"Bollywood" recommendations please!

[Johnny Vinyl]

Hi all,

As I've regained an interest in movies, because of the Blu-ray format, I find myself wanting to experience some of the more non-traditional Hollywood fare. I'm actually getting quite tired of the explosions, shoot 'em up and CGI dominated movies.

I've bought several foreign-language films (mostly from Europe and a few Hong-Kong and Japanese releases), but have never bought a "Bollywood" film. And I'd like to get some as I hear some very good things.

Can someone recommend a short list of flims that I should consider? One thing I must mention...I am NOT, repeat NOT, a fan of musicals and it's my understanding that there are a lot of those in this genre. Please do not include those as I won't even consider them.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to your recommendations.

[Sushisake]

I am afraid, if you don't like musicals that your blu-ray options for Bollywood movies is going to be rather bleak at the moment. The only one I know of is Heyy Babyy (a comedy I think). That said, I actually own copies of SAAWARAYI and OM SHANTI OM - both of which own a prized spot on my blu-ray shelf. They are beautiful in blu-ray.

[MAH4546]

Originally Posted by John72953

Hi all,

As I've regained an interest in movies, because of the Blu-ray format, I find myself wanting to experience some of the more non-traditional Hollywood fare. I'm actually getting quite tired of the explosions, shoot 'em up and CGI dominated movies.

I've bought several foreign-language films (mostly from Europe and a few Hong-Kong and Japanese releases), but have never bought a "Bollywood" film. And I'd like to get some as I hear some very good things.

Can someone recommend a short list of flims that I should consider? One thing I must mention...I am NOT, repeat NOT, a fan of musicals and it's my understanding that there are a lot of those in this genre. Please do not include those as I won't even consider them.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to your recommendations.

All Bollywood movies - in any genre - are musicals. So if you don't like musicals, you won't like Bollywood. Even a Bollywood thriller has dance numbers, and there is no way around it.

They are not musicals in the typical sense of the word, but they all include at least 4-6 dance numbers. It doesn't matter if it is a comedy, a drama or an action film, it has musical numbers.

My favorite Bollywood films (admitedly, except for Om Shanti Om, I have no idea which ones are on Blu-Ray):

Om Shanti Om - The "definitive" modern Bollywood film. Comedy/drama, great plot. Very, very good movie.

Bunty aur Babli - Bonnie & Clyde style film. Very good.

Dhoom/Dhoom 2 - Fast & The Furious with motorcycles and dance numbers. Dhoom 2 has better actions sequences.

Kal Ho Na Ho - Very traditional Bollywood film. Takes place in New York City; romance comedy.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna - Comedy/Drama film. Very good acting, great story line, long movie.

Salaam | Namaste - Comedy. Filmed in Australia, based on Nine Months.

No Entry - Comedy. Very funny; one of the highest grossing Bollywood movies of all time.

Kya Kool Hai Hum - Comedy, again very funny. The humor is "obscene" for Bollywood standard.

Tara Rum Pum - Family comedy/drama about a NASCAR driver. Entertaining.

Dostana - Hysterical comedy. Two guys in Miami pretend to be gay so they can rent an apartment with a hot girl. It was just released to theatres a few weeks ago, but Bollywood movies come to DVD within 4-8 weeks of theatrical, so it should be on DVD soon enough. It's my favorite Bollywood film.

Koi...Mil Gaya - Very good movie. It's Bollywood's version of E.T.

Neal 'N' Nikki - It's not that the movie itself is good, it's actually not a good a movie, but if you like dumb movies and laugh at cheesy plot lines, you might enjoy it. I enjoy this movie a lot. Filmed in Vancouver; based on "It's a Guy Thing."

Dewanne Huye Paagal - Bollywood adapation of "There's Something About Mary," but family-friendly. More entertaining for the fact that it is based on TSAM than anything else.

My list is composed exclusively of recent, bigger budget Bollywood films. I personally enjoy the modern Bollywood movies by the major Bollywood studios. They combine traditional Bollywood elements with western film plots, and, IMO, they usually do a good job at it. Also, a lot of these films have a significant amount of English dialouge interwined with Hindi, especially the ones filmed in the U.S.

Though you won't find a one that's not a musical.

[Crim122]

I heard Slumdog Millionaire is a Bollywood film, and its hands down my favorite of the year.

[P@t_Mtl]

If you want some easy to find Bollywood style movies before trying to import them and see if you like the style, rent Bollywood Hollywood or Bride & Prejudice. This will tell you right away if you enjoy the Bollywood style of movies.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Thanks for the responses and being up-front about what Bollywood produces. I think I'll hit up a few friends who have a lot of these movies and see if I can borrow one or two.

I get the feeling however, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the Bollywood "musicals" are very different than the Hollywood style. If they are production numbers that get interspersed into the movie, that might be ok. I just don't like it when people start talking and then all of a sudden break out into a song and dance.

Can someone clarify this for me?

[Sushisake]

While I actaully am a fan of all things musical - I have to also admit that a Bollywood "musical" does not necessarily fit into the "norm as you might know it. They are nothing like "The Sound Of Music", "Oklahoma", etc - these musical numbers really give blu ray a chance to show how beautiful colors are in hi-def.

OM SHANTI OM is truly an excellent Bollywood movie. If you do not like this, chances are you would not care for many others.

[MAH4546]

I get the feeling however, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the Bollywood "musicals" are very different than the Hollywood style.

Correct. The songs also are not "show tunes."

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

If you want some easy to find Bollywood style movies before trying to import them and see if you like the style, rent Bollywood Hollywood or Bride & Prejudice. This will tell you right away if you enjoy the Bollywood style of movies.

Side note, but there is never a need to "import" Bollywood films. They are easy to find in the U.S. and even sold by Amazon. The major Bollywood film distributors sell Bollywood films directly through their U.S. offices, and they are dirt cheap - rarely more than $20 for a new release, down to $5-$10 within a few months.

Amazon sells Bollywood, but charges a ton. Not sure why.