BOLLYWOOD DEEP-DIVE
A deep dive into the best of Bollywood.
As I fly home from a spring break trip to India, it seems right to write about Bollywood, India’s Hindi-language film industry. Bollywood holds a special place in my heart as these were the first movies I remember ever watching. Many are inextricably linked with my exploration of my culture.
Below are a few Bollywood movies I love. These aren’t ranked in any order, nor would I necessarily say they’re my favorite ever. Instead, each has some significance about the greater industry that I’d like to share with you.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)
Sometimes Happy Sometimes Sad
Once I started exploring film history, it took me a long time to understand that Western cinema isn’t necessarily a blueprint for good filmmaking. It took even longer to realize that Bollywood’s oft joked about tropes (its musical sequences, over-the-top acting, convoluted love stories) are not detractors from ‘otherwise good films’. Rather, they’re valuable elements of a wholly different take on filmmaking.
K3G is a reminder of this. An iconic film out of Bollywood’s golden 2000s, this movie encapsulates everything that I might have once cringed at in Bollywood. Having watched it recently though, this story about love, family, and tradition embodies Bollywood’s distinctive charm.
3 Idiots (2009)
Not only is this one of my favorite movies ever, it’s also the first Bollywood movie I saw several of my non-Indian friends watch and love. Seeing this movie expand into the global eye meant a lot to me – it signaled Bollywood as something that could be enjoyed outside of South Asia, something I could share with anyone. To date it’s my go-to recommendation for anyone interested in exploring the industry, due to its bright sense of humor, its hopeful message, and its deeply relatable story.
Gangs of Wasseypur (Pts. 1 and 2) (2012)
‘Auteur theory’ is the idea that a film’s director drives the creative vision behind a film, as opposed to the wider industry or commercial producers. Auterism is evident in Hollywood but is still developing in India, where movies feel more shaped by the industry and audience demands (maybe why there’s an ‘archetypal’ Bollywood film).
Gangs of Wasseypur is a prime example of the emergence of the director as a creative force in Bollywood filmmaking. Director Anurag Kashyap provides a profound commentary on crime, seemingly glorifying India’s criminal world but really mocking it underneath. The characters across this 50+ year epic are all deplorable, everyone a slimy perpetuator of violence but also a victim of the cycles before them. Everything about Kashyap’s creative vision, from its hyper-stylized aesthetics and cinematography, to its raunchy (and comical?) dialogue, signals this.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
You Only Live Once
Saving my favorite movie for last, I think Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara encapsulates why Bollywood is such a global force. If I had to describe Bollywood movies with one word, it would be romanticized. No matter the harsh conditions its characters face, Bollywood movies seek to romanticize the world around them. Accordingly, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is the most uplifting and inspirational movie I’ve ever seen.
More than anything, Bollywood is a reminder that film need-not be realistic. Good filmmaking is dreamlike, it’s escapist, it constructs stylized and distinctive world-scapes for us to participate in. In that sense, Bollywood presents something truly unique.
Weekend Streaming Recommendation
3 Idiots (2009) dir. by Rajkumar Hirani. Available on Netflix
Writing this list made me want to rewatch this movie (despite having recently rewatched it in December). If you have never seen a Bollywood movie, this is an absolute must for your watchlist.
That’s all for today! See you all again next week for a SPECIAL OSCARS PREDICTION EDITION! Until then, please get in touch if you have any thoughts or suggestions you’d like to share. If you want to keep up with what I’m watching, follow me on Letterboxd @atharv_gupta. And as always, please share this with a friend if you enjoyed it!
watching three idiots with you, Anjali, and Jaibin is one of my favorite moments from Fall 2021!!! can't wait to check out the other movies on the list <3