Mulk (Country)

I recently rewatched this for an upcoming podcast episode. It was my third viewing and I was surprised that it was just as powerful as the first time. It speaks to modern times in America as well as to the original Indian audience.

My original review is below.

This was based on a true case where a terrorist's entire family was taken to court and accused of being a terrorist cell. We were invested on the family's side, as most American viewers would be, and as the movie intended everyone to be. It was also very interesting to see how the top terrorist persuaded the family son to his cause.

The movie did an especially good job of showing the friendly Hindu-Muslim relations between neighborhood families which then spiraled downhill after the terrorist act. And we appreciated the inside views of the horror-stricken family and how they also got different reactions to the crime from inside their own Muslim community.

The actors were all great, especially Rishi Kapoor as the family patriarch and Ashutosh Rana as the public prosecutor. Rana is well known for his "negative roles" and we could see why.

Some reviewers criticized this for a lack of subtlety but c'mon. It's a courtroom drama. That means over-the-top speeches whether in America or India. Even the venerable Twelve Angry Men doesn't escape that. Overall, a good legal movie with a message that works today in America in a lot of ways.

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

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Rocky and Rani's Love Story)

Rocky is a loud, showy Punjabi from a family who made their fortune making laddoos (sweets). Rani is a sophisticated, stylish television personality from a Bengali family. Brought together by a fluke because each loves their grandparents, they fall in love. Struggling to plan their future with such different backgrounds they do the only logical thing (from a Bollywood point of view) — live with each other's  families for three months to adjust to their cultures and backgrounds and to know if their marriage will survive. This leads to funny and interesting contrasts as each has something to learn and something to teach their "new" families.

Rocky Aur Rani is a three-hour long, dance loaded, romance loaded movie that leaves you smiling. It's been described as "delicious eye candy with a rebellious core" and nothing could be truer. Ranveer Singh as Rocky has never been more charming or energetic. Alia Bhatt makes the romance seem genuine. As well as the romance, the contrast between traditional and progressive values gives you something a little deeper than the fun and froth. 

Highly recommended.

NOTES FOR INDIAN MOVIE FANS:

Rocky Aur Rani also is a delightful blending of old and new. We couldn't appreciate it the way that it would strike Indian audiences but our limited knowledge still made us happy when we recognized callbacks to old Indian films. The music was composed by superstar Pritam as an homage to 1960s and 70s songs from Bollywood classics. Some of the actors were actually in those classics. We were especially delighted to see Dharmendra and Jaya Bachan (who we'd seen in the curry-western Sholay, as well as a few other films). 

Partway through, this suddenly struck me forcibly as a modern take on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G - my review). We watched it early in our Indian movie explorations and it didn't go down well for this American family. I'd forgotten most of the details but somehow that K3G vibe was there. Afterward, I remembered it was an early film for Rocky Aur Rani's director, Karan Johar. It's as if he was shaking off the cobwebs and bringing it into the present. I don't tend to love Johar's films, but this time — we thoroughly approved.

Bollywood* Beginner Movies 7-9 — Shakespeare, Thrillers, and Modern Life

Part 1 looked at romantic comedies. Part 2 branched out to action,  romance, and myth.

Now we're looking at movies that intersect more with what we'd think of as Western movies. However, these are all distinctively Indian.

SHAKESPEARE

7. Omkara

Othello, Indian-style. Fairly faithful and gorgeous adaptation with gangsters. (My review. Scott and I talk about it here. Hannah and Rose discuss it here.)

• Ram-Leela
  Romeo and Juliet, Bollywood-style. A less faithful but even more gorgeous adaptation but it examines the families in a very Indian way. (My review. Scott and I talk about it here. Hannah and Rose discuss it here.)
  

THRILLERS

8. Kahaani

A 7-month pregnant woman arrives in Kolkata from London to seek her missing husband with nothing to rely on except her memories and a photo. This thriller blew our minds. Hollywood would be proud to make this movie. (My review. Hannah and Rose discuss it here.)

• Fan
  They had me at Shah Rukh Khan playing his own stalker. This is a solid thriller and a real star vehicle for King Khan who proves he can really act. (My review here. Scott and I discuss it here. Hannah and Rose discuss it here.)
  

MODERN LIFE

9. Piku

Piku juggles her life as a successful architect and caring for her 70-year old hypochondriac father. When they take a road trip from Delhi to Calcutta, the owner of the local cab company has no choice but to drive them personally since none of his drivers are willing to endure Piku or her eccentric father. (My review here. Scott and I discuss it here. )

• The Lunchbox
  A mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. They build a connection through notes in the lunchbox. (My review here.)
  

NEXT

Part 4 will feature comedy-horror, Mollywood, and true history

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.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo — a delightful take on The Prisoner of Zenda

While recovering from an assassination attempt four days before his coronation, a stern prince is replaced by a romantic lookalike.

I love The Prisoner of Zenda, a classic adventure novel where a king has disappeared so a foreign "look alike" is called upon to impersonate him. Naturally, the impersonator can't help but interject some of his own personality in chance encounters, such as with the king's fiancee, and soon sees where the king's deficiencies lie.

This movie is a fun, frothy fairy tale loosely based on that story, 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. He already revered the king's fiancee and this is his big chance to meet her face to face. But what effect will that have on the princess?

I first saw this in 2019 when we were fairly early in our Bollywood watching. This rewatch was just as charming and beautiful as the first time. The gorgeous shots and the spectacular location raise this to a visual treat. However, now I realize I didn't appreciate it enough the first time. A real treasure and one that I'll be rewatching.

Hannah and Rose discuss this movie on An American's Guide to Bollywood.

Something Romantic for Valentine's Day

This was shot in Iceland, starring one of Bollywood's most famous pairs for romantic movies - Shah Rukh Kahn and Kajol. It is breathtakingly beautiful (I love those scarves) and it even has a translation so you can get all the nuances!

When we watched the movie, the translation was "color me the color of saffron" which I took to be the symbolic color of love. One of the things I love about Indian culture is the symbolism color holds (in the same way that I love the Catholic liturgical color symbolism — it adds depth to everything). It turns out that "gerua" actually is an old fashioned term for a color. From Quora:

I have heard this colour described so many different ways....reddish pink, yellowish red, saffron, orange--it seems that every media outlet has taken a shot at what the actual meaning of "gerua" is.

When producers were first explaining it and talking about the writing of the song "Gerua", they talked about the ambivalence of opinion on this particular colour and that that was one of the things they liked. The word "gerua" is actual a very old word which was (until Dilwale) almost lost to common use. SRK himself said he like the idea that it was an old-fashioned word because it fit with the film.

The best explanation I have seen is that the colour in Kajol's dupatta when she and SRK are on top of the deserted plane is the colour of "gerua".

Bollynook points out:

This colour is significant here as it defines the purity and sanctity of love and it is compared to Godliness. Hence in a way, it is pointing out that how deep and meaningful love is to the pair.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Movie You Might Have Missed #53 : Meet the Patels

It's been 11 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

Mom: She lives in India. She’s a bit heavy but has a Master’s in engineering. 

Ravi: So she’s overweight and an engineer and an Indian. That’s not the best pitch, Mom.

Ravi Patel is a first generation Indian-American. After a failed relationship he realizes that his ideal bride would be an Indian raised in the U.S. since he was too. But he has trouble finding such women. His mother is overjoyed to help since she's a famous matchmaker who has been frustrated because her own children won't accept her help. Filmed by his sister, Geeta, Ravi spends a year trying to find love in traditional Indian style.

A lot of reviewers have called this predictable and in one sense it is. We have a feeling that we know who Ravi will wind up with the entire time.

However, there are a lot of other threads combined in the year of matchmaking Indian style. It is those threads that provide more depth than simply who Ravi will like enough to marry.

Vignettes give context for cultural views of marriage, whether of older Indian couples talking about how their marriages were arranged or of young married couples containing either one or both Indian spouses. The comments that both Geeta and their parents drop throughout the filming combine to become a reflection on the importance family and attachment to culture plays, especially in immigrant families.

It was fascinating watching everyone struggle to adapt their native culture to that of their adopted American homeland. For instance one wonders how the Patel parents felt as they adapted the standard Indian matchmaking process in an effort to meet their American son halfway. We also see how this struggle makes Ravi look more deeply at his own life.

This is an amusing, light piece, but one that is also heartwarming and genuine, with insights to share beyond what you might expect.

NOTE: this is NOT a Bollywood movie but does reflect many basics of Indian cultural norms, especially in their respect for parents.

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (The Man Who Feels No Pain)

Surya has a rare condition of Congenital Insensitivity to pain meaning he can not feel pain. Hearing that most children with this condition never live past the age of four, his grandpa uses martial action movies to train him to be like Bruce Lee. This seems counter intuitive, but actually works. Surya and  his childhood friend, Supri, who has her own problems, set out to right wrongs.

That's just the first part of the movie and when the story heads into Surya's adulthood is when the real action begins. Surya really believes the good guys win, any obstacle can be overcome, and that true love triumphs over all. He doesn't have a cynical bone in his body. That sweetness and earnestness  make us love Surya, his oddball team of justice fighters, and this movie. 

In many ways it made us think of Amelie and Edgar Wright movies for a story with sweetness, quirkiness, and heart. It is loaded with fantastic action scenes and pop culture. There were many Western cultural references and from reading  reviews I know there are tons that we missed from Indian culture and old martial arts films. The two lead performances were from newcomers who acted with complete confidence and this has what must be the best double role of all time from Gulshan Devaiah.

It is fun and funny, goofy and heart-felt, and shouldn't be missed. Let you think it sounds too crazy, I will add that my 86-year-old mother loved it and was using movie references around the house the next day. 

 Streaming on Netflix.

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

Pink (2016)

 

Three men rush to a hospital because one is suffering from a serious injury to his head and eye. One of the men says they'll get revenge on those women. Meanwhile, three shaken and upset women are returning to their apartment in a taxi. They have spots of blood on them and we can tell they are the women who the man was talking about.

And we are off and running with one of India's biggest film hits from 2016. Although we're dropped into the middle of the story, we all know that one of these women had to take extreme measures to defend her virtue. 

This is a serious movie about a topic that Americans have had held up to the public eye for decades. But in India, that isn't the case and this movie was made to point out the double standards applied to women and the violence that can ensure.

 As the story continues we see the escalating forms of revenge the men attempt, the helplessness of the women,  predictable keepers of the status quo, and unexpected acts of kindness. Something the girls don't expect is when an old, possibly creepy, neighbor comes to their assistance as their legal counsel. Anyone used to Indian films knows from the beginning this will happen because he is played by acting legend Amitabh Bachchan. Of course he's the lawyer. 

However, the story really belongs to the young women and it is artfully and sensitively shown through small vignettes as they must come to terms with the relentless siege they suffer and their limited ability to fight for their voices to be heard. Indian films are usually very good about inferring sensitive topics rather than showing them and this does a good job at that.

We avoided this for some time because, as Americans, we've seen this sort of story told many times and I also don't like movies with victimization. However, it was a very good film in its own right, well told, and a fascinating look inside Indian society at a condition that their films are now exposing to the light of day.

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

Hannah and Rose discuss Pink in episode 53 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

Raazi

 

A daughter. A wife. A spy.

The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka's 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, a true account of an Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who, upon her father's request, is married into a family of military officials in Pakistan to relay information to India, prior to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Last week after referencing Raazi in the Sarvam Thaala Mayam review, I was stunned to see that I never mentioned it here. So let's make up for that now, shall we?

It's a riveting spy thriller with nuanced screenplay and performances. We were on the edge of our seats.

It also introduced us to a time in Indian history which helped explain a lot of the attitude toward Pakistan which we've seen in other movies, so that prompted us to go look up events surrounding this time period. So it was educational as well. It was also our introduction to Alia Bhatt who is very talented.

Simply excellent.

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

Johnny Gaddaar (Johnny the Traitor)

Vikram decides to elope with his girlfriend Mini for a better life. For this purpose he decides to steal the money collected by his business partners for a drug deal. Everything goes horribly wrong.

This is a very stylized movie in the vein of Bob le Flambeur or Rififi. Which is to say it is an homage to French neo-noir while being a wonderful example of that very thing. Both of those movies were more about the people than the crime. This is no different.

We were simultaneously absorbed by the plot while appreciating the nice touches of Bollywood homage embedded throughout the film — at least those we could pick up on such as everyone's adoration of Amitabh Bachchan or Twinkle being Vikram's girlfriend's phone name. Not being Indian we knew there were countless things we missed. 

Definitely recommended and you don't have to be a Bollywood fan to appreciate this film. It is Hollywood quality, despite coming from India. It turns out that we'd seen another film by this director — Andhadhun. Those two are enough to make us eager to see his other  three  films. 

Access Bollywood has a good review with this observation which enriched the movie for me.

There’s another theme in the film about the nature of love, namely that Vikram doesn’t know what real love is. How can he be sure of his feelings for Mini or her feelings for him when they developed under duress? Vikram protests to Seshadri that their love is real, and Seshadri just shrugs.

Seshadri is one of multiple examples of what true love is that Vikram ignores in pursuit of his affair. Widowed Seshadri reminisces while listening to a recording of his wife singing. Prakash dotes on his wife, Varsha (Ashwini Kalsekar), a proud working mom. Shiva has a sweet, budding romance with the nurse who cares for his ailing mother. Shardul doesn’t seem like such a bad husband to Mini, at least by mafia-film standards. He comes home and wants to catch up on the day with his wife...

I totally missed that the first time around but will be looking for it when I watch again.

It's not for everyone and you'll know within the first ten minutes whether it is something you don't like. However, if you're unsure — as we were — let it keep going and you might wind up liking it as much as we did. 

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!) This one is difficult if you're not ready for neo-noir, but that's completely independent of Bollywood.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #28: Lagaan

It's been 10 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

I am hard put to it to think of any four hour movie I'd recommend. When I add that it is a Bollywood sports film, that just increases the odds against it. Yet this movie's charm is undeniable.

A small Indian village battles a sadistic British officer during the time of the Raj. He has imposed high taxes or "lagaan" which a prolonged drought makes it impossible to pay. Rallied by one independent soul, Buvan, the villagers find themselves in a winner-take-all cricket match. You might want to treat this one like a mini-series as the 4-hour length that would make Martin Scorsese envious. However, I will add that Tom and I never regretted a minute of it.

This is a delightful story of the triumph of the human spirit, complete with Bollywood dancing and singing that moves the story along in the best musical style. I will add that, by the end, you will have a fairly decent understanding of cricket. I will also add that, noticing hair as I do, it was rather painful whenever the young villager who pushes everyone on to fight for their rights had his head uncovered. Possibly the worst haircut ever. As Tom said, "He looks like a young Vulcan." Other than that though ... enjoy!

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

Scott and I discuss Lagaan at A Good Story is Hard to Find.
Hannah and Rose discuss Lagaan at An American's Guide to Bollywood.

Jodhaa Akbar

An epic romance, set in 16th-century India, about the love story between Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, the Mughal Emperor of Hindustan, and Rajput princess Jodhaa. In order to extend his empire, Akbar agrees to a marriage of alliance to young and fiery Jodhaa but soon realizes he has to defend his choice of bride as his courtiers voice their displeasure at the idea of their Muslim Emperor marrying a Hindu.

The first time we watched this we found the first part really disorienting. I assume that if you are Indian you know a lot about the factions we were being introduced to and the basic history being told — which we had no clue about. Also, as Bollywood newbies, we had a really tough time keeping track of the many warriors and kings, especially since they all were in historical garb. However, the film did a good job bringing us up to speed, the romance was compelling, and by the time they got to proclaiming the emperor Akbar, we were on board all the way. 

A second viewing, almost two years and 150 Indian movies later, made us really able to appreciate it properly. We could even keep track of all those confusing warriors and kings! Also, with the basic story knowledge from our first viewing meant that we could properly appreciate the performances. 

When they say "epic romance" they aren't kidding. By the time that the emperor and Jodhaa declare their love and he puts his hands on her shoulders (yes, they move slowly in a traditional movie like this), you'd been brought to a state of high tension over that ultimate forehead kiss and neck nuzzle. It doesn't hurt that they are the hottest emperor and empress ever. 

This is something on a scale that Cecil B. DeMille would have loved. Lavish is an understatement for the jewelry and costumes and settings. The battles are grand in every sense of the word. It is a feast for the eyes.

The first time around we thought that the movie must have been modernized because Akbar's religious views were so tolerant. We were impressed when we looked up his history and saw that he was indeed a most unusual ruler for his time. Interestingly, on vacation in Charleston talking over movies with some Indian tourists, we brought up Jodhaa Akbar, asking if the great Akbar was as portrayed. He obviously is a national hero because they instantly began praising him with great animation and enthusiasm. It was really impressive and makes the movie even more fun to watch.

NOTE: medium to difficult Bollywood viewing. Just let it flow over you without worrying too much about the politics and you'll enjoy it.

Scott and Julie discuss Jodhaa Akbar at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Hannah and Rose discuss Jodhaa Akbar at An American's Guide to Bollywood.

Raanjhanaa [Beloved One]

A small-town boy needs to break through the class divide to gain acceptance from his childhood sweetheart who is in love with big city ideals.

Between the poster and the description we were expecting a light romance. I mean, look at how much fun they're having during the Holi celebration!

So we were really surprised when this began taking some dark turns, but it was good and I really liked Dhanush's performance. Both the main characters are really stupid about each other when it comes to romance which was rather realistic when you think about their different backgrounds. However, as the film goes on it takes a turn into something different which is more interesting than a standard love story. We see Dhanush's character, Kundun, suddenly think outside his own desires after he makes a big mistake. Simultaneously we see Zoya's twin desires for vengeance and paying tribute to a loved one result in a fascinating journey. The movie becomes an interesting look at selfishness versus true love in what will we do for our beloved ones.

My favorite scene was when he's picked up by the student political group as a thief. They are trying to figure out why he was stealing with discussion on a high intellectual level while not realizing he is hungry, thirsty, out of work, etc.

Anyway, good with several surprising twists which gave it depth.

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.)

Rest in peace, Irrfan

I'm surprised at how upset it made me to learn this morning that Irrfan Khan died. He was hands-down one of my favorite Indian actors, with a nuance and subtlety which gave every performance depth. I tended to forget that he'd been in Western movies like Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire although the admiring obituaries ranging from CNN to The Guardian to Deadline Hollywood reminded me that in many ways he was the face of India in Hollywood. What defined his skill for us were Indian movies like The Lunchbox, Haider, and Piku.

Tom also felt it more deeply than he expected and, talking it over, we realized that Irrfan was so natural seeming that you felt as if you connected with him personally in many of his roles. So it is as if we have lost a friend instead of a star. I imagine that many in India feel that and more right now.

I am glad that we so recently watched Billu, which I reviewed yesterday. It was a nice last look at Irrfan Khan while he was alive.

Grant to Irrfan eternal rest. 
Let light perpetual shine upon him. 
May his soul and the souls of all the departed, 
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
Amen.

Billu

This was really charming. A barber's claim to be friends with a mega-star is put to the test when a movie is shot in his small village featuring, of course, that star. We are left wondering if the barber is telling the truth and what will happen if he can manage to meet the star face-to-face.

Billu provides an interesting insight into the challenges of Indian movie making on location as well as how to handle sudden notoriety. One of the things that makes this movie so much fun for Bollywood fans is that the mega-star is played by the biggest Indian star of our time, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK). We felt a real thrill when he first appears and pulls off his helmet to show himself. The role allows us to see him behind the scenes as well as the fact that every celebrity is, underneath all the glamor, a human being. I've seen Irrfan Khan in a lot of movies where his understated style means the movie is going to be relatively low-key. His parts of this movie were a definite contrast to the "big in Bollywood" SRK part.

 I am hard put to think of another movie that successfully blends big movie glitz with thoughtful small village reality, or in other words Shah Rukh Khan's style with Irrfan Khan's. But this one pulls it off.

With three item numbers (not moving the plot forward, just for fun, and frequently with stars who we never see again in the film) as well as various other songs, this was long. But we didn't mind and already know we'll watch it again sometime when we want a feel-good movie.

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

A Perfect Popcorn Movie — War

Top agent Major Kabir is the head of a team hunting terrorists. Khalid is the eager, new recruit who must overcome the stigma of a father who was a traitor. When Kabir suddenly goes rogue, Khalid is the student who knows him best so it becomes his job to track Kabir down and try to stop him.

This movie pairs Bollywood veteran star Hrithik Roshan with up-and-coming Tiger Shroff. The result is a wonderfully entertaining Borne/Mission Impossible/Bond style action thriller accented with Bollywood masala. There's a good dose of patriotism for Mother India, an actual mother who is as loyal a patriot as you're ever going to find, and plenty of dancing.

If you want an action thriller with a lot of over the top lines, big in Bollywood acting, and two top male stars in exotic locations doing impossible stunts ... then this is your movie. We really enjoyed it, including my 85 year old mother who laughed through a lot of it (as we did too - over the top, remember?) and said she never needed to watch another action movie. "This one captured the essence of all of them," she said.

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

Hannah and Rose discuss this in episode 41 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

Singham

Dirty Harry meets Bollywood. Singham is a righteous policeman from a small village who takes on the biggest criminal in Goa.

This movie is ridiculously entertaining. I've seen this three times and it remains entertaining each time.  Ajay Devgn carries it all off with style. This movie added "tight slap" and "Welcome to Goa" to our household vocab.

This was, however, the first Indian movie I saw that made me realize just how deeply different the base cultural values can be between America and India. The ending is a troubling one for Americans as we see that our ideas of vengeance and revenge are in some ways very different from ones Indians celebrate. This has since been reinforced by other movies but this was the eye opener.

Regardless, Rohit Shetty (and team) know how to direct well choreographed fight scenes and over the top action that are tons of fun.

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.)

ALSO 

Scott and I discuss it at A Good Story is Hard to Find.

Hannah and Rose discuss it as part of their cop movie series at An American's Guide to Bollywood.

Romeo and Juliet — Bollywood Style

Ram and Leela, passionately in love with each other, realize that the only way to stop the bloodshed between their respective clans is to sacrifice their own lives.

So, right there in the description you can see that this telling of Romeo and Juliet takes a definitely Indian twist. It's all about family, all the time.

This was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali whose movies are famously beautiful and this is no exception. Set in a town where two gangster families (another familiar Indian theme) openly war for dominance, Ram and Leela meet at a Holi celebration. It's clever because the colored powder partially disguises their features (instead of the masked ball of Shakespeare's writing).

I really enjoyed this adaptation, especially the chemistry between Deepika and Ranveer Singh. The way they interact, right up to the end, shows us how deeply and instinctively they understand each other ... and without a lot of sappy stuff. Melodrama - yes. Over the top theatrics - yes. Sexual attraction - yes. (Good heavens, that incense scene was amazing.) But not sappiness. Which I appreciate.

I didn't love the bit where each takes over running their clans. With the emphasis on family and town politics, it sagged some. It expressed the ending we expect in the most Indian of ways ... so much so that it made it a delight. Also, I've never seen family so examined in Romeo and Juliet, but to be fair - that's also very Indian. I loved those aspects a lot.

Overall this movie is a good adaptation. The songs and dances are really good and, of course, Deepika and Ranveer Singh are a delight for the eyes. So even if you don't love the rest of it, you can enjoy the show.

Rating — for advanced viewers. (You've got to be willing to let this one wash over you, enjoying the ride for what it is ... it also helps if you've got a basic knowledge of Romeo & Juliet, but that's not really necessary).

Scott and I discuss this at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Hannah and Rose discuss it in episode 44 of An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha (My Big Fat Bride)

This charming romantic comedy is a fascinating look at the pitfalls of arranged marriage. When Prem's parents arrange a marriage to Sandhya, he didn't expect it to be with a woman who is more educated, has more earning potential, and is oversized. He can't even bring himself to touch her, which leads to one of the funniest and sweetest sequences in the film. He's even more taken aback when she stands up to him. Adding to Prem's woes is his failing business, which leads to the movie's climactic race where the husbands race through an obstacle course while carrying their brides.

This is from the writer/director of Sui Dhaaga (Made in India), which also looks at a couple who are struggling to learn to know each other after an arranged marriage. You can tell this is an earlier work, but I enjoyed it a lot. One of my favorite scenes was when the enraged couple were playing dueling songs at each other from the radio. I wish I knew what the songs were so I could have gotten the full message each was sending. It managed to be funny anyway. Halfway through I did get tired of Prem's continual whining but the ending was worth it. And I loved Sandhya the entire time.

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.)

New Podcast - An American's Guide to Bollywood

Hannah & Rose go over 5 tips for watching Bollywood movies in their new podcast, An American’s Guide to Bollywood.

Our upcoming movies are Lagaan, Tashan, Monsoon Wedding, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Baahubali 1 & 2.

Yes, Hannah and Rose have a new podcast!

Their first episode — 5 Tips for Watching Bollywood — should be helpful to anyone who has been watching my continual Indian film reviews with bewilderment. iTunes hasn't added it yet, but the link goes to the website where you can listen: An American's Guide to Bollywood.