The Bollywood Thread

[Karen]

The new Aishwarya Rai thread made me think of starting this one.

Are there other Greecies who are interested in Bollywood films and stars? Who's the better Khan, Shahrukh or Aamir? What happens to actresses after they turn thirty? The feuds, the songs, the drama.

I'm a musical lover and now that I've seen most of the old Hollywood classics I'm turning to Bollywood. I can't resist people singing their hearts out (or looking like they do, anyway).

edit: And then there's Salman, the disturbed Khan who threatened his girlfriend Aishwarya Rai and got away with vehicular homicide. The very newest: five years in jail for hunting a protected species of gazelle.

[slanderous]

I don't watch much Bollywood (though I've read a lot about it, scholarly-wise), but the mention of Indira Varma on Aishwarya Rai's thread made me search her out, and oh my god, she's totally hot. That is all.

[chonies]

Whoa! I just came here to ask if we could open this topic and then I thought I psychically willed it into existence with the power of my own brain.

Yes, huge Bollywood fan. I just watched Andaaz, Bhoot, Chalte Chalte, and Raja Hindustani in the past two days. (I'm on spring break...)

If by "Ash's new film" you mean Umrao Jaan, I highly recommend watching the original. Highly.

In re: Aamir v. Shahrukh? I can't decide, although I lean towards Shahrukh because he doesn't do the bestial seething that Aamir does everytime, although the stammer can be tiresome. However, I hate Salman. HATE! I think Saif Ali Khan is cute (his mom is gorgeous) but that whole poaching thing pissed me off.

bahut shukriya to those who started this thread!

[Karen]

chonies said:

If by "Ash's new film" you mean Umrao Jaan, I highly recommend watching the original. Highly.

Ash just got her own thread in Celebs; she's probably the only Indian star who has enough fame in the West to qualify. But Umrao Jaan is definitely on my list of classics to watch. Somehow I have the feeling that Ash's version will get quite a bit of criticism. Of course, I hope I'll be wrong about this and it turns out to be a smashing success. I love period films.

I kind of like Aamir's intensity. Even if Salman didn't have all that offscreen baggage, I'd still find him uninteresting. I couldn't remember who Saif Ali Khan was so I went looking for info; assaulting a journalist in her office?

[chonies]

karenk said:

I couldn't remember who Saif Ali Khan was so I went looking for info; assaulting a journalist in her office?

What the friggety frag?? Oops, I had no idea he was such a f'up. I thought he was dopey and cute in Dil Chahta Hai, that is all. Off my list!


Also, Salman is just gross. Once he started body-building all of his clothes are tight and ugghh. Akshay Kumar is muscle-y but wears it better. I don't like Salman's bug-eyes and hideous smirk.

I think my hatred of him is irritational, but I wear it with pride. Actually, upon further consideration, the vehicular homicide bit, the poaching and generally reprehensible existence makes me wonder why he has a career anymore at all.

[MrsCatHead]

Yah! Bollywood thread!

I'm obsessed with "Asoka" right now. It's my crack.

[chonies]

mrscathead said:

I'm obsessed with "Asoka" right now. It's my crack.

I loved it. I thought Shahrukh was wonderful, the whole thing was really well-done, well-acted and just gorgeous. I'm kind of surprised by reports that it bombed in Indian markets, though.

[Laira]

I liked Bride and Prejudice.

[Deleted]

We Greecies must have a hive mind, because I was going to start a Bollywood thread too.
Over the years I've amassed a huge collection of Bollywood flicks, and have formed strong opinions on who/what I don't like in these films. One thing that's become clear is that Salman Khan always has to be the hero in the same damn way. His poaching and vehicular manslaughter (while drunk) appalls me. He doesn't seem to show any remorse. All of Bollywood is horrified by his sentence and most people seem to think he was villified simply because he is a famous actor---well that's a new one (see Jackson, Michael).
Another actor who has actually spent time in jail is Sanjay Dutt (consorting with gangsters and weapons charges). I like him, although he is notoriously bad at dancing.
One story I heard about Devdas (with Ash Rai and Shahrukh Khan) is about something which took place just prior to the filming of a big dance scene. Ash and others were just readying themselves to begin the piece, when one of the tech guys fell into the rotors of a huge fan which was blowing. All the dancers were splattered with his blood. Something which would be all over the news if it happened in Hollywood...unfortunately the life of a stuntman in Bollywood is very dangerous. The directors rely less on CGI and more on the actual physical setups of stunts, i.e. cars really do blow up right behind the actor/stuntman, the motorcycle really does have to drive right between two moving boxcars of a train. If things go wrong then the injuries leave them out of work. It's a harsh world eh.
Between SRK and Aamir...well Aamir is really rising fast and I loved him in Rang De Basanti as well as Lagaan. But who can't love Shahrukh? (Although sometimes all his tears get to be a bit much).

[chonies]

Icy, where did you hear the story about the stuntman being splattered? I don't doubt it, especially with the stories about Ash being hit by a car, and of course Amitabh on the set of Coolie or whatever it was.

Last night I watched Maine Pyar Kiya last night--I hadn't seen it in almost 9 years and it was way better than I remembered. The girl was still a bad actress, and the rooftop dance sequence still made me uncomfortable for some reason I couldn't pinpoint, but that said, I thought it was fairly decent. It also made me feel bad for Salman, because I think he could have been a good actor rather than his descent into the Salman of Today. Has anyone else seen this? I thought the proving-yourself theme was rather interesting, because it matched the mini-skirt v. salwar kameez narrative about femininity.

As for Shahrukh, I think this is probably more a line for the True Confessions thread but I was recently outbid on some SRK cologne. Honestly, I am so embarrassingly stupid for his films! I just watched freaking Darr and he had me there, mullet and all. His character was kind of an ass in Chalte Chalte but I think SRK and Rani Mukerji are great together.

I will turn 30 in a few weeks, and yet I am making an embarrassing fangirl mess of myself all over these boards.

ETA: Holy Smokes! My ad at the top of the screen is SRK! Pimping an online Indian bank!!