Veer-Zaara

Veer-Zaara
2004
5/5 stars

After 22 years in a Pakistani prison, Hindustani Veer Pretap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) is assigned a  novice lawyer, Saamiya (Rani Mukerji), to review and represent his case.  Having remained silent for the years of his imprisonment, he opens up to Saamiya and tells her the story behind his arrest: the love story between him and a Pakistani woman, Zaara (Preity Zinta).

The plot of this romantic drama is gripping, moving, and mostly believable.  It portrays Pakistan-India relations sensitively.  The music is average and above, with some enjoyable choreography. This is a gorgeous movie, with both costumes and scenery that were breathtaking.  Khan and Zinta have excellent chemistry and were entirely convincing.  Mukerji played the uncertain but determined attorney well. Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were cast as Khan's parents, with Kirron Kher as Zaara's mother; the three were, naturally, fantastic. The cast also includes Divya Dutta, Anupam Kher, Zohra Sehgal, and Manoj Bajpayee, all of whom gave solid performances.  Overall, this is a wonderfully written and acted film, and I highly recommend it.

Khan and Zinta

This movie is available on Amazon Prime.

Bachna Ae Haseeno

Bachna Ae Haseeno
(translates as: Watch Out, Ladies)
2008
4/5 stars


Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) thinks of himself as a lady killer, and seriously breaks the hearts of two young women: Mahi (Minissha Lamba) as a teen, and Radhika (Bipasha Basu) as a twenty-something. Shortly after devastating Radhika, Raj falls in love with Gayatri (Deepika Padukone), only to have his own heart broken. Seeing how it feels, he sets out to try to make amends with Mahi and Radhika.

I was surprised at how good this romantic comedy-drama was.  All four leads were convincing, the film work was good, and the story was strong.  The music ranged from really terrible to average.  (That first song nearly put me off the movie entirely.)  I enjoyed the overall movie enough to ignore the bad songs, though, and do recommend it.

Lamba, Padukone, Basu, Kapoor

Movie is available with Amazon Prime.

Om Jai Jagadish

Om Jai Jagadish
2002
4/5 stars


Widowed Saraswati (Waheeda Rehman) has three sons: Om (Anil Kapoor), Jai (Fardeen Khan) and Jagadish (Abhishek Bachchan); the family is devoted to each other.  Om, much older than his two brothers, is the wage earner and is supporting Jai and Jagadish as they go to college.  The movie follows the lives, romances, and dramas of the family over the course of a few years.

While melodramatic at times, this family drama is well written, interesting, and generally entertaining.  The music and dancing are average but energetic. Bachchan gave a lively, enjoyable performance. Kapoor didn't show a large range of emotions, but was mostly convincing.  Khan was the least credible, in a role that gave scope for much character growth.  Rehman played her role well.  The three female love interests were Mahima Chaudhry,  Urmila Matondkar, and Tara Sharma.  Matondkar played a disagreeable character, and did it well.  The other two ladies, while not outstanding, were solid.    If the viewer is willing to commit to nearly 3 hours, it's worth watching.

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.

Dil Se. . .

Dil Se. . . 
(translates as "from the heart")
1998
5/5 stars

Amar (Shah Rukh Khan) meets a young woman (Manisha Koirala as Meghna) on a train platform and is instantly smitten.  This infatuation turns to obsession, as he tries first to trace her, then to convince her to love him.  As his passion slowly consumes his reason, he becomes entangled in a terrorism plot designed to bring attention to the insurrection in Northeast India.

This thriller is riveting, intense, and, for the most part, realistic.  Khan and Koirala have good chemistry and are convincing in their roles.  With her infectious smile, Priety Zinta makes a debut that is most natural. The music is unique, and quite good, and some of the choreography most impressive.  Not typical of Bollywood, the film work is gritty and is appropriate for the feel of the film.  This gripping, emotional drama comes highly recommended.

Malaika Arora features in the item number "Chaiyya Chaiyya"

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

 

Dil Dhadakne Do

Dil Dhadakne Do
(Translates as: Let the Heart Beat)
2015
5/5 stars

 Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) and Kabir (Ranveer Singh) join friends and family on a cruise to celebrate the 30th wedding anniversary of their parents Kamal (Anil Kapoor ) and Neelam (Shefali Shah). Kamal is overbearing, and both parents are strictly traditional, as well as worrying about what others think of their family.  In addition, their marriage is less than successful. During the voyage, the siblings both go against their parents wishes in matters of love, creating more discord in their family.

This is not a lighthearted movie, though it does contain some humor and romance.  It is, instead, a serious drama about family dynamics, expectations, and acceptance.  The plot is rich and well-written.  The music and choreography are average.  Kapoor gives a stellar performance as the tightly-strung, controlling father. I had previously only seen Chopra in the rom-com setting, and was pleasantly surprised by her ability to play a deeper role.  Both Singh and Shah are also convincing in their roles. Rahul Bose plays Ayesha's husband, and does a fine job with varying emotions. The movie also stars Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar, and both give credible performances.   I was impressed by this underrated film and found it to be just about perfect--near enough to round up to five stars.  This is one I certainly recommend.

Cast also includes Aamir Khan, Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey and Ridhima Sud, among others.

This movie is available with Amazon Prime.

Shah, Singh, Kapoor, Chopra