Heroes

Heroes
2008
4/5 stars

Two film school slackers, Ali (Vatsal Sheth) and Sameer (Sohail Khan), are required to make a movie to graduate.  They decide they'll make it on "why not to join the Indian Armed Forces".  To help with their movie, a war correspondent gives them three letters, each from a Killed In Action soldier, to deliver to the respective families.

One is for Kuljeet Kaur (Preity Zinta), widow of Balkar Singh (Salman Khan).  The second is for former Air Force pilot Vikram Shergill (Sunny Deol), from his Army officer brother, Dhananjay (played by Sunny's real-life brother, Bobby Deol).  The final letter is to be delivered to a Regiment commander, who in turn gives them one to take to Mr. and Mrs. Naqvi (played by Mithun Chakraborty and Prateeksha Lonkar) from their son Sahil  (Dino Morea).

Ali and Sameer find the delivery of these letters takes their film in a direction they never suspected.

The film starts well, but then when our slackers are introduced, becomes a disagreeable slapstick.  However, if you get past minutes 8 through 17 (fast forward is my recommendation), you are in for a solidly acted, well-written movie.  Most of the songs leave something to be desired, but the love song is quite nice.  It's obvious early on that this star-studded tear-jerker is a paean to Mother India, but that agenda doesn't lessen the power of the movie.  The viewer is left with both the blatant message "you don't have to be a soldier to love your country", and the satisfaction of a good film.

Preity Zinta and Salman Khan

Baaghi: A Rebel for Love

Baaghi: A Rebel for Love
1990
4/5 stars

In this tale of love and morality versus corruption, Salman Khan plays Saajan, a college student who falls in love with Kajol (Nagma), who has been kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Based on Khan's own idea, the story is sweet and moving, with good action scenes, and average music. Nagma gives a good performance in her first role, and Khan is his usual charming self. The viewer will be engaged until the end, hoping for a happy ending from a dire situation.

(not currently available for purchase)

Note: Cast also includes Kiran Kumar as the Colonel and Mohnish Behl as Jaggu.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!

Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! 
(translates as "who am I to you")
1994
5/5 stars

Hum Aapke Hain Koun. . . ! is a movie about family, sacrifice, duty, and most of all, love. It is a story that will bring laughter and tears, and is heart-warming all the way through. The choreography and music were excellent, the costumes were lovely and vibrant, and the cinematography was beautiful. Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan were perfect in their roles, and the supporting cast was also fantastic. This sweet film comes highly recommended.

Cast includes: Mohnish Bahl, Anupam Kher, and Alok Nath

Movie available on Amazon Prime.

Maine Pyar Kiya

Maine Pyar Kiya
(translates as "I loved")
1989
4/5 stars

Prem (Salman Khan) returns home from the US to find Suman (Bhagyashree) visiting with his family. She and he become fast friends, which eventually blossoms into love. Prem's rich father is completely against a match with Suman; Suman's father reacts to this by also forbidding a marriage. Prem must work hard to earn the right to marry her.

This is a sometimes silly movie, occasionally overacted, but thoroughly enjoyable. It is Salman Khan's first leading role, and both his talent and charisma are fully apparent. Bhagyashree did an excellent job as a gentle teenager feeling first love.

The music and choreography are not memorable, and the fight scenes were a bit over the top. However, the story was sweet and the emotions portrayed were realistic. Overall, it's a movie that leaves the viewer happy for having watched it. (On a side note: I loved the pigeon!)

The cast includes: Alok Nath, Reema Lagoo, and Mohnish Behl

Movie available on Amazon Prime.

Hum Saath-Saath Hain

Hum Saath-Saath Hain
(translates as "we are together")
1999
5/5 stars

This is a sweet romance/drama about a family with three sons and one married daughter who are devoted to each other. The father wants the family to stay together, but friends influence the mother to make a break in the family, causing a crisis with the brothers. In addition, each brother's gentle romance is shown and the sister has a drama of her own.

The acting is excellent, with Karishma Kapoor's performance particularly enjoyable. The many music scenes were vibrant and fun. Overall, this gentle film is syrupy sweet, but perfectly enjoyable

The excellent cast includes:

• Mohnish Behl as Vivek 
• Salman Khan as Prem 
• Saif Ali Khan as Vinod 
• Tabu as Sadhana 
• Sonali Bendre as Preeti 
• Karisma Kapoor as Sapna 
• Neelam Kothari as Sangita 
• Mahesh Thakur as Anand 
• Reema Lagoo as Mamta 
• Alok Nath as Ramkishan

Movie available on Amazon Prime.