How I fell in love with Bollywood movies … via a little movie called Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

It’s a question I have to answer on an almost monthly and sometimes weekly basis: How did you fall in love with Bollywood movies?

Since this week is the 16th anniversary of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which was my first Bollywood movie, it seemed time to finally write a blog post about it. The story has a little flair of the dramatic -- as it probably should when it relates to Bollywood and especially a Karan Johar movie -- but at its heart is really quite simple.
In college, I had a roommate who loved all things Asian, and I had the apartment’s only Netflix subscription back when they mostly did DVDs. She guilt tripped me into ordering her favorite Indian movie, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which I kept pushing down my queue because I didn’t want to read subtitles and hell I couldn’t even pronounce the title. But finally the time came to sit down for a three and a half hour (!!!!) marathon.

Spoiler alert: I laughed, I cried, I maybe even fell in love.

The enduring power of DDLJ, 17 years on

What is it about DDLJ that is so captivating? Certainly it’s a great film, but other great films have come and gone in the 17 years that DDLJ has been running, cementing the title of longest-running Indian film in history. Other love stories have come and gone, but DDLJ remains. Other blockbusters have come and gone, and DDLJ remains.

It’s true that DDLJ perhaps gave birth to a new generation of Bollywood film — a film by the next generation of Chopra, with tenets of the classic Yash Chopra style — but so, in ways, did the youth and boldness of Rangeela (in the same year), Amitabh Bachchan’s angry young man films of the 1970s, Bobby in 1973 as a story of young love, countless other films. Yet they haven’t had the theater run that DDLJ has.

Some have said to understand DDLJ’s power, one has to understand the India of 1995, the power of globalization and the way that Raj’s international style and desi heart spoke to a generation and a growing diaspora. The way that DDLJ became, as Vijay Mishra says in his book Bollywood Cinema, the first film to directly address the NRI population — the thousands who are far from India yet still Indian at heart.

And though those factors are certainly a part of understanding DDLJ, I think looking at just that misses the fact that DDLJ is fundamentally appealing in many ways. The first time I watched DDLJ, I had barely stepped into the Bollywood world, and all of the globalization/diaspora mumbo jumbo wasn’t even on my radar. But I loved DDLJ.

DDLJ, I think, appeals to the romantic in all of us. It has the Swiss Alps backdrop, an obstacle in the heroine’s disapproving family, boy-girl antagonism that becomes love, dramatic train scenes — pretty classic characteristics of the Bollywood romance. Add on top of that a bewitchingly wonderful soundtrack of catchy and beautiful romantic tunes, some of 90s filmi music at its best. And the checklist of Bollywood blockbuster must-haves is not only complete: It’s filled out in style.

There is something to be said, too, for the remarkable chemistry of SRK and Kajol (not to mention the knockout supporting cast). Perhaps I’m slightly biased on this point because SRK and Kajol are two of my favorite actors, but there’s a certain sizzle there that you really can’t deny. DDLJ launched the lover boy persona that SRK has mastered and been unable to fully escape for nearly two decades. I’m always talking about how SRK has a charm that’s undefinable and powerful, but I think the particular appeal of Raj as a character has to do with more than SRK.

Most centrally, DDLJ features a young man who is a troublemaker — he fails his exams, parties constantly, is never serious, puts the moves on any girl in his path and steals beer from gas stations. But once he falls in love with a girl, we discover that he is, beneath the whole bad boy act, honor-bound and big-hearted — dilwale. He wants to marry Simran — though he's never loved a girl before — and not just that, but win her the right way because he is so upstanding. Isn’t that most women’s romantic fantasy about bad boys? That beneath it all, they’re good at heart?

And Simran may cower in fear of her father, but that doesn’t mean she’s weak. She’s stubborn and forceful with Raj from the moment they meet. A firecracker hidden in a somewhat demure package. A woman who respects her family and tradition but also has a spark and a temper — isn’t that what many men wish for?

Let’s not forget the way that the love unfolds: unexpectedly, right in the face of Simran’s impending marriage. Simran had, as she tells her mother, resolved to be happy for one month and consigned herself thereafter to an unhappy life in a foreign country with a man she’d never met. And then Raj sweeps into her life. And Raj is a freewheeling lover who treats Simran like he would any other girl — i.e. flirting incessantly but never seriously — before Simran’s nature and good heart unexpectedly draw him in deeper. (“I’ve had many affairs,” he tells her, “but I’ve never been in love.”)

And then the lovers embark on a quest to win over Simran’s family — effectively winning over an audience in the process — while also meeting behind closed doors as, well, two people in love. (And while wooing Simran’s family, Raj — in true SRK fashion — is particularly adept at wooing the women, of course.) It’s both a public and private love affair, with all of the thrill of a clandestine love affair and all of the jokes and smiles involved in gaining acceptance and approval from a family. A love so honorable it refuses to elope but not so honorable that it won't lie to win approval.

Long story short, DDLJ is probably the perfect film love story.

And let it never be said that the Chopras don’t have a mastery of the small romantic gestures as well as the large that will make your heart melt. From Raj convincing Simran they’ve slept together only to tell her he’s certainly joking because he respects her honor to trying to sneak a kiss behind a pillar — only to have Babuji interrupt — to confessing love in a field of yellow flowers after Raj has flown halfway around the world for Simran. Whole lists are dedicated to the top romantic moments in DDLJ.

DDLJ is fundamentally a story of loving, desi hearts found in unlikely places. A big, honest heart with desi values is found in freewheeling, partying spoiled London boy Raj. Simran finds the balance in her heart to love Raj and still respect and honor her family. Simran’s Babuji leaves London and seeks comfort in Punjab because he believes Londoners are all heartless and unfamiliar and that many second-generation desis like Raj “dishonor the name of Hindustan.” When he meets Raj’s Pops in Punjab, he says his London clothes belie his desi persona, to which Pops responds, “Clothes? I keep Hindustan in my heart.” That’s the sentiment that speaks to the diaspora, what I was talking about before.

But more, I think, than finding desi values, DDLJ is about finding good people and goodness in the hearts of everyone. Because there’s Raj and Simran’s initial antagonism that turns to love (well, maybe the antagonism is only Simran’s) because both unexpectedly find good hearts in the other. And then despite the antagonism between Simran’s father and Raj, Raj is able to ask for forgiveness and ultimately (in the last, y’know, minute of the film) Simran’s father is able to forgive his grievances with Raj and let Simran go to him because he recognizes that “no one can love you as he does.”

That is why I say DDLJ appeals to the romantic, the optimist, in all of us and not just the desi diaspora.

It’s one of the several powerful factors that contributes to make DDLJ an enduring masterpiece that other films will continue to chase.

“Bade bade deshon mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hote rehti hain, Señorita.”

Baazigar (1993): Revenge with twisted justice — an ending and beginning for the SRK and Kajol jodi

I went to see Rowdy Rathore last night and enjoyed it, but you’ll have to wait for my review while I scramble to collect coherent thoughts. Instead, I bring you this post that’s been in the making for probably two weeks.

Unfortunately, my journey with my favorite jodi, SRKajol, has very reluctantly come to an end. Finally, after more than a year of putting it off (and watching it in snatches over the course of six months), I finished Baazigar. Part of me had so wanted to see Baazigar because it was the last of the SRKajol films left to watch while it was also their first film together. But part of me didn’t want to because it was the end of the line.

There is, of course, much to say about Baazigar beyond SRK and Kajol. It’s just that I find myself lamenting the fact that I have no more of their films to watch. It’s really an injustice. The world needs more Kajol period, and she and SRK are so electrifying to watch. Listen up, filmi world: I need more! (And there is perhaps a whole other blog post waiting to be written about that.)

The SRK and Kajol of Baazigar are very different than the SRK and Kajol of other films. In 1993, both were fairly new to the scene and certainly not huge impressive stars, and Kajol was barely (if at all) a legal adult. The roles for each are unlike their other films together. Despite romancing two women, Shahrukh isn’t the lover boy; he’s a cold murder bent on revenge, a dark role at which he’s surprisingly, perhaps frighteningly, adept and convincing (see: Don, Don 2, Asoka, Duplicate [in one of his roles], and even Josh to a degree). Priya Chopra is less boisterous than the typical Kajol character we all know and love (though she’s clearly excitable and bouncy), and she’s grappling with the mysterious suicide of her older sister, while being the spoiled rich girl (isn’t that usually SRK’s job in their films?).

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham revisited: a Bollywood anniversary

Well, the time around Thanksgiving was not just a holiday for me. It also marked my one-year anniversary with Bollywood. Sometime around Thanksgiving (or a little after) last year, I watched my first Bollywood film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, with my then-roommate.

I was reluctant to watch it, actually, because of the subtitles. But little did I know what would result! I fell in love with K3G almost immediately (almost meaning after that confusing opening scene that I still don't love) and that was the launching pad to my Bollywood obsession.

Well, on the occasion of my Bollywood anniversary, I wanted to do a list of the 120+ films I've seen in the year since then, but I lost my list somewhere and most of my viewing history was wiped out when I canceled my Netflix account a few months ago. So instead I only get to do the other thing I wanted to: an assessment of how far I've come in that year. Aka watching K3G again and thinking back to the first time I watched it (or even the first three times I watched it within a two-week span because I was introducing it to other people).

I realize now that watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham — whose title I couldn't even remember or pronounce — there were so many things I straight-up didn’t understand. Some of them you think I would with my literary background that has a definite lean toward India and colonialism. But, nope, I was clueless.

Paagal Papaya's (tentative) Favorites

Well. For starters, let me just say that I'm not going to be as good of a writer as the Mighty Mango, just so you know. Also, I'm not really sure how to navigate this thing really well yet (hence my thing won't be as pretty or well-organized as the Mighty Mango's) so if I do something dumb you'll just have to forgive me.

OK. To start off, let me just say this: I do not feel like I've seen enough Hindi films/heroes/heroines to choose definite favorites. Even though I've seen a lot, there's much more to be seen, and there always will be much more to be seen. There are also films I've seen that has someone in it that I'd like to see more of or I haven't seen enough of that hero/heroine to make a fair judgment on them. That being said, my "favorites" will keep changing.

My favorite hero(es)?

Hmm. Good question. Well, a favorite, would, most certainly, have to be Shah Rukh Khan, of course. Unlike the Mighty Mango, he was not (technically) my first Bollywood hero. However, he was one of my firsts, and I watched two of his movies back-to-back (K3G and K2H2), and decided I love him. That was just cemented when I saw Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and DDLJ. And he was incredibly cute and rather convincing in My Name is Khan. At first, I struggled with his face not being particularly attractive to me, but I got over it and fell in love with his overall charm. Yeah.

Another favorite would have to be Akshay Kumar. He's just so freaking funny to me. I think Tees Maar Khan was the first movie I saw with him in it (I know, crazy, right?). A lot of people said that movie was horrible, and while it was incredibly bizarre, I thought it was funny, and it made me interested in seeing more Akki. And while I roll my eyes sometimes at his "oh yeah, I'm hot" attitude, I still love him and he makes me laugh.

Now, from the... err, "younger" or "newer" generation, I guess you'd say, I have a few favorites. But for some reason my brain classifies them as different from my aforementioned favorites. First, Imran Khan. I'm not sure why I love Imran, but he's so cute and I just want to pinch his cheeks. lol that sounds kinda weird but whatever. Also I really like Shahid Kapoor. Whoo, he's not bad to watch at all ;).

There's a few others that I wouldn't call favorites but I would certainly like to see more of so that I can form a better opinion, such as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, and Ranbir Kapoor. And there's a bunch that I haven't seen any movies that they're in but have heard great things about that I'd like to see.

My favorite heroine?

Yes, well. Just like my heroes, I think I have multiple heroines. But first, of course, I have Kajol. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't just because I love SRK. She can totally stand on her own. However, I do love her with him; pretty much all of their films are favorites. But I love her because she's just so, like... fun, I guess. She's goofy but gorgeous, zany but lovely. It surprised me how she could go from being somewhat spazzy in K2H2 and K3G to being a serious, protective, and jealous mom in We Are Family and a sheltered blind girl in Fanaa. I just really like her.

Secondly, I like Rani Mukherjee. I think she's absolutely beautiful (*jealousss* :P). Besides that, I don't know. I just really like her. She's funny. And her performance in Dil Bole Hadippa! says to me that she's not really afraid to be un-pretty, seeing as how she's playing a man (even though it didn't really work. I mean, c'mon, she was still pretty). OH, and in K2H2 also because in the dying scene she's not wearing any makeup. I still like her in K2H2 even though she's sort of "the other woman."

I'll just make passing mentions of some others. I like Priyanka Chopra, I think. I'm trying to form a more complete opinion on her, trying to step back and make myself say "OK. WHY do you like her? Form an actual opinion." So I'll let you know on that one. Another is Kareena Kapoor. Hmm, I'm trying to go back through my brain's archives and dig out some thoughts on her. I think most of the movies I've seen her in she's played more secondary roles, so maybe that's why I don't have many thoughts on that. However I did enjoy her performance in We Are Family, trying to cope with being viewed as "the other woman" and cope with being young and being left with 3 kids. Another person was Katrina Kaif. I'm not really sure about her. I love her with Akki, but the only thing I've seen her in sans-Akki is New York, which I watched too long ago to even remember her performance. So, with Akki, yes; without Akki... mmm, the jury's still out on that one.

There's also a lot of other heroines I would love to see more of, like Aishwarya Rai, Genelia, etc.

My favorite film?

As with the other categories, I have multiple favorites. Really, can you ever just pick one? I don't think so.

Well, one of my favorites, for starters, would have to be Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. I just love it, the whole thing. Period. Also, I love Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. So funny! And I just wanted to pinch Shahrukh's little geeky cheeks. He was so cute. Another favorite is Dostana, which I found hilarious and crazy. Oh, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, of course. SRK and Kajol, I just think they're so funny and good together. I like I Hate Luv Storys too. It was funny and I liked how Jai wasn't like the classic hero or whatever, but it ended up being a love story anyways. And how they made fun of a lot of films. Another favorite is Welcome. Dude, that movie was crazy! I was like "What?! HAHAHA. Wait what?!" the whole time. And I found it hilarious, even if the Mighty Mango didn't find it quite so hilarious. All my descriptions of these movies probably sound really shallow and aren't really good descriptions of why I love them, but they'll have to do for now. Sorry!

Aaand this was a lot longer than I was intending, but you know how Bollywood goes.

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.