Some interesting flicks

Last night while Jason was at work I watched a movie I've had for about a year and hadn't seen as yet. I noticed something interesting when I pulled it off the shelf.....
Something familiar about the cover........
There's a resemblance to another movie I have.... My Big Fat Greek Wedding!
Despite the cover similarities, there's really nothing alike in these movies (well, they both end with a wedding). In Hulchul, both bride & groom have big families that are sort of mafia-esque--they run their villages and have some sort of blood fued between them. The beginning of the movie is a bit confusing, because both families have four or five sons, and they're all wearing white, so when the scenes are switching back and forth between them, at first I thought it was the same family. Anyway, it all gets righted soon enough, and the story takes over. It's slightly Romeo & Juliet, except no one dies (that's very Bollywood of them). Hulchul had fewer songs in it than I was expecting, which was slightly disappointing, because songs are almost my favourite part of the movie. But for this very reason, it's easier for the average non-Indian to follow the plotline. Anyway, the female star is Kareena Kapoor, who is just about my all-time favourite Bollywood actress. She's done everything from psycho cold-blooded killer (Fida) to historical warrior princess (Asoka). This is very middle-of-the-road for her, because she's playing a college student and bride. The movie was very well done, sans typical cheesiness (except a few punches in a fight scene). A must-see--you can even borrow my copy if you like. :)

One of the best movies ever is Bride & Prejudice. Based on Jane Austen's classic (P&P), it brings historical England's class-system more accessability as we see class distinction in a cultural light. Especially for us in North America who really have no concept of the old classes. Really well done, and all in English (besides one song which is subtitled).

If you liked it quite well, check out Chupke Se. It's harder to follow, but has one of the same actresses in it (B&P's little sister Lucky). The only warning I would give is don't get caught up in the seriousness of it, because it makes fun of itself often enough. It's sort of a combo of Miss Congeniality and the Sopranos.

Aishwarya Rai is one of the biggest names in Bollywood at the moment. She's the star of Bride & Prejudice, and also recently got engaged to some other famous actor (I've never heard of)--it was in the paper last week, I think. Here's another of her movies that I've seen--Dil Ka Rishta (ties of the heart). The plotline is slightly unbelievable, but good nonetheless.

As always, the key to finding a good Hindi movie is to like the genre for what it is. Hindi films aren't for everyone. But if you find one you like, look for others that star the same actor/actress who you liked best. Then you'll find some good ones, and also some that you'd never watch again. In the process you'll discover what you like best about the movies and the actors, and be able to choose some just based on a cute cover (that's how I found Chupke Se). A great website to buy these DVDs is http://store.nehaflix.com There's films in all price ranges, and every few weeks (if you sign up for the mailing list) they'll offer free shipping. So there's my plug for international entertainment. More to come, I'm sure.