A Beginner's Guide to Bollywood Movies

For those who don't know, Bollywood is India's largest film industry. While there are many film industries in India spread throughout the country, Bollywood is India's Hindi language film industry centered in Bombay, or Mumbai, India. Bollywood movies are intensely popular not only in India, but across the entire world, especially in South Asia and Africa.

Bollywood movies are very grand and glamorous. Bollywood movie storylines are fanciful and usually centered around themes of love, romance, family, and adventure. These melodramatic movies tend to be around 3 hours, with a short intermission. Typically, the movies depict star-crossed lovers who struggle to be together despite objections from family, religion, or society as a whole. The films usually end happily-ever-after, with lovers being united after many long and terrible trials striving to keep them apart.

Song and dance sequences are a characteristic of Bollywood movies and are present in most of them. These sequences usually are a departure from reality, and are often thought of as "dream sequences". During these dream sequences, characters imagine themselves in fanciful places with their lovers, dancing and singing with pure happiness. Song and dance sequences in Bollywood help contribute to the overall theme of fantasy in the movie.

Bollywood movies are critiqued by many as superficial and unrealistic depictions of Indian life. However, many assert that Bollywood movies are not intended to be realistic views of Indian culture, but are meant as pure entertainment for many Indians who live difficult lives. Many people love Bollywood movies because the fanciful and beautiful stories give them a break from the dull and harsh realities of life.

For those of you who have never seen any Bollywood movies but would like to be exposed to the overwhelming beauty and excitement of them, I have outlined several movies that are must-sees. All of these Bollywood movies are available on Netflix.

1. Devdas- Devas must be one of the most popular Bollywood movies, probably due to the exceedingly popular Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. The story is an amazing and heartbreaking love story about two committed and loyal lovers, Paro and Devdas. The characters unravel throughout the story and it ends with earth shattering lost love. With Aishwarya Rai as Paro, the dance scenes are beautiful and enchanting. This is a must see for everyone interested in Bollywood and India.

2. Lagaan- Laagan is a beautiful movie that takes place in colonial India. It is both a love story and a story of one small village's rebellion against the oppressive British regime in India. With Aamir Khan as the lead heartthrob of this Bollywood movie, and the colorful dance sequences, this movie is an uplifting tale. The music is also very noteworthy, written by the recent Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman.

3. 1947 Earth- 1947 Earth is a historical Bollywood movie about the Partition of India in 1947 after the departure of the British and the establishment of India and Pakistan as independent nations. The movie is seen through the eyes of a young Parsee girl who lives in Lahore (later to be Pakistan). The movie depicts the terrible rift that grows between the Hindus and Muslims of India, and how this rift affects the personal lives of a particular group of diverse friends. Aamir Khan plays his role beautifully, and A.R. Rahman's soundtrack to this Bollywood movie is moving and haunting at the same time. 1947 Earth is not your average Bollywood, but a must-see for those interested in Indian history.

4. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is very typical of Bollywood cinema. It is an accidental love story of two young second generation Indians living in London who set out to see Europe before settling down and getting married. Simran, the heroin, is set to marry a man of her parent's choosing and reluctantly agrees when she believes her love is not returned by Raj. The story unfolds as Raj tries to stop the wedding and win the affection of Simran's parents, thus securing his place as her husband. With great music and a heartwarming love story, this movie is definitely a must-see.

Bollywood is a great way of getting a sneak peak view of India. While the depictions in Bollywood of India are not often entirely accurate, they are a fun way of experiencing a bit of Indian life while in your own home.