Bollywood films
Bollywood titles and other films with Indian flavor that I've seen, some I recommend and some I don't. I tend to watch Bollywood movies when I just want some light entertainment so happy ends are what you are likely to find here. There are lots of draconian fathers, almost-kisses and random dancing flashmobs. You may need to suspend some disbelief to enjoy some of these films.
The list is loosely ordered so that the my absolute favorites are in the beginning and the ones I liked the least are in the very end but the middle part is more random. I try not to spoil the story but there are some comments about plot elements and problems.
The list is loosely ordered so that the my absolute favorites are in the beginning and the ones I liked the least are in the very end but the middle part is more random. I try not to spoil the story but there are some comments about plot elements and problems.
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- DirectorImtiaz AliStarsShahid KapoorKareena KapoorTarun AroraA depressed wealthy businessman finds his life changing after he meets a spunky and care-free young woman.Two strangers meet on a train and take turns changing each other's lives. This one is a particular favorite, one of my comfort films that I watch over and over again. Starring Shahid Kapoor in his best role and Kareena Kapoor whose character starts out as a little annoying but grows on me. There are many nice musical numbers and some amazing scenery and I just love everything about it.
- DirectorRajkumar HiraniStarsAamir KhanAnushka SharmaSanjay DuttAn alien on Earth loses the only device he can use to communicate with his spaceship. His innocent nature and child-like questions force the country to evaluate the impact of religious views on people.Aamir Khan has an extraterrestrial look on the life on Earth and the false numbers people are ringing, Anoushka Sharma supporting.
- DirectorAamir KhanAmole GupteStarsDarsheel SafaryAamir KhanTisca ChopraAn eight-year-old boy is thought to be a lazy trouble-maker, until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school.A great child actor portraying a special needs child with a rich imagination who gets sent to a boarding school. I like the way the boy's thoughts are transferred into art and cartoon sequences. Aamir Khan as a teacher. The music brings the story forward. A brilliant film that deserves all the praise it got. Directed by Aamir Khan, his only direction so far (I hope there is more to come).
- DirectorRajkumar HiraniStarsAamir KhanMadhavanMona SinghTwo friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them "idiots".A film that is funny and sad and entertaining and brilliant and surprising and philosophical and hilarious at the same time. And there is Aamir Khan who rocks.
- DirectorFarhan AkhtarStarsAamir KhanSaif Ali KhanAkshaye KhannaThree inseparable childhood friends are just out of college. Nothing comes between them - until they each fall in love, and their wildly different approaches to relationships creates tension.A star-studded film about friendship and life choices with Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan starring. A special mention for Dimple Kapadia who stands out from the actresses, besides Preity Zinta. It was the first film that Farhan Akhtar wrote and directed, and what a great debut it is. Everything feels real here. Oh, and did I say Aamir Khan is in this movie? "It's hard to improve on perfection."
- DirectorGauri ShindeStarsSrideviAdil HussainMehdi NebbouA quiet, sweet tempered housewife endures small slights from her well-educated husband and daughter every day because of her inability to speak and understand English.Sridevi empowers herself on an English course. It's refreshing to see a film in which the heroine is more than window decoration.
- DirectorNikkhil AdvaniStarsPreity G ZintaShah Rukh KhanSaif Ali KhanNaina, an introverted, perpetually depressed girl's life changes when she meets Aman. But Aman has a secret of his own which changes their lives forever. Embroiled in all this is Rohit, Naina's best friend who conceals his love for her.A funny, sad and sentimental story starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan.
- DirectorRohit ShettyStarsDeepika PadukoneShah Rukh KhanSathyarajA man travelling to Rameswaram via Chennai express for his late grandfather's ashes immersion finds himself in trouble after helping a don's daughter and her cousins board the train.SRK and Deepika in a comedy that actually was funny (not a given). I enjoyed this a lot. Some of the jokes are nods to older Bollywood films so a little filmi enthusiasm helps to understand them. There is too much gratuitous violence for viewing with the little ones (why do so many Bollywood fathers think that a bloody fight is the way to tell if a man is good enough for their daughter?) and the Goa subplot seemed a little juvenile for a man of SRK's age. But it certainly entertains and I understand why it was a superhit.
- DirectorFarah KhanStarsShah Rukh KhanSushmita SenSuniel ShettyAn army major goes undercover as a college student. His mission is both professional and personal: to protect his general's daughter from a radical militant, and to find his estranged half-brother.SRK as an action hero (and when I say hero I mean he can dodge bullets in slow motion in shades of the Matrix) and Sunil Shetty as the villain. It crosses several genres from a terrorist chase action movie to a college comedy musical, complete with some family drama. There is catchy music and cool end credits.
- DirectorDavid DhawanStarsVarun DhawanIleana D'CruzNargis FakhriSeenu and Sunaina fall in love with each other when he saves her from a corrupt policeman who wishes to marry her. Meanwhile, Ayesha, a girl Seenu meets on a train journey, wants to marry him.Fun fluff with Varun Dhawan. Salman Khan only has a voiceover part although IMDB names him as the star.
- DirectorSanjay Leela BhansaliStarsRanbir KapoorSonam KapoorSalman KhanTwo souls arrive in a small town, one on vacation, the other to meet a lover. They spend the most magical dream-like days of their lives in that town... with each other.This story of unrequited love is visually one of the most gorgeous movies that I have ever seen. Every shot is a dream world. Based on a Dostojevski story. Their debut film for both Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, also featuring Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan (briefly).
- DirectorVishal BhardwajStarsShahid KapoorPriyanka Chopra JonasDeb MukherjeeThe desperate lives of two estranged twin brothers converge over missing drugs, politics, racial prejudice, corrupt cops and an unplanned pregnancy.Shahid Kapoor starring in a double role as estranged twins. Kaminey means scoundrel. One of my favorite Bollywood ballads Pehli Bar Mohabbat is from this film.
- DirectorKiran RaoStarsPrateik Patil BabbarMonica DograKriti MalhotraThe lives of four people intersect in Mumbai: a washer-man who wants to become an actor, a banker-turned-photographer, a painter looking for inspiration, and a newly-married immigrant who journals her experiences on home video.If you like things more understated than your typical Bollywood fare, this could be your movie. It's kind of sad, no dances, no action scenes, no dramatic overacting, no genre hopping - just people whose lives cross in Mumbai. Aamir Khan as a painter who keeps watching video letters.
- DirectorSujoy GhoshStarsVidya BalanParambrata ChattopadhyayIndraneil SenguptaA pregnant woman's search for her missing husband takes her from London to Kolkata, but everyone she questions denies having ever met him.I would love to see more female-centered films from Bollywood.
This is Vidya Balan's movie all the way through. - DirectorMilind UkeyStarsNana PatekarShahid KapoorAyesha TakiaA new English school-teacher also teaches music but ends up leading both teachers and students to revolt against the school management.Shahid Kapoor looking heroic trying to save a school. Money is the root of all evil. I like the villains in this one.
- DirectorAnurag SinghStarsShahid KapoorRani MukerjiAnupam KherIn a village where girls don't play cricket, Veera puts on a turban and beard and becomes Veer to fulfill her dreams and meets Rohan. And fun begins.Rani Mukerji, Shahid Kapoor starring with Anupam Kher supporting as his father. This is another Twelfth Night remake with a girl who doesn't look or sound anything like a boy when she's dressed as one and I think they forgot one broken arm but it put a silly smile on my face. I don't know the first thing about cricket but it didn't really matter. My favorite scene is the SRK spoof.
- DirectorNikkhil AdvaniStarsRishi KapoorDimple KapadiaAkshay KumarA talented young Indian cricket player must defy his father's wishes to play for the side of England, a rebellion his siblings quietly cheer.Another story about cricket and chasing after forgotten dreams. The beginning is powerful, Akshay Kumar does a lot of pensive staring and Anoushka Sharma is in the feisty, bubbly role she is good at.
- DirectorYash ChopraStarsShah Rukh KhanPreity G ZintaRani Mukerji"Veer-Zaara" is a saga of love, separation, courage, and sacrifice. A love story that is an inspiration and will remain a legend forever.A classic. SRK and Preity Zinta as star crossed lovers and Rani Mukherji fighting for true love as well as gender equality. Anupam Kher was not cast as the daddy this time.
- DirectorAli Abbas ZafarStarsImran KhanKatrina KaifAli ZafarA quirky rom-com where Kush finds the ideal Indian bride Dimple for his brother Luv and a series of comical and unpredictable events follow.This film is a lot of fun, with a rocking soundtrack and starring loveable but confused Imran Khan and rebellious Katrina Kaif.
- DirectorYash ChopraStarsShah Rukh KhanMadhuri DixitKarisma KapoorA grand musical about three passionate and dreamy characters: Rahul, Pooja and Nisha. Will their dreams come true? Will they find their true love?Everybody wants SRK, and why not. This starts a bit slow as it takes several dances before all the main characters even officially meet, but I liked the heartbreak scenes. Akshay Kumar has a small but cute part here, love the pantomime. There seem to be a lot of Indian movies where people are amazingly civil when it turns out someone they love loves another.
- DirectorAditya ChopraStarsShah Rukh KhanKajolAmrish PuriWhen Raj meets Simran in Europe, it isn't love at first sight but when Simran moves to India for an arranged marriage, love makes its presence felt.Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in a classic. This is The Movie one is supposed to be raving about, the Mousetrap of the Bollywood cinema. And it is charming. To tell you the truth I find his fake chuckles a little annoying at places but the scenery is iconic, the banter is funny and the serious moments are emotional. I don't care for some of the musical numbers, and the prolonged fight scene.
The father's got scary eyes. Amrish Puri, that is. Anupam Kher's other daddy is quite jovial. - DirectorPunit MalhotraStarsImran KhanSonam KapoorSammir DattaniJay doesn't believe in love Stories, and Simran, is a girl who's in love with the idea of Love itself.Another Imran Khan comedy with catchy music. He hates love stories but, well, you know, there's this girl...
My favorite song from this film: Jab Mila Tu - DirectorManmohan DesaiStarsVinod KhannaRishi KapoorAmitabh BachchanThree brothers are separated and united after many years - one is brought up a Hindu, another a Muslim and the last (and most memorable) a Christian. Hilarity and adventure ensues.This film was recommended to me and it is quite an entertaining one. Three brothers get separated from their parents and each other and grow up in religiously diverse foster homes. I tend to be bored by many fight scenes but in this movie there is an epic one (a one-man band just continues playing like nothing was happening). It was a superhit in 1977 and Amitabh Bachchan got the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
- DirectorBunty SoormaStarsArjun RampalAmeesha PatelBobby DeolA blind woman is taken care by a wealthy nobleman after her fiancee is presumed to be dead. Things takes a turn when her former fiancee comes back to her, which puts her in a dilemma.This love triangle starring Arjun Rampal, Amisha Patel and Bobby Deol is one of my comfort movies that I've watched several times. But it probably depends on your tolerance threshold for melodrama and convenient plot devices. There are lives getting saved, lives being threatened, dramatic recoveries, everything. Just perfect for a certain mood. I love the heartbreak scene before the final conclusion. The moral of the story is: if you love somebody, you had better find out who the heck it is. The soundtrack is one of my favorites.
- DirectorKaran JoharStarsShah Rukh KhanKajolAmitabh BachchanAfter marrying a poor woman, rich Rahul is disowned by his father and moves to London to build a new life. Years later, his now-grown younger brother Rohan embarks on a mission to bring Rahul back home and reunite the family.A sentimental classic with a star cast and some catchy tunes. Everybody is an emotional retard here and I've no idea how it managed to last three and a half hours but I liked it.
