Albela

Albela
(translation: Unique)
2001
3/5 stars

Wealthy Sonia (Aishwarya Rai) hires tour guide Tony (Govinda) to help her find her mother's grave.  He is instantly smitten with her, but knows that she is out of his reach. Tony's best friend and neighbor, Neena (Namrata Shirodkar), has been in love with him for some time, but has never been bold enough to let him know.  Sonia, too, has an unhappy romance behind her, with Prem (Jackie Shroff), of whom her father (Saeed Jaffrey) disapproves.  How can all three of these love stories have a happy ending?

Govinda is cute and charming as ever, giving a good humorous performance.  Rai is not fully convincing, and she and Shroff do not have much chemistry.  Shirodkar, however, is believable, and she and Govinda work well with each other.  The music is average, with the choreography below average.   The plot of this film, while predictable, is enjoyable and entertaining.   This isn't a stellar movie, but it is fun to watch, especially for Govinda fans.

Rai and Govinda

This movie is available on YouTube.

Kuch Naa Kaho

Kuch Naa Kaho
(translates as "don't say anything")
2003
4/5 stars

I think that the less one knows about this film, the better the viewing experience.  So, in short: Namrata (Aishwarya Rai), an abandoned wife, finds another chance at love with Raj (Abhishek Bachchan) but her past will make happiness impossible.

Cast also incudes Arbaaz Khan, Parth Dave, Satish Shah, Suhasini Mulay, Jaspal Bhatti, and Himani Shivpuri, among others.

This is an enjoyable romantic-comedy-drama, with a mostly well-written plot.  The music is average and less, with the exception of the title song.  Choreography is simplistic, due, I'm sure, to the fact that Bachchan is not the best dancer.  Rai is vivacious, sassy, and credible.  Bachchan is charming, funny, and believable.  Arbaaz Khan, in his negative role, is excellent.  Child actor Parth Dave is convincing, as well, and manages important scenes professionally.  The only problem with this film is that the ending is too quick and neat, lessening the impact of the overall drama. It's still one I would recommend, and will probably re-watch.

Bachchan and Rai

 

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
(translates as "O heart, it is difficult")
2016
3/5 stars


After a chance meeting, Aryan (Ranbir Kapoor) and Alizeh (Anushka Sharma) become best friends. After a while, Aryan falls in love with Alizeh, but she remains in love with her ex-boyfriend. After an emotional split between the two friends, Aryan meets sophisticated poet Saba (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). They begin a relationship, but Aryan has not gotten over Alizeh.

This story of unrequited love has a generally well-written, mostly credible plot.  It has the feel, though, of a Western film, much more than a Bollywood movie.  It is not a family film, as it contains adult situations.  Kapoor acted well, and Sharma was charming and natural; Bachchan was a little stiff at times.  The music was okay, though I don't have an opinion about the lyrics as the version I watched didn't have subtitles for the songs.  This could have been a excellent emotional drama, but unfortunately the last chapter (so to speak) was neither moving nor convincing and made the overall movie ultimately unsatisfying.

Cast also includes Fawad Khan, Lisa Hayden, and cameos by Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt.

This movie is available with Amazon Prime.

Mohabbatein

Mohabbatein
("Love Stories")
2000
4/5 stars

Narayan Shankar (Amitabh Bachchan) is the headmaster of an elite and prestigious boys school, Gurukul.  Shankar believes in honor, tradition, and discipline, and disapproves of anything that would take a students mind off of his work--especially love.  Into this atmosphere comes Raj Aryan (Shah Rukh Khan), the new music teacher, who believes in the power of love, and encourages his students to break Gurukul's traditions.  Three of the students, Sameer (Jugal Hansraj), Vicky (Uday Chopra), and Karan (Jimmy Sheirgill) fall in love and, as a result, risk expulsion.

The love intersts are played by Kim Sharma, Shamita Shetty, and Preeti Jhangiani.  The cast also includes Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher, Archana Puran Singh, Shefali Shah, and Helen.

While being mostly predictable, this is a fully entertaining film.  Bachchan and Khan give strong performances, for which both received awards.  The six young people were credible and mature in their roles.  The music was good and the choreography, though not exceptional, was enjoyable to watch.  The girls' costumes, however, were mostly sports bras and super-short minis, an outfit not attractive for any of them.  One other negative point was having to watch Khan fake playing the violin--it was painful to see at times.  Other than that, this is a feel-good movie that was a pleasure to experience.

This movie is available with Amazon Prime.

Rai and Khan

Dhai Akshar Prem Ke

Dhai Akshar Prem Ke
("Two and a half letters of love")
2000
3/5 stars

Karan (Abhishek Bachchan) is on leave from the Army, anxious to see his girlfriend, Nisha (Sonali Bendre).  On the way home, he saves the life of Sahiba (Aishwarya Rai), and escorts her home where he is mistaken for her husband.  Unable to clear up the misunderstanding, he leaves, but Sahiba has fallen in love with him.

The plot, while sometimes unbelievable, is still attention-holding.  The supporting cast, including Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher, and Shakti Kapoor, were excellent.  Neither Bachchan nor Rai, though, expressed much emotion during the film, and they had little chemistry together.  The music was somewhat above average; the choreography was not exceptional, but was enthusiastically danced.  This would have been an above average film, had Rai and Bachchan been more lively.

This movie is available on You Tube:

Devdas

Aishwarya Rai

Devdas
2002
5/5 stars

In the early 1900's, Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) returns from school in England, and wishes to marry his childhood sweetheart Paro (Aishwarya Rai), who has loved him devotedly all the time he's been away.  His family objects, and he leaves Paro to debauch in a brothel,  where he meets Chandramuki (Madhuri Dixit) who falls in love with him.  The two women bond over their shared love of Devdas, but are powerless to help him as he slips into drunkenness.

Madhuri Dixit

Based on a 1917 novel by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the plot is tight and engrossing.  All three main actors are near perfection in their roles.  The supporting cast (which includes Jackie Shroff) are also solid.  The music is good and the dances breath-taking.  The extravagant costumes and sets are a feast for the eyes.  This is a serious drama that will keep the viewer entranced to the very end.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
translates as "I have given my heart away darling"
1999
5/5 stars

Nandini (Aishwayra Rai) is the daughter of a renown singer, Pandit (Vikram Gohkale), who takes Sameer (Salman Khan) to be a pupil. Nandini and Sameer secretly fall in love. As her family doesn't know, they betroth her to another man, Vanraj. When Pandit learns of the love between his daughter and student, he sends Sameer away and Nandini is married to Vanraj (Ajay Devgan). Vanraj learns of her love for Sameer, and, as is inevitable with a love triangle, heartbreak happens.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam begins as a romantic-comedy, light-hearted and fun, with a sweetly developing romance. About half way through, it turns into a drama that, quite frankly, had me ugly-crying by the end. While a love triangle is not a new plot, this one was well written and deep.

Aishwayra Rai is a terrific actress and acted her part magnificently. Both Salman Kahn and Ajay Devgan were excellent as well, each one giving depth to his character. The music and choreography was memorable, and the cinematography breath-taking. This is a superb, emotional romance that is all around spectacular. I highly recommend it.

Movie available to rent on Google Play.