General Bollywood Thread

Well, I saw that there is no place where the discussion of Bollywood can take place, and I doubt that nobody watches or has watched at least one Bollywood movie. So... This is that thread.

I will put up any updates about releases, including short reviews and genre, most Fridays. I may include preview info, or info about Bollywood stars, on request.

Well, hope this is a nice thread!

Do you know any Bollywood movies featuring Portuguese characters or the whole Goa thing, by any chance?

Sure. There's Finding Fanny, releasing this September, about the search for a old man's long-lost love set almost entirely in Goa, though it's entirely in English and hence hardly 'mainstream' Bollywood.

Other films tend to Flanderize Goa quite a bit. All Goans are Christians, end every sentence with 'men' (What are you doing, men? to one person) and have a laid-back, relaxed attitude towards life. There's Dum Maaro Dum, a thriller about the drug trade in Goa, and a few other films I can't remember right now. They're much more mainstream.

Portuguese characters, however, are... few. Portuguese surnames, sure, like Gomes, D'Silva and D'Cunha are abundant, but these are, again, part of that same Flanderization.

edited 2nd Aug '14 11:25:27 AM by arcanephoenix

Still, good to know 'my people' haven't been forgotten. I'll check out Dum Maaro Dum later. Thanks.

How can we forget one of the best musical numbers in the history of Indian cinema?

The band in this scene is in another Indian film playing a Hindi version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" ("Dekho Ab To"). I'd post it, but I can only put one video in a post.

Irony: the video has been blocked in my region.

Anyway, there were no movies released this week - unusual, but not surprising, considering 'Kick' released last week. Nobody wants to be in a theatre at the same time as a Salman Khan film, released around Eid - Kick, for example, made ₹155 crore (that's about 25 million US dollars) in its first weekend.

I intend to check out a few Bollywood slasher/horror films like Mahakaal, Kucch to Hai and Sssshhh...

At 167 minutes, the latter is apparently the longest slasher ever made. Of course, most of the running time is presumably comprised of musical numbers.

OK... Like I said I couldn't post earlier, here's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in Hindi.

edited 3rd Aug '14 6:34:54 AM by Aldo930

Bollywood slashers are more funny than anything. Ssshhh..., if my memory serves me, is pretty much a soap opera cast with soap opera acting in a 'horror' film. Plus it has songs with coordinated dancers in the background.

And the plot is apparently suspiciously similar to Scream, but with a Monster Clown instead of... whatever Ghostface's costume is supposed to be (The Grim Reaper?).

A Bollywood thread! Yes!

Hey, quag, if you want a film on Goa, try Bobby. It's early 70s or so and may or may not be stereotyped, but its a B-wood classic.

Kick was worth the theatre matinee, but it has little rewatch value for me. But thats true of all of Salman's films these days. North Indian Rajnikanth....

edited 4th Aug '14 6:10:32 AM by FFShinra

I'll check it out. Though it's odd to read the name Bobby Braganza (the correct surname would be Bragança). Thanks.

edited 4th Aug '14 7:15:31 AM by Quag15

@FF Shinra

Welcome aboard! Just a suggestion - slight context may be required regarding Rajnikanth and Salman Khan - I know what you're talking about, but I don't know if anyone else does.

Consider it somewhat like how American English is to British English - much more 'spelled as it is pronounced'.

edited 4th Aug '14 10:40:51 AM by arcanephoenix

I suppose so. Plenty of games featuring Portuguese characters have their names written in an odd way.

So, what's the thing about Salman Khan? I vaguely recall the name from some article I read once about Bollywood.

One of the "Three Kings of Bollywood" (because all three have the last name Khan). The other two are Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. All three started around the same time and all three have been guarenteed hits since. While Aamir is the auteur and SRK the romantic lead, Salman is the muscle man. Very Chuck Norris (or, in the Indian context, Rajnikanth, who is a sort of Tamil Chuck...actually, he's over the top enough to make Chuck look normal), comic book hero type of person.

I've seen one Bollywood movie. How often are they musicals?

Almost all mainstream movies are musicals, but it also depends on what a musical is. These days, in an effort to please the foreign markets, they make the movies in such a way that you can edit out the songs entirely and you miss nothing. Very little integration these days.

Which is a pet peeve of mine, but hey whatever...

But it's the songs that constitute part of the fun in Bollywood movies!

About the three Khans: is there any crossover movie involving them? All three or at least two of them?

edited 5th Aug '14 2:02:42 AM by Quag15

Never all three. Salman and Shah Rukh have collaborated twice though they have since had a very public falling out. Aamir and Salman did once (a VERY zany comedy one cannot be too sure wasn't made on drugs). Aamir and Shah Rukh have never acted together.

And the songs are still around...they're just music videos stuffed between scenes now.

EDIT- Actually, my great hope is that with Madhuri Dixit back in movies, that might change...

edited 5th Aug '14 2:56:27 AM by FFShinra

I'll find some info on that comedy.

Also, she's gorgeous!

Meanwhile, this scene from Endhiran is both funny and awesome everytime I see it:

Thanks.

edited 5th Aug '14 3:07:02 AM by Quag15

Andaz Apna Apna is the name.

And yeah, she is, even now.

EDIT-

Blocked here for some reason, but I've seen the movie so I can probably imagine.

Also, let me know if you want any more recommendations. Got loads. :)

edited 5th Aug '14 3:09:37 AM by FFShinra

Thanks again.

Basically the video is about that scene where Chitti and his clones form that giant ball (and the snake, and the giant)...

Ah, nice!

And no prob.

Also, sorry I could not illustrate my point about Madhuri; too many songs to choose from.

Aah, Andaaz Apna Apna. It's not all that trippy, honestly, but it does have a rather crazy plot, lots of name confusion, quite well-written dialogue, a fantastic subversion of The Danza.

edited 5th Aug '14 4:26:26 AM by arcanephoenix

Crime Master Gogo. The name alone makes the movie trippy. But yes, very good cult classic.