Excerpt: When Ardh Satya Met Himmatwala by Avijit Ghosh
Disco struck Bombay cinema like a viral fever in the early 1980s. Swinging strobe lights, loose-limbed dancers, shimmery outfits, and hysterical synth-driven rhythms — the disco song was obligatory in the mainstream movie. Even a vegan family romance like Saajan Mere Main Saajan Ki (1980) found a way to incorporate a disco number. Ashok Kumar, then approaching 60, and Shashikala, touching 50, jived and crooned “Hi honey” at a night club. The song was peddled as the film’s special attraction. Horror films (Hotel) and…