Bollywood

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham shines from start to finish, and runs the gamut of emotions. The cinematography, sets, and costumes are brilliant. The sparkling performances of six of India's leading actors alone makes the movie worth seeing, even if some might not feel comfortable with the deep sentimentality displayed by the leading men (women are fine with this; American men sometimes find it unnerving). Hrithik Roshan is pure eye candy for women of all ages, somehow oozing sweetness and innocent sexuality at the same time.

Four years after winning the best-student-of-the-year trophy from his architectural college, and with designs to set the Canadian landscape on fire, Raj Malhotra (Shahid Kapur) is still struggling to find that One Chance to showcase his mettle. When he misses out on yet another opportunity due to fate's cruel intervention, he starts losing heart. However, fate has another trick up its sleeve for Raj. He stumbles upon a quirky oracle, Hasina Bano Jaan (Juhi Chawla). She advises him to find and keep a charm by him, that would change his stars and make everything work in his favor.

Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa. Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). After having secured the Hindu Kush, he furthered his realm by conquest until his empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the Godavari River. Through a shrewd blend of tolerance, generosity, and force, Akbar won the allegiance of the Rajputs, the most belligerent Hindus.

Salaam Namaste tells the romance of Nick and Ambar, two young, independent Indians living abroad in Melbourne, Australia. And it doesn't start out well for them. Nikhil "Nick" Arora (Saif Ali Khan) is an architect and also the head chef at the restaurant Nick of Time. Ambar Malhotra (Preity Zinta) is a medical student and, to help pay her bills, she also moonlights as a radio jockey at Melbourne's local Indian radio station, Salaam Namaste (101.5FM). Nick is a chronic oversleeper and wakes up one day very late for his radio interview with Ambar.

Dil Bole Hadippa! (My Heart Shouts Hooray!) makes a good intro to Bollywood/Indian musicals. It has all the splash of full-out Bollywood but with terrific modern updates and a little something for everyone. For the ladies there's the predictable but crackling good rom/com tension between Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee. With all this wrapped up in a cricket championship with a little gender-bending to keep it off-balance, guys should find it just as entertaining.

Vivah unabashedly hearkens back to India's more traditional conventions, and specifically that of the arranged marriage. Released in 2006, Vivah tells the story of two young people, Prem and Poonam, strangers to one another yet destined to be wedded. So it'd be nice if they like each other. Poonam (Amrita Rao) is an orphaned girl from the small town of Madhupur, who was raised in her uncle's household. She is beautiful and demure and brought up to be obedient and traditional.

A film that travels three continents [Asia, Europe, U.S.A.] and 8/10 years, Hum Tum is a love story that relies heavily on romance and light moments. Though the storyline is wafer thin, the twists and turns in the film keep the interest alive to an extent.

Love Aaj Kal is a romantic comedy that segues into a drama, taking a more sophisticated approach and allowing for real emotional development, something we don't get too much of from the generic Bollywood product, what with Indian cinema so hooked on sweeping over-the-top romances.

New York is an extremely taut and highly emotive piece of political drama which begins with a bang. Indian immigrant Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is arrested by the FBI and grilled for his terrorist links by officer Irrfan Khan. Pleading his innocence, he is forced to flashback to his college days and his friendship with Sameer (John Abraham), the campus hero and Maya (Katrina Kaif), the campus hottie who stole his heart but loved Sameer. The breezy campus days give way to a more turbulent present when Omar is sent back into Sameer and Maya's life as an undercover agent for the FBI.

It is not difficult to choose between a good and a bad, but choosing the better of two goods or lesser of two evils can be really hard. Zooni Ali Beg (Kajol) gets this advice from her father when she sets out for the first time to discover the world of her own. Of course, she never knew how these words would mean to her life till the cruel fate strike. Zooni Ali Beg (Kajol) is blind but beautiful and energetic. She doesn t want handicap to stop her from discovering her own life. So, she sets out for the first time to make use of her life to the fullest.