5 Must-Watch Bollywood Movies To Show You That They Are More Than Just Breaking Out Into Song And Dance
Maybe some day you'll be able to match my level of expertise.on what Bollywood is ACTUALLY about.
If you've ever met me, you know that I love Bollywood movies. I love the actors, the acting, the overdramatic plot-lines and the series of songs that serve as both musical accompaniment and essential plot devices to each story. My friends and family all know that if given the aux, I will literally play nothing but Bollywood songs. If you've ever wanted to get in on the Bollywood hype, here are seven movies you need to watch to get almost every reference any Bollywood-obsessed person (read: me) will make.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge — 1995
Released in 1995, this classic film tells the story of two people who meet abroad and hate each other when they first meet. Of course, through the course of missing trains in Europe, being forced to spend large amounts of time together and getting drunk together, the two fall in love as they are about to leave back for India.
The songs in this movie are arguably the most well-known Bollywood songs through the generations of Bollywood fans, especially the thematic mandolin phrase that Shah Rukh Khan, the movie's hero and main actor, plays throughout. Raj and Simran — Bollywood's most ICONIC couple were created through this movie and we have to thank the director for that. This movie is claimed to be one of the biggest movies that launched the actor's careers.
It continuously still runs in theaters to this day and recently completed 1,200+ weeks. I watched this movie along with my parents the first time, and I absolutely recommend it to anyone trying to get into the whole typical Bollywood scene.
Kal Ho Na Ho - 2001
This one is another one of Shah Rukh Khan's classics. "Kal Ho Na Ho" was released in 2003 and is set in New York City, featuring Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan as three friends who evolve into a love triangle-type scenario.
The songs in this movie are timeless, and everyone I know always gets up to dance when "It's The Time to Disco" starts playing. This movie tells a story of romantic and familial love and sends the message that you don't have to be with someone to love them with every fiber of your being. My friend from school had first told me about this school.
From then, obsessed is not even the right word to used to describe what this movie means to me. It's completely more than that. to this day, show me this movie and I'll start bawling. By the way, you definitely will need a box of tissues for this movie. It's just a must.
The Dhoom Franchise (Specifically "Dhoom 2) — 2006
Now onto the newer movies! The "Dhoom" franchise is a trilogy (as of now), revolving around a cop and his partner in the Mumbai Police Department. Out of the three movies in the series, my personal favorite is the second one, "Dhoom 2."
One of my favorite actors, Hrithik Roshan, plays the star villain and his brilliant acting, matched with his unparalleled dancing, makes this movie one you will not regret watching. The craze for these movies can be measured by the success they have gained at the box office. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2006 and was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time as well at the time of its release.
Chennai Express — 2013
Another Shah Rukh Khan movie! This one is a comedy starring another one of my favorite actresses, Deepika Padukone. Set in India, "Chennai Express" tells a love story while incorporating parts of other classic movies with a bit of a ridiculously humorous twist (we love Bollywood movies that are parodies of other Bollywood movies).
The songs in this movie range from dance bops to cute love songs, and this movie also touches upon the cultural differences that two people in love may face when trying to be together. This movie will just tickle your funny bone especially if you are a big fan of slapstick comedy or funny lines. This was the first ever actual Bollywood movie I've ever watched and since then, it's just been a journey of movie after movie after movie after movie. This was the movie that introduced me tp the Bollywood world and I'm sure if you watch it, you will not be disappointed.
This movie was one of Shah Rukh Khan's biggest hits after continuous let downs and brought him back into the limelight.
Padmaavat — 2018
I just recently watched "Padmaavat," a 2018 film starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.
"Padmaavat" is a movie remake of an Indian epic that tells the story of Queen Padmavati and explains the philosophy behind Jauhar. "Padmaavat" was one of the highest grossing Bollywood movies to be released and the highest grossing Bollywood movie of 2018. Deepika Padukone does a stellar job in the role of Queen Padmavati and is a feminist icon as she plays the role of queen, lover and warrior.
Watching this movie will make you feel empowered all of a sudden, and you will feel like you can accomplish anything after watching it. Deepika Padukone's acting is simply super in this movie and is said to be one of the best of her career. Even after going so many struggles to release, it shut up all the people who said this movie was going to be an epic disaster in terms of telling the ancient tale.
The world of Bollywood goes on far past these seven ffilms, but this is a good place to start for anyone who wants to watch something new, explore a new genre of film or develop a new obsession. And don't worry if you don't speak Hindi — I don't know Hindi completely, and I watch these all the time! Subtitles are my best friend. Enjoy!
My 10 Favorite YouTubers
They can all teach you something
I've fallen down into the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Lately, I've been finding the videos on YouTube much more entertaining than anything on Netflix or Hulu. There are so many videos out there about literally everything. Some of my favorite videos are murder mysteries or unsolved crime videos. But I also love watching movie commentaries or anything funny. If you like YouTube as much as I do, I highly recommend checking out these YouTubers.
1. Hailey Reese
Hailey is such a light in this world. Even though she talks about paranormal things which can oftentimes be scary, she always brings light and love to the video. Her videos are so informational and spooky. They're so fun to watch and interesting to think about. She is one of the soul siblings, and you will understand what I mean by that if you watch her channel. Also, you get to be a Reese's Peaces, what a cool name!
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall does a lot of different kinds of videos, but some of my favorite ones that she does are the True Crime videos. Many of the stories are sad or disturbing, but she does a fantastic job of being respectful of the families who lost a loved one as well as the person who is deceased. These stories really bring into perspective how messed up people in this world can be, but at the same time the beauty of our humanity and that there are good people in the world.
3. Dylan Is In Trouble
Ah, Dyan. Where to begin. He does a lot of movie commentaries. He has done commentaries on everything from kids movies, rom-coms, horror, and thriller. He apparently went to film school and so he actually analyzes the movies in a critical way. He always points out plot holes and cliches and makes it so entertaining to watch. He also shows the movie as he's watching it, so it's like you get to watch it without actually spending the hour and a half watching it. He's so entertaining to watch and makes me laugh every time, even if it's a serious movie. One of my favorite things is that he calls his followers "troublemakers" and as someone who rarely ever gets into trouble, I like it.
4. Jon Solo
If you're someone who loves Disney movies and fairytales, this channel is for you. Jon goes into the origin stories of various Disney movies, heroes, villains, and other fairytale creatures. It's amazing the amount of research he does in order to find and explain the origins of some of our favorite characters.
5. tiffanyferg
I'm a bit new to her channel, but she covers a range of topics that I think are very important. She talks about beauty standards, the college scandal, minimalism, mental health, and college struggles. As someone who is finishing college and still learning about myself, I really appreciate her analysis of these topics and the advice that she gives.
6. Brandi TV
Brandi is too funny. While I don't condone doing drugs, she does really funny "makeup" tutorials. I feel like I always cry from laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when she does a makeup tutorial for Ursula from the Little Mermaid. So funny. She is such a sweetheart and a pure soul.
7. Loey Lane
Loey is another light in this world. She talks about paranormal things, reads scary viral stories, body positivity, and her own personal experiences. Her makeup is always on point and brings so much light to sometimes dark topics. She is one of the soul siblings too!
8. The Try Guys
Do I even have to give an explanation for these guys? They try everything, and it's hilarious to watch them. My favorite series of theirs is when Keith eats everything on the menu from different fast food places. And they don't waste the food so that's a plus!
9. Alex Myers
Alex is another great YouTuber who does movie and Tv show commentaries, but he animates himself and his dog into the videos. It's very interesting to see, especially because sometimes he will talk about his own personal experiences and its very relatable. Also, his dog is super cute!
10. AndrewTMI
Last but not least, we have Andrew. I love how totally open and honest he is. He is very relatable and honestly hilarious. He is dramatic and that just makes his channel so entertaining. He is the last member of the soul siblings. When Hailey, Loey, and Andrew are together some real spooky stuff happens and it's some of the most entertaining videos to watch.
If you haven't heard of any of these YouTubers, please check them out. They are so great at entertaining and presenting facts. Even though I haven't met any of them, they all seem like really great, genuine people.