved to Mehbooba, and Mallika managed to hold her own, Urmila’s version has been a phenomenal disappointment.
After much anticipation Ram Gopal Verma’s version of the Sholay classic ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’ is finally out, and if this video is anything to go by it sure looks like Urmila Matondkar is well past her prime. Gone is the hip-shaker we are so used to seeing in her hey day. Not only does Urmila’s make-up leave a lot to be desired, we can’t say much of her moves on the dance floor either, and it was hard not to notice that Urmila isn’t half as fit as she needs to be to carry off the outfit in the video. It’s a song that had a cult following, what with the then sexy screen siren Helen gyrating provocatively, Asha Bhonsle’s seductive vocals and the musical magic of RD Burman. Such was the magic of ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’, that even today filmamkers our inspired by it.
After Mallika Sherawat did her bit in Himesh Reshammiya’s ‘Aap Ka Surroor’, it’s now the turn of the Rangeela girl Urmila Matondkar to step into Helen’s shoes, while Urmila sure has the moves, it remains to be seen whether her version can hold its own against Helen’s classic.
Forget about bring compared to the screen siren Helen, Urmila pales in comparison even to Mallika Sherawat’s gyrations in Aap Ka Suroor. Mallika for sure was easier on the eye, and surprsingly a lot more graceful. With Mehbooba Mehbooba it certainly seems like old school is often best, while there was a glimmer of hope that Urmila may just have been able to recreate some of Helen’s magic, Helen even after all these years simply cannot be touched.
But the real battle is between the two sensuous ladies Mallika and Urmila, both dancing divas in their own right. Will Urmila’s ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’ be a song and dance above Mallika’s version, after all Urmila is the original item girl.