Bollywood :)

So, if you're like I was three weeks ago, hearing "Bollywood" makes you think of really cheesy, really colorful movies with random dance numbers thrown in. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no movie snob, so I usually enjoy movies like that to some degree, but I didn't have any expectations for anything else from Bollywood movies here. Thanks to Prof Mason's and Hemanshu's suggestions from the IES movie library, I have learned how wrong I was! So here is the list of the 7 movies I've watched here and a blurb about each of them:

Delhi 6 - We watched this very early on and I have received plenty of teasing for how much I loved it and the soundtrack. They will be purchased and I am excited about it! This is a story of a man who has lived in America his whole life, but his parents immigrated their from India. His grandmother lives with them in the US, but when she learns that she has cancer, she wants to return to India to die at the home of her heart. He agrees to take her back and it is about his interactions with the people, culture, and heart of India, as well as speaking to the conflict between Hindus and Muslims here, very prevalent a couple decades ago.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - This is the type of movie that I would have described when asked about Bollywood movies, haha. And it is Prof Mason's self-proclaimed favorite movie which just makes me laugh :) I did enjoy it, but it took me awhile to get past the ridiculousness. It is the story of a young girl who's mother died after giving birth to her and had written her letters to open on her birthdays. This particular letter tells the story of the girl's father and his best friend Anjali in college and then how he met the girl's mother. I don't want to get into the complicated-ish twists and turns, but it was enjoyable and had a nice happy ending.

Maqbool - We watched this as a whole group the night before we had a guest lecturer, the woman who is the expert in India on the topic of Shakespeare in India. Maqbool is an adaptation of Macbeth that is Macbeth meets the Godfather in Bombay. It was well done. Very intense.

Rang De Basanti - I really enjoyed this movie (although since Hemanshu had forgotten the details and told us that it wasn't a serious movie, I was not very prepared to cry for the last 45 minutes). It is about a British woman who's grandfather was an officer stationed in India and had been in charge of the imprisonment and hanging of some revolutionaries. She has his diary and goes to India to make a movie because she thinks that their stories deserve to be told. It is about the people she meets who will be in the movie and Indians' feelings towards their country: shall we fight and work to improve her or is she a lost cause? Very good.

Chak De India! - I enjoyed this movie, though I wouldn't say it is one of the best movies I've ever seen. But it does have one of the most infuriating theme songs to get out of your head - Catherine, Amy and I have driven each other crazy because as soon as one of us gets it out, someone else will start it and there it goes again! It is the story of the national women's field hockey team (woot!) which is a huge joke to pretty much everyone and the man who comes to coach them and teach them what it means to represent your country and why it matters, etc. Go, inspirational sports movies, go!

Jodhaa Akbar - I quite enjoyed this movie, not because it's the greatest movie in the world, but because I enjoyed the story and it was really incredible to see so many of the places that we have visited as they would have looked in their real age of splendour. It is the story of the Amer princess Jodhaa and her marriage to Jalaluddin Mohammad, dubbed "Akbar" by the people once he has earned their trust and love. It is about all of the obstacles they face approaching marriage as a Muslim Mughal emperor and a Hindi princess, and plots of political sabotage, etc.

Taare Zameen Par - I really enjoyed this movie. Cried through pretty much the whole thing. It is the story of a young boy who is failing everything in school, getting in fights, etc and everyone thinks that he just has a terrible attitude, but he actually has severe dyslexia and some motor development problems. A teacher at his new school sees what is going on and works to help. It is a beautiful picture of how people can reach one another if they take the time to care and a hard look at how Indian culture does not understand much about people with special needs. Aamir Khan (producer, director, and actor in it) does a lot of work to try to bring awareness to the reality of situations that Indian society as a whole is not very open to or knowledgeable of. He also starred in Rang De Basanti.

So there are my blurbs and a few thoughts on each. I am excited about this new genre of great movies to explore :)