Bollywood* Beginner Movies 1-3 — Romantic Comedies

I recently showed one of my favorite Bollywood movies to my book club, by their request. They enjoyed it so much that during the intermission a list of more movies was requested. 

After consultation with my backup crew (Hannah and Rose from An American's Guide to Bollywood), we came up with a good list of beginner movies in different categories. I'm going to spread them over the next few weeks so they aren't overwhelming. I'll include links to my full reviews, Hannah and Rose's discussions, and to the episodes of A Good Story is Hard to Find where Scott and I talk about them.

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First up, we'll look at the genre that Indian movies are most famous for: romantic comedies. With lots of singing and dancing, of course!

Something to keep in mind is that the movies' beginnings may seem a bit slow. That's so all the "aunties" can come in during that first 20 minutes with their roasted chickpeas, greet their friends, and still be able to tell what's going on in the film. That's kind of useful if you are new to Indian movies. Just let the beginning wash over you and enjoy the ride.

I've got three "must see" movies below, with a few extras. The three groups below each feature one of the three actors who have dominated Bollywood for some time. They share the same surname, though they are not related, and are called the Three Khans.

SHAH RUKH KHAN

1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
(A Match Made By God)

We'll begin with the movie I showed my book club. 

Mild mannered Surinder winds up in an arranged marriage to the vivacious Taani. When she enters a dance competition, he enters in disguise. Shah Rukh Khan plays a double role as a nerd and an obnoxious "cool" dancer who inadvertently is competing with himself for his wife's love. It's a solid comedy and a funny, sweet look at true love. (My review here, Scott and I discussed it here, Hannah and Rose cover it here.)

• Om Shanti Om
  An aspiring actor from the 1970s is murdered, but is immediately reincarnated into the present day where he attempts to expose the murderer and find Shanti, the love of his previous life. Finally — a movie with reincarnation! Light with tons of singing and dancing. (My review here, Hannah and Rose discuss it here.)
  
  
• Happy New Year
  Six thieves enter a prestigious dance competition as a cover for pulling off a diamond heist. It's like a Bollywood version of Mission Impossible ... with a dance contest, of course! (Hannah and Rose discuss it here.)
  

SALMAN KHAN

2. Bajrangi Bhaijaan

A simple, righteous Indian man helps return a young, lost, mute girl to her home in Pakistan. Pawan is what the girl's parents have prayed for — a "god-sent man" who will protect their daughter. And therein hangs the tale, including a heckuva road trip. Light-hearted and charming. (My review is here. Scott and I discuss it here. Hannah and Rose cover it here.)

• Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
  This movie is a fun, frothy fairy tale loosely based on The Prisoner of Zenda, tweaked to become Indian and, thus, much more family oriented. Salman Khan plays the double role of prince and loyal imposter. He's intelligent, good natured, and sweet. (My review is here. Hannah and Rose cover it here.)
  

AAMIR KHAN

3. PK

A humanoid alien lands in Rajastan naked on a research mission but is stranded when the remote control for his spaceship is stolen. Amazingly charming, this lighthearted view of humans through alien eyes uses India’s religions (which is almost all of them) as a backdrop to finding his way home. (My review is here. Scott and I discuss it here.)

• Lagaan
  This isn't actually a romantic comedy, but more of a romantic historical movie. A small Indian village battles a sadistic British officer in a winner-take-all cricket match. Lots of singing and dancing, and also Aamir Khan. India's pick for the foreign Oscars that year. (My review is here. Scott and I discuss it here. Hannah and Rose cover it here.)

NEXT

Part 2 will feature action, myth, and romance (of course!) 

For my complete list of recommended films, go here. The list begins with what I've seen most recently.

* "Bollywood" as I'm using it is shorthand for Indian movies in general. The Indian movie industry has a lot of different centers that are based on regional languages and storytelling styles. There will be a few recommendations from others as we go, however, generally speaking, Bollywood (Bombay/Mumbai) offers the easiest entry points for Western viewers.

3 Good Movies: Neerja, Sui Dhaaga, Andhadhun

We had a lucky run last weekend with three great movies. They are each very different so you might find something you'll like too.

Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization.

I don't love movies about hijackings or terrorists, but I was so interested in finding out how a 23-year-old woman could save 359 lives that I was really intrigued by this movie. It totally paid off. The story wound several threads of Neerja's life together through flashbacks so we could see some of the events that prepared her, in a way, to keep her head and do the right thing even when terrified. The acting and directing were great. I, probably like most of the aunties who saw this, was fighting back sobs by the end. It was an inspiring hero's tale.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Hannah and Rose discuss this at An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

A sweet, charming, feel-good movie which showcases Varun's and Anushka's subtle acting abilities as they play Mauji and Mamta, an ordinary couple, struggling to begin a small clothing business. Sui Dhaaga means The Needle and the Thread which is apt not only for the clothing business but for how we see this young couple work together and grow closer to create a life together. I really enjoyed the ordinary setting of humble home and family, complete with traditional overbearing father. Mauji and Mamta each inspire the other in different ways without using any of the typical tropes we'd see in an American version of the story.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Tom's review:

The story of a blind pianist who witnesses a murder. But that was just the first twist in this 2018 crime thriller. It was a heck of ride to the last frame. It got a bit dark, but never gory. It was critically acclaimed and a huge box hit. Box office was 14 times its budget.

It is worth watching, pretend it is a French noir film. (It’s based on a French short.) here is the trailer. It has subtitles. It is available on Netflix.

If a Hollywood studio does not redo this for the American market, they missing bet.

I found it very disturbing without actually showing anything disturbing. It definitely left all of us feeling unsettled. I'm not sorry I saw it but I won't need to see it again. Very much the way I felt after seeing Martin Scorsese's After Hours.

However, it was really popular and the acting and script were superb. Tabu deserved her first billing, especially once I found that she wasn't told anything about her character before the scenes she would play. It might be just the thriller that you talk about all summer.

Rating — for viewers with medium Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.)

Band Baaja Baaraat (Band Music and Revelry)

Bittoo meets Shruti when he crashes a wedding for free food and she tries to have him thrown out. He's interested in flirting but she's all business about her future, which does not include romance. That's ironic because she's going to begin a wedding planning service. When his father wants Bittoo to return to the sugar cane farm, Bittoo throws in his lot with Shruti's. It's strictly business. Of course.

This is a solid romantic comedy and a much better movie than the description makes it seem. The script often surprised me by taking unexpected turns. Probably the most refreshing bit was that it focused much less on the problems of running a wedding planning company than those of their relationship. Normally that wouldn't be a plus for me but these two actors elevated the movie and with the plot twists it all worked. Plenty of songs and dance numbers kept it fun and the item number is wonderfully over the top.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

 Hannah and Rose review this on An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (A Match Made By God)

Surinder Sahni is a mild-mannered office worker who loves from afar his former professor's daughter, the beautiful and vivacious Taani. When tragedy strikes, the professor arranges their marriage. Fighting loneliness in her new home, Taani enters a dance class/competition. Surinder disguises himself to watch her when fate steps in and he becomes her partner as the brash Raj. It's all fun until he realizes Taani is falling in love with Raj. He's losing his wife ... to himself!

We watched this on Sunday evening after helping present the Beyond Cana marriage retreat for three days.

All we expected was a romantic comedy with India's top star playing a double role as a nerd and an obnoxious "cool" dancer. It was a solid comedy and a funny, sweet look at true love. But it delivered a lot more.

• Not knowing the translation of the title, we were surprised to find the strong theme of “seeing God in your beloved.”
  
  
• I certainly didn't expect to find an overwhelming example of covenantal love when Suri humbly doesn't expect anything in return for his love.
  
  
• Also, "Jodi" means "pair." So the subtitle is: "There is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary couple."

So it was all amazingly appropriate considering our marriage retreat mindset of the moment! Plus, this is possibly Shah Rukh Khan's most charming role. And I'll admit it — I came to see King Khan. It was super entertaining!

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast - Scott and I discussed this movie in episode 209. Listen in!

An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast - Hannah and Rose discuss it here.

PK

A humanoid alien (Aamir Khan) lands on Earth naked on a research mission in Rajasthan but is stranded when the remote control for his spaceship is stolen.

Tom describes this best:

2014 satirical comedy-drama about an alien who gets stuck on Earth - it is not E.T. Instead it is a lighthearted view of humans through the childlike PK, played by the always intense Aamir Kahn. (PK means tipsy in Hindi.)

Amazingly charming, it uses India’s religions (which is almost all of them) as a backdrop to finding his way home.

It is really much better than my description. Look at it this way: it cost $12 million to make and had a box office of $140 million.

This was unexpectedly delightful and would be a good introduction to Bollywood since it is a bit more Western in how the story is told, with a few songs and dances to carry the story along. I especially enjoyed the religious angle, as well as the ingenuity with which PK has to figure out how to live on Earth using language instead of telepathy. And, of course, there is Aamir Khan (my favorite of the Three Khans).

Scott and I discussed this on episode 205 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)