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Bollywood

Started by Chedney Honks, March 20, 2021, 11:41:12 AM

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Chedney Honks

I'm in the mood for some spectacle, big dance sequences, belting music, colour overload. What are the best Bollywood movies, please?

And is Bollywood worth exploring further? I'm completely ignorant. I would like to dip my toe in, though.

sevendaughters

I quite like the Krrish/Koi Mil Gaya franchise. Proper 'something for everyone' fare.

Small Man Big Horse

I'd only ever seen four Bollywood movies until about a month ago, I've no idea why either as I really enjoyed those that I had seen. But I've been watching a couple a week recently and really loved doing so, here's the mini-reviews I wrote at the time (with thanks to The Mollusk and Duke DeMondo for some of the recommendations via facebook).

Queen (2013) - Rani's due to marry Vijay in two days time when he breaks up with her, but despite grieving for her lost love she decides to go on her honeymoon to Paris alone. At first she's a meek wallflower type and almost gets mugged, but after meeting a hotel maid called Vijaylaxmi she comes out of her shell, and then heads to Amsterdam where she stays in a hostel and becomes friends with the three guys scandalously sharing a room with her, all the while we get flashbacks which suggest she might just have had a lucky escape from marrying the controlling Vijay. It's a lot more realistic than a lot of Bollywood films I've seen (which is only about 10, admittedly), Paris is shown to have a bleak side to it, Rani's grief permeates the first fifty minutes, and Amsterdam's seedier side isn't ignored, but ultimately this is a feel good affair which celebrates the joys of finding your independence, discovering new cities and making new friends, and does so in style. 8.0/10

Om Shanti Om (2007) - Back in the 1970s Om (Shah Rukh Khan) is frustrated that he's only an extra but after sort of becoming friends with lead actress Shanti (Deepika Padukone) he dies when her shit of a husband traps her in a burning building and he tries to save her. Thirty years later and Om is reincarnated as the son of a famous actor and is now a big celebrity, and so an arrogant so and so, but when his latest film takes place in the building where he died he starts to get flashbacks to his previous life and quickly remembers who he used to be, before hatching an elaborate revenge upon Shanti's husband. It's a bright, fun, crazy affair, with some superb song and dance sequences, a strong plot, and this mixture of homage to and parody of Bollywood is enormously endearing. 8.3/10

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) - Three old friends go on a long stag do, though this involves scuba diving, sky diving and bull running rather than dodgy Amsterdam related sex crimes you'd find in a British version. There's some issues between the friends however, and the relationships they have with women, but everything's wrapped up nicely by the end of course. It takes a little while to get going but once they're on their holidays in Spain it's a warm, very feel good affair, relaxing to watch as they grow closer and have the time of their lives, and it's an infectious movie that makes you wish you were with them. 8.0/10

Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) - A quite bleak autobiographical romantic drama about a film director, Suresh Sinha (played by the film's director Guru Dutt), who hires a young girl called Shanti (Waheeda Rehman) to star in one of his movies, and the two fall in love. But when his daughter Pammi (Baby Naaz) begs her to leave him so her parents might reunite it marks the beginning of the end for his career, the couple never do reunite and after he fails to win a court battle he loses custody of Pammi and turns to alcohol, and never works again. It's beautifully shot, with a great number of very memorable images, and the tragedy of all of their lives is affectingly portrayed in an extremely moving manner. 8.0/10

Padman (2018) - Indian comedy drama about female hygiene products that's based on a true story, largely regarding the insane way women are treated while on their periods as they're banished from the house and not allowed near their husbands, and no the film isn't set in the 19th century but 2001. Worse still is the shame they feel, and even the sight of a sanitary pad has them all but running away, and when Lakshmikant Chauhan (who is based on the real life "Pad Man" Arunachalam Muruganantham)  tries to create inexpensive pads his wife is horrified, as is his sister, and he can't get anyone to test them, to the extent that his wife is forced to leave him and the village he lives in ostracizes him too. He decides to win her back by making her proud of him, and eventually realises what he needs to do is create a low cost machine which makes pads that he can sell to those who need them cheaply, and over time he changes the lives of millions. It starts a little slowly but builds and builds, and ultimately is quite the powerful work. 8.5/10

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) - Raj and Simran meet when they both go Eurorailing for a month, of course at first they clash like fire and ice or, I don't know, strawberries and fish, and Raj's a bit too much of a dick at first so it's understandable why Simran takes a while to like him. But by the end of the month both are in love, albeit with a couple of problems in that she's being forced in to an arranged marriage, and neither have spoken of their feelings. Raj has a plan though, and all it involves is killing a horse, pretending to be a tiger and becoming best friend's with Simran's husband to be, and attempts to win the hearts of her family too. There's some commentary on how horrendously badly women are treated but also way too much respect given to male elders, which lost it a couple of points, because they appear to be cunts until the very end. The first half set in London and Europe bursts with charm but the second half in India is weaker, the musical numbers are fun but it drags out the story for way too long and could easily have been much shorter than its three hours and ten minute running time. 7.6/10

3 Idiots (2009) - Three friends reunite to track down a fourth who has been missing for five years, presumed dead, but the majority of the tale is their antics while at university, and though there's the odd broad or slightly on the nose moment the majority of it is just fucking great, and it's surprisingly emotive at times, touching upon the pressures students are put under. The cast are great, the songs enormous fun, and the ending about as feel good as they come, and I loved this a huge amount in total. 9.5/10

Secret Superstar (2017) - Indian sort of musical where young Insia (Zaira Wasim) posts videos online while wearing a burqa as a disguise so that her cunt father doesn't beat her mother any more than he usually does. The way it deals with domestic abuse is quite powerful but also distressing, and sure that's meant to be the case but it means the film isn't always an easy watch, and the sexism the women face is brutal too. Still, at least when she meets a Simon Cowell esque producer (PK star Aamir Khan) though he initially treats her poorly she eventually tells him off and belts out a song and everyone's amazed in a very cliched manner (someone even takes off their glasses slowly, amusingly) and he helps her get in contact with the world's best divorce lawyer so her mother can be saved and the movie has a happy ending. Which might be a little manipulative, but fuck it, it's still extremely affecting and made me all rather tear-y. 8.1/10.

And I've posted the following a while back in the "Non-New Films" threads, but so I'd also recommend the four movies I'd previously seen:

Enthiran (2010) - Crazy, crazy, crazy Bollywood movie from 2010 about a Doctor who builds a sentient robot, Chitti, who falls in love with the Doctor's girlfriend, and even worse is turned evil by a rival professor. It's very funny, some of the action scenes are superb, but at three hours it's easily half an hour too long and sags badly in the middle, and some of the songs go on for longer than they should. Which is a real shame as the first and last hours are a delight, and there's a huge amount to love about the film. 8.0/10

2.0 (2018) - The sequel to Enthiran (Robot) is more of an action flick than a comedy (though it has a sense of humour still) and the romcom element is missing too which is a shame as while a lot of fun with some amazing action sequences and all round daftness it's a slightly inferior piece and doesn't contain as much charm as the first one. Still a must watch, but don't expect it to be better than Enthiran was. 7.7/10

PK (2014) - A Bollywood sci-fi rom com which also works as a smart and funny satire of organised religion. In it an innocent and naive alien is trapped on Earth and eventually ends up meeting a sympathetic tv producer, and his character is used to explore the absurdities of life, especially organised religion or those who profit from at the very least. The songs are strong (though "Love is a Waste Of Time" is the only stand out) and whilst it's a little over sentimental in places it completely won me over by the end. Initially I thought that at two and a half hours it might be overlong, but it turned out to be one of those films I didn't want to end, I could spend my life happily in this universe. 9/10

Tumbbad (2018) - Fun Bollywood fantasy horror where a mysteriously undying grandmother tells her grandson how to find treasure, but it comes with a catch. It suffers from pacing issues around the hour mark but the ending satisfies, even if it's a little slight as a whole. 7.3/10

Chedney Honks

Thanks, my good man, what a brilliant post.

And thanks, sevendaughters, sorry I didn't see your reply sooner.

notjosh

DDLJ is absolutely fucking fantastic - one of my all-time favourite movies. I disagree with SMBH about the second half, I think it handles the tonal shift very well and remains engaging for all 3 hours. Also I can't see the unquestioning deference to elders thing as a weakness. To some extent I suppose it's a choice on the part of the characters but that idea is so baked into Indian culture that I think it's best to just accept that as being part of the rules of the world of the film. I really think it's a brilliant introduction to Bollywood - the more Western-friendly first-half romantic comedy is a great hand-hold to pull you into the second half which is quintessentially Indian melodrama.

Also love Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which features the same leading pair but is a bit more on the cheesy side. If you're happy to just be swept along with it though it's extraordinarily affecting. Both of these films are chock-full of beautiful scores and stunning locations.

Lagaan (2001) is quite an accessible one too. Set during the British Raj, it's an underdog film about a small village that takes on the British at cricket to avoid having to pay their oppressive taxes. Feels like their version of something like The Great Escape and it's fun to see the English as the villains.

Haven't seen Three Idiots but it seems to be universally praised so probably another good one to start with.

Quote from: sevendaughters on March 21, 2021, 11:06:19 AM
I quite like the Krrish/Koi Mil Gaya franchise. Proper 'something for everyone' fare.

Don't want to be rude but I thought Koi Mil Gaya was absolutely terrible and I feel duty-bound to protest this recommendation!

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on April 17, 2021, 06:04:59 PM
Enthiran (2010) - Crazy, crazy, crazy Bollywood movie from 2010 about a Doctor who builds a sentient robot,

Might be worth pointing out that this is not a Bollywood film (Hindi film made by a Mumbai production company) but a Tamil movie originally released in Tamil language. The star - Rajinikanth - is pretty much worshipped as a god in South India and there are loads of Chuck-Norris-style jokes about him.

India has a thriving regional cinema scene which I don't know much about, but there is definitely plenty to explore. Telegu action films can get pretty nutty (this scene is pretty famous now), and I've heard that Malayalam thrillers are often good.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: notjosh on April 17, 2021, 07:11:21 PM
DDLJ is absolutely fucking fantastic - one of my all-time favourite movies. I disagree with SMBH about the second half, I think it handles the tonal shift very well and remains engaging for all 3 hours. Also I can't see the unquestioning deference to elders thing as a weakness. To some extent I suppose it's a choice on the part of the characters but that idea is so baked into Indian culture that I think it's best to just accept that as being part of the rules of the world of the film. I really think it's a brilliant introduction to Bollywood - the more Western-friendly first-half romantic comedy is a great hand-hold to pull you into the second half which is quintessentially Indian melodrama.

I know DDLJ is almost universally loved so it's probably just one of those times I had expectations which were a little too high, and I did enjoy it a lot overall. I know what you mean about the deference to elders being a massive part of their culture too, and understand where you're coming from, but there's been a couple of films lately that have gone against that (3 Idiots and Secret Superstar being the ones which immediately spring to mind) and I found that really refreshing.

QuoteAlso love Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which features the same leading pair but is a bit more on the cheesy side. If you're happy to just be swept along with it though it's extraordinarily affecting. Both of these films are chock-full of beautiful scores and stunning locations.

Lagaan (2001) is quite an accessible one too. Set during the British Raj, it's an underdog film about a small village that takes on the British at cricket to avoid having to pay their oppressive taxes. Feels like their version of something like The Great Escape and it's fun to see the English as the villains.

Haven't seen Three Idiots but it seems to be universally praised so probably another good one to start with.

Don't want to be rude but I thought Koi Mil Gaya was absolutely terrible and I feel duty-bound to protest this recommendation!

I'll definitely check out your recommendations, thanks for those, I've got about twenty other films downloaded already but will get them too.

QuoteMight be worth pointing out that this is not a Bollywood film (Hindi film made by a Mumbai production company) but a Tamil movie originally released in Tamil language. The star - Rajinikanth - is pretty much worshipped as a god in South India and there are loads of Chuck-Norris-style jokes about him.

India has a thriving regional cinema scene which I don't know much about, but there is definitely plenty to explore. Telegu action films can get pretty nutty (this scene is pretty famous now), and I've heard that Malayalam thrillers are often good.

Ah, that's interesting, shamefully I didn't know there was a difference and thought Bollywood was a collective term for all Indian films, but will have to read up on it now that I'm semi-obsessed with Indian cinema.

Small Man Big Horse

Tere Bin Laden (2010) - Shortly after 9/11 after trying to help an air hostess by returning a knife she dropped our journalist hero Ali Hassan (Ali Zafar) is accused of being a terrorist and is banned from American for life, the racist bastards that they are, destroying his lifelong dream of working there. Seven years later and he's now working for the largely unheard of StingTv and covering tedious madness like a Rooster crowing competition when he spots someone who sure does look a lot like Osama Bin Laden (Pradhuman Singh) and after recruiting a make up artist, a voice over artist and a couple of others they manufacture a video that everyone believes is real which they sell for a sod load of money, but which backfires when America uses it as an excuse to start a war and tries to track them down. Given the subject matter it's surprisingly a quite lightweight romp, fun for sure but the satire isn't subtle, and it feels a bit slight, I'd recommend it  but it's lacking the big colourful musical moments I love Bollywood for. 7.4/10

Small Man Big Horse

Barfi (2012) - Seventies set romantic comedy drama about the deaf and mute Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor), and the relationships he has with the engaged Shruti (Ileana D'Cruz) and the autistic Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra). It's a little poorly paced as in starts well but after ten minutes it slows down and is rather uneventful until the fifty minute point when Barfi's father falls ill and needs 7,000 rupees for an operation, but from then on in it's a gentle delight, beautifully shot and packed with warmth. 7.5/10

Mobius

I've only seen one. This one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swades

It was really good though, lots of dancing and colours and all that.I was absolutely wankered when I watched it and it was about 15 years ago but I'm sure it was good.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Mobius on April 19, 2021, 01:45:03 AM
I've only seen one. This one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swades

It was really good though, lots of dancing and colours and all that.I was absolutely wankered when I watched it and it was about 15 years ago but I'm sure it was good.

That does look fun and it's highly rated on imdb too, so I'll definitely check it out at some point.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) - The first seventy or so minutes of this incredibly adorable Bollywood rom-com sees Naina reminisce about her teenager years where she was nerdy and fed up with studying all the time so booked herself on the same holiday that old classmates Avi, Bunny and Adita were going on, and has the time of her life while also falling in love with Bunny. The second part takes
Spoiler alert
place eight years later as Adita is getting married and so all are reunited, but will Bunny and Naina finally get it on? And just why is Avi so pissy with Bunny?
[close]
It's a gorgeous slice of loveliness all in all, packed full of beautiful locations, bright and colourful song and dance numbers, a sexy cast and is one of those joyously relaxing films that makes you feel like you've had an amazing holiday away from the real world after watching it. If you were to be picky you could mock the way Naina becomes beautiful the moment she takes her glasses off, it's pretty predictable and the odd vocal is autotuned, but I loved this so much that the odd tiny, tiny issue didn't bother me at all. 9.1/0

Small Man Big Horse

Andhadhun (2018) - A dark comedy thriller, this sees pianist Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) pretending to be a blind, though why isn't explained initially, and after getting a job at a local restaurant he impresses famous actor Pramod Sinha (Anil Dhawan) who wants him to play in his home for his wedding anniversary one afternoon.
Spoiler alert
But when he gets there the Pramod is dead, and his wife Simi (Tabu) and her lover Manohar (Manav Vij) seems to be responsible for the crime, though Akash has to continue as if he hasn't seen anything. There's a whole bunch of further twists however, including when he goes to report the murder he discovers the Manohar is the police chief, he witnesses Simi kill a neighbour who saw too much, she realises he's not blind and then drugs him and blinds him for real, and, well, I could go on and on as the craziness ramps up in the second hour but I don't want to spoil it any further.
[close]
It contains some beautiful piano playing, a few great songs, a jet black sense of humour, some very strong performances, and is an enormously fun and gripping film in general. 8.1/10

notjosh

I watched Andhadhun a few months back. Found it an odd film really. On paper it's an obvious black comedy, but a lot of it seems to be played pretty straight. Found it bizarre that we never got a proper explanation behind his pretend blindness besides, more or less, 'I felt like it'.

The second half I found much more enjoyable, as it just got bigger and stupider, and I just went with it. Tabu is great in it - I love the bit where she
Spoiler alert
bribes the kid to look at the phone then steals the phone and takes her money back
[close]
.

On a related theme, I recommend Black (2005), an Indian take on the Helen Keller story (jury's still out on whether she was just pretending). Very moving with great performances from Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan.

Brian Freeze

There is a book about the cricketers view of filming Lagaan, just in case anyone was interested. "From Balham to Bollywood" by Chris England.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: notjosh on April 26, 2021, 10:56:35 AM
I watched Andhadhun a few months back. Found it an odd film really. On paper it's an obvious black comedy, but a lot of it seems to be played pretty straight. Found it bizarre that we never got a proper explanation behind his pretend blindness besides, more or less, 'I felt like it'.

That jarred with me too, supposedly he thought it'd improve his piano playing but it's such a brief explanation that it doesn't feel satisfying.

QuoteThe second half I found much more enjoyable, as it just got bigger and stupider, and I just went with it. Tabu is great in it - I love the bit where she
Spoiler alert
bribes the kid to look at the phone then steals the phone and takes her money back
[close]
.

On a related theme, I recommend Black (2005), an Indian take on the Helen Keller story (jury's still out on whether she was just pretending). Very moving with great performances from Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add it to my now very long list of films I plan to see!

Small Man Big Horse

Sanju (2018) - Biopic of the Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt where prior to a long prison sentence for possession of an AK-56 he tells his biographer the true story of his life, involving drugs, sex, his film star father, the false stories printed about him in the newspapers and the court case he had to deal with. It's a strange mix, starting off as a high energy romp before becoming more serious, but the relationships with his father and his best friend are very touching ones, and while the incredibly unsubtle incidental music occasionally threatens to spoil things, overall it's an impressive work and a pretty fascinating story. 7.8/10

Small Man Big Horse

Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) - After watching his biopic yesterday I wanted to investigate Sanjay Dutt's work further and this film seemed perfect as he stars in it with his father. A comedy about gangster Munna (Sanjay Dutt) who pretends to be a doctor to impress his dear old papa (Sunil Dutt), when the latter discovers the truth our hero decides to head off to medical school to become the real thing. Sure, he cheats in every test but slowly wins over nearly everyone with the consideration and care he shows the patients, though the stuffy old dean naturally hates him and he's of course also the dad of the woman Munna loves. The film has fun sending up mobster tropes, and the very sweet natured lead character is a surprisingly endearing one, the romantic aspect is dealt with in an amusing manner, and this is just a very warm hearted and likeable flick in general. 7.7/10

Small Man Big Horse

Dream Girl (2019) Karam (Ayushmann Khurrana) is desperate for work to the extent that he starts pretending to be a woman called Pooja at a "Friendship call centre" where lonely men can phone women and chat away for ages, like a non-pornographic sex line. I was concerned it might be problematic in its treatment of a female impersonator but it's largely dealt with in a light hearted manner and men are even attacked for the way they treat women sometimes,
Spoiler alert
but when a sod load of men start falling in love with Pooja one even tries to kill himself because she won't meet up with him, and it treats this bleak moment it in a weirdly casual way. There's also some dodgy moralising at the end when Karam shouts at a load of blokes (including his father) for wanting to marry Pooja, it forgets about one main supporting character for about thirty minutes until the ending,
[close]
and is a good half hour overlong, and this is a rare Bollywood movie that's only just over 130 minutes. Still, despite having some issues with the movie it's a film I mostly found entertaining, and would cautiously recommend it to rom-com fans. 7.3/10

itsfredtitmus

I fucking love Namkeen by Gulzar

itsfredtitmus

Gulzar's Maachis is also a masterpiece

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: itsfredtitmus on May 08, 2021, 08:50:53 PM
I fucking love Namkeen by Gulzar

Quote from: itsfredtitmus on May 08, 2021, 08:51:21 PM
Gulzar's Maachis is also a masterpiece

Thanks for both suggestions, I'll try and track them down.

Rock On!! (2008) - Adi is a surly high flying business twat and all work and no play makes him an extremely rubbish human being, until his wife finds an old box containing music and lyrics and a tape of him playing in a band when younger and we discover what happened and why the band split up.
Spoiler alert
It's actually quite an oddly weak reason (Joe the guitarist got annoyed with Adi for being the centre of the band's first ever music video and thinks he's sold out), and not addressed in any manner when the band reforms, but while over long and not a subtle or unpredictable film in the slightest, and there's way too many downbeat moments as the characters argue pre-split or their loved ones worry about them when they try to reunite.
[close]
it effectively captures the fun of being in a band, the songs are really enjoyable, and it pulls off the ending perfectly. 6.7/10

Small Man Big Horse

Like Stars On Earth (2007) - Aamir Khan directs and stars in this film which is essentially Dyslexia The Musical, where poor old Ishaan acts out as he can't work out how to read and write, and when he's sent off to a boarding school his spirit is broken. Luckily for him in true Dead Poets Society fashion an amazing temp teacher comes along who recognises the problem, but will anyone else care?
Spoiler alert
The twist is that yes, yes they will as rather than disapprove of this crazy new teacher the other adults learn from him
[close]
, in what's yet another touching, sweet and thoughtful work from Khan. 8.2/10

Small Man Big Horse

Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) - Sequel to the 2003 hit though our hero Munna has given up pretending to be a doctor and has ditched the love of his life since we last saw him. This time around he's pretending to be a professor who lectures about Gandhi to impress a radio dj running a competition about the man, and to complicate matters a dodgy criminal friend steals her house while she's on holiday with a group of old men, and Munna starts hallucinating that he can see Gandhi. All of which sounds quite bizarre I'm sure, but this is a rare example where the sequel is even better than the first very good film, this has lots of fun sequences, a number of beautifully orchestrated songs, and some great performances along with a strong moral message behind it that while made very clear isn't patronising or preachy. 8.3/10

JaDanketies

DHOOM, and the sequels

One of the best flicks of all time imo. A ludicrous big budget action comedy series that comes across like a parody of the genre. Whenever I've mentioned this film to South Asians they have rolled their eyes and laughed.

Small Man Big Horse

Stree (2018) - Hindi comedy horror where during a festival a sort of witch demon-y thing known as Stree kidnaps men, leaving only their clothes behind, and Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) ​is rather worried that
Spoiler alert
the woman he's just started dating may be the aforementioned evil creature. It's a light-hearted, bloodless affair
[close]
and while nothing astounding it's a fun watch, with a very strong ending. 7.1/10

Small Man Big Horse

Chupke Chukpe (1975) - A recently married botany professor decides to play a prank on his new brother-in-law who he's never met and pretends he's a chauffeur who works for the naturally absent botany professor and his new wife, though as pranks go it's a fairly poor one which is stretched out to a ludicrous extent, but rarely in a funny manner. There's the odd amusing moment but this is the first highly rated Bollywood film (which has 8.3 on imdb) that I didn't get on with as I found it extremely bland and the farce irritating, while visually it's tedious too. 3.4/10

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: JaDanketies on May 16, 2021, 05:54:11 PM
DHOOM, and the sequels

One of the best flicks of all time imo. A ludicrous big budget action comedy series that comes across like a parody of the genre. Whenever I've mentioned this film to South Asians they have rolled their eyes and laughed.

I watched the first one tonight and really enjoyed it, and look forward to catching the other two soon. Here's the mini-review I wrote for my files:

Dhoom (2004) - Very silly action comedy with a lot of motorbike chases, not particularly complicated heists and plenty of ridiculously over the top stunts, along with a few fun songs and a smattering of romance, though only a tiny bit really. And it's great, perhaps slightly overlong, but otherwise consistently fun and the action sequences are laugh out loud funny due to their audacity,
Spoiler alert
the speedboat bit at the end especially
[close]
. 7.5/10

Small Man Big Horse

Delhi Belly (2011) - Sweary, crude and even occasionally unpleasant Bollywood comedy, which garnered a lot of criticism upon release for being very American, and it is sort of a bit like the Indian version of The Hangover (but better than that, thankfully) as three friends get in to dangerous scrapes involving gangsters and some stolen diamonds. Sometimes it's quite inspired (and The Return Of Disco Fighter dream sequence made me long for that film to be actually made) but mostly it's mildly entertaining but rarely anything more than that. 7.2/10

Small Man Big Horse

Hum Aapke Nain Koun (1994) - Three and a half hour long romcom where thanks to an arranged marriage between Pooja and Rajesh, brother-in-law Prem and sister-in-law Nisha meet, but will they find love too in the former's shockingly lavish mansion? It's drawn out to the extreme and there's long segments where not a lot happens, and yet it's very endearing material and hanging out with these characters is a great way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon, even if it's definitely overlong (a game of pass the cushion being the most obviously unneeded scene) and when something eventually actually does happen (
Spoiler alert
at the 2 hour 50 minute point) it's handled in a very melodramatic manner so I didn't find it emotive
[close]
. Still, overall I'm very fond of it, there's lots of colourful song and dance numbers, and the ending
Spoiler alert
involving God and a dog (no, really)
[close]
is genuinely bizarre but very funny.7.8/10

notjosh

My wife loves Hum Aapke Hain Koun as it was a massive childhood film for her. I didn't like it at all really, just found it too goofy. The one bit I really liked was the moment between the two brothers at the end, when he says something like
Spoiler alert
my brother, who relied on me for every small thing, kept such a big secret in his heart.
[close]
Though I also laughed at their attempt at playing 'snooker':
https://youtu.be/YYKRX323Vgk?t=568

The main dad, Alok Nath, is the subject of a lot of memes in India, which make me laugh even when I don't understand them. He's basically portrayed as an insanely devout Hindu who loves to perform kanyadaan (bride-giving-away ceremony):




Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: notjosh on May 31, 2021, 09:33:51 AM
My wife loves Hum Aapke Hain Koun as it was a massive childhood film for her. I didn't like it at all really, just found it too goofy. The one bit I really liked was the moment between the two brothers at the end, when he says something like
Spoiler alert
my brother, who relied on me for every small thing, kept such a big secret in his heart.
[close]
Though I also laughed at their attempt at playing 'snooker':
https://youtu.be/YYKRX323Vgk?t=568

The main dad, Alok Nath, is the subject of a lot of memes in India, which make me laugh even when I don't understand them. He's basically portrayed as an insanely devout Hindu who loves to perform kanyadaan (bride-giving-away ceremony):





I can completely understand why it wasn't for you, it's a very daft movie and the way nothing happens for long periods is just bizarre at times, but it was what I was in the mood for yesterday and being a big musicals fan it delivered, even if there's not a great amount of variation music wise.