Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Star Power: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Anupam Kher

Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 7 chilies

Music: 7 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: 7 out of 7 chilies

Synopsis:

Simran (Kajol) is a college-age girl living in London who dreams of a man she has never seen, even though she has been engaged to a man she has never met (the son of her father's best friend who lives in India) since her childhood. Taking her last chance to see the world before her marriage, she convinces her father to let her go on a Eurail tour of Europe with her friends. During the trip she meets up with Raj Malhotra (Shahrukh Khan), another London-raised Indian with a carefree attitude. The two don't exactly hit it off, but as the trip progresses and the two are briefly stranded together, they gradually grow closer to each other and she realizes he could be the man of her dreams...

Comments:

A really fun romance film and a great example of the pairing of Kajol and Shahrukh. This movie is perhaps one of Bollywood's most beloved classics, and is still showing in one theater in Mumbai! The story is based around the subject of people of Indian descent living abroad, (also known as non-resident Indians, or NRIs) and the idea of keeping one's home alive in one's heart. It's a sweet story that makes the most of some commonly used elements (a character named Raj Malhotra, song sequences in Switzerland, the disapproving father figure, etc.), and is overall a great, enjoyable film. The songs are fun and truly catchy, with hits like "Mehndi Lagha Ke Rakhna" and "Mere Khwabon Main" leaving you wanting to listen again and again. Another classic is "Tujhe Dekha To", which is often referenced in other films.

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Star Power: Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Jaya Bachchan

Overall Rating: 7 out of 7 chilies

Music: 7 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: 7 out of 7 chilies

Synopsis:

Naina Kapur (Preity Zinta) is a young MBA student living in New York. Life in her family is at times difficult, as they struggle to deal with her father's recent suicide, her mother Jennifer's (Jaya Bachchan) struggling business and her grandmother's disconnect from both her daughter-in-law and Naina's adopted sister Gia. Enter Aman Mathur, (Shahrukh Khan) the angel the whole family has been praying for. As his carefree attitude and honest approach start to turn things around for all of them, Naina begins to fall for him, just as her classmate and longtime friend, Rohit (Saif Ali Khan) realizes his own love for her...

Comments:

A sweet, beautiful modern film and, I think, one of Shahrukh's most moving performances. This film was one of the first I ever saw from Bollywood, and it has stuck with me ever since, running the gamut from light comedy into poignant sadness with honest, loveable characters that you can root for again and again. The music is not all great, but the title song and the dance number, "Mahi Ve" are catchy and standouts by any standard. It's hard to comment too much on the plot without giving too much away, but suffice it to say, if you aren't crying at the end of this film, you haven't been watching the movie.

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992)

Star Power : Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka, Deepak Tijori

Overall Rating : 7 of 7 chilies

Music : 7 of 7 chilies

Choreography : 7 of 7 chilies

Synopsis :

In a college town in northern India, rival schools compete for prestige and honor. Sanju (Aamir Khan), from the working-class Model College, is overshadowed by his star-athlete brother, Ratan ( Mamik Singh). When a series of run-ins with Shekhar (Deepak Tijori) of the wealthy rival Rajput College lead to grave consequences, Sanju must step up and fix the mess he helped create....

Comments:

This movie is a great coming-of-age drama, with romance, comedy, suspense and sports action . There are some fabulous performances, including Ayesha Jhulka as Anjali, the girl-next-door. The plot mirrors the Hollywood movie "Breaking Away", but improves on it with entertaining music and dance performances. Especially of note is Yahaan Ke Hum Sikander (a memorable romp to escape school), Shehar Ki Pariyon (a truly fun festival dance) and Pehla Nasha (a great romantic melody). Just an all round wonderful film to watch -- if you are looking for a Bollywood classic, this is one of the best!

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna(2006)

Star Power: Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kirron Kher, Arjun Rampal

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 7 chilies

Music: 4 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: 5 out of 7 chilies

Synopsis:

Dev Saran(Shahrukh Khan) is a rising soccer star living in New York with his wife, Rhea(Preity Zinta), a hardworking fashion magazine employee. His mother (Kirron Kher) is catering a wedding, and when Dev goes to meet her, he has a chance encounter with the bride, Maya(Rani Mukherji). The two connect, but when Dev leaves he is hit by a car while glancing back at her, leaving Dev unable to play. Four years later, we see that Dev has become embittered by the loss of his career, while Rhea is rising in the fashion world. Maya and her husband Rishi (Abhishek Bachchan) are also having problems, as she finds excuses to pull away from him. Dev and Maya meet again, (under rather unusual circumstances) and become friends, trying to help each other work out their problems, but gradually their friendship becomes something more...

Comments:

This movie has some problems, not least of which is the fact that the uneven storyline doesn't really live up to the incredible star power invested in it. The tone seems pretty erratic, with broad comedy moments and upbeat fluffy songs followed almost immediately by bitter recriminations and emotional scenes. I think they were trying to give the film a bolder, more realistic feel, addressing marital strife, but instead they mostly just end up sending mixed messages. The characters seem inconsistent as well. For example, Amitabh Bachchan plays Samarjit, (aka Sexy Sam) Rishi's father and a lighthearted, comedic confirmed flirt and womanizer from his very first scene in the film. However, halfway through the movie he suddenly transitions into the role of the wise advising father figure, acting like a moral authority over the two couple's problems. The songs were just average, in my view, as was the choreography - good background music, but not really anything that will stick with you. It wasn't really what I hope for in a good Bollywood movie, and I couldn't really sympathize enough with the leads to feel taken on the emotional ride you feel they were striving for.

Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)(2007)

Star Power: Aamir Khan

Overall Rating: 6 out of 7 chilies

Music: 6 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: N/A*

Synopsis:

Eight-year-old dreamer Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) loves to paint and draw, but his difficulties with letters and numbers frustrate both him and his family. His teachers constantly berate him for his poor marks and when he skips school to avoid explaining his missing homework, his parents decide to send him to boarding school to try to straighten him out. While there, he meets the temporary art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan), who thinks he may be able to help his new student...

Comments:

A good modern movie with a simple heartwarming story and a solid message. Not a lot of drama, or the typical romance that you usually see in Bollywood films, but a sweet story nonetheless. The overall effect is very polished and the music is quite good, if a little nontraditional. Of note are the title song and "Jame Raho" which is a lot of fun and a must-see. Choreography is pretty much not applicable, as there is no real dance numbers in this film, but the accompanying videos are thoroughly enjoyable and each is used to advance the plot considerably.

Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)

Star Power : Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi

Overall Rating : 3.5 of 7 chilies

Music : 6 of 7 chillies

Choreography : 5 of 7 chilies

Synopsis :

In a nutshell -- Three brothers, seperated in their youth, join together to fight evil, reunite their parents and save the women that they love.*

Comments:

*Oh, my, where do I start? Basically, this movie was a study in contrasts. It was the biggest hit of 1977 and won numerous Filmfare awards along with having one of the most popular songs of the year (Parda Hai Parda). It has famous stars of both screen and music. That said, it is the most quirky movie you will ever watch, with its convoluted, confusing storyline and zany antics. The cinematography is choppy, with abrupt hops between scenes. The storyline is, as I said, confusing and some of the choices the characters make are perplexing. The dances are okay, not real tour de forces, but adequate. The subtitles were somewhat fine. The music, on the other hand, is wonderful, with the stellar voices of Mohammad Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor, Shailendra Singh and others performing great songs. If you want to watch a fabulously fun number, you'll be rewarded at the end with "Amar Akbar Anthony" -- a great song with a madcap 60's style feel! In fact, if you are a lover of Pink Panther, It's a Mad, Mad World, What's New, Pussycat and the like, you will love this movie. It's the reason my family loves it -- its endearing crazy charm really grows on you.

Veer-Zaara (2004)

Star Power: Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini

Overall Rating: 7 out of 7 chilies

Music: 7 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: 7 out of 7 chilies

Synopsis:

When aspiring lawyer Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji) visits Indian prisoner 786 (whose real name is Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh Khan)) in a Pakistani jail to offer to fight his case, at first he turns her down, but gradually he opens up and begins to relate the strange series of events that led up to his imprisonment. 22 years earlier, a young Pakistani girl called Zaara Haayat Khan (Preity Zinta) is traveling to India to fulfill her governess' dying wish to have her ashes scattered in her native country when her bus overturns. Veer is part of the Indian Air Force team that saves her and later accompanies her in scattering her governess' ashes. In return he asks to take her on a trip to his home village. Veer gradually falls in love with her, unaware that she is already engaged...

Comments:

A really great modern movie and a good starting place for anyone looking for an intro to Bollywood. A cast full of big-name stars and a list of songs which are almost all very catchy and sweet. This is one of Amitabh Bachchan's better later performances, in my opinion, as Veer's quirky loveable father and his onscreen moments with Hema Malini, especially in the song "Lodi", steal the show. Good chemistry between Shahrukh and Preity as well, and the ending will leave you smiling and crying all at the same time.

Rab ne Bana di Jodi (2008)

Star Power : Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, and all-star cameos.

Overall Rating : 6 of 7 Chilies

Music: 7 of 7 Chilies

Choreography: 7 of 7 Chilies

Synopsis:

Surinder Sahni (SRK), who is an employee of Punjab Power, is invited to the wedding of his former professor's daughter, Tania (Anushka), whom he secretly falls in love with. When Tania's

fiancee dies in a car crash on the way to the wedding, the shock stuns Tania and gives her father a heart attack. On his death bed, the professor convinces Suri to wed Tania, to make sure she will not be alone.

Surinder kindly gives Tania her own space when they go back to his home, Tania having made clear that her heart is broken and she can never love him. He, however, takes her to movies at night and allows her to take a dance class to give her a break from household chores. When Suri follows her to her dance classes and becomes her dance partner in a disguise, things get complicated....

Comments:

A good modern movie! SRK does a credible job of the two identities (I believe that the director depended a little too much on Tania's numbness so that she wouldn't notice the similarities of the two men) and Anushka is sweet, but a tiny bit distant in her debut role. The ending is a little jumbled -- bouncing around between the decisions Tania must make -- but all in all, it holds together well. The English subtitles were done reasonably well.

The dance numbers, however, are wonderful. Of note especially is the song Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte -- an absolute must-watch, with cameos by Kajol, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji (this number is an homage to earlier films -- adds a nice retro feel to the movie). And all the music in the film is catchy and keeps you humming the tunes hours later.

Seeta aur Geeta (1972)

Star Power: Hema Malini (in a double role), Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar

Overall Rating: 6 out of 7 chilies

Music: 5 out of 7 chilies

Choreography: 5 out of 7 chilies

Synopsis:

When a rich man and his pregnant wife are stranded, they stay the night in the village cottage of another couple. The wife gives birth to a girl and they leave in the morning, but unbenownst to them, she actually gave birth to twins and the village wife stole one of her daughters to raise as her own. Many years later, the girls, called Seeta and Geeta (both played by Hema Malini), have grown up, each unaware of the other's existence. Seeta's rich parents have died and she lives under the thumb of her obnoxious aunt and uncle while trying to take care of her aging grandmother. Geeta, on the other hand, is a fiesty street performer working with a friend who lives nearby (Dharmendra). The trouble starts when Seeta runs away from home after nearly being raped and accused of stealing by her aunt's brother and the police bring home Geeta instead...

Comments:

A great classic Bollywood film and a stellar performance by Hema Malini, which won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. You can really believe she's two completely different people and you can root for both as they try to sort out the mistakes, each falling in love in the process. Dharmendra, a huge classic Bollywood star, (and later Hema Malini's husband) has a somewhat smaller role in this film, but both he and the other male lead, Sanjeev Kumar, come off as sweet and likeable. No real standout song for this film, in my opinion, but some fun active musical numbers, including one with some impressive balancing for Geeta's street performance and another on rollerskates down a mountain. An enjoyable romp with real 60s-70s style.