Friday, March 25, 2011

The Mighty Mango's Favorites


As our first posts, we figured we'd kind of introduce ourselves by outlining our favorite Bollywood heroes, heroines and films. :) Lucky me, I get to go first.


Let me preface my selections with something: My choices are, yes, very, very clichéd. I can’t help it. I have many, many things that I love. Don’t think my tastes are restricted to this. But yes, it’s true, these are the things I love best.

My favorite actor/hero: Shahrukh Khan
Why: Because he’s SRK. Do you need more explanation than that? Well, I suppose you probably want some. The fact is, from the very first moment he stepped on screen in the very first Bollywood movie I watched (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham), I was smitten with SRK. He has an indescribable charm that I can’t not love. Never mind the fact that SRK is older than my dad, speaks Hindi at 5 million miles an hour so I can’t understand him, and is not even really that attractive in the face. He just has this persona that’s slightly nutty and mischievous but somehow always classy at the same time. But his charm aside, the man is a darn good actor. Seriously, his versatility amazes me, especially in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (SRK-plays-nerd-plays-cool-guy was actually amazing) and My Name is Khan. I was seriously floored by the quality of his performance in MNIK.

My favorite actress/heroine: Kajol
Why: At first, I thought I liked Kajol because, like Shahrukh was my first Bollywood hero, Kajol was my first Bollywood heroine and also because every SRK/Kajol movie has been an instant favorite of mine (except Baazigar, which I cannot seem to get my hands on!). And yes, SRK and Kajol remain my favorite jodi (although closely followed by Akki and Katrina Kaif). So I was afraid, in effect, that I loved Kajol because I love SRK. But then I saw Fanaa. Fanaa is a horrible film (overly complicated plot, horrible special effects, some weak dialogue). BUT Kajol and Aamir made it enjoyable in pieces. Kajol, who is usually all sorts of zany fun, did such a beautiful job with playing a sheltered but bold blind Kashmiri girl. And in the second half of the movie, she does an even more amazing job of playing a woman wrestling with conflicting love and morality. As much as I love him, I think Aamir Khan got outshined in that one.

My favorite film: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Why: By now, seeing SRK and Kajol are my favorites, you probably could have seen this one coming. I’m also a big fan, I think, of Karan Johar’s work in directing and producing. Other than the overly political second half of MNIK and the disjointed Kal Ho Naa Ho, I don’t think I’ve seen a movie made by KJo yet that I didn’t adore. Maybe it’s a matter of first love (K3G was my first movie and I enjoyed it, but K2H2 was my second movie and the first that I loved), but no matter how many times I’ve seen K2H2, it never ceases to make me smile or to move me. The college first half reminds me of Saved By The Bell, in a good way. lol. It’s so upbeat but with that heart-rending train scene at the intermission! And then the rekindled love in the second half plus all the fun with the kids at the camp? I mean, it's a movie made by Karan Johar starring Shahrukh, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee and Sallu. How can you not love it?

Honorable mentions:
Aamir Khan, who is sometimes the most crazy adorable thing ever and other times incredibly hot for a pint-sized man; Rani Mukherjee, who is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen and also a very versatile actress though I haven’t seen enough to convince me she’s on par with her cousin Kajol; Akshay Kumar, who always cracks me up; Jab We Met; Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (again, I am so cliche!); and Dostana, which would be my favorite movie (a hoot and a half, that one) if K2H2 weren't such a perfectly well-rounded film. Look for a post soon about the reasons that Dostana is better than its Hollywood counterpart.

No comments:

Post a Comment