Ryan McNeil
Some of you may recall a little syllabus that I was given around this time last year by three of my fellow movie lovers. It was last autumn that a few of my friends conspired to get me into anime by setting a very specific watchlist for me – one designed to get me into the best that the genre has to offer and hook me with accessibility.
Well that went over so well, that I thought I’d spend this winter working on another genre – and what better way to go about it, than to turn once again to my fellow movie lovers?
Considering that today is Diwali, it’s apropos that this time out, I’m interested in Bollywood – which if it’s possible, might be a harder sell than anime was. Anime had me apprehensive because of how feverish its fans are, and trepidations that had come from how little I’d seen. Bollywood is a different animal entirely. For starters, I haven’t seen a single frame. For seconds, if there’s one thing I know about Bollywood it’s that the films are lavish – they are filled with sensory overload, and are never interested in getting the deed done quickly.
Still, I want to give it a shot, and get a sampling for a genre that I’m woefully unaware of. For this, I am at the mercy of Nikhat and SDG (whose real name is Shantanu).
They have compiled a twelve-film syllabus for me. I’ve listed it below in reverse-chronological order, and if I have a request for them (or anyone else reading this post), it’s to set up the pecking order for me. If it were up to me, I’d ask to start out with the most accessible and work my way up to the more acquired taste, but I leave it to those of you in-the-know.
Here’s what I hope to tackle over the coming months…
DEVADAS DEVDAS
LAGAAN
SATYA
MONSOON WEDDING
DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE
JAANE BHI DO YAARON
GOL MAAL
SHOLAY
JEWEL THIEF
TEESRI MANZIL
MOTHER INDIA
AWARA
Just like last year, I don’t have a specific timetable on this. I want to enjoy these and not see them as a chore. In addition, given their length, I don’t see myself mainlining two or three in a weekend the same way I did the anime films last year.
One thing IĀ do hope is that I’ll be able to find a screening of one or two of these as that actually really helped me soak up the splendour of things last time around.
So wish me luck – I might need it – and if you or anyone you know has any tips or thoughts on digging into Bollywood, I’m all ears!
HAPPY DIWALI!
I am really excited about this. It’ll be very interesting to see someone who hasn’t grown up with these movies to watch and critique them.
And we have actually made a pretty mainstream list so I don’t think it would be difficult to find them.
Also it’s Devdas.
I’m rather excited myself! Thanks again for helping put this list together. I should start digging into it in a few weeks.
Nice list, some real classics. I need to catch up on some of these myself. Hope you enjoy them.
Do make sure you come by and discuss the ones you’ve seen as I roll along with my viewing of them.
Like you I know next to nothing of Bollywood, other than recognising a couple of those titles. I have however seen Monsoon Wedding and would recommend that as a starting point as it isn’t the more stereotypical musical-style Bollywood epic, it’s a much more raw drama. I loved it, so it should be a good jumping off point.
I hear what you’re saying. When the list was handed to me…or “virtually handed” since it was actually emailed…that was the title that jumped out. It was the “Hey, I know this one!” moment. So I’d wager that it will in fact be the first one that I watch.
Happy Diwali! This is a great list, and yes, as Nikhat said, it’s Devdas.
I’d start out with MONSOON WEDDING and then watch DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE. MONSOON WEDDING is mostly in English, if I recall correctly, (and I’m sure someone here will correct me if I’m not!) and Dilwale Dulhanya Le Jayenge is arguably the film that catapulted Shah Rukh Khan to superstardom. There are several on here that I haven’t seen.
Thank you, (and your friends) for compiling this list!
Thanks for the note Lynn!
Interestingly, much like the last syllabus that was made up for me, I wasn’t really given a running order, so tips like that really help. I’m actually a believer in setting the schedule, since I think diving into the deep end could turn a newbie to any genre off if they don’t follow the right path.
Make sure to come back and check in on me and how I’m doing with the homework.
I’ve seen three of these–Monsoon Wedding (lovely), Diwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge (too fluffy for me), and Lagaan (awesome).
Once you’re done with these, you should look into the Apu Trilogy and The Music Room–less Bollywood and more simply Indian/Bengali cinema.
You’ve seen as many movies as you’ve seen, and you’ve only seen three of these?
Here we Go !! I like your title. Interesting piece of Trivia – I still don’t know what movie that song is from. Even I heard it first in Ghost World. š
As for the list, we have tried to present it in a package or at least we have tried to. We tried getting every decade, every genre, every actor, director that we thought worth knowing, even the most lavish and typical romantic-family-musical-drama(And Yes, that’s a genre. At least in Hindi movies it is.) to the meaningful, artistic piece of expression. Yes, Hindi movies are known for their sensory overload. Contemporary movie even more so, but our attempt was not to overload it. So there certainly are a few that will take you there, not every one of these will. So, Enjoy !!
And Happy Diwali !! You chose well, Sir !! š
You and Nk went above and beyond in creating this list for me. I’m hoping I can get my first entry up before New Year’s, but given how busy it’s about to get around here, I can’t promise.
I appreciate immensely that you have tied to give me a broad cross-section, as that was what I was after, especially since I intend on doing a lot of writing on them and don;t want to repeat myself.
I think you have the makings of a post – discover what film Jaan Pehechaan Ho is originally from!
Excellent plan! I’ve only seen one off that list– DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE– and it’s excellent. Good luck, I look forward to following along.
Thank you sir.
I vote that in 2013 you pick a genre and get a syllabus made for you to watch and write about…it’s a really great way to immerse yourself in a genre.
The only film I’ve seen in that list is Monsoon Wedding. Such a gorgeous film. It’s one of the few films that myself and my parents seem to enjoy.
Yet another vote for MONSOON WEDDING. I think at this rate I’m going to have to queue it up sooner rather than later.
While I have seen a decent number of Bollywood films, I really need to dive into more of the classic/iconic titles. Of your list I have seen Devdas and Moonsoon Wedding (first film I saw at TIFF after the events of Sept 11th).
I would also recommend you catch up with Gangs of Wassypur 1 & 2. I saw part one at TIFF, and both Tom and Kurt claim that part two is even better.
In hindsight, missing out on Wassypur is one of my regrets from this past TIFF. Hopefully I get a chance to catch up with sometime soon.
Seconding (thirding?) the recommendation of MONSOON WEDDING for your first title. It’s not actually a Bollywood movie, but the cultural elements make it a good gateway.
LAGAAN and SATYA would be good choices to push up to the top of the list also.
I really enjoy Bollywood movies. Even after seeing a fair number I’m still a neophyte though. It’s a vast cinema.
Thanks Helen. As I’ve mentioned a few times, any help in how to attack this list is much appreciated. Do make sure to check back in as I start posting about them.
One of the problems of recommending Bollywood movies is that it’s not a single genre (it’s like recommended Hollywood movies to someone), and with the addition of cultural differences. It’s been a month since you posted this, so I imagine you’d have already started. In any case, my 2c:
Haven’t seen Monsoon Wedding, but I guess that would be most accessible. Follow it up with Satya. That should give you an idea that Bollywood is not just lavish or musicals. Next up, Sholay (for an adaptation of The Magnificent Seven/ Seven Samurai). Lagaan is the next accessible one.
I don’t agree with this list (my tastes differ from Shantanu’s, I came here from his blog) much, but then I don’t want to bombard you with more choices :). Devdas and DDLJ are not my favorites and are the standard, typical sensory overload with probably many many plot holes. I’m always unsure about recommending comedies (Gol Maal – note: older one, or Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro) but they are good. The rest, haven’t seen them but they aren’t exactly my cup of tea. š