A few years ago, as I was wrapping up my first class on romance fiction, an Indian American student told me that she had loved these novels partly because they reminded her of Bollywood movies. When I told her that I’d never seen one, she was shocked–and, that summer, emailed me a list of some of her favorites.
Because I’m lucky enough to live in a suburb with a large South Asian population–my son’s best friend is from Nepal, for example–all my wife and I had to do was swing by the public library. There they were, in the “Foreign” section: row after row of films with heretofore inscrutable names like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, all but a few with subtitles, most of them long enough to watch over a couple of evenings, often with a marked “intermission” halfway through.
That summer, we went on a Bollywood binge. Night after night, after the kids went to bed, we’d stay up watching gorgeous men and women in (mostly) glamorous settings–not just India, but in immigrant communities from New York City (Kal Ho Naa Ho) to Melbourne, Australia (Salaam Namaste). We fell in love with the songs and dances, many with dizzying changes of costume and setting over the course of the number. We got used to the dizzying changes of mood in a single film: not just comedy and drama, but winks of self-parody, tear-jerking sentiment, and the broadest of slapstick humor. Everything on our list was a love story, although the rules of engagement–especially the behavior these plots allowed their heroines–took a little getting used to.
By the fall, the binge had petered out–but it left a mark on our iPod and conversation. And a few months ago, when we signed up for Netflix and Roku, the streaming movie service, we started watching Bollywood again, this time as a family affair.
First came Chak de India!, a wonderful feminist drama about the Indian women’s field hockey team and its coach, played by the legendary Shahrukh Kahn. My son loved the sports angle; my daughter, the girl power message, and the rocking soundtrack; my wife…well, I did mention Shahrukh, right? Next was Om Shanti Om, whose reincarnation / mystery / revenge / love story plot and echoes of older movies reminds me a little of Kenneth Branagh’s Dead Again, but with more humor and a fistful of amazing dance numbers. It’s also contributed lots of catch phrases to our family lexicon, including “What the fish?” and (finger snap) “Dream Sequence!” and, of course, the movie’s big quotable motto: “If it isn’t a happy ending, then the movie isn’t over yet.”
Our latest favorite is a movie set in Amristar, the Punjabi city you might have seen in Bride and Prejudice. It’s called Rab Ne Bana di Jodi, which means something like “A Couple Made by God,” and its plot draws on all sorts of tropes familiar to romance readers : the abrupt marriage of convenience (in this case, to please a father); courtship under a secret identity; healing and redemption through love. Again there’s the mix of sentiment and humor, subtle and broad; again there are lots of winks and inside jokes that I’m actually starting to get. What really wows me in the movie, though, is that it’s a version of Inspirational romance, but with a very different version of religious faith and its relationship to romantic love. My favorite song in the movie, “Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai” (”In You I See God / Oh, What Shall I Do?”), features our hero by turns in a temple (Hindu? Sikh? I’m not sure), then a church, then a mosque, singing a hymn to his wife the whole time. I don’t know if that’s anything special to an Indian viewer–there’s a similar ecumenical theme in another film I liked, the historical epic Jodha Akhbar–but I’ll tell you, it blew me away and has been haunting me ever since.
I don’t know if every romance reader will like these movies as much as I have, but they’re a reminder that romance is a global phenomenon, and there’s a world of love stories out there. To help you get started, I’ve listed a few of my family’s favorites already–and if you want more, here’s the list my student gave me all those years ago, with her notes and a few of mine.
Enjoy!
The ones I’ve talked about: Chak de India!, Om Shanti Om, Rab Ne Bana di Jodi, Jodha Akhbar
My ex-student’s list:
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) “Sweet love triangle between friends”–my kids loved this one, and it’s my son’s friend’s favorite
Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenga (1995) “(classic romance plot, bit of violence too)”
Lagaan: Once Upon Time in India (2001) (takes place in colonial India, more of a historical romance)–a lots of great patriotic themes mixed in with a cricket sports plot that you can, I promise, follow without knowing anything about cricket!
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) “(the one that takes place in New York) (funny as well)” –but also a tearjerker!
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). “Aishwarya Rai is in it. It’s a good example of patriarchal love evolving into companionate love.”
Mohabbatein (2000)–more melodramatic, and more about the men than the heroine
Hum Tum (2004) “(like an Indian version of When Harry Met Sally)”
Dil Chahta Hai (2001) “(follows the love lives of three men)”
Baghban (2003) “(follows the love story of a couple who is older) (my mom’s favorite, she highly recommends it!)”–this one I haven’t seen yet myself, but I’ll pass it along!
Related posts:
Laagan and Devdas are two of my favorites, you should check those out too.
Devdas is one of my favorites, you should check that out too.
Thanks, Jenn! Do you prefer the original, or the more recent remake with SRK?
hi eric, loved the writeup. i love it when people discover bollywood romances, since there’s always something for everyone.
the song in rab ne definitely has a hindu temple, i cannot remember if there’s a sikh gurudwara off the top of my head. as for the ecumenical aspect, there are so many religions in india and even hindu gods themselves that the idea of god is different for everyone. bollywood has always been (canny) progressive towards religion and showcasing it to it’s viewership of a billion people, there’s a few inter-religious romances as well.
love this list above. if u want some new titles:
jab we met (when we met) – very cute road trip romance
rock on – ex-members of an indian rock group realise their dreams
some older titles:
omkara – adaptation of shakespeare’s othello
parineeta (the married woman) – historical, spoiled rich boy loves poor girl
forgot to add, the last two reccos might need some screening for kids.
Thanks for the new suggestions, Couchpapaya! Jab We Met is actually on its way to me right now from Netflix–I’ll look for the others as well (and pre-view them w/o the kids).
E
“the song in rab ne definitely has a hindu temple, i cannot remember if there’s a sikh gurudwara off the top of my head.”
Couchpapaya, I’ve embedded a link to a YouTube video of the songin a post I wrote at Teach Me Tonight to direct people across here (if they came to TMT first, but hadn’t yet seen the post at RtB). The video’s at the bottom of the post. You should be able to spot all the buildings because it’s quite a good quality video clip.
laura, it’s a hindu temple, church and mosque. on youtube one of the related videos was titled female version – this one had the sikh ‘golden temple’.
Thanks for doing this. I saw the broadway play bombay nights and really enjoyed it but never knew where to start with actual bollywood movies. I can’t wait to dive in.
Ah, I’m a Bollywood junkie myself! In fact, I run a website designed for “newcomers” to the cinema (which I discovered via Kuch Kuch Hota Hai back in 1998, while on a Hindi study program in Rajasthan. Ah, the powers of KKHH — it has converted so many!). IMO, a good B’wood romance is as close as you can come to the emotional affect of a romance novel.
A couple of my recent favorites (in terms of romance) are the aforementioned Jab We Met and also Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, a fun film about two best friends in denial about their feelings for each other. I highly recommend it!
Thanks, Meredith! I just bragged to my wife that you posted a response–we’re both eager to read “Bound By Your Touch” next week.
What’s the name of your Bollywood newcomers website? I’d love to visit & learn–and from some of the emails I’ve gotten today, I’m not the only one.
Oh, whoops — sure, it’s bollywhat.com. The main site’s in need of a major update to reflect the current crop of stars, but the FAQs are still popular, and the forum is hopping!
Nalini, I loved Cheeni Kum too! Tabu is such a talented actress. Great chemistry there between her and Amitabh.
I love “Dil Se” — not a typical traditional Bollywood romance, but the music, scenery and story are amazing.
Ah “Devdas” is brilliant, but so depressing, ick.
Have you seen “Kahbi Khushi Khabi Gham?” — aka K3G.
That’s a fantastic film too. Almost everything with Shah Rukh Khan in it is worth it.
“Main Hoon Naa” — love it.
“Chura Liya Hai Tumne” isn’t bad either. I love the music actually, and Zayed Khan is really hot. It’s based off of the 1960s “Charade.” I mean some of it is over done, just as a lot of Bollywood is — but I like this one. It’s a murder mystery.
How come no one mentioned “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” that start the sexy Hrithik Roshan.
“Dhoom 2″ is better than “Dhoom” in my opinion. And it’s a love story that has some mystery, and a whole lot of action attached to it.
Kareena Kapoor has an amazing film — for her — called “Jab We Met” — now THAT is one hell of a cute Indian movie. If you loved “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” and “Salaam Namaste” — you should see it.
And one more — if you like Saif Ali Khan, which it seems like you do, check out “Hum Tum.”
I love Main Hoon Na, too – it’s got pretty much everything. Action, humor, drama, romance…
I adore Bollywood movies, and try to convert people every chance I get
I third Jab We Met – very cute movie.
If you’re looking for something that’s more of an epic, Veer-Zaara is very good. Warning – it will make you weep, weep, weep…
Another interesting one because it explores something a bit different is Cheeni Kum – it’s about the relationship between a much older man and a very young woman.
I love to read books about romance. Very interesting!
Hiya!
A friend of mine sent me the link to this post. I’m of Indian origin, and grew up on a steady crop of Indina movies! It’s my kids’ fave today too, even if like me at their age, they don’t understand a word of the language! I think the songs work for them!
Lovely list, but I also have to add – why haven’t you seen K3G yet (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, roughly translates to some joy, some sorrow, which sums up what life is basically about.) On of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen, great acting, wonderful songs, and Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan in the same movie! The hit duo still unequalled in Indian cinema, SRK and Kajol, which are a joy to watch together. It’s almost as if they aren’t acting so much they’re natural together.
Another good one is Namastey London, about a second generation Indian girl in London and how her father wants her to marry a traditional boy from his native village. Stars Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar.
Action, you don’t get better than Dhoom 2. Humour, love, action, thrills. Closer to a Hollywood plot is Race, with Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna. Adrenalin-filled rush, this one, complete with steamy love triangles and betrayal.
Goal with John Abraham is a good portrait of Indians in Southhall, the little India around London, about a team of football players who need to win the championship to be able to pay the lease on their pitch which an unscrupulous developer wants to turn into a shopping mall. Lovely story of resilience and what roots are about, a bit like Chak De India.
India’s reply to Love Actually, you have to see Salaam-e-Ishq. Follows the love story of 8 couples, totally fun, lovely and a tear jacker at times. Wonderful acting by every one of the cast.
More in tune with the ‘Indian’ spirit, Delhi 6 features Abhishek Bachchan, and Swades:We, The People with Shah Rukh Khan.
Love stories closer to ‘reality’, again with SRK, are Chalte Chalte and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. These really explore true couple dynamic, a bit away from the sappy Bollywood mainstream. Powerful though, really makes you reflect.
Lol, I cannot think of more now, other than also recommend the older classics too, such as Mughal-e-Aazam, the fordidden love story between Prince Salim and courtesan Anarkali. Also Do Dadan, star-crossed lovers separated by fate and society. This one would be, imo, Bollywood’s answer to Casablanca!
Great post, loved it! here’s to Bollywood!
Cheers!
Wow. Clearly Bollywood and romance fiction have another thing in common: their fans are incredibly warm & welcoming to newcomers. I’m making a follow-up list, and have weeks of great movies to watch now–and I’ll pass these on to friends, too.
Thanks!
Ohh man, this is gonna be bad, innit? K. I’m making the list.
Angela,
I totally think that romance readers/writers would love Bollywood movies! I am a HUGE junkie, being indian and all, I loved all of the movies you listed above. I wrote this book recently that my agent is going to start selling soon, about a YA girl who compares her life to Bollywood movies. I was so excited about your post because it just confirmed my initial gut feeling that romance in Bollywood and in romance novels really does have a connection!
Thanks for sharing. I don’t even know what else to add becuase this list is great. I mean, there is Saalam-e-ishq, Dil Chatha Hai (AMAZING!) Doom 2 (which is better than Doom 1), Taal, and Bachna ae hassino.
Yeay! Happy watching!
<3Nisha
Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten Taal? And that music was just brilliant (A.R Rahman, the Jai Ho composer)
And comedy, guys, Munnabhai MBBS, about a Mafia don who needs to pretend he’s a medical student/doctor to win over the doctor he fell in love with! This one’s a keeper!
Thanks so much for this post! It’s great to get all the recommendations.