Trust me, Kama Sutra is nothing like Bollywood, except for having pretty Indian people in it :P You'd be lucky to get proper kissing in a Bollywood movie (or unlucky. I recently posted an article about some crazy guy trying to bring crim charges against the stars of Dhoom 2 for sharing a non-French kiss). But there are a lot more songs :P
Hmmmm, recs.
I did a gigantic Bolly rec post which I'll try to find, but it basically amounts to: what kind of stuff do you like.
If you like really really gorgeous visuals, I've never seen a movie more opulent than Devdas (2002 version) (but it's also a tragedy and some people view it as overdone and slow).
If you like star-crossed romances (something Bollywood does a lot of), movies like Veer-Zaara or Fanaa are excellent (but as in any Bolly love story, you have to suspend disbelief a bit).
Parineeta is an excellent excellent one to start with: it's a period movie (set in 60s), a love story, is gorgeous, and kinda fun.
If you want funny or tongue in cheek (which is probably better than going into a full blown Bolly love story right away unless that's what you like), I'd rec Bunty aur Babli. Or Munnabhai MBBS about a gangster studying to become a doctor (it was a scarily huge hit and will actually be remade into an American movie). I've laughed so hard I thought I'd die.
I'd rec starting with relatively toned-down Bolly movies though. Which are a bit westernized in mores (they increasingly are, but that's beside the point). Dil Chahta Hai was the one that started me on my path: it is about three recently college graduated friends and their friendship, love they encounter (there is something for everyone). There is Australia and an awesome crash-the-wedding scene and everything. Rang De Basanti is excellent and also has this realness vibe and deals with friendship and love and politics. It's India's official Oscar submission this year. Swades is very good (about an America who returns to India looking for his nanny) but also not very typical.
Yuva is also very good and political. But hmmm, I seem to be reccing more arthousy Bolly stuff.
I adore Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge more than most movies, but it's made in 1995 so the clothes are somewhat dated. If you don't mind it, it's delicious.
If you like action, you are rather out of luck as Bwood isn't very good about that stuff. I would rec 'Don' however (the 2006 version) which is slick and cold and 'Karam' which is very angsty with John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra (two of the leads in SeI) and is very beautiful.
Or you can go for delicious cracktastic cheese and watch 'Krrish,' India's first superhero movie. Or 'Dhoom 2' (you don't need to see the first one) for some amazingly beautiful people being hot international thieves (and the plot as thin as a wafer).
Actually, that's a good thing to point out. I hope you like cheese because Bolly movies have plenty. They do also have awesome visuals and cool characters and etc etc.
But anyway, this is a long-winded way of asking what kind of movie you like and I'll rec accordingly.
But yes, Parineeta or Dil Chahta Hai or Veer Zaara. Good ones to start with...
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-12-08 05:14 pm (UTC)Hmmmm, recs.
I did a gigantic Bolly rec post which I'll try to find, but it basically amounts to: what kind of stuff do you like.
If you like really really gorgeous visuals, I've never seen a movie more opulent than Devdas (2002 version) (but it's also a tragedy and some people view it as overdone and slow).
If you like star-crossed romances (something Bollywood does a lot of), movies like Veer-Zaara or Fanaa are excellent (but as in any Bolly love story, you have to suspend disbelief a bit).
Parineeta is an excellent excellent one to start with: it's a period movie (set in 60s), a love story, is gorgeous, and kinda fun.
If you want funny or tongue in cheek (which is probably better than going into a full blown Bolly love story right away unless that's what you like), I'd rec Bunty aur Babli. Or Munnabhai MBBS about a gangster studying to become a doctor (it was a scarily huge hit and will actually be remade into an American movie). I've laughed so hard I thought I'd die.
I'd rec starting with relatively toned-down Bolly movies though. Which are a bit westernized in mores (they increasingly are, but that's beside the point). Dil Chahta Hai was the one that started me on my path: it is about three recently college graduated friends and their friendship, love they encounter (there is something for everyone). There is Australia and an awesome crash-the-wedding scene and everything. Rang De Basanti is excellent and also has this realness vibe and deals with friendship and love and politics. It's India's official Oscar submission this year. Swades is very good (about an America who returns to India looking for his nanny) but also not very typical.
Yuva is also very good and political. But hmmm, I seem to be reccing more arthousy Bolly stuff.
I adore Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge more than most movies, but it's made in 1995 so the clothes are somewhat dated. If you don't mind it, it's delicious.
If you like action, you are rather out of luck as Bwood isn't very good about that stuff. I would rec 'Don' however (the 2006 version) which is slick and cold and 'Karam' which is very angsty with John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra (two of the leads in SeI) and is very beautiful.
Or you can go for delicious cracktastic cheese and watch 'Krrish,' India's first superhero movie. Or 'Dhoom 2' (you don't need to see the first one) for some amazingly beautiful people being hot international thieves (and the plot as thin as a wafer).
Actually, that's a good thing to point out. I hope you like cheese because Bolly movies have plenty. They do also have awesome visuals and cool characters and etc etc.
But anyway, this is a long-winded way of asking what kind of movie you like and I'll rec accordingly.
But yes, Parineeta or Dil Chahta Hai or Veer Zaara. Good ones to start with...