Beginner’s Guide to Indian Cinema
Dil Bole Hadippa!
Translates As: The Heart Says Hooray!
Year: 2009
Director: Anurag Singh
Music: Pritam
Something light and fun for those of our readers who like to stick to the simpler films.
Dil Bole Hadippa! is Veera’s (Rani Mukerji) story. She is a woman in the Punjab state of India who desperately wants to play professional cricket. In order to fulfill her dream, she poses as a man to join the team for the yearly Pakistan vs. India “Aman Cup” game.
The coach, Rohan (Shahid Kapoor) immediately takes a disliking to her and tries to keep her off the team for having a poor attitude, but she is saved by Rohan’s father (Anupam Kher) and is able to procure a spot on the team.
If you liked Korean drama Coffee Prince, or Taiwanese/Japanese drama Hanazakarino Kimitachihe you might enjoy Dil Bole Hadippa!
Official site Here | Like it? Buy it at Amazon.com
Maine Pyar Kyaa
Translates As: I Fell In Love
Year: 1989
Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya
Music: Raamlaxman
Salman Khan is one of the biggest stars in India today because of his breakthrough performance in this movie.
Prem (Salman Khan) is the spoiled son of nouveau-riche Kishan (Rajeev Verma), who used to be very good friends with Karan (Alok Nath) when they both lived in the same small town. When Karan needs to go out of town for work, he leaves his daughter, Suman (Bhagyashree) in their care.
While Prem and his mother Kaushlya (Reema Lagoo) both find Suman charming, Prem’s father comes to see her as a gold-digger and insults her and his childhood friend. Suman and her father rush home hurt and angry, but Prem, in love with Suman, follows to try and win approval for their marriage.
Like it? Buy it at Amazon.com
Pournami
Translates As: Main character’s name again.
Year: 2006
Director: Prabhu Deva
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Chandrakala (Charmy Kaur) is a happy-go-lucky girl who is constantly troubled by her step-mother. One day, she comes home to find out that a man is renting the space that used to be her sister, Pournami’s (Trisha Krishnan), dance area.
Enraged, Chandrakala goes through many pranks to try and get rid of him, until he finally turns the tables on her. Eventually, she comes to fall in love with Shiva (Prabhas), but when he finds out, he spurns her advances and finally reveals a truth to her that shatters her world.
The music is beautiful in this movie, Devi Sri Prasad does a wonderful job with the traditional music, and I was blown away by Charmy’s dancing. The final dance sequence is nothing but epic.
Like it: Buy it on Bhavani DVD
Arya 2
Translates As:Arya is the main character’s name again. A common thing to do in India, really.
Year: 2009
Director: Sukumar
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Arya (Allu Arjun, a.k.a. Bunny) is a mild psycopath that really loves his friend Ajay(Navdeep). So when they both fall for the same girl, he steps aside to let him have her, saying “Whatever is yours, is mine anyway.” When Ajay and Geetha (Kajal) attempt to get married, they are met with predictable opposition by her father. Arya spends most of the film attempting to manipulate the situation so that Ajay and Geetha can end up together.
Arya 2 is unique because it casts Bunny in a semi-negative role, something highly unusual for this super-star from South India. He’s also the best dancer I’ve ever seen in my life. He gets angry when you compare him to Michael Jackson, but I think he’s at least on par with him, if not better. Bunny is also the nephew of Chiranjeevi and cousin of Ram Charan Teja, making up their own little tri-fecta of Telugu cinema royalty.
Like it? Buy it on Bhavani DVD
Om Shanti Om
Translates As: “Om” as in the chant from Hindu and Buddhism, and “shanti” means peace. It’s a common prayer chant.
Year: 2007
Director: Farah Khan
Music: Vishal-Shekhar
Stunning visuals, great acting, good story, unexpected plot twists and amazing music, what more could you want in a film? Om Shanti Om came like a lightning storm to Bollywood, garnering much praise for Farah Khan’s directing and writing abilities as well as creating a new star in Deepika Padukone.
Set originally in the Bollywood hay-day of the 1970’s, we focus on Om (Shahrukh Khan), a junior artiste (a.k.a. extra) in Bollywood films. He falls in love with super-star Shanti Priya (Deepika Padukone), only to find out she is secretly married to big time producer Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal). Om decides to give her his blessing, but stumbles upon Shanti and Mukesh in a life-compromising situation that costs him his own life.
Fast forward 30 years to present-day India. Om Kapoor, better known as O.K., is the hottest thing in Bollywood, and it doesn’t matter that he’s always late and doesn’t put much effort into his acting. Slowly though, he starts to remember his previous life and he goes in search of revenge on Mukesh, who makes a return to Bollywood just as Om remembers what happened 30 years ago.
I could go on and on about this film, but I have to keep it short. For one thing, make sure you don’t see this one until you’ve seen the rest on this list because you’ll really be missing out on a lot otherwise. There are so many innuendos and references to older films that you might feel lost.
Farah Khan did an amazing job for only her second film, out performing Main Hoon Na from a few years previous. Deepika was lovely in her first role and it’s the only one I’ve been able to stand her in.
Like it? Buy it on Eros Entertainment
Woah so much variety! Great job bb! I might watch one if my busy Kdrama schedule allows!
@Julili, maybe you should work on a Beginner’s Guide to Kdrama… btw, there’ a Korean Cinema Blogathon coming up next month. Will post details later…
@yam magazine,
I would love to but I have just watched the new ones, would need to watch the old ones. That or ask the amazing girls over at dramabeans.com to help! *wink*
@Julili, You could always break it up in pieces, you know for sure you could just watch half, pause at interval and watch the rest later. For you, I would say Dil Bole Hadippa or Arya 2 – right up your alley.
Good job!
@Dani, Thanks, bb! :)
The only Indian film that’s not exactly Bollywood type that I can name is… A Wednesday. Thought it was very exciting and really ethically murky. xD
Oh, I’ve also watched Life in a… Metro, which it was sorta okay… but then they blatantly ripped off Kothbiro from The Constant Gardener.
I think I saw a book – the day I bought my Taschen 100 All-Time Favorite Movies – about Essential Bollywood films. xD
@amy, That is a sad truth about much of Indian cinema – someone is always copying someone else. Most films are “re-makes” either of Western films or films from within the country, but are just part of another film industry. For example: Pokiri is a South Indian film that blew my mind, but they re-made it in Bollywood as Wanted. This happens all the time. And films like A Wednesday and Life In A…Metro are considered “art house” in India. Not quite Bollywood, but still Bollywood. Most of those films get good reception abroad, but do poorly in the box office of India. I liked Life…In A Metro well enough, but it was “sorta okay” like you said. I do have a book on “the essential Bollywood” but, it’s kind of opinionated towards a certain production company. :/
@Jenna, oh you should try to catch A Wednesday. It’s just really really exciting x)
The book was Taschen’s The Art of Bollywood.
@amy, I’ll add it to my never ending list of things to watch aka: the list of death. xD and yes – my friend has that book. It’s huge! And beautiful!
Wonderful range and variety of films. This is just what I needed as an intro to Indian cinema.
@Dan, two years into this comment. How is your introduction to Indian cinema going? xD I just started a couple of weeks ago.
Nice list but kind of surprised to see must-see films such as Black, Water, Lagaan, Devdas, Swades or Veer-Zaara. no love?
@Ben, I love those films, but I tend to think that all of those titles are a lot more serious and really similar to western film. On this list I tried to pick ones that were likely to appeal to a broad crowd with no experience with Indian film. I would tell people who have a little more advanced interest in Indian cinema to watch the more serious films like Black, Water, Lagaan and etc.
@Jenna, I only had heard about Water when in Canada xD Wasn’t it the Canadian selection for the Oscar, or something? It’s kinda weird to me. That’s my inner Canadian for you haha
@Ben, two years into this – Sanjay Leela Bhansali is really good. Still missing a watch for Water and Lagaan, but I’m about to watch Devdas.
Arya 2 looks like a VERY amazing film; however, Allu Arjun on par with MJ…? Not so much. He can move, there’s no doubt about that, but not even close to MJ.
I’m definitely gonna have to check this film out, though. It seems to have a bit of danger and darkness to it that I don’t usually see in most Bollywood films. I’m kinda stoked :)
@Camiele, Hmm. We might need to agree to disagree. I find that while he was an amazing artist, inspiration for millions and originator of a lot of moves and choreography, I just never went “Oh holy crap, how did he do that?” with anything of Michaels. Bunny, on the other hand, fascinates me everytime he performs.
Also, Arya 2 is Tollywood, not Bollywood, so it will have a much different feel than Bollywood films. ;)
@Jenna, AH! And see, I don’t know anything about Tollywood… HaHa. So, there ya go.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree as far as Michael vs. Allu’s concerned. But, anyway… it is what it is.
Ranveer Singh did a speech at the India Today Conclave 2015 complimentary of your post, though it’s Bollywood-centric, it’s thorough from swifting through the 50s, 60s, the birth of The Angry Young Man and Amitabh Bachchan, the wave of South remakes and birth of the big dancing sequence, the birth of the Big Indian Family HAHK, the Friends cap, the birth of the NRI in Indian cinema, DDLJ, big brands on screen, KKHH, the birth of Lover Boy SRK, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Dil Chahta Hai and urban India, Rang de Basanti and patriotism on film, Aamir, Taare Zameen Par (possibly Swades too) and Rajkummar Hirani, and the birth of the big film with a message.